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Seydou Traore looking to finish Bulldog career strong

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk13 hours agoRobbieFaulkOn3
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Mississippi State TE Seydou Traore (Photo by Jared Thomas, Maroon and White Daily)

As Seydou Traore enters the final stage of his college career, he’s leaving no gas in the tank.

A London, England product, Traore made a new life in the United States and, specifically, in Starkville. The last three years this has been home and Jeff Lebby’s offense has given him an avenue to showcase his skill set for two seasons.

After hauling in 34 catches for 262 yards and a touchdown a year ago, Traore has the opportunity to finish 2025 with even better numbers. He enters the final two regular season games with 27 catches for 262 yards and has tied a career-high with four touchdowns this year.

It hasn’t been perfect, but Traore has shown that he can be a weapon in the veer and shoot.

“I try to go out there and play as good as I can,” Traore said. “There’s a lot of things that I can clean up but I’m just taking it week by week. Just cleaning up any mistakes here and there.”

Traore, Bulldogs have trust in whoever runs the offense

Saturday night at 6:45, Traore will take in his final college football road game when the Bulldogs (5-5, 1-5 SEC) travel to Missouri. For most of the State fanbase, the question as to who will be throwing Traore passes is still up in the air, though he and his teammates likely have a good idea at this point of the week.

When starting quarterback Blake Shapen went down last week with a rib injury against Georgia, freshman Kamario Taylor took over at the position. This week could be Taylor’s first career start. If that is indeed the case, Traore feels just as confident as he would with Shapen running the offense.  

“I think a lot of it stays the same. We obviously saw what he can do when he’s in the game – explosive player. The main stuff stays the main stuff. He executes what Blake executes. I don’t think there’s much of a shift,” Traore said.

“I’ve spoken with him. Kamario is a very confident player and a good player too. It doesn’t take much to get him going and he knows his own abilities. Everyone was supporting him when he went in and people are behind him. He knows he has everyone’s support.”

Mentoring the younger players is something that Traore wants to leave as a lasting legacy of his career in Starkville. That starts with his own room.

Reps have increased for players like Sam West and he’s produced a couple of catches in his first year for 25 yards total. The first catch of his State career came against Texas when he hauled in a 13-yard touchdown and that is one that could be a springboard for him moving forward as he prepares to finish up his sophomore season.

“I’m always rooting for all of the other tight ends when they go in the game so whenever I see them get a catch, I’m pumped up,” Traore said. “Sam is a great player. When he came in during the summer, he came in straight to work. I realized immediately he was straight business and straight football. Me and him catch after practice and late nights and are just talking. He’s a great guy, great person and all about football.”

Traore, West and the rest of the Bulldogs all have to continue to improve to find a way to that all-important sixth win. That wasn’t the case last week when State hosted No. 5 Georgia and came away bruised and beaten in a 41-21 loss.

That loss, and the others this season, have shown areas that Lebby’s program still has to clean up before taking that next step and competing in a major way. But within those games, there were also signs that this team can be so much better than others give them credit. A road trip to Missouri is another massive opportunity.

“We didn’t play to the level we know we can play,” Traore said. “When we do play to that level, it’s pretty scary. It’s just the small things. If you turn on the tape, there’s a bunch of opportunities but it’s honestly the small things.”

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