Mississippi State's Bothwell Exits Alabama Game After One Carry

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State running back Fluff Bothwell left Saturday's game against Alabama after carrying the ball once, according to ESPN. Bothwell is second in the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards this season.

What happened to Bothwell during Saturday's game?

Bothwell took one handoff for Mississippi State before heading to the sideline, ESPN reported. He was seen in shorts and a walking boot rather than his uniform for the rest of the contest, a sign the team had already ruled him out for the day.

ESPN's Katie George reported that the injury was not new. George said it stemmed from a preexisting lower-body issue rather than something that happened on the single carry Saturday, according to ESPN's report.

How serious is the injury?

Mississippi State has not released a timetable for Bothwell's return, and ESPN's report did not specify a diagnosis beyond describing it as a lower-body injury. The walking boot suggests the school is treating the issue with caution, but no team or school official is quoted in ESPN's report confirming how many games, if any, Bothwell might miss.

Fans looking for an official update will need to watch for a statement from the Mississippi State athletic department, which had not detailed the injury further as of the ESPN report.

Who replaces Bothwell in the backfield?

Mississippi State lists Kolin Wilson and Xavier Gayten as co-backups at running back, per ESPN. Wilson entered Saturday's game with 21 carries this season, third on the team, ESPN reported. With Bothwell out, Wilson and Gayten are the players most likely to see an increased workload the rest of the way.

Neither Wilson nor Gayten has carried the load Bothwell has this season, so Mississippi State's offense may look different on the ground until the starter is back, if he returns at all this year.

How has Bothwell performed this season?

By the numbers

• 402 rushing yards through the first several games, second-most in the SEC, per ESPN
• 3 rushing touchdowns
• 73 carries before Saturday's game
• 1 carry Saturday before leaving with the injury
• 21 carries for backup Kolin Wilson, third on the Mississippi State roster

Those numbers made Bothwell one of the more productive backs in the conference heading into the Alabama game. Losing him for even part of a game changes Mississippi State's offensive plan, since the Bulldogs had been leaning on his production to move the ball on the ground.

What's next for Mississippi State?

Mississippi State's coaching staff will decide in the coming days whether Bothwell can practice and whether he is available for the team's next game. ESPN's report did not include a statement from head coach or team medical staff on a specific return date.

For now, the Bulldogs have two running backs sharing the primary role behind Bothwell. How Wilson and Gayten perform without their lead back will shape how Mississippi State's offense looks in the games ahead, especially if Bothwell's recovery takes more than a few weeks.

The school has not said whether Bothwell will be listed as day-to-day or placed on a longer-term injury report. Readers following the Bulldogs' season should watch for updates from Mississippi State's athletic communications office or additional reporting on Bothwell's practice status this week.

Where did Saturday's game fit into Mississippi State's season?

Saturday's matchup took place in Starkville, where Mississippi State hosted Alabama in a Week 5 contest, according to ESPN's college football coverage. The outlet's weekly "Game Day Kickoff" column, written by David Hale, flagged the Starkville matchup as one of the week's notable quarterback showcases, underscoring that the game carried stakes beyond the running back position. Bothwell's early exit meant the Bulldogs had to adjust their offensive approach against a conference opponent without their leading rusher for the bulk of the afternoon.

Who is covering the story for ESPN?

The report on Bothwell's injury was written by ESPN's Alex Scarborough, who covers the SEC for the network and joined ESPN in 2012, with additional reporting from Katie George on the nature of the injury. Scarborough's story was published Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, shortly after Bothwell left the game, according to ESPN's byline information. No other outlet's independent reporting on the injury was available at the time of ESPN's story, and Mississippi State's athletic department had not issued its own public statement on Bothwell's status as of that report.