TSU quarterback Byron McNair suffered a shoulder injury late in the loss to Southeast Missouri, but coach Reggie Barlow believes it is not serious.
It wasn't all bad news for Tennessee State football, which did lose its fifth straight game but dodged a potentially serious injury situation.
Starting quarterback Byron McNair left the game against Southeast Missouri State on Oct. 11 with a left (non-throwing) shoulder injury in the fourth quarter of the 28-12 loss in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The injury appeared to be serious because of the way McNair was writhing in pain on the field while being treated by trainers before being helped to the sideline with 5:33 left to play.
After the game, however, coach Reggie Barlow said McNair's injury was not serious and he is expected to be able to play when the Tigers return to the field on Oct. 18 for homecoming against Howard at Nissan Stadium.
"When we came into the locker room after the game, (McNair) looked like he was OK," Barlow said. "He wasn't still with the trainers or anything like that. His spirits were good when I talked to him. It might have just been a bruise on the bone. We'll know more later, but I think he's OK."
McNair, a transfer from Kansas Wesleyan, provided the only spark for TSU (1-5, 0-3 Big South/Ohio Valley Conference). The offense was outgained at one point late in the first half 307 to 75 yards by Southeast Missouri (2-4, 1-1), which took a 21-0 lead midway throughout the second quarter.
McNair got TSU's offense going late in the second quarter and into the early part of the fourth. A 50-yard Zack Simmons-Brown touchdown run with 13:33 left to play moved TSU to within two scores of the Redhawks at 21-12.
On TSU's next possession, McNair was hit after throwing a 23-yard pass to Anthony Taylor to the Southeast Missouri 18 when he suffered the injury.
Barlow said he was pleased with much of what McNair was able to do before he was hurt. Under heavy pressure for much for the game, he completed 15-of-32 passes for 175 yards.
"Byron does a good job of managing the game for the most part," Barlow said. "There was maybe two or three throws that he wished he'd have back. But in terms of sustaining plays and being able to make plays, I thought he did a pretty decent job."
Former Page star Jonathan Palmer, a transfer from Gardner-Webb, started the first two games before McNair replaced him in the third game against Tennessee Tech.
McNair is 58-of-97 passing for 663 yards this season with two touchdowns and five interceptions.
Barlow replaced McNair with Caleb McCreary, a transfer from Troy who had played sparingly in two games. McCreary completed 3-of-8 passes for 50 yards, but threw an interception on the Tigers' final possession.
"They were blitzing a lot and McCreary moves around a little bit," Barlow said. "He was already in the game plan to do some of the quarterback run stuff. He was the one who took probably the most second-team reps in practice all week."
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee State football's Byron McNair injured in Southeast Missouri loss
Category: General Sports
