Mississippi State
3-0 , 1-0
South Carolina
2-1 , 0-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi St. | 0 | 14 | 17 | 10 | 41 |
| South Carolina | 13 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 34 |
State Starts SEC Play With 41-34 Win At South Carolina
September 19, 2026 | Football
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Mississippi State bounced back from an early 16-0 deficit to earn a 41-34 road win at South Carolina on Saturday in both teams' Southeastern Conference opener.
Kamario Taylor threw for 251 yards and four touchdowns, Fluff Bothwell rushed for 115 yards and five different receivers caught touchdown passes for the Bulldogs, who improved to 3-0 overall this season.
If you missed anything, or simply want to relive it, check out the highlights here:
1st Quarter
0:00 - South Carolina seized early momentum. The Gamecocks used a touchdown and pair of field goals to grab an early 13-0 lead over the first 15 minutes of action. The Bulldogs held the football for less than a minute in the period.
2nd Quarter
8:05 - The Bulldogs got right back in the ballgame midway through the second quarter. A 43-yard Fluff Bothwell run ultimately set up a 30-yard touchdown toss from Kamario Taylor to Sanfrisco Magee to cut State's deficit to 16-7.
5:16 - State drew closer and it was again the arm of Taylor making things happen. The MSU signal caller used a 43-yard strike to Zion Ragins to make it just a two-point Bulldog deficit at 16-14.
0:00 - South Carolina heads to the locker room with a 23-14 halftime lead over MSU. The Gamecocks extended their lead courtesy of a Matt Fuller seven-yard rush with just under two minutes left in the half.
3rd Quarter
10:13 - MSU makes an early second-half statement. Kamario Taylor evades pressure on a third-and-long and finds Marquis Johnson for the touchdown from 23 yards out to cut South Carolina's lead to 23-21.
6:07 - The Bulldogs had already seized momentum, then they seized the lead. Kamario Taylor dumps it off to Anthony Evans III, who dove over a defender to find pay dirt from five yards out and put MSU in front for the first time at 28-23.
4:40 - State stretched its advantage on a 36-yard field goal from Kyle Ferrie. The kick made it 31-23 in favor of the Bulldogs.
4th Quarter
14:53 - A little trickeration provided the Bulldogs with a two-score lead. Taylor pitched the ball to Gracen Harris, who then threw a strike to tight end Sam West for a touchdown from seven yards out. MSU took control as its lead blossomed to 38-23.
8:42 - Kyle Ferrie's second field goal of the evening, a 49-yarder, gave State a 41-23 lead to help the Bulldogs get closer to putting the game away.
0:00 - South Carolina crept closer with a touchdown and field goal over the final minutes to get within seven points, but the Bulldogs held on to move to 3-0 and 1-0 in SEC play.
FINAL SCORE - STATE 41, SOUTH CAROLINA 34
Next Upโฆ
The undefeated Bulldogs return home to Davis Wade Stadium for an SEC showdown against Missouri. The Bulldogs and Tigers are set for a 6:45 p.m. kick and the game will be televised by SEC Network.
Team Stats
MSU 0, USC 3
USC - Orsan,Malik 30 yd field goal 13 plays, 66 yards, TOP 07:49
MSU 0, USC 10
USC - Brown II,Maurice 4 yd pass from Sellers,LaNorris (Orsan,Malik kick) 6 plays, 16 yards, TOP 02:29
MSU 0, USC 13
USC - Orsan,Malik 34 yd field goal 8 plays, 60 yards, TOP 03:44
MSU 0, USC 16
USC - Orsan,Malik 51 yd field goal 11 plays, 54 yards, TOP 03:25
MSU 7, USC 16
MSU - Magee,Sanfrisco 30 yd pass from Taylor,Kamario (Ferrie,Kyle kick) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:51
MSU 14, USC 16
MSU - Ragins,Zion 43 yd pass from Taylor,Kamario (Ferrie,Kyle kick) 4 plays, 68 yards, TOP 01:12
MSU 14, USC 23
USC - Fuller,Matt 7 yd run (Orsan,Malik kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:26
MSU 21, USC 23
MSU - Taylor,Kamario 23 yd pass from Taylor,Kamario (Ferrie,Kyle kick) 11 plays, 65 yards, TOP 04:47
MSU 28, USC 23
MSU - Evans III,Anthony 5 yd pass from Taylor,Kamario (Ferrie,Kyle kick) 6 plays, 43 yards, TOP 02:11
MSU 31, USC 23
MSU - Ferrie,Kyle 36 yd field goal 6 plays, 28 yards, TOP 01:10
MSU 38, USC 23
MSU - West,Sam 7 yd pass from Harris,Gracen (Ferrie,Kyle kick) 6 plays, 32 yards, TOP 02:59
MSU 41, USC 23
MSU - Ferrie,Kyle 49 yd field goal 9 plays, 41 yards, TOP 05:22
MSU 41, USC 31
USC - Fuller,Matt 25 yd pass from Sellers,LaNorris (Sellers,LaNorris rush) 13 plays, 85 yards, TOP 04:45
MSU 41, USC 34
USC - Orsan,Malik 52 yd field goal 10 plays, 36 yards, TOP 02:00
