Duke’s Mayo Bowl First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Wake Forest

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State aims to close out this football season on a winning note in a prime time, Friday night battle.

MSU (5-7) faces Wake Forest (8-4) at 7 p.m. CT Friday in the Duke's Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The game will be televised by ESPN.

Ahead of the contest, let's have a look at 10 items to be aware of as State gets ready to square off against the Demon Deacons:

Mississippi State is making its 27th all-time bowl appearance. It's the Bulldogs' first bowl game since winning the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois.
Many of State's players will be making postseason debuts on Friday. State has 90 players on its roster that have never played in a bowl game. Only 22 Bulldogs have at least one bowl game under their belts.
MSU is making its second-ever appearance in a bowl game at Bank of America Stadium. The other occurrence came at the conclusion of the 2015 season when Mississippi State topped NC State in what was then the Belk Bowl. That game was the final contest in the MSU career of quarterback Dak Prescott, who was named the game's MVP.
The Bulldogs and Demon Deacons are facing off for only the second time in the history of the two programs. State won the previous matchup, taking a 23-17 victory over Wake Forest in the 2011 Music City Bowl. MSU running back Vick Ballard starred in that contest with 180 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Duke's Mayo Bowl will give multiple Bulldogs and Demon Deacons the chance to reminisce about their high school days. The game will feature three matchups between former high school teammates. Wake's Langston Hardy and State's Branden Jennings were teammates at Sandalwood High in Jacksonville, Fla. Darius Jones of the Demon Deacons and Colin Coates of the Bulldogs each attended Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, Md. Wake Forest's Zach Lohavichan and MSU's Kedrick Bingley-Jones teamed up at Providence Day in Charlotte.
Former college teammates will get to catch up as well. Wake's Robby Ashford and State's DJ Reed both previously played at Auburn. Deshawn Purdie of the Demon Deacons and Coates were together at Charlotte. Wake Forest's Lardarius Webb Jr. and Will Loerzel were teammates with State's Fluff Bothwell at South Alabama.
Big passing plays could be a factor in Friday's contest as both schools have proven to be able to pull them off with regularity. MSU leads the Southeastern Conference in passing plays over 40 yards with 18 of them this season. Meanwhile Wake Forest is tied for second in the ACC with 11 such plays.
As State's offense seeks to score early and often, calling the shots will be true freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor who'll be making his second career start. The electric Taylor earned his first-ever start in the regular season finale against Ole Miss and found success on the ground and through the air. Facing the Rebels, Taylor became just the fourth State quarterback to throw for 150 or more yards and rush for 150 or more in at least the last 30 years.
Among the other weapons MSU will lean on in Friday's game is receiver Brenen Thompson, who has the chance to make school history. Thompson enters the Duke's Mayo Bowl just 99 yards shy of setting a new Mississippi State record for receiving yards in a single season. He currently sits at 948 yards, just 52 yards shy of having just the fourth 1,000-yard season ever at State.
What would a State win do on Friday night? It'd give MSU its 16th all-time bowl victory. It'd also be State's second bowl win in a row going back to the aforementioned 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl, as well as be the first-ever bowl win in the head coaching career of Jeff Lebby.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Duke’s Mayo Bowl First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Wake Forest

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Players Mentioned

Kedrick Bingley-Jones

Fluff Bothwell

Colin Coates

Branden Jennings

DJ Reed

Kamario Taylor

Brenen Thompson

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