The Bulldogs are undefeated at 4-0, including two straight wins over SEC rivals South Carolina and Missouri, and are ranked No. 16 in the AP Top 25 for the first time in the Jeff Lebby era. But Saturday afternoon brings the biggest test yet, with Mississippi State hosting No. 7 Alabama, another undefeated team at 4-0. Right before kickoff, Paul Finebaum, one of the most recognizable voices in the SEC, had incredibly high praise for Taylor, suggesting he could eventually surpass the legacy left behind by former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott, now the face of the Dallas Cowboys.
"A win here, and I'm about to say something I didn't think I'd ever say: Mississippi State is in the playoff picture. And it's not an exaggeration," Finebaum said. "We came here 10 years ago, and they had Dak Prescott.
I'm not going to go out on a limb and make some ridiculous statement, I'll save that for later in the show. But they might have a quarterback now that may be better than Dak Prescott, Kamario Taylor." More news: Unlikely Source Offered Help to Oregon’s Dan Lanning After Dante Moore Injury Prescott may be torching NFL defenses on Sundays now, but he's still one of the greatest players in Mississippi State history. He earned back-to-back first-team All-SEC honors in his final two seasons with the Bulldogs and remains second all-time in program history in career passing yards (9,376), passing touchdowns (70) and completions (734).
His best passing season came as a senior in 2015, when he completed 66.2% of his passes for 3,793 yards and 29 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He also added 588 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. The year before, Prescott rushed for 986 yards and an SEC-leading 14 touchdowns while throwing for 3,449 yards and 27 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.
His 11,897 total offensive yards rank second in program history, behind only Will Rogers. More news: Paul Finebaum Goes Scorched Earth on ‘Complete Fraud’ Lincoln Riley More news: Florida Gators Draw Contender Label After Ole Miss Blowout Those are incredibly lofty numbers for Taylor to match, but he's already on pace to challenge them in his first full season as Mississippi State's starter. Heading into Saturday's matchup with Alabama, Taylor had thrown for 1,192 yards and 14 touchdowns with just two interceptions, while adding 185 rushing yards and another rushing score.
And Taylor has the chance to accomplish something Prescott never did during his time in Starkville: lead Mississippi State to the College Football Playoff.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
