State's morale high after big blows; starting QB search underway
- Story byNortheast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
- State's morale high after big blows; starting QB search underway
That's the SEC, and that's football.
Such was the sentiment from Jeff Lebby in regards to the recent injuries suffered by Mississippi State. On Wednesday morning, star quarterback Kamario Taylor had surgery to repair a toe injury and will miss the rest of the season. On Monday, it was announced that Jalen Smith, the team's leading tackler before his injury, had knee surgery and will also miss the rest of the season.
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"You've got to catch a couple of breaks from that standpoint inside this conference," Lebby said in the SEC football coaches media teleconference on Wednesday. "When you step into the arena, that's part of it. Our guys understand that. But we have a great opportunity for other guys to be able to step up and go put great things on tape."
Lebby also cited during the teleconference that the decision to shut Taylor down was "a team decision" and that everyone involved thought "it was the right thing to do".
"Kamario did everything he could to be able to stay on the field, get back on the field. But it was the right thing," Lebby said. "He's finished up surgery this morning, and it went really, really well. I just got off Facetime with him. So great news from that standpoint."
The aforementioned tape will need to translate into wins. Mississippi State has not finished the regular season at or above .500 since 2022.
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"We've got a lot out in front of us. There's a lot of football to be played. We're 4-3. That's the reality of it," he said. "Each week is its own week, and we have another great challenge ahead of us Saturday night. Our guys are going to be excited to go play."
That challenge, a Saturday night tilt at No. 11 Texas, will require a new quarterback. The Bulldogs are currently deciding between Billy Puckett and A.J. Swann.
Lebby says that both quarterbacks have had a strong week of practice so far. He also noted that Swann, who has 18 career starts in 24 games over four years at three FBS schools, is as healthy as he was when he came to Starkville.
"He's lived it, he's done it, he's played a lot of football. He's the healthiest that he's been since we got him in January," Lebby said. "For him to be able to go compete for the job this week is great."
Lebby will announce the starter on Saturday evening.
