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The Mississippi State football program had its fair share of drama ahead of the Bulldogs’ meeting with the Louisville Cardinals in the Music City Bowl at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, December 30 which will force quarterback Garrett Shrader to miss the bowl game.
On Friday, December 27, it was reported that Shrader will miss the game due to injury after suffering a broken orbital bone.
The circumstances surrounding Shrader’s injury are bizarre and don’t speak well for team chemistry. According to 247 Sports, Shrader suffered the broken bone during a confrontation with a teammate Willie Gay.
From the report:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5cBndEpRMZ/
Shrader and a defensive teammate had been in a confrontation stemming from an in-practice contact drill. Their post-practice altercation escalated before other Bulldogs separated them.
The end result was a swollen eye for the quarterback which initially seemed of moderate concern. There was a short walk-through Saturday practice, with Shrader withheld from participation. Follow-up examination after swelling subsided revealed some orbital bone damage. While further evaluations continue sources are now confident the bone will heal naturally, without surgical attention and perhaps by the end of January.
That is obviously not ideal.
Replacing the injured freshman will be senior Tommy Stevens.
The Bulldogs finished the 2019 regular season campaign with a 6-6 overall record and just a 3-5 mark in SEC play.
Kickoff between Mississippi State and Louisville is set for 4:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
