Jeff Lebby explains decision to start Kamario Taylor in Egg Bowl

Going into the Egg Bowl, Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby was looking to spark his offense. So, he turned to Kamario Taylor, benching Blake Shapen in the process, as the team’s starting quarterback.

After the game, Lebby dove into that decision. He’d explain that while it was a very difficult move to make, it was the right choice in that moment for the team.

“Really, really hard decision for me,” Jeff Lebby said. “As we got back from Missouri, [I] thought about it non-stop on Sunday. For me, as hard as it was to make, the results hadn’t been to we needed.”

There was a good bit that went into the decision. That, notably, included the mobility that Taylor brings to the table, which can sometimes help overcome a struggling offensive line.

“For us, I felt like things had not been great up front. Who’s the guy that had the ability to make a couple of plays when things aren’t perfect? [Taylor] had done some good things, and I felt like it was the right time. Again, for me, incredibly hard,” Lebby said. “Because of my love for Blake, his toughness, how he has led, and continued to be exactly who he is supposed to be. For me, really hard, but at the beginning of last week, I made that decision.”

Ultimately, Mississippi State would go on to lose the Egg Bowl 38-19. That made for three losses in a row to end the season and finish 5-7, once again missing a bowl in the process. Those 19 points scored were also the fewest the Bulldogs had put on the board since their October 4th loss to Texas A&M.

For his part, Kamario Taylor finished the game completing 15 of 31 passes for 178 yards and an interception. He also rushed for a team high 173 yards and two touchdowns. In that respect, the move worked the way Lebby hoped it would and he sparked the offense with his legs.

Meanwhile, Blake Shapen had struggled in the last couple of games. Between the losses to Missouri and Georgia, Shapen completed 29 of 48 passes for 285 yards and two interceptions. In that two-game sample size, he also rushed for 31 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.

A fifth-year senior who was in his second season at Mississippi State, Shapen missed most of the 2024 season with an injury. Returning in 2025, there had been hope that he would be able to spark the Bulldogs’ offense. Certainly, Mississippi State did improve in Lebby’s second season, but there’s still work to do.

For his part, Taylor came to Mississippi State as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2025. A Macon native, he was the 77th-ranked player nationally and the eighth-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle.

Now, Lebby and Mississippi State are going to need to make some decisions about the quarterback position this offseason. The team could be happy with Taylor. However, there is also the chance to add competition through the Transfer Portal.