Mississippi State lost starting QB Blake Shapen to injury following a hard hit early in the second half of their home loss to No. 5 Georgia on Saturday. In his Monday press conference, Bulldogs' coach Jeff Lebby provided an update on the veteran signal-caller.
"He did not do anything (Monday). It'll be evaluating him as we move through the week."Lebby on Blake Shapen
Lebby made clear that if Shapen were "truly healthy" he would be Mississippi State's starter when they travel to Missouri on November 15, but they still do not know where he will be at by that point. Clearly, his status for next Saturday is very much in question.
Lebby confident Kamario Taylor can lead Mississippi State is Blake Shapen is out
If Blake Shapen can't go, true freshman Kamario Taylor will take over at QB for the Bulldogs. The 6-4, 230 native of Macon, MS was a consensus 4-star prospect and the highest rated QB signee in program history. He's made several flash plays throughout the season, both in designed packages and in relief of Shapen.
Over the last two games, Taylor has led the Bulldog offense for a total of seven drives with Shapen sidelined. State has scored touchdowns on four of those drives. Taylor provided a needed spark for MSU in their win at Arkansas, and all three of the Bulldogs' scores against Georgia came from him running. Given his recent play, Jeff Lebby is confident in the freshman's ability if he has to start.
"I've got great confidence in Kamario...he made some great plays for us."
Lebby says the key for Kamario Taylor will be growing from his recent on-field experience by learning from the film and playing within the system. And he believes if Taylor can take what he does throughout the week in practices and apply it to Saturdays, he'll be successful.
"It's just about playing and continuing to get those reps. Trust what you did Monday through Friday. Don't make it something that its not...It's just him being able to go play and take exactly what the defense gives us. Just go do what you're coached to do. And then when you've got an opportunity to make the play, go make the play, which he did that on Saturday a couple times."
If Kamario Taylor does get the start for the Bulldogs, he's got a real challenge ahead of him. Missouri has one of the SEC's top defenses, boasting a fierce pass rush, and facing them on the road ups the difficulty. We should know more about his likelihood of starting and Blake Shapen's status Wednesday night when the first availability report for the game is released.