No. 16 Mississippi State may have to face No. 22 LSU in Death Valley without its star quarterback. CBS Sports’ John Talty has confirmed that Taylor’s status for the game is uncertain due to a foot injury, which was first reported by ESPN.
Toward the end of Mississippi State’s 56-23 loss to Alabama, Taylor was seen dealing with an injury on the sideline. It seems that the issue has lingered through the open date and could keep Taylor from playing against LSU.
Taylor has taken a big step forward this fall, and he is the main reason behind the Bulldogs’ 4-1 start to the season. The sophomore quarterback has completed 66.2% of his passes for 1,450 yards and leads the SEC with 17 touchdown passes. On top of that, Taylor has used his legs to pick up 159 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Prior to the Bulldogs’ loss to Alabama, Taylor had thrust himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation. Even in that losing effort, Taylor made some big plays, although his three turnovers proved to be costly.
If Taylor can’t go against the Tigers, an already daunting task gets even tougher for Mississippi State. When Taylor left the Alabama game, Parker Puckett was the first quarterback off the bench in relief.
An unheralded and unranked recruit out of high school in the 2025 signing class, Puckett seems to have won the backup job behind Taylor, but what would coach Jeff Lebby do with a full week to prepare for a game without his star quarterback?
Former Appalachian State quarterback AJ Swann, a senior, is far and away the most experienced player in that position room with 24 career games under his belt. Jaden Rashada, a former top-50 recruit, is also on the roster and could provide the offense with some degree of upside.
