Mississippi State Comes From 16 Down and Remembers How to Win on the Road

**State Comes From 16 Down and Remembers How to Win on the Road** Mississippi State gave South Carolina a 16-point head start and still won 42-34. Scoreboard lied. It was a three-touchdown game. First road SEC opener win since they beat LSU in an empty stadium in 2020. Back-to-back road wins for the first time since 2014. First time ranked since Mike Leach was still here. They’re sitting at 24. Camario Taylor looks like the real thing as a second-year starter. Blind side still needs work. Jeff Lebby’s bunch boat-raced Minnesota on the road in Big Ten country, then handled a team State fans have owned for most of a lifetime. South Carolina, Kentucky, the usual suspects — those are the games they’re supposed to win. This one counted. Missouri with Austin Simmons and Drinkwitz is next and might be the hardest game on the slate so far. Then Alabama, a bye, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas. Nobody’s handing out participation trophies. Seven wins is still a damn good year after the drought. Payroll’s closer to the second tier than people think. Evaluating talent still matters more than the checkbook. 2014 Mississippi Mayhem energy is back in the building. Don’t get cute. Don’t get comfortable. Just keep stacking them.