Mississippi St quarterback Blake Shapen out for the season with shoulder injury

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State senior starting quarterback Blake Shapen will miss the rest of the season after sustaining a shoulder injury that will require surgery.

The school announced that Shapen would be out on Saturday night, hours after the Bulldogs fell 45-28 at home to Florida in its Southeastern Conference opener. The Baylor transfer was injured in the fourth quarter and left the game after completing 13 of 21 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown; he also rushed 12 times for 32 yards and a score.

Shapen completed 69% of his passes for 974 yards and eight TDs with an interception in four games for the rebuilding Bulldogs (1-3, 0-1 SEC). He also rushed 34 times for 36 net yards and two scores. He came to MSU after throwing for 4,978 yards and 31 touchdowns as a two-year starter at Baylor and earned MVP honors in the 2021 Big 12 Conference championship game.

First-year MSU coach Jeff Lebby said he was “hurting” for Shapen after hearing the news and would explore options to help him seek a medical hardship waiver to regain his lost season of eligibility.

“Blake is the ultimate competitor and teammate and an unquestioned leader in our program,” Lebby said. “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.”

The Bulldogs visit top-ranked Texas (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday.

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