The good, bad and ugly of Mississippi State football’s 2025 season

Mississippi State’s 38-19 loss to No. 7 Ole Miss in Friday’s Egg Bowl didn’t completely end its season.

At 5-7, if there aren’t enough six-win teams to fill out the schedule of bowl games, the Bulldogs could be invited to a bowl game.

However, it’s not very likely to happen and Friday is most likely the end of Mississippi State’s 2025 season.

It was a disappointing season, but there were some good things that should give the Bulldogs, and their fans hope for an even better 2026 season.

Before we get too far into offseason storylines, let’s take a look back at the season and identify the good, bad and ugly things from Mississippi State’s season.

Big Passing Plays

Brenen Thompson and Anthony Evans III were two of the best transfer portal additions the Bulldogs made last offseason. A highlight reel play was always a possibility whenever they touched the ball.

Thompson was especially great. He had a team-high six touchdown receptions and 948 receiving yards. Most of this touchdown catches came on gains of at least 20 yards.

The explosive passing game was fun to see when it was working and showed some potential for what a Jeff Lebby offense can look like in Starkville.

Kamario Taylor

The true freshman quarterback is going to be main source of hope for Mississippi State fans. He was used sparingly until the Egg Bowl when he made his first start.

Against the Rebels, Taylor ran for 173 yards and two touchdowns, while also completing 15-of-31 passes for 178 yards and an interception (that wasn’t really his fault).

Taylor’s the highest-rated high school quarterback to ever sign with Mississippi State and he showed flashes of greatness.

Offensive line play

One of the biggest reasons the Bulldogs won only two games was the play of its offensive line. They had rushers averaging just 3.9 yards per carry and gave up 38 sacks.

Mississippi State’s 2025 offensive line gave up 40 sacks.

Injuries certainly played a role in the season. Blake Steen played just one game and Albert Reese IV missed multiple games.

But it’s concerning how the offensive line didn’t improve from last season despite bringing in a new offensive line coach.

It should’ve been a red flag when Mississippi State signed several offensive lineman after spring practices. Why wasn’t the need identified during the winter transfer portal window?

Run defense and pass rush

Opponents averaged nearly 190 rushing yards a game against Mississippi State’s defense. That’s a slight improvement on last season that had an average north of 200.

But anyone that saw the Bulldogs’ defense in the last few weeks saw teams run the ball at-will. Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy ran for 300 yards.

As for the pass rush, consider this: Will Whitson played a game and a half and finished second on the team in sacks, just a half sack behind the leader Nic Mitchell.

Mississippi State recorded 20 sacks this season, which doubled last season’s total.

But the improvements weren’t enough and serious, major changes need to be made on the defensive side.