No mayo bathes for Jeff Lebby and Mississippi State football. The Bulldogs saw their 2025 season end with a 43-29 loss to Wake Forest in the Duke's Mayo Bowl Friday night. A game that markets itself around the "weird" of bowl season, the Bulldogs and Demon Deacons embraced that with a game full of odd moments.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they wound up on the wrong end of most of those oddities, ending the year with a 5-8 record that is, well, odd. But on a more serious note, they saw a young star suffer an injury in the process...
Kamario Taylor's injury overshadows entire game
Almost all the excitement around this game for State fans was with freshman QB Kamario Taylor getting another start after a full month of preparation, and he provided that with a 304 yard, two TD offensive performance. His talent once again jumped off the page, and he displayed remarkable toughness.
Unfortunately, his day ended in the worst imaginable fashion. On MSU's final offensive possession, down 14, Taylor suffered a lower-leg injury on a rushing attempt that resulted in him being carted off the field. It was an injury that appeared serious enough that many began questioning his availability for next season.
Some early reports suggest Taylor may have avoided the worst-case scenario and could end up being ok. Hopefully, that is the case. But this was the last thing you wanted to see happen in this game.
Mississippi State's defense sees fitting end to season
Mississippi State's defensive performance against Wake Forest may have very well been a perfect summation of their entire season. The Deacs' had just 160 total yards and seven offensive points in the first half. The Bulldog defense was playing an attacking style that overwhelmed Wake Forest. Their effort resembled how MSU played defensively to start 2025.
But just like it was a different story for the MSU defense in the second half of 2025, it was a different story in the second half of this game. Wake Forest was largely able to move the ball at will, as QB Robby Ashford went from looking unplayable to putting together a great performance. State did manage a few key stops, but when the game was ultimately along the line, they allowed a 3rd down shovel pass to go 62 yards for a game-sealing score. It's hard to summarize what this defense has been more than that.
No position is in more desperate need of upgrading than offensive line for Bulldogs
Offensive line was a glaring weakness for State all season, and it was the root cause of their offensive inadequacies. It was no different against Wake Forest. The Bulldogs allowed five sacks and nine tackles for loss. They ran for just 2.7 yards per rush. State's first four trips to the redzone ended in field goals because horrific OL play prevented them from being able to punch the ball in the endzone.
What's most frustrating is State had the starting five its played the majority of the season and had an entire month to improve. That didn't happen. In some ways they looked worse. You cannot play competent football with a bad OL. And you cannot afford to put Kamario Taylor behind a unit that poor. MSU has to fix this in the offseason.