How Mississippi State became the one college football team nobody wants to play

The 24th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs have looked impressive thus far into the college football season.

At 3-0 after finishing last season with a 5-8 record, the SEC's first-place team doesn't look so bad. They are already ahead of schedule for where they wanted to be this season. The Bulldogs were four-point underdogs going into Saturday's game against South Carolina. Early in the game, that prediction proved to be right. They trailed 16-0 early but showed signs of resiliency and stormed back.

Kamario Taylor threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns, completing 18-of-26 pass attempts and added eight carries for 33 yards on the ground. His dual-threat ability has proven to be too much for defenses to handle this season. He's comfortable moving around like a running back but can still sling the ball downfield. That's one factor which makes this Bulldogs offense so scary.

At 19, Taylor is putting on a clinic in the early going of the season. He has 832 yards, 11 touchdowns and only one interception with an 88.9 passer rating, which is sixth-best in the nation. On the ground, he has 178 yards on 26 carries and another score. Taylor’s numbers are great, but he is not their only offensive asset.

Through the last two weeks, Mississippi State running back Fluff Bothwell has over 200 yards rushing in the last two weeks. He is averaging 5.8 yards per carry and runs downhill. Out in space, they have Anthony Evans III. He has a receiving touchdown in all three games, and is just shy of 300 yards receiving.

Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby gave praise to his undefeated squad, saying, “I saw our guys stay together and be exactly who they’ve been. They responded in a great way. We have not had adversity, but we talked about just getting our cleats in the ground and playing the next play.

"I really do think the defense early on kept us in the game. Defensively, we found ways to make those guys kick field goals, which was huge.”

The Dawg defense is a big key to their early success too. They produced two timely interceptions, which was the difference in their win Saturday. A week earlier against Minnesota, they did not allow a single touchdown all game.

Mississippi State is flying high right now. With a stout conference schedule forthcoming, can they continue this early success? We will see if they can handle more adversity or fold like a lawn chair.

The Bulldogs' first big test is Saturday at home against No. 19 Missouri at 7:45 p.m. ET. 

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