Mississippi State has gone from afterthought to problem in a hurry.
The No. 24 Bulldogs are 3-0 after finishing last season 5-8, and they’ve already climbed into first place in the SEC. That’s a sharp turn for a team that went into Saturday as a four-point underdog against South Carolina and still found itself staring at a 16-0 deficit early.
Instead of folding, Mississippi State punched back.
Kamario Taylor was right at the center of it, throwing for 251 yards and three touchdowns while completing 18 of 26 passes. He also added eight carries for 33 yards, and that blend of movement and downfield passing has made him a nightmare for defenses so far.
At 19, Taylor has already put together eye-catching numbers: 832 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, one interception and an 88.9 passer rating, which ranks sixth nationally. He’s also chipped in 178 rushing yards on 26 carries and has scored once on the ground.
And Taylor isn’t carrying this offense alone.
Fluff Bothwell has gone over 200 rushing yards over the last two weeks, averaging 5.8 yards per carry while bringing a downhill style that keeps defenses honest. Anthony Evans III has been just as dangerous in the passing game, catching a touchdown in all three games and sitting just under 300 receiving yards.
Jeff Lebby liked the way his team answered the early punch against South Carolina. “I saw our guys stay together and be exactly who they’ve been.
They responded in a great way. We have not had adversity, but we talked about just getting our cleats in the ground and playing the next play.
"I really do think the defense early on kept us in the game. Defensively, we found ways to make those guys kick field goals, which was huge.”
That defense has been part of the story all season. Against South Carolina, Mississippi State came up with two interceptions at key moments, and a week earlier against Minnesota, the Bulldogs held the opponent without a touchdown.
Now comes a tougher stretch, and the next checkpoint is a big one: No. 19 Missouri visits Starkville on Saturday at 7:45 p.m.
ET. Mississippi State is rolling right now.
The question is how long this version can keep it going once the schedule tightens.
In Other News...
Mississippi State Gets Its First Real Home Test Since Hot Start
Mississippi State returns to Davis Wade Stadium on Sept. 26 with a chance to see how far its hot start can carry into SEC play. After consecutive road wins, the Bulldogs are set to host No. 21 Missouri in what shapes up as their first real home test of the season, and the buildup has already taken on a little of the classic Starkville flavor with a call for fans to dress in white.
The crowd is expected to be part of the storyline as much as the football, with the school planning an attempt at a world record for cowbells rung simultaneously during the game. Tickets and parking passes are still available, and the home date also sits inside a broader look at Mississippi States schedule and recent results, giving fans a quick reminder that this early stretch has already put the Bulldogs in an unfamiliar and promising spot. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Faces An Early Big Ten Test It Cant Afford To Botch
Week 4 already has the feel of a hinge point in college football, with ranked games stacked across the SEC and Big Ten and postseason implications starting to sharpen. For Mississippi State, the spotlight comes with Missouri coming to Starkville, a matchup that arrives in the middle of a packed Saturday slate that also includes Texas at Tennessee, Ole Miss at Florida, Oregon at USC and Iowa at Michigan.
Missouris trip to Mississippi State fits right into a weekend where every result can shape the conversation around the playoff chase and conference races. The Bulldogs will have a chance to measure themselves against a ranked opponent while the rest of the country watches a series of games that should tell us a lot more about who is built to last in November. [Read more 🡒]