Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor continues to shine as the Bulldogs cruised past Minnesota 38-13, marking the team’s largest road win since 2021.
Taylor looked unfazed against the home Golden Gophers, completing 16 of 22 passes for 227yards and three touchdowns. The dual-threat also had 86yards on the ground.
Starting running back Fluff Bothwell found the end zone for the first time this season. Bothwell rushed for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 18 carries. The Bulldogs’ offense looked sharp for a second straight week, tallying 479 total yards and 28 first downs. 121 of those yards came from star wide receiver Anthony Evans III on seven receptions. Evans also caught a touchdown pass.
Mississippi State got on the board first and in a hurry, courtesy of a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Zion Ragins less than two minutes into the game. Minnesota responded on the next drive, eating over 10 minutes of game clock as they drove 58 yards downfield to score a field goal, making it a 7-3 game.
Mississippi State bit back and scored 21 unanswered points to take a 28-3 lead before the Golden Gophers snagged a field goal right before the half. Momentum stayed with Minnesota temporarily as they started the second half with a scoop-and-score defensive touchdown following an uncharacteristic Taylor fumble.
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, that was all that the Golden Gophers had left in the tank. Mississippi State scored 10 more points before the 4th quarter clock struck 0:00, bringing the final score to 38-13.
Minnesota finished the game with no offensive touchdowns and 292 total yards. The Golden Gophers struggled to get anything going in the running game, rushing for only 15 yards all game. Linebacker Tyler Lockhart led the Bulldogs’ defense with seven tackles (four solo) and a sack.
Penalties plagued Minnesota all game. The Golden Gophers accumulated 11 penalties for 112 yards. However, it wasn’t the cleanest game by any means for the Bulldogs, who had six penalties for 60 yards.
Mississippi State will stay on the road and travel to South Carolina on Sept. 19 to face the Gamecocks at 3:15 p.m. in the Bulldogs’ first SEC game of the 2026 season.