STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State may again be without its top two offensive players when Oklahoma comes to Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville on Saturday, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. Central.
Kamario Taylor, the starting quarterback, and Fluff Bothwell, the lead running back, were both still listed as questionable on the SEC availability report released Thursday. Neither suited up for last week’s 31-0 loss at LSU, and both watched from the sideline wearing walking boots, Taylor on his right foot and Bothwell on his left. The school has not described either injury.
Billy Puckett, a former walk-on, got his first career start in Baton Rouge and went 16 of 26 for 121 yards with an interception, adding 40 yards on the ground. Three more starters carry the same tag: left guard DJ Chester, safety Isaac Smith and linebacker Zakari Tillman. The conference report is updated each night, with a final version 90 minutes before kickoff.
The matchup pits a Mississippi State offense that averages 32.5 points per game against an Oklahoma defense giving up just 18.2. The Bulldogs have scored more than 30 in four of their six games but allow 28.5 per game, while the Sooners have managed 21.3 points a game on offense.
Mississippi State is 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the SEC after back-to-back losses to Alabama and LSU. Oklahoma comes in at 3-3 and 1-2 in league play. A win would lift Mississippi State to 5-2, while the Sooners still have Missouri, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Florida left on their schedule.
Oklahoma’s offense has been held to 14 points or fewer four times this fall, and only Georgia and Texas have put up more than 21 points against its defense.
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