Kamario Taylor 'the truth and the light.' Nick Saban gushes over Mississippi State QB

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Mississippi State vs. Minnesota is the type of game that should show up on a lot of "sneaky fun" lists in Week 2.

For starters, it's an SEC vs Big Ten out of conference matchup that doesn't involve perennial powerhouses of their respective conferences. It's also the first meeting between these teams, both of whom have deep and storied histories.

But perhaps the most exciting thing this game could provide is a proper introduction to Kamario Taylor, the Bulldogs quarterback who has the potential to be one of the most dynamic players in the country.

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"Kamario Taylor is the real deal," former Alabama coach Nick Saban said Friday on 'The Pat McAfee Show'. "He's the truth and the light."

Taylor, a sophomore who played sparingly in nine games last season before carrying the weight of the offense in the Egg Bowl vs. Ole Miss and the Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. Wake Forest, did nothing to derail the stokers of his hype train in Week 1 vs Louisiana-Monroe, completing 22-of-34 passes for 354 yards and four touchdowns (one off his passing touchdown total last season) while rushing six times for 59 yards and another touchdown.

But that was ULM. And while Minnesota may not be a Texas or Ohio State-sized opponent, it's still a big opportunity for Taylor. Though the Bulldogs hardly built a winning team around Taylor last season, they lost to Ole Miss and Wake Forest last season with Taylor at the helm. And while Taylor himself played well enough in those games to draw a lot of attention, particularly in picking up 173 yards on the ground against the Rebels, a win over another Power Four opponent would be a huge boon going into conference play Sept. 19 against South Carolina.

Golden Gophers coach PJ Fleck is well aware of the challenge he's facing on Sept. 12 with Taylor running the Bulldogs offense.

“If you look at the difference from him last year to this year, you can see it in every area.” Fleck told media earlier this week. “Whether it is running the football, whether it’s decision-making, whether it’s going through his progressions, whether it’s accuracy, throwing every single type of ball … He’ll be one of the best QBs we’ve ever played since I’ve been here.”

While some of that is classic "rat-poison be gone" coach speak, Fleck has reason to be wary. Minnesota was decimated by the best two quarterbacks it faced — Dante Moore of Oregon and Julian Sayin of Ohio State — last season. And neither of those two have the mobility Taylor has.

But for all of the concern around him breaking the pocket, he's plenty proficient in it. Taylor's 70-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter against ULM showed off his special arm talent.

"There's very few that can do it,," MSU coach Jeff Lebby told media Sept. 7 about Taylor's throw. "He does. He steps up, didn't have to move quite as much as he moved, but he did a great job staying in profile and knew he was going to be able to get it out of his hand before he got hit or as he was getting hit."

Kamario Taylor stats

As a freshman, Taylor was used relatively sparingly for most of the season. He completed 43-of-77 passes for 629 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing 82 times for 458 yards and eight more TDs. Looking a bit more closely, however, it was evident that by the end of the season Jeff Lebby thought Taylor gave MSU the best shot to win.

Taylor rushed 20 times for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Ole Miss, completing 15-of-31 passes for 178 yards and an interception. He then rushed 18 times for 63 yards against the Demon Deacons in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, completing 13-of-22 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown.

Against ULM, Taylor was outstanding, rushing six times for 59 yards and a touchdown and completing 22-of-34 passes for 354 yards and four touchdowns.

Kamario Taylor Heisman Trophy odds

Even with his impressive… Everything, Taylor is a longshot to win the Heisman Trophy. He's sitting at +12500 odds via BetMGM as of Sept. 10. While part of that is a rather strong field, Mississippi State simply isn't playing enough into the national picture this early in the season to give Taylor a serious look. That's something Taylor could swing the momentum on quickly with a few good outings, of course. But as we know, Heismans aren't won in September.

Kamario Taylor recruitment

Taylor was recruited as a four-star recruit out of Macon, Mississippi in the class of 2025. He was the 119th-ranked recruit by 247Sports Composite and the 11th quarterback.

Mississippi State football vs Minnesota prediction

This could be a very close game, according to the betting lines and power ratings. The betting line has been close to a pick 'em all week. ESPN's SP+ rating has the Gophers and Bulldogs ranked back-to-back at No. 34 and 35, respectively.

Minnesota has made seven consecutive bowl games under coach PJ Fleck, not including the COVID 19-shortened 2020 season, with two straight 8-5 seasons. Mississippi State is looking to improve on its 5-8 season under third-year coach Jeff Lebby. The winner of this game could see its season launched in a positive trajectory.

Expect Minnesota to try to control the game on the line of scrimmage, while Mississippi State will try to speed the game up with its up-tempo offense. Both teams have quarterbacks viewed as NFL draft prospects with Taylor and Minnesota's Drake Lindsey.

Don't be surprised if this game comes down to the last possession. Mississippi State was 2-3 in one-score games last season, while Minnesota was 4-1.

It won't be a surprise if either team wins, but the Gophers will have an edge on the line of scrimmage that leads to a close win. Minnesota kicks a go-ahead field goal with 30 seconds remaining to win it. Minnesota 27, Mississippi State 26. — Sam Sklar, Clarion Ledger

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kamario Taylor 'the truth and the light.' Nick Saban gushes over Mississippi State QB

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