Mississippi State lost its first game of the season last week but it was clear during that contest that quarterback Tommy Stevens was limited in what he was able to do in the game.

Stevens not only threw his first interception of the season against Kansas State, although that pass that should have been caught by his receiver, he had a terrible fumble and resulted in another turnover. Coming out for the second half, Stevens clearly wasn’t himself. After missing high with an open target, Stevens then sailed his next pass, which resulted in his second interception of the day.

Joe Moorhead pulled Stevens from the game at that point and the senior did not return to the field in the defeat.

With Mississippi State now heading into SEC play, Stevens met with the media on Tuesday to discuss his status with a big matchup with Kentucky set to take place in Starkville this weekend.

“Feeling good, just taking it day-by-day and continuing to do the things that I can to give myself a chance to play,” Stevens said.

Coach Moorhead has noted that Stevens is further along this week than he was at this point last week, which is something Stevens agrees with.

“Yeah, I would say that’s probably fair,” Stevens answered. “I don’t know – it’s kinda hard to think about as far as where I was last week, it’s a whole new week. Yeah, I’d say it’s fair, I think I feel better.”

While he noted he has no restrictions on running the football, it will be interesting to see how often the quarterback takes off if given the green light to play against Kentucky by the coaching staff. Having a quarterback with a running threat is a big part of the Mississippi State offense and after three weeks of play, it’s clear that the offense is only going to go as far as Stevens can take them until the other quarterbacks on the roster get up to speed with the offense.