Gophers face big challenge in Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor. Just ask Nick Saban

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College football coaches are notorious for working long hours on little sleep, and Gophers defensive coordinator Danny Collins is in that club.

This week, Collins also might have nightmares when he can catch a few winks because the Gophers will face scary quarterback Kamario Taylor when Mississippi State comes to Huntington Bank Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore is a threat with his right arm and powerful athleticism. On Saturday night, he completed 22 of 34 passes for 354 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing six times for 59 yards and one TD, in the Bulldog’s 62-13 win over Louisiana-Monroe in Starkville, Miss.

Taylor made it look easy, albeit against a team picked to finish 13th in the 14-team Sun Belt Conference.

Taylor, a four-star recruit from Macon, Miss., started only two games as a freshman in 2025, the Egg Bowl against rival Ole Miss and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Wake Forest. It was enough of a snippet for legendary Alabama coach/ESPN commentator Nick Saban.

“You’ve got Kamario Taylor, who nobody’s really heard much about at Mississippi State,” Saban was quoted by On3.com at SEC Media Days in July. “This guy could be the truth and the light now. He is really, really good.”

In the third quarter Saturday, with pressure in his face, he easily launched a pass more than 50 yards in the air for a 70-yard touchdown to receiver Marquis Johnson — further validation for Ringer NFL draft analyst Todd McShay.

“Watching Kamario Taylor throw at Manning Passing Academy was an event,” McShay wrote on X. “He’s just different. This throw is stupid.”

The Gophers demolished FCS-level Eastern Illinois 59-7 on Thursday, giving Collins and the rest of the U staff the ability to settle in Saturday night and watch Taylor and Mississippi State live on TV. That film will give Minnesota a needed head start on game-planning for Taylor and Co.

But Minnesota also knew this threat was coming.

In the summer, the Gophers coaches put together “advance scouts” on the opponents they will face in the fall, and running quarterbacks will be a season-long theme. The U also will face the likes of Washington’s Demond Williams and Michigan’s Bryce Underwood in Big Ten play.

During one of the Gophers’ open practices in August, the scout team offense scripted a series of run-pass option (RPOs) plays to give the U defense early looks at what Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby deploys.

Minnesota will need to pinpoint run fits and responsibility on those RPOs, which will include bowling ball running back Fluff Bothwell (5-foot-10, 230 pounds). And given Taylor’s ability to scramble on pass plays, the U will likely use a spy to keep contain on him.

Taylor appeared in 11 games last year but what he did in the 39-19 loss to Ole Miss might be the most applicable to what could happen in Minnesota on Saturday. He rushed 20 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns, but also completed only 15 of 31 passes (48%) with no TDs and one interception.

On Saturday, he completed 65% of his passes, an improvement Mississippi State wanted to see, but he also threw a few to Louisiana-Monroe defenders who dropped the potential picks.

During the Bulldogs’ win Saturday night, the ESPNU broadcast shared a few of Taylor’s flattering nicknames, including Super Kamario.

“(Taylor) is a phenom,” an anonymous SEC assistant coach told Athlon Sports. “He is athletically gifted. He can do a lot of things for them this year, not only with his arm, but with his legs. He can keep plays alive, which turn into big plays.”

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