Will Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State top Wake Forest in Duke's Mayo Bowl? Our prediction
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STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football has a chance to end the season with a postseason win.
The Bulldogs (5-7) are playing Wake Forest (8-4) in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina on Jan. 2 (7 p.m. CT, ESPN). It’s their first bowl game appearance since the 2022 season.
MSU got into the bowl game with five wins after Kansas State and Iowa State opted out. The Demon Deacons are led by first-year coach Jake Dickert, who was previously Washington State’s coach.
Here is our score prediction for the bowl game.
Comparing Wake Forest QB Robby Ashford vs Kamario Taylor
Wake Forest quarterback Robby Ashford and Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor both profile similarly as players who can make plays running and throwing.
Ashford has played 11 games and thrown for 2,169 yards, nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s rushed for 504 yards and seven touchdowns and has only been sacked 12 times this season.
“When you don’t do a great job against him in the pocket, he makes you pay,” MSU coach Jeff Lebby said. “So, we’ve got to be able to get him on the ground. We’ve got to have great rush integrity with our lanes and make sure we bottle him up and get him on the ground when we can.”
Taylor, a freshman, has one start in his career, the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss. Meanwhile, Ashford is in his sixth season of college football and on his fourth team. He played at Oregon from 2020-21, Auburn from 2022-23 and South Carolina in 2024.
How will Mississippi State defense respond after Coleman Hutzler’s firing?
The Bulldogs fired defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler after the regular season. He was replaced by Zach Arnett, the former Mississippi State coach, but Arnett will not coach in this game. Mississippi State has not said who will call defensive plays against Wake Forest.
It will be interesting to see how, if at all, it impacts Mississippi State’s defense.
The unit played well to begin the season, at times even outplaying MSU’s offense. But the defense struggled in the second half of the season. MSU has allowed 29.2 points per game, the second most in the SEC. It has the SEC’s worst run defense that conceded 189.5 yards per game.
Wake Forest’s defense is allowing 21.5 points per game, the sixth-best in the ACC. Safety Nick Anderson was an All-ACC first team selection.
Wake Forest expected to be without top RB, WR
Opt-outs have hit Wake Forest hard.
The Demon Deacons are expected to be without All-ACC second team running back Demond Claiborne, who declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. Top wide receiver Chris Barnes, who’s also the kick returner, announced he’s entering the transfer portal. Micah Mays Jr., who’s fourth on Wake Forest with 302 receiving yards, is also transferring.
Mississippi State vs Wake Forest score prediction for Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Mississippi State 30, Wake Forest 26: Taylor will have a big game for MSU, while the defense gets just enough stops to win.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State vs Wake Forest score prediction for Duke’s Mayo Bowl
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