STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State football team didn’t miss a beat.
Three weeks ago, minutes before No. 12 MSU was to face No. 6 Texas A&M, Dan Mullen learned senior wide receiver Jameon Lewis, one of MSU’s most explosive and versatile offensive weapons, would miss the game with a lower leg injury.
Seven days later, Lewis, who entered the season as the SEC’s leading returning receiver, would miss his second-straight game, this one a showdown against No. 2 Auburn.
Enter Gabe Myles.
Myles, a redshirt freshman slot receiver who once owned the city of Starkville as the state title-winning quarterback, was called on to take Lewis’ place and to give the Bulldogs an extra gear of explosiveness in the slot.
Myles did just that.
“When you talk about getting Jameon Lewis back, you’re talking about one of our most explosive players with the ball in his hands,” Mullen said, “but those guys, guys like Gabe Myles, they filled in so well that we didn’t miss a beat out there.”
Against Texas A&M, the versatile 6-1, 190-pound Myles caught four passes for 32 yards, had one carry for 20 yards to set up a touchdown, and completed an 11-yard pass to quarterback Dak Prescott to set up another.
“I had to be in a position where I was ready to step in and take on all the roles Jameon was doing,” Myles said. “It’s just part of being able to step up and help the team out. When you work hard in practice it’s going to roll over to the game. I just have to thank the guys on the scout team defense, for giving me the looks. When I go out there I see what I’ve done in practice. And right there is already a confidence booster, I’ve seen what they’ve done and now I know what to expect.”
Myles filled in so well against Texas A&M that Prescott said “It was hard to notice Jameon wasn’t out there. The next guy on this team always steps up.”
Against Auburn, Myles had three catches for 35 yards in a 38-23 win. It’s all in a day’s work for Myles, who, like Lewis, was a state championship-winning quarterback in high school. Lewis won his in Class 1A at Tylertown. Myles earned his Class 5A title in 2012. In leading the Yellow Jackets to consecutive 5A championship game appearances, Myles passed for 2,980 yards and 30 touchdowns in his final two seasons. He also rushed for 1,404 yards and 17 scores.
Starkville High football coach Jamie Mitchell watched Myles lead his program, so he isn’t surprised by the success Myles is having at MSU.
“The way he works, the way he lives his life, all of that helped prepare him for whatever comes his way,” Mitchell said.
This season, Myles is third on the team with 13 catches, but he has done more than that. Against Texas A&M, Myles caught a second-and-goal pass from Prescott at the Aggies’ 9-yard line and looked to be caged in by a pair of defenders. But Myles slipped one tackle and used a spin move to elude the other for a 7-yard gain to reach the 2-yard line. Prescott scored on the next play to get the rout rolling.
“My Dad always said to never let one man bring you down,” Myles said. “That’s what coach (Billy) Gonzalez always reiterates as well.”
So far, that philosophy is working. Even with Lewis expected to be 100 percent for No. 1 MSU’s game against Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. Saturday (WCBI), Myles will remain in the mix at slot receiver and will continue to run some of the same packages of plays designed for Lewis. That means whether it’s Lewis or Myles lined up in the slot, the Bulldogs will have a run-pass-catch option to lean on at all times.
“It just comes down to repetition at practice,” Myles said. “When you gain that trust in practice, that’s where it all starts. The coach has got to trust you, the quarterback has to trust you. That’s when the team trusts you being put in situations to actually make plays.”
Prescott has no problem trusting Myles. They have hooked up 14 times on passing plays, with 13 of the catches belonging to Myles and one, an 11-yarder against Texas A&M, belonging to Prescott. Of that pass, which didn’t result in a touchdown unlike Lewis’ previous three throws to Prescott, Myles said, “I still haven’t got a touchdown, but its coming.”
And of the two options at slot, the senior Lewis and Myles, the redshirt freshman, which is the better passer?
“We actually had this conversation in the film room,” Myles said. “I’m going to say I’m the better passer because I believe in my skills. But he’s got a state championship, so, obviously, he was doing his job, too.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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