Mississippi State is off to a great start to the 2026 college football season.

The program blew out Louisiana-Monroe 62-13 on Sept. 5, then crushed Minnesota 38-13 this past Saturday. Quarterback Kamario Taylor was the Bulldogs’ star against the Golden Gophers, finishing with 227 yards through the air and three touchdowns. He also rushed 13 times for 86 yards.

MORE: Surprising name headlines NFL passing leaders after Week 1

His play earned him the Maxwell Award for National Player of the Week. The Mississippi State football program shared the news on X.

Taylor has been fantastic in Mississippi State’s first two games, throwing for 581 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. He has rushed for 145 yards and a score. This is his first season as the full-time starter after serving as the backup to Blake Shapen last season.

Still, Taylor has thrown for 1,210 yards, 12 touchdowns and one interception over the last two seasons.

Taylor should be on more people’s radars, especially because he’s off to such a great start this year. As long as he keeps playing at this level, he’ll keep the Bulldogs in most games, even when their SEC schedule gets tough.

Speaking of the Bulldogs’ SEC schedule, it starts on Saturday against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Kickoff will be at 4:15 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

After that, the Bulldogs will play a swath of ranked teams, including the Missouri Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns.

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —

Source: Yahoo Sports