Hours after Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN made a controversial comment about college football players skipping bowl games, Ole Miss Rebels star quarterback Matt Corral — a projected first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft — went down with a lower-body injury that got him getting carted off the field against the Baylor Bears in the Sugar Bowl.

Before leaving the game, Corral was only able to toss six passes, completing two for 10 yards and an interception. With its best player out of the contest, Ole Miss has been forced to send freshman Luke Altmayer to the field to take care of the Rebels’ offense against the Bears.

With Corral under center for most of the season for Ole Miss, the Rebels were able to finish the regular season with a 10-2 record overall which included a 6-2 conference slate. Corral led Ole Miss to two big wins over the then-no. 13 Arkansas Razorbacks back in October and against the then-no. 11 Texas A&M Aggies in November.

Live and breathe sports?

🚨 Get viral graphics, memes, rumors and trending sports news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter.

Although Corral can no longer play in the Sugar Bowl due to the injury, he is not going to miss the rest of the action. He even made it back to the sidelines to cheer for Ole Miss in person even when he’s on crutches.

The hope for Corral is that he will be completely healthy as soon as possible to begin his preparation for the 2022 NFL Draft where he is expected to be taken early.