Mississippi State
5-8 , 1-7
Wake Forest
9-4 , 4-4
State’s Season Concludes At Duke’s Mayo Bowl
January 02, 2026 | Football
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Mississippi State's comeback effort fell short in the Duke's Mayo Bowl as the Bulldogs dropped a 43-29 decision versus Wake Forest on Friday night to bring an end to the season.
Receiver Brenen Thompson became just the fourth Bulldog in MSU history to notch a campaign with 1,000 or more yards receiving and he set the State single-season receiving yardage record, but it wasn't enough for the Dawgs.
It was Thompson that got the game off to an electric start. On the game's first play from scrimmage, quarterback Kamario Taylor launched a 51-yard bomb to Thompson to set State up in Demon Deacon territory where kicker Kyle Ferrie eventually buried a 33-yard field goal to draw first blood. Wake Forest responded with a kickoff return touchdown from 100 yards out followed by a successful two-point conversion to take an 8-3 lead.
Later in the first quarter, Ferrie drilled a 50-yard field goal to bring State within two, at 8-6, after a solid drive. Then, Wake found the end zone with 3:49 left in the period to extend its lead to 15-6.
Ferrie connected on his third field goal of the game from 23 yards out at the 6:15 mark of the second quarter to dig into the Demon Deacon lead once again, making the score 15-9. Then, with 30 seconds left in the half, MSU safety Brylan Lanier came up with a big interception to prevent Wake from scoring again.
Wake Forest came out swinging with a 15-3 run over the first 10:41 of the third quarter. Taylor gave the Dawgs life though when he leaped over the line of scrimmage for a touchdown and then completed a jump pass to Seydou Traore for a successful two-point try on the last couple of plays of the third.
State trailed 30-20 headed into the final frame. Early in the fourth, State's defense came up big and forced a punt. On MSU's ensuing drive, Taylor went 3-for-3 through the air for 80 yards, capped off by a 42-yard strike to Sanfrisco Magee for a touchdown. The score cut Wake Forest's advantage to just 30-27 with 10:17 left in regulation.
However, the Demon Deacons bled 6:10 off the clock and finished their next drive with an end zone call. Linebacker Naveah Sanders kept MSU in the game when he blocked the Wake PAT try, allowing cornerback Kelley Jones to return it to the house to keep the game within one possession at 36-29 with 4:07 remaining. But the Dawgs didn't capitalize further as the defense was unable to get a stop and Wake Forest iced the game with a late touchdown from 62 yards out.
For the game, Taylor finished with 241 passing yards and a passing touchdown to go along with 63 yards on the ground and a rushing score in his second career start. Linebacker Jalen Smith led the defensive unit with 12 total tackles.
Team Stats
WFU 0, MSU 3
MSU - Ferrie,Kyle 33 yd field goal 7 plays, 60 yards, TOP 02:05
WFU 8, MSU 3
WFU - Bartley,Koredell 100 yd kickoff return (Falayi,Eni pass)
WFU 8, MSU 6
MSU - Ferrie,Kyle 50 yd field goal 6 plays, 42 yards, TOP 02:00
WFU 15, MSU 6
WFU - Johnson,Kamrean 14 yd pass from Ashford,Robby (Calvert,Connor kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:23
WFU 15, MSU 9
MSU - Ferrie,Kyle 23 yd field goal 10 plays, 56 yards, TOP 05:11
WFU 23, MSU 9
WFU - Foley,Jack 64 yd pass from Ashford,Robby (Ashford,Robby rush) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:54
WFU 23, MSU 12
MSU - Ferrie,Kyle 36 yd field goal 5 plays, 15 yards, TOP 02:07
WFU 30, MSU 12
WFU - Ashford,Robby 2 yd run (Calvert,Connor kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:05
WFU 30, MSU 20
MSU - Taylor,Kamario 1 yd run (Traore,Seydou pass), 8 plays, 65 yards, TOP 04:19
WFU 30, MSU 27
MSU - Magee,Sanfrisco 42 yd pass from Taylor,Kamario (Ferrie,Kyle kick) 4 plays, 84 yards, TOP 01:09
WFU 36, MSU 27
WFU - Ashford,Robby 1 yd run ( kick), 10 plays, 63 yards, TOP 06:03
WFU 36, MSU 29
MSU - Jones,Kelley 86 yd PAT return
WFU 43, MSU 29
WFU - Clark,Ty 62 yd pass from Ashford,Robby (Calvert,Connor kick) 3 plays, 65 yards, TOP 00:20
