Turnovers, sacks and injury mar Kamario Taylor's performance in Mississippi State's loss to Alabama

Kamario Taylor got his close-up in Mississippi State's clash with Alabama on Saturday. It wasn't quite what he would have hoped for heading into the match.

The Bulldogs were unable to find much success against the Crimson Tide's highly-touted setup, falling 56-23 at home. Taylor, one of the nation's most heralded talents, was held quiet during the game, falling well short of his averages.

Many tipped Taylor to cement his status as one of the best hurlers in the nation with a strong performance against Kalen DeBoer's side. Ultimately, that didn't quite come to fruition. Alabama showed off its defensive might, leaving Taylor without much space and time to author up a masterpiece.

With that, here's a look at the numbers behind Taylor's showing against the Crimson Tide.

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Inside Kamario Taylor's performance vs. Alabama

• Comp./Att.: 19/34
• Pass yards: 258
• Pass TD: 3
• INT: 2
• Rush att.: 6
• Rush yards: -26
• Rush TD: 0

Taylor entered Saturday's game as one of the nation's foremost Heisman contenders, having produced a college football-best 14 touchdowns to power the Bulldogs to an unbeaten record.

He was unable to keep his run of impressive outings going against the Crimson Tide, however. Taylor doubled his interception total while completing just 55.9 percent of his passes — a far cry from the 69.2 percent completion rate he sported entering into the game.

Among the most jarring elements of Taylor's display was his lack of juice when running the football. At his best, the sophomore is a dizzying talent in open field, flaunting speed and agility. Taylor entered the game averaging five yards per carry this season. DeBoer cited his ability to extend play as one of his various superpowers in the lead-up to Saturday's game.

"He's got the ability to run and extend plays with his legs, too," DeBoer said, per SB Nation. "Extremely talented, I mean, great athlete."

That ability wasn't on display during Saturday's game, however. Taylor tallied -26 yards on six carries, routinely being swallowed up by the Crimson Tide's backline behind the line of scrimmage. Intrepid observers noted Taylor's penchant to avoid tucking and run.

Alabama's defensive front has been lights out, but it's obvious Kamario Taylor is not 100 percent nor moving the way he normally does. Hasn't really looked to run or scramble unless Bama defenders were right on top of him. He was limping around at the end of the game last week.

There were some good moments, including a pearl of a 45-yard touchdown pass that he delivered to Anthony Evans III. But by and large, it was a less-than-ideal showing for Taylor, who was forced to the sidelines prematurely early in the fourth.

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Kamario Taylor injury update

Taylor was felled by an undisclosed injury early in the fourth quarter. He disappeared into the locker room at the 12:02 mark of the final frame, giving way to fellow sophomore Billy Puckett. Taylor returned to the sideline a short time later with his right foot cloaked in a boot. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game as a result of his injury. Taylor was seen wearing the boot one day earlier, according to the broadcast.

Sports Reporter Jake Boico:#MSU QB Kamario Taylor is in a boot after coming out of the game@BoicoJake @realjamespat @_TheForumMedia pic.twitter.com/o24n92CTZv

Taylor appeared to be dealing with a right foot injury towards the end of last week's game against Missouri, sporting a noticeable limp at the end of the affair. It's unclear whether his latest malady is related to that issue.

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