Mississippi State football takes on No. 12 Arizona State in Starkville tonight at 6:30 p.m. CT. ESPN's Pete Thamel had some important updates this morning regarding some key Bulldogs ahead of tonight's matchup.
Sources: Mississippi State is expected to get starting OL Luke Work and DL Jamil Burroughs back against No. 12 Arizona State. They’ll be without starting RT Blake Steen and CB Jett Jefferson. Steen played more than 40 snaps Week 1, and Jefferson is missing second game this year. pic.twitter.com/VflmoCWvDn
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 6, 2025
Starting offensive lineman Luke Work will make his season debut after sitting out of last week's season-opener. Work made seven starts for the Bulldogs as a true freshman in 2024, primarily at left tackle. He's moved inside to guard this year.
On a less positive note along the offensive line, starting right tackle Blake Steen is out against Arizona State. Steen, a transfer from Virginia, was injured late in the first half of the Bulldogs' win over Southern Miss and didn't return to action.
Defensively, cornerback Jett Jefferson remains out. The JUCO product was listed as a co-starter at one cornerback spot on Mississippi State's initial depth chart, but he was unable to go in the season-opener and is out once again.
However another new face to the defense will make his debut tonight. Defensive lineman Jamil Burroughs, a journeyman transfer, could take the field for the first time in a college game since 2022 against the Sun Devils.
How does the injury report impact Mississippi State against Arizona State?
How the injury report impacts the Bulldogs in their home-opener will be most notable along the offensive line. Luke Work is listed as a co-starter at left guard with Jacoby Jackson, but given the situation at tackle, it seems most likely his role against the Sun Devils will be at one of the tackle spots.
When Blake Steen went down last week, starting left tackle Albert Reese IV moved to right tackle while Jimothy Lewis stepped-in to protect the blindside. It seems likely that Work would start at one of those spots. But, given that Lewis and Reese IV played well last week, you might see those two remain on the edges with Work playing at guard. Regardless, they should feel good about their options even down a starter.
Defensively, it's more straight-forward. Kelley Jones and DeAgo Brumfield were the starting corners with Jett Jefferson out last week, and both played really well. The debut of Jamil Burroughs gives State another option to rotate along the defensive interior.
While you'd prefer to have all hands on deck against a highly-ranked opponent, it does feel like the injury situation should be manageable for Mississippi State on Saturday night.