STARKVILLE — When Mississippi State faces one of the most prolific passers in college football on Saturday night in South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, the Bulldogs (2-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) will be without one of the leaders of their secondary for the first half.

Starting safety Shawn Preston Jr. was ejected from last weekend’s loss to LSU for targeting when he hit Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels in the third quarter. MSU head coach Zach Arnett said at Monday’s press conference that the team’s appeal of the suspension was denied.

Daniels had picked up 23 yards on a scramble and refused to slide or run out of bounds, instead facing Preston head-on. The safety lowered his helmet into Daniels’ chest and slammed him to the ground, and although no call was initially made, the officials reviewed the play and determined that Preston forcibly hit Daniels with the crown of his helmet. After the game, Arnett said he had no comment on the targeting rule and how it is enforced.

True freshman Isaac Smith took Preston’s place and is a likely candidate to start against the Gamecocks (1-2, 0-1). Smith made three tackles but was given a rude welcome to the SEC by LSU freshman running back Kaleb Jackson, who leveled him with a stiff-arm later in the third quarter.

“Isaac got in there and got some good live experience versus one of the most talented teams in the country, which is great for his development,” Arnett said. “He will see increased playing time in the first half this week. It also opens up opportunities for other guys in that safety room.”

Arnett said redshirt junior Jordan Morant, who appeared in all 13 games last season and has played in all three so far this year, will compete with Smith for Preston’s spot in the starting lineup. Morant has not yet made a tackle in 2023 but was credited with 11 last year after transferring from Michigan.

Junior Corey Ellington, who had four tackles against the Tigers, is also in line for more time on the field, as is redshirt junior Chris Keys, who is in his first year with the Bulldogs after spending three injury-plagued seasons at Indiana. Keys made four tackles in the Arizona game and broke up a pass in overtime to help seal the win for MSU.

“It’s a next-man-up mentality. Whether it’s an injury, whether it’s a targeting penalty, the mindset has to be the same no matter what,” Arnett said. “We have some true freshmen getting exposed to the high level of football that is played in this league very early, maybe even earlier than you would ideally like.”

Injury updates

Redshirt sophomore running back Simeon Price was in street clothes and wore a walking boot on his left foot for the LSU game, but Arnett said he expects Price to participate fully in practice this week.

The receiving corps should also be back to full strength. Senior Jaden Walley did not see the field against the Tigers — Arnett said he was “a little banged up” — but with sophomore Zavion Thomas fully healthy again, Walley’s opportunities could be limited even when healthy.

“Now we should (have) no issues in the receiving room from an injury standpoint,” Arnett said.

Scouting South Carolina

The Gamecocks have played one of the toughest schedules in the nation for the first quarter of their season. South Carolina fell 31-17 to No. 21 North Carolina in a neutral-site game on Sept. 2, then trailed early on against a top-10 Football Championship Subdivision team in Furman before pulling away for a 47-21 win. Last weekend, the Gamecocks held a two-score lead on the road over No. 1 Georgia at halftime but was shut out in the second half and lost 24-14.

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer’s offense starts and ends with Rattler, who made 17 starts at Oklahoma before transferring to South Carolina prior to the 2022 season. Rattler was at his best in upset wins over Tennessee and Clemson late last year, throwing for 438 yards and six touchdowns against the Volunteers.

This year, Rattler ranks sixth among FBS quarterbacks and second in the SEC (behind Daniels) with 318 passing yards per game. He did throw two interceptions Saturday against Georgia, and may be without one of his best receivers, Antwane Wells, for an extended period after Wells played only the first drive of the game.

“I probably saw (Rattler) three years in a row as a high school quarterback in passing tournaments, and his team was in the championship game every year,” Arnett said. “He can make every throw on the field. He can pull it down and run and escape pressure. I would say he got two or three, maybe even four first downs on scramble plays last week against Georgia.”

Rattler does still have Xavier Leggette, who is currently sixth nationally in receiving yards per game. But the Gamecocks’ offense has been fairly one-dimensional — South Carolina averages just 1.8 yards per rushing attempt, and top back Dakereon Joyner has just 75 yards on the ground through three games.

South Carolina’s defense held Georgia in check for 30 minutes but gradually wore down. Still, the Gamecocks could pose a challenge for an MSU team that ranks last in the SEC in total offense and in passing yards per game. The Bulldogs are 104th out of 133 FBS teams with 4.5 yards per play, also the worst mark in the SEC. Going three-and-out on four consecutive drives against LSU certainly did not help matters.

“If we can get our opponent off the field quicker and get the ball back to our offense, that gives them more drives and more opportunities for plays,” Arnett said. “If we can convert third downs and keep drives going, that leads to more plays. The more plays you get, the more explosive plays you’re going to get.”