Mississippi State football has caught some bad luck on the injury front. On Monday, Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby said both offensive lineman Blake Steen and defensive lineman Whil Whitson will miss the remainder of the season. This means Tennessee won’t be going up against either of the starters when the Vols head to Starkville on Sept. 27.
The loss of Whitson is particularly brutal for the Bulldogs, given his play out of the gates. He was named Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance in MSU’s week one win over Southern Miss. In that game, he produced four total tackles, a sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and four QB hurries. In Week 2, he played 21 snaps in the upset of Arizona State.
Whitson was a spring addition for Mississippi State after transferring in from Coastal Carolina. He spent 2020-22 at the junior college ranks before playing a pair with the Chantacliers.
For Steen, he was also in his first year with the Bulldogs. He transferred in from Virginia after starting in 17 games over three years with the Hoos. In the win over Southern Miss, he started at right tackle and played 41 snaps. His PFF grade ended up at 51.1. He was unable to play in the Week 2 win over the Sun Devils.
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Tennessee and Mississippi State will meet in Starkville on Sept. 27. This will be the Vols’ second SEC game of the season after a meeting with Georgia this upcoming Saturday. Following the game against the Bulldogs from Athens, UT will host UAB. Then, it’s the trip to MSU for the first road game of the year.
A year ago, Tennessee handled Mississippi State’s upset bid. The Vols won 33-14, despite a somewhat slow start on offense. Nico Iamaleava had to leave that game due to a concussion, and backup quarterback Gaston Moore went the rest of the way to hold onto the win.
This year will be a change of sidelines for one player in the matchup, as well. Linebacker Jalen Smith played reserve snaps for the Vols a year ago, but was one of the first players from Tennessee to transfer this offseason. He wound up with the Bulldogs to stay in the SEC.
The 2025 game does not have a kickoff time set at this point, but it will be sometime between 3:30 and 8 p.m. ET. The game also does not have a TV designation to this point.
