Kamario Taylor foot injury clouds Mississippi State at LSU

Pete Thamel dropped this one Monday night, and Mississippi State fans have been refreshing their feeds ever since.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

Sources: Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor’s status for the game at LSU on Saturday is in flux. A decision on whether he’ll play will be made later in the week. He’s dealing with a foot injury from earlier this year that clearly impacted him against Alabama on Oct. 3.

The Alabama game is the tell. Taylor went 19-of-34 with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, got sacked 5 times and finished with -26 rushing yards. For a guy whose legs are half the offense, that's the box score of a QB who can't move. Alabama won 56-23, and Taylor left early in the 4th quarter and was seen on the sideline in a walking boot. The foot trouble isn't new either. He'd been playing through a right leg injury from the win over Missouri the week before.

That's why this one hurts. Before Alabama, Taylor was the reason Starkville was having fun. He came in completing 66.2% of his passes for 1,450 yards and led the SEC with 17 touchdown passes, and the Bulldogs were 4-1. His Heisman odds on FanDuel went from +500 to +3000 after the loss. One bad foot and the whole season looks different.

Thamel's follow-up is the part that should really worry Bulldogs fans, because a bye week was supposed to fix this.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

He’s been limited in practice since that Alabama game.

Limited in practice since Oct. 3, even with the off week, isn't a guy who's turned the corner. Jeff Lebby gave nothing away at his Monday presser. Asked for injury news, he said "Wednesday's going to do all the talking" — meaning the SEC's first availability report of the week. Coaches who expect their starter to be fine usually say so.

If Taylor can't go, Parker Puckett was the first quarterback off the bench in relief against Alabama. That's a lot to ask of a backup in Baton Rouge against a No. 22 LSU team that just watched the Bulldogs' best player limp off his last time out.

So it's Wednesday's report first, then whatever Mississippi State decides later in the week. Until then the line sits in limbo, and so does the Bulldogs' season. A Taylor on 1 good foot might still be the better bet than the alternative, but Alabama already showed what a hobbled Taylor looks like.