CJ Baxter injury update: Texas RB's status revealed vs. Mississippi State on Wednesday availability report

For the fourth time in as many weeks, the Texas Longhorns play a game away from Austin. Steve Sarkisian guides his team into one of the more unique atmospheres the all of college football, let alone the SEC, Starkville. Jeff Lebby‘s Mississippi State Bulldogs are set to host and hoping to pull off an upset.

This will be just the second-ever time Texas has faced Mississippi State on the road. To find the first, we must rewind to 1991 for the front-end of a home-and-home series. At the time, the Longhorns were a part of the Southwest Conference, five years before joining the Big 12.

Back to the present, there are some injuries both teams are dealing with. Wednesday brought the initial SEC injury report, giving us a first look at who might not be available on Saturday. At least two more are expected to be released by the 3:15 p.m. CT kickoff.

Texas Longhorns

• WR Aaron Butler – Out
• DB Michael Taaffe – Out
• OL Cole Hutson – Out
• RB CJ Baxter – Probable
• DB Xavier Filsaime – Probable
• LB Jonathan Cunningham – Probable

Mississippi State Bulldogs

• DL Will Whitson – Out
• OL Brennan Smith – Out
• OL Blake Steen – Out
• RB Fluff Bothwell – Questionable
• LB Zakari Tillman – Out (1st half)

Texas to be without safety Michael Taaffe due to thumb surgery

One name that did not surprise on the injury report is Taaffe. On3’s Pete Nakos broke the news of the Texas safety getting surgery on his thumb after the Kentucky win. An exact timeline on his return is not quite yet known, even being admitted as such by Sarkisian during the SEC Coaches Teleconference. Either way, a massive loss for the Longhorns.

Taaffe has played in all seven games this season for Texas, recording 51 tackles and one tackle for a loss. His lone interception of the year came when the Longhorns traveled down to Gainesville, a game they eventually lost to Florida. His play shows up in many ways we cannot see on the stat sheet, though.

Exactly when the injury took place is unclear. Texas just went through a roller coaster the past two weeks despite two wins. Beating Oklahoma in Dallas during the Red River Shootout (a place where thumb injuries were a big talking point due to John Mateer) brought the high point of the season thus far, before crashing back down to reality at Kroger Field against Kentucky. Overtime was needed to beat the Wildcats, including a goal line stand from Taaffe’s unit.