Ahead of next week’s SEC opener against the Longhorns, the reeling Bulldogs suffered a big blow on Saturday.

When the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns host the Mississippi State Bulldogs next Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, starting quarterback Blake Shapen won’t be available to head coach Jeff Lebby after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in a 45-28 loss to the Florida Gators.

On Saturday evening, the school confirmed that Shapen will need surgery.

“We’re all hurting for Blake after this unfortunate news,” MSU head football coach Jeff Lebby said. “Blake is the ultimate competitor and teammate and an unquestioned leader in our program. 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. We will support Blake every step of the way during his recovery process and explore all options to help him seek a medical hardship waiver to regain his lost year of eligibility.”

Texas is familiar with Shapen after facing the former Baylor quarterback in a 38-27 win to end the 2022 regular season, but an MCL injury kept him out of last year’s 38-6 win by the Longhorns in Waco.

Freshman Michael Van Buren Jr. replaced Shapen in the loss to the Gators, going 7-of-13 passing for 100 yards. The 6’1, 200-pounder from Baltimore was also sacked twice by Florida. A consensus four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Van Buren was the No. 15 quarterback nationally and chose Mississippi State over 19 other offers, including Alabama, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, and Tennessee, among others.

Lebby’s Mississippi State team is now 1-3 in his first year as a head coach thanks to consecutive losses to Arizona State, Toledo, and Florida.