Mississippi State football fans were in shock Saturday as star running back Fluff Bothwell was carted off the field late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 31-9 loss at now-No. 5 Texas A&M. The South Alabama transfer, after being tackled by Aggie linebacker Jordan Lockhart, did not get up and was carried out of Kyle Field.
What appeared to be a season-ending injury may well not be the case, at least according to Bulldog head coach Jeff Lebby. During his weekly press conference Tuesday, the second-year Mississippi State frontman confirmed that he had received “good news” about Bothwell’s status, though he didn’t provide an expected return date for the sophomore.
“We got, we feel like, good news back on Fluff. As we move forward, there’s not this hard timeline for us right now,” Lebby said. “All the pictures came back, and they were positive, so I feel really good about that. We’ll continue to evaluate that. It’s going to be a ‘day-to-day’ deal. But it’s really fortunate that the images came back the way they did.”
Bothwell’s injury was especially devastating for Bulldog faithful, given that he was one of the brightest lights of the maroon and white’s offense. Through six games, the running back had amassed 465 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. His breakout game occurred at Davis Wade Stadium in a 41-34 loss against top-15 Tennessee, where he logged 134 rushing yards and two scores.
When asked why players of note, like Bothwell, were still taking the field in the waning minutes of a game that had essentially been decided, Lebby contended his team must finish contests the right way, regardless of the scoreboard.
“We’re trying to go finish the right way,” Lebby added. “You get minimal opportunities to go play this game, and we’re trying to go finish this game the right way. We’re still, as a program, incredibly green and incredibly young. As we’re sitting here, six weeks into year two, it’s still about how we do what we do, and finishing is going to be a huge point of emphasis.”
Bothwell wasn’t the only Bulldog plagued by the injury bug. Mississippi State right tackle Albert Reese and star safety Isaac Smith were unable to take the field against the Aggies. Neither has practiced with the team this week.
Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2 SEC) will enjoy a timely bye week and hope for some of its cast members to be nursed to health before returning to the road gridiron on Oct. 18 at Florida.
