Saturday night’s Sugar Bowl matchup between Ole Miss and Baylor took a turn for the worst late in the first quarter, when Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral was forced out of the game after suffering an apparent right leg injury.
Corral remained on the ground in pain, and was eventually carted off the field to the locker room.
Corral, a junior who plans to enter the 2022 NFL draft, made a point to play in the bowl game as many draft-eligible players have chosen to opt out. Corral pointed to the chance to make school history with an 11th win and play one more time with his teammates as reasons for participating in the game.
“If I was them and in their shoes and they had a quarterback that was in the same position, like, I just couldn’t live with what they would think of me, like, just leaving,” Corral said, per the AP’s Brett Martell. “No one really understands how close we really are. And it would have just been a wrong thing to do, just not playing.”
Corral eventually returned to the sideline on crutches, with his right cleat removed. He was deemed doubtful to return to the game, and was replaced by freshman quarterback Luke Altmyer. After the game, head coach Lane Kiffin said Corral's X-ray was negative, per David Ubben of The Athletic.
