For the third-straight year, Mississippi State will be staying home during bowl season. The Bulldogs lost the Egg Bowl to No. 7 Ole Miss 38-19 in Starkville Friday. A largely competitive game through three quarters, the Rebels pulled away with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to secure a lopsided victory. Mississippi State ends the season 5-7 and 1-7 in SEC play.
Ole Miss torched the Mississippi State secondary
Much of the narrative entering the game was how State's defense was going to handle Kewan Lacy and the Rebel run game. That wasn't actually the problem in this game. The Rebels' 186 yards look strong, but 31 came on one carry. State mostly limited Ole Miss rushes for short gains. The Rebels were never able to lean on the run.
Where they did attack though was through the air. Trinidad Chambliss completed 23/34 passes for 359 yards and four TDs. Outside of MSU CB Kelley Jones shutting down his side of the field, the Rebels torched every other member of the MSU secondary from start to finish. And it could've been worse, as Chambliss missed multiple open shots downfield. Limiting the run was irrelevant with how poorly State defended the pass.
Kamario Taylor's talent not enough to carry Bulldog offense
Jeff Lebby surprised everyone with his decision to start Kamario Taylor at QB, and Taylor showed off the talent that has fans excited for his potential. He didn't have the strongest day through the air, completing 15/31 passes for 178 yards and a pick (that wasn't his fault). But on the ground, Taylor shined with 173 yards and two scores at 8.7 yards per rush. He had multiple impressive scrambles go for big gains after avoiding pressure.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Outside of Taylor, the Bulldogs could not run the ball with any sort of consistency. Fluff Bothwell broke off one long run, but when Taylor wasn't running, State largely wasn't effective. Ole Miss did a good job of preventing the big throws downfield, and with Taylor not yet sharp in the short to intermediate passing game, the offense just couldn't do enough.
Mississippi State fans enter the offseason without any confidence in Jeff Lebby's program
Mississippi State got better this season. They more than doubled their win total from 2024, beat multiple power conference teams, and were competitive in several of their losses. But despite that improvement, it's impossible for fans to feel great about the program under Jeff Lebby.
The losses to Florida and Texas were maddening. The constant self-inflicted wounds and stretches of ugly football were baffling. And then getting blown out in three-straight games to end the season leaves an awful taste in everyone's mouths. This team could have been better, and knowing that while in a multi-year stretch of bad football makes having any sort of confidence difficult. A lot has to change and get better in the offseason to have anyone feeling better entering 2026.