Mississippi State Suffers Major Injury Ahead of Texas Game

The Texas Longhorns and Mississippi State Bulldogs are both dealing with injuries at the quarterback position.

Sep 14, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen (2) reacts after a play against the Toledo Rockets during the fourth quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images / Matt Bush-Imagn Images

AUSTIN -- The Mississippi State Bulldogs will have a different quarterback at the controls for their matchup against the Texas Longhorns next week.

In Saturday’s 45-28 loss to Florida, Mississippi State starting quarterback Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending shoulder injury that will sideline him against Texas and will require surgery. Mississippi State’s other quarterbacks on the roster are Chris Parson, freshman Michael Van Buren Jr. and Jake Weir.

"We're all hurting for Blake after this unfortunate news," Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby said after the game, per an announcement from the team on the Mississippi State website. "Blake is the ultimate competitor and teammate and an unquestioned leader in our program. I know he will work incredibly hard to come back stronger than ever, and he will continue to serve as a team leader from the sidelines. We will support Blake every step of the way during his recovery process and explore all options to help him seek a medical hardship waiver to regain his lost year of eligibility." 

After Shapen went down against Florida, Van Buren Jr. stepped in and completed 7 of 13 passes for 100 yards. Parson, who went 0 of 2 through the air in the season-opening win over Eastern Kentucky, is the only other quarterback on the team to attempt a pass this season.

Though Van Buren Jr. was the first off the bench against the Gators, it's unclear who will get the start in place of Shapen, who will miss what would've been a Big 12 reunion game against Texas. Shapen played three years at Baylor and faced the Longhorns once as a starter, a game that ended in a 38-27 win for Texas at home in the regular-season finale of the 2022 campaign.

In four appearances with Mississippi State this season, Shapen went 61 of 87 passing for 834 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception to go along with two rushing touchdowns. Given his experience along with having played Texas at DKR previously, Shapen would've given the Bulldogs their best chance to pull off the upset. Instead, they could potentially look toward Van Buren Jr., a true freshman.

Regardless of who the opposing quarterback, the Longhorns will prepare with the same intensity they've had to start this season.

"We start SEC play next week, and we got to continue to stay the course," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said after Saturday's game. "We don't need to do anything different. We just need to believe in our process, trust our process. We've got a formula for success, and I think they've understood now that when we do it right, we can perform at a pretty high level. And we got to get back to doing that again this week as we kick off the SEC next weekend."

Texas and Mississippi State will kick off from Austin at 3:15 p.m. CT.