Injuries mounting for Mississippi State ahead Texas matchup
Saturday revealed a couple of tough injuries for the Mississippi State football team as the Bulldogs continue to fight through that bug.
Blake Shapen was the biggest loss as the senior quarterback encountered a shoulder injury late in the third quarter that would eventually end his season. Coach Jeff Lebby announced his season-ending injury late on Saturday night as State now turns to Michael Van Buren to lead the team as a true freshman.
“We’re all hurting for Blake after this unfortunate news,” Lebby said on Saturday night. “Blake is the ultimate competitor and teammate and an unquestioned leader in our program. I know he will work incredibly hard to come back stronger than ever, and he will continue to serve as a team leader from the sidelines. We will support Blake every step of the way during his recovery process and explore all options to help him seek a medical hardship waiver to regain his lost year of eligibility.”
Also going down with an injury in the game was sophomore Isaac Smith. The sophomore safety took a hard hit on a block in the third quarter and left the ball game with the help of trainers.
Lebby didn’t have an update on his status just yet but said they will monitor his progress.
Another player that went down on Saturday was running back Keyvone Lee. The senior running back has 29 carries for 140 yards and a touchdown this year. Lee also was hurt on Saturday with an undisclosed injury and Lebby said they’re preparing to have him out for an extended amount of time.
Smith is one of the leading tacklers nationally through four games as the Itawamba AHS alum has 51 stops and a fumble recovery so far this year. His tackle total is the most of anyone in the SEC. This comes a year after Smith had 15 tackles through 12 games as a true freshman backup.
State also had several injuries for the ball game on Saturday that kept players out of competition. Defensive backs DeAgo Brumfield and Traveon Wright are still awaiting their debuts as Bulldogs as both have been out the first four games.
Additionally, DT Kalvin Dinkins has been out for the last three games and fellow tackle Kedrick Bingley-Jones was out last week. Safety Chris Keys, running back Xavier Gayten and kicker Marlon Hauck were also out. There weren’t any updates on those players at the Lebby press conference but more injury updates will be available to the public on Wednesday night.
