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Blake Shapen not with Mississippi State team for bowl prep

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk6 hours agoRobbieFaulkOn3

There wasn’t much doubt after seeing Kamario Taylor take the reins in the Egg Bowl, but if there was nay that he wasn’t the starting quarterback for Mississippi State, that’s been put to rest.

Jeff Lebby spoke to the media for the first time since his team was selected for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and he confirmed there that Blake Shapen will not be with the team for the bowl. Shapen is back in Shreveport and won’t finish the season with his team.

“Blake is at home and training getting ready for an All-Star Game and Pro day, things like that,” Lebby said of Shapen.

The former Baylor quarterback didn’t finish the season how he had planned. He returned for State for a final year after missing the final eight games in 2024 due to a shoulder injury. This season, Shapen completed 64% of his passes for 2,433 yards and had 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions while being sacked 34 times.

For the matchup against Ole Miss, Lebby turned to Taylor to lead the offense. His first career start ended with him going 15-for-31 for 178 yards and an interception and he rushed 20 times for 173 yards and two scores.

In the game, Taylor did have some physical wear and tear and it was evident that he had gotten banged up by postgame. Lebby reported that he will be ready for the bowl game.

“Kamario is doing good,” Lebby said of his health. “He’s done a good job taking care of himself. He’s not back to 100%, but he’ll be back shortly.”

State is preparing to take on Wake Forest (8-4) in Charlotte on January 2 (7 p.m. CT, ESPN). While the Bulldogs will be doing so with just Taylor and Luke Kromenhoek at the QB position, Lebby is excited about the opportunity for the team to get one more game and a full month of bowl practices.

This is the first time that Taylor has gotten extended first team reps beyond the two-week prep for Ole Miss. It’s something that Lebby believes is invaluable for his QB but also for the entire program heading into 2026.

“It’s an unbelievable opportunity for (Taylor) to get all these reps and go play in another game before we get ready to go kick it off for another year,” Lebby said. “There are a ton of positives. I think more than anything, the time that we get to spend together, what an unbelievable opportunity for us to be able to grow this thing the way we want.”

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