South Carolina vs Mississippi State: What Challenges Will the Gamecocks Face When They Take on the Bulldogs?

Mississippi State has been one of the emerging threats on the national radar following a blow out road victory over Minnesota. Now the Bulldogs take their 2-0 record into Columbia, South Carolina for a matchup against Shane Beamer's Gamecocks. What challenges should the staff and fans be on the lookout for? We take a look.

Jeff Lebby is entering year three as the Bulldogs head coach and appears to have a team that can be a significant threat in this league for 2026. There are two things the Gamecocks should be on the lookout for and both happens to be on the side of the ball Lebby calls plays on.

Super Kamario Is Becoming a Star

True sophomore Kamario Taylor is quickly emerging as one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. He has a rocket for an arm and the ability to make plays with his legs. Through two games this season, Taylor is completing 67.9 percent of his passes for 581 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. This offense is built to threat teams vertically and as you can see in the video below, Taylor has the capability to do just that.

Watching Kamario Taylor throw at Manning Passing Academy was an event. He’s just different! This throw is stupid.
pic.twitter.com/wvVgo4hFCx
— Todd McShay (@McShay13) September 6, 2026

This is week one against Louisiana Monroe. Taylor is able to step up into the pocket and deliver a near 60-yard bomb in stride to his wide receiver Marquis Johnson for the score. In the next video, we see Taylor's ability to make plays on the run. Here you will see a roll out off play action and a quick released laser to Anthony Evans III, the team's leading receiver.

Kamario Taylor you are the 1 pic.twitter.com/EyuwyiujzJ
— wok (@wokdior) September 12, 2026

South Carolina's defense will have to be focused this weekend if they want to limit Taylor and this offense. He can hit every throw in the book and make you pay with his legs. Good news for Clayton White and this defense is that they see a similar star at the quarterback position every week in LaNorris Sellers. If anyone can get this team ready for a player like Taylor, it's Sellers.

As good as this offense is throwing the ball downfield, it's surprisingly still a very balanced attack. All the highlights make you believe this team is only interested in throwing the ball, however Lebby has a big focus on running the rock as well.

South Carolina's Rushing Defense Will be Tested

Three Bulldogs have accounted for over 100 rushing yards this season. Junior running back Fluff Bothwell leads the team on the ground so far this season with 165 yards, followed by Taylor with 145 yards, and freshman J.J. Hill with 118. Those three have also combined for five touchdowns on the year.

As a team, Mississippi State averages nearly 300 yards per game on the ground, 7.2 yards per carry, and three touchdowns. Last week against Minnesota on the road, the Bulldogs came away with 252 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

TENDENCY TUESDAY

Think Jeff Lebby = throw it all over the yard?

Look at Mississippi State’s first 2 games:

vs ULM: 42 passes | 37 rushes
at Minnesota: 22 passes | 46 rushes

Against the better opponent, MSU leaned HEAVY on the run 252 yards at 5.5 YPC.

And with Kamario…
— JGriff (@JosephGriffinJG) September 15, 2026

This team if anything likes to run the ball more. As you can see above, Mississippi State ran the ball 83 times while only throwing it 64 times. In this conference, you have to be able to run the ball and stop the run. Easier said than done when talking about the overall depth of the SEC, but if the Gamecocks are to come away with a win on Saturday they must stop the run and force the Bulldogs to be one dimensional.

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