Dez Harris out rest of season, Jameon Lewis expected back

Mississippi State will be without one of its top special team players for the rest of the season.

Freshman linebacker Dez Harris tore his anterior cruciate ligament in MSU's 38-23 win last Saturday.

Harris returned to the field this season after redshirting last year. He also missed his senior season of high school with a torn ACL.

Harris had 10 tackles this season, but the coaches raved about his performances on special teams.

Replacing a valuable asset like Harris opens the door for a possible true freshman to step up.

"We've got some young linebackers that are sitting right there that are good players," Mullen said. "Good enough to play. Now there might be opportunities for them to go play this year."

The name that sticks out is four-star prospect Gerri Green. The freshman linebacker hasn't played this season, but Mullen gushed about him on signing day.

"We're getting close we're I don't like to (burn redshirts) after this," Mullen said. "But you know, it'll be in the next two weeks probably when I decide."

It wasn't all bad news on the injury front. Punter Devon Bell punted Tuesday during practice. He missed the last two weeks with a groin injury.

Jameon Lewis is expected back next week for Kentucky from a leg injury. He won't practice again this week. Mullen consulted with the team doctors about playing Lewis last week. They opted to hold the wide receiver out to ensure a full recovery, rather than playing and dealing with the injury the rest of the season.

"He's expected to be 100 percent next Monday when we start game week preparation," Mullen said. "...by not playing last week, for Kentucky they'd expected him to be back 100 percent.