Blake Shapen, Brett Norfleet injury update: Mississippi State at Missouri Friday availability report revealed

On Saturday, Missouri will host Mississippi State inside Memorial Stadium. Both SEC teams are coming off losses and will be hungry for a win, but only one will be able to secure one.

History is on the Tigers’ side in the showdown. Missouri boasts a 3-2 all-time record against the Bulldogs. Most recently, Missouri handily defeated Mississippi State 39-20 in the two teams’ showdown last season. Perhaps that narrative will change this time around.

Unfortunately, neither team is expected to be at full strength for the matchup. Look below to see each team’s latest availability report, released on Friday afternoon.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Out:
S Isaac Smith
CB Jett Jefferson
DL Will Whitson
OL Brennan Smith
OL Blake Steen

Missouri Tigers

Doubtful:
QB Beau Pribula

Out:
DE Langden Kitchen
K Blake Craig
QB Sam Horn

Alas, Mississippi State fans will have their eyes on quarterback Blake Shapen’s status ahead of Saturday’s clash. He left Mississippi State‘s 41-21 loss to Georgia last weekend in the third quarter after absorbing a large hit.

It was the second consecutive game Shapen has left due to an injury. Before leaving the game Saturday, Shapen completed 10-of-his-15 pass attempts for 86 yards. He was sacked twice.

When Blake Shapen has suffered injuries the past two games, freshman QB Kamario Taylor has replaced him. In his last two appearances, Taylor has completed 8-of-his-15 pass attempts for 127 yards and a touchdown, without throwing an interception.

Taylor is also a significant threat in the ground game. He’s recorded four rushing touchdowns in Mississippi State’s last two games, including three against Georgia. If Shapen is unavailable for Mississippi State’s showdown against Missouri on Saturday, Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby feels comfortable with Taylor leading the offense.

“I’ve got great confidence in Kamario,” Lebby said. “We’ve gotta make all the layups and just, man, play inside the scheme, play inside the system. One made some great plays for us. He wants a lot of things back, which I knew that he would.

“As he watched the tape, there’s gonna be great growth for him through playing. That’s the reality of it over these last couple of weeks, and being able to watch the tape, and being able to learn from things. But again, from a confidence standpoint, I’ve got great confidence in him.”

Mississippi State isn’t the only team whose quarterback is facing injury issues. Missouri QB1 Beau Pribula dislocated his ankle in the Tigers’ 17-10 loss to Vanderbilt in Week 10. Thankfully, the injury didn’t require surgery and Pribula possibly could return before the end of the season. However, it’s unclear how the injury would affect him upon his return.