True freshman Michael Van Buren to start at quarterback for Mississippi State vs Texas

Awful news broke Saturday night that Mississippi State football's senior starting quarterback Blake Shapen will miss the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury suffered against Florida. On Monday, Bulldogs' head coach Jeff Lebby announced that a new face to the program will take over under center.

Jeff Lebby names true freshman Michael Van Buren starting quarterback

During his Monday press conference, Jeff Lebby officially named true freshman Michael Van Buren the team's starting quarterback ahead of their trip to Austin to face the top-ranked Texas Longhorns. Van Buren entered in the 4th quarter of Saturday's loss to Florida once Shapen exited. He completed 7-13 passes for 100 yards and led a scoring drive, a performance Lebby says he was proud of.

And while Lebby suggested that redshirt freshman QB Chris Parson may also see playing time against Texas, he says that Van Buren's "predictability" led to him getting the starting nod.

"Predictability. Knowing what's going to happen, taking care of the ball. He has to do that for us on Saturday afternoon. That will be a huge part of us having a chance."

- Miss State HC Jeff Lebby

A 4-star prospect out of Baltimore, Van Buren appears to be Jeff Lebby's hand-picked guy. Van Buren flipped his commitment from Oregon to Mississippi State shortly after Lebby was hired. ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill has compared him to one of the best passer's Lebby has coached - Dillon Gabriel. But even if that potential is there for Van Buren, Lebby knows he needs to keep as much pressure off him as possible in his first start.

"You find ways to put him in positions of success. Gotta build on the run game to give him the opportunity to play inside some good situations. "

- Lebby

That is likely easier said than done, however...

No chance for Van Buren to ease into the starting role

Though Jeff Lebby will certainly work to craft a gameplan that makes life easier on Van Buren in his first start than he would with a veteran QB, Mississippi State's opponent makes easing into the starting role nearly impossible.

A road start against the #1 team in the country, fielding a defense that's allowing just 5.5 points and 212 yards per game, is about as hard as it gets. Even if Texas doesn't go the route of trying to create as much confusion as possible for a young, first-time starting QB, considering that they probably won't need to, a basic gameplan from the Horns will likely be more than enough to create havoc against the MSU offense.

If Michael Van Buren has a good showing on Saturday, it will be a testament to his potential as a player and the quality of Jeff Lebby as a play-caller.