STARKVILLE — Mississippi State junior safety Fred Peters is likely done for the season.
Speaking on the Southeastern Conference football coaches teleconference Wednesday afternoon, head coach Mike Leach confirmed that Peters will probably miss the rest of the year and had undergone surgery. Leach did not disclose what was being repaired.
“It’s killing me that I won’t be able to go to war with these boys no more,” Peters wrote in a tweet Wednesday morning. “I will come back even harder next year. I know they’re going to hold it down for me.”
In four games this season, the former Jones College product mustered 20 tackles, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
With Peters now likely unavailable the rest of the way for a unit that leads the SEC in total defense, responsibilities will likely fall on sophomore Collin Duncan. It’s also conceivable sophomore defensive back Shawn Preston Jr., who’s seen most of his time at Bulldog this fall, could move over to the free safety position.
Now in the midst of a bye week, MSU is 1-3 on the season with a date against Alabama scheduled for Oct. 31. The Bulldogs opened their season with an upset of then-No. 6 LSU in Baton Rouge before dropping three-straight contests.
The MSU defense currently ranks No. 17 nationally in rush defense, No. 18 in pass defense and No. 32 in scoring defense.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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