Mizzou football aims to 'silence' Taylor, Mississippi State offense in Week 4 showdown

“Coach Lebby’s doing an outstanding job,” Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz told reporters Tuesday. “You can tell the foundations of his culture and the foundation of his schemes are in place. I mean, they are truly an excellent football team.”

Taylor: Top talent

This season could be Lebby’s best, and it starts with the play of quarterback Kamario Taylor. He played in 11 games in 2025 as a freshman, brought in the majority of the time as a designated runner. Taylor started the final two games of the season against Ole Miss and in the bowl game against Wake Forest. He ended the season with 629 passing yards, five touchdowns and an interception.

As the undisputed starter in 2026, he’s off to a red-hot start with 832 yards, 11 touchdowns and only one interception. Taylor has showcased his rushing abilities with 178 yards on 27 carries plus a score through two games.

His four touchdowns and 281 total yards against South Carolina helped lift the Bulldogs to a 41-34 comeback victory. He threw an interception on his first pass but rallied from down 16 to keep Mississippi State undefeated.

“From about snap 13 on (he played) pretty dang good and to be able to just move past what had happened. Really proud of him for his response,” Lebby told reporters on Monday.

Perhaps Taylor’s biggest strength is his arm talent. He made one throw against Louisiana-Monroe which traveled nearly 60 yards in the air, landing perfectly into the arms of a streaking receiver for a score. His strong arm allows him to hit receivers deep down the field, which could force the Tigers to protect with a drop-coverage safety.

Mizzou still needs to pressure the quarterback, as Taylor has been extremely successful both working through his progressions and hitting receivers on the run. An article in The Athletic recently wondered if Taylor could be the top overall draft pick in 2028.

Taylor has struggled at times with accuracy. He recorded an off-target rate of 23.2% and a 67.9% completion percentage through two games. While those numbers improved with an 18-of-26 performance against South Carolina, his interception against the Gamecocks was his first of the season.

Supporting cast

His top target has been wideout Anthony Evans III. The Converse, Texas, product has reeled in 20 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s first three games. He transferred to Mississippi State following two years at Georgia.

Another key wideout is former Mizzou player Marquis Johnson. He spent three years with the Tigers, recording 1,075 yards and six touchdowns on 66 receptions. Now as a Bulldog, Johnson has amassed 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns with seven receptions.

“He's got (a) great top end. He's a guy that can stretch the field,” Lebby said during SEC Media Days on July 23. “What I'm excited about in that room is the depth in that room. … Got some real tools inside that room where there will be great competition.”

The Bulldogs’ rushing game is anchored by junior Fluff Bothwell. The running back is in his second season with Mississippi State after a standout freshman year with South Alabama. Bouthwell has played in all three games this season, racking up 280 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 48 rushing attempts.

“The dilemma is, if you try to add extra people to the rush, you're leaving your secondary exposed in one-on-one coverage, which with those guys is a tremendous challenge because of the speed that those wide receivers possess and the route-running ability,” Drinkwitz said. “If you play deep, then they can hand the ball off and really churn up the yardage.”

Defensive dominance

Mississippi State looks much stronger on defense, having allowed an average of 20 points and 233.7 yards per game.

The Bulldogs have held their opponents to 100 rushing yards per game with an 81.9 run defense grade according to PFF. Defensive end Will Whitson is considered the Bulldogs’ top run stopper with a PFF run-stop grade of 80 with 12 total tackles and a sack.

Defensive lineman Trevion Williams has statistically been Mississippi State’s top defender with a PFF grade of 81.0. He has four tackles plus a sack through three games.

"They're a lot bigger and a lot more physical than what we've dealt with the past couple weeks," Mizzou left tackle Cayden Green said. "That's SEC play in a nutshell. The competition is going to get ramped up this week."

Through two games, Mississippi State had yet to snag an interception or force a fumble. However, they forced LaNorris Sellers into a pair of picks, one each from Jalen Smith and Dre Riley.

Mizzou quarterback Austin Simmons has yet to throw an interception this season.

“Just going to be the same philosophy each and every week,” Simmons said. “Just protect the ball, make the right decisions, don’t put the ball in jeopardy.”

Ring the bell

Cowbells have been synonymous with Mississippi State for nearly 100 years. The tradition stretches back to the mid-20th century, with the story of a Jersey cow walking onto the field during a showdown with Ole Miss, leading to a Bulldogs win. The students began bringing the cow to the game as a good luck charm, eventually switching to simply bringing the bell. As a result, cowbells have played a part in the atmosphere of Mississippi State home games ever since.

“I've been in this environment twice already in my career,” Simmons said. He was present on the sidelines for Ole Miss in 2023 and 2025 for its matchups in Starkville. “It grows to be annoying, and I hate hearing this whole thing about the cowbells. So very excited to walk through this whole environment.”

And they’re ready to take it to the next level. On Sept. 17, the Mississippi State Athletics X account posted a graphic that they will try to break the world-record for the most people ringing cowbells simultaneously. The official record is already held by Mississippi State with 5,748 people on Sept. 10, 2015. They are likely to smash that record. They are attempting to sell out all 60,311 seats at Davis Wade Stadium.

The Tigers will have to combat the noise while dealing with a talented Bulldogs roster if they hope to start 4-0 for the fourth straight season. But they aim to start quickly and take the crowd out of the equation by scoring their first points in the first quarter since the Arkansas-Pine Bluff matchup.

“You really don’t have to listen to it if you silence it,” Fellow Ole Miss transfer Chris Graves Jr. said.

Kickoff against Mississippi State is set for 6:45 p.m. Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville. The game is available to watch on SEC Network.