Central Plains FFA Chapter

09/12 18:16 CDT Mississippi State races past Minnesota 38-13 with another clinic by rising star QB Kamario Taylor Mississippi State races past Minnesota 38-13 with another clinic by rising star QB Kamario Taylor By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS (AP) --- Kamario Taylor passed for 227 yards and three first-half touchdowns to lead Mississippi State in a 38-13 takedown of Minnesota on Saturday in the first-ever football game between the two schools. Fluff Bothwell rushed for 113 yards and two scores and Anthony Evans III had seven receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs (2-0) averaged 7 yards per play and put on another offensive clinic after beating Louisiana-Monroe 62-13 in their season opener. Taylor, the rising star sophomore, completed 16 of 22 passes and ran 13 times for 86 yards for good measure to keep the Gophers (1-1) struggling to keep up all afternoon. Drake Lindsey had 279 yards on 31-for-48 passing for the Gophers, who had 12 penalties accepted for 115 yards and converted just 4 of 13 third downs. Running their offense without a huddle, the Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their first four possessions and needed just 33 plays and 12:05 of game time to do it in their first regular-season game against a Big Ten team since a 1980 win at Illinois. The Gophers finally got a stop early in the third quarter and even scored while doing it, when a punt pinned the Bulldogs deep and linebacker Joey Gerlach broke through with a blitz off the edge that took down Taylor in the end zone and forced a fumble that Aydan West recovered to cut the deficit to 28-13.

The takeaway Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have not cracked the AP Top 25 or had a winning season since 2022 when coach Mike Leach died of heart trouble, but Taylor has given third-year coach Jeff Lebby a potential program-changing star to build around. This dominant victory on the road against a Big Ten team that won 40 games over the last five years ought to give the Bulldogs a valuable boost of confidence before a daunting stretch of their schedule. Mississippi State plays five straight ranked opponents from Sept. 26-Oct. 31. Minnesota: The program's first matchup with a Southeastern Conference team in a regular season since hosting Vanderbilt in 1959 quickly became an exhausting and exasperating experience for the defense. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Taylor was rarely pressured when he dropped back to pass and easily found room to run when he didn't like the picture in front of him.

Up next Mississippi State: Plays at South Carolina on Sept. 19 in its SEC opener. Minnesota: Hosts Akron on Sept. 19 to finish the nonconference schedule. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here.