Mississippi State Football: Kamario Taylor’s 3–0 Start, by the Numbers

Where Mississippi State stands

Mississippi State is 3–0 overall and 1–0 in the SEC after beating ULM, Minnesota and South Carolina. Quarterback Kamario Taylor has been central to all three wins, but the games were different enough that the opener should not be used as his entire season summary.

The Bulldogs’ next game is at home against Missouri on September 26. The official schedule remains the right place to verify the kickoff and broadcast listing.

Taylor’s first three games compared

Date and opponent	Team result	Taylor’s passing	Taylor’s rushing	What changed
Sept. 5 vs. ULM	W, 62–13	22/34, 354 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT	6 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD	Five touchdowns and 413 yards of total offense in the opener
Sept. 12 at Minnesota	W, 38–13	227 yards, 3 TD	13 carries, 86 yards	Mississippi State won on the road and rushed for 252 yards as a team
Sept. 19 at South Carolina	W, 41–34	251 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT	8 carries, 33 yards	MSU recovered from an early 16–0 deficit and a 23–14 halftime score

The sequence gives a more useful answer than one large opening-game number. Taylor accounted for five touchdowns against ULM, added 313 yards of passing and rushing at Minnesota, and threw four touchdown passes after his first attempt at South Carolina was intercepted.

What decided the two road wins

At Minnesota, Taylor threw three first-half touchdown passes while Mississippi State scored touchdowns on its first four drives. The Bulldogs also ran for 252 yards, so the 38–13 result was not a passing-only performance.

The South Carolina comeback needs a more careful timeline:

1. South Carolina led 13–0 after the first quarter and extended the margin to 16–0 with a second-quarter field goal.
2. Taylor threw touchdown passes of 30 and 43 yards, cutting the deficit to 16–14.
3. South Carolina answered with a touchdown and took a 23–14 lead into halftime.
4. Mississippi State scored 17 points in the third quarter while holding South Carolina scoreless, turning the halftime deficit into a 31–23 lead.
5. The Bulldogs added 10 fourth-quarter points to reach 41–23 before South Carolina scored the game’s final 11 points.

The official quarter totals show Mississippi State scoring 27 points to South Carolina’s 11 after halftime. That is the supported comeback shape: an early 16-point deficit, a nine-point halftime deficit, a scoreless third quarter for South Carolina and a seven-point final margin.

For a possession-by-possession explanation, see the separate South Carolina vs Mississippi State final-score breakdown.

What to check against Missouri

1. Turnovers: Taylor’s first-pass interception at South Carolina gave the Gamecocks a short field before their first touchdown.
2. Designed and scramble rushing: his 86 rushing yards at Minnesota materially changed the offense.
3. Backfield balance: Fluff Bothwell’s consecutive 100-yard games reduced the need for Taylor to create every explosive play.
4. Start quality: the comeback in Columbia was effective, but avoiding another multi-score deficit is a separate test.

Taylor’s roster profile lists him as a sophomore quarterback from Macon, Mississippi, wearing No. 1. The evidence after three games supports a narrow football conclusion: he has supplied both explosive passing and meaningful rushing during a 3–0 start, while the South Carolina scoring sequence shows why totals need turnover and game-state context.