Jeff Lebby updates Kelly Akharaiyi, Kalvin Dinkins injuries for Mississippi State football

STARKVILLE — Coach Jeff Lebby had injury updates on two Mississippi State football starters on Monday.

Defensive lineman Kalvin Dinkins appears to have avoided a major injury after he left the Bulldogs (1-0) season-opening win against Eastern Kentucky in the second quarter. He did not return to the game. Lebby said he's "not ready to say" that wide receiver Kelly Akharaiyi will be able to play Saturday (9:30 p.m., ESPN) at Arizona State (1-0).

Lebby has not specified what their exact injuries are. Dinkins is tabbed as a starter in the team's Week 2 depth chart, while Akharaiyi is not listed at all.

"A guy that's doing a lot better today than he was yesterday," Lebby said of Dinkins. "He was a lot better yesterday than he was Saturday night. Right now, got a chance to travel with us and go play. I think it's going to be a game-time decision for him."

On Akharaiyi, a UTEP transfer: "He's getting closer and closer. We need to be patient with him. Hopeful for him to have a good week and create some confidence for himself as much as anything, but not ready to say he's going to be available yet."

Lebby did not give an update on safety Corey Ellington, who sat out against EKU and was wearing a boot on his right foot.

Akharaiyi had 1,033 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season at UTEP. Dinkins, a sophomore, suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 of last season. He had one sack and two tackles before leaving the EKU game.

SEC adds new weekly injury report

The SEC announced last week it will be instituting publicly available injury reports this season. It's for conference games only, with the first report coming on Wednesdays and updated daily until 90 minutes before kickoff.

Mississippi State's first conference game is Sept. 21 versus Florida, so its first injury report will be provided in two weeks.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Jeff Lebby updates Kelly Akharaiyi, Kalvin Dinkins injuries for Mississippi State football