Mississippi State is getting ready for Saturday’s TaxSlayer Bowl, and the Bulldogs will be facing a couple of unique challenges in the game.

The Bulldogs will be without star QB Nick Fitzgerald when taking on Louisville in the bowl game. A nasty leg injury knocked Fitzgerald out of the Egg Bowl and will keep him sidelined for some time. Starting in his place will be freshman QB Keytaon Thompson.

Interim head coach Greg Knox met with the media following Tuesday’s practice, and he said Thompson will be well prepared come game time. Knox pointed out that the ability for Thompson to take all the reps in practice has allowed the young QB to get better each day in preparation.

While Thompson will be good to go for the matchup, Knox did admit that the coaching staff has chopped down the Bulldogs playbook for him:

“We closed some of it,” said Knox. He indicated the coaching staff asked Thompson which plays he felt comfortable in. The goal for Knox and the coaching staff is to give Thompson the plays he feels best in

In addition to missing their own starting QB, the Bulldogs will be going up against 2016 Heisman winner Lamar Jackson. Jackson is an impressive dual-threat QB for Louisville who can impact the game in a variety of ways.

When asked about preparing the defense for the game, Knox said he is pointing to the incredible opportunity that the team has:

“It’s a wonderful challenge for our players to have an opportunity to play against a Heisman trophy winner and a guy of his caliber,” Knox explained. “That doesn’t come along often.” He went on to point out that Mississippi State has played just three Heisman winners in program history.

Louisville may present a strong challenge for the Bulldogs, but it is also a great opportunity to showcase what they can do.

You can hear all of Knox’s comments here from Mississippi State Football.

Kickoff for the TaxSlayer Bowl is set for noon EST Saturday on ESPN.