Robby Ashford Leads Wake Forest Past Mississippi State 43-29 in Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Football
January 03, 2026

By STEVE REED

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Robby Ashford couldn’t have imagined a greater method to shut out his roller-coaster faculty profession.

The six-year redshirt senior quarterback threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 50 yards and two scores to take MVP honors, Koredell Bartley scored on a 100-yard kickoff return and Wake Forest beat Mississippi State 43-29 within the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday night time.

Ashford, who arrived at Wake Forest this season anticipating an opportunity to start out, threw TD passes of 14 yards to Kamrean Johnson, 64 yards to Jack Foley and 62 yards to Ty Clark III and had scoring runs of two and 1 yards for the Demon Deacons (9-4).

Wake Forest completed the season successful seven of its ultimate 9 video games, this one sending coach Jake Dickert to a celebratory mayonnaise bathtub.

“When I got to Wake Forest, I was in a rough spot mentally and physically,” stated Ashford, who transferred from South Carolina after additionally spending time at Oregon and Auburn. “I was kind of down on myself, almost at a point where I didn’t know if I wanted to keep playing. Man, these guys just instilled just so much in me, and, just helped me in so many ways and instilled that confidence back in me.”

The finish consequence was a nine-victory season for Dickert, probably the most wins by a first-year coach in Wake Forest historical past.

The victory additionally meant having 42 1/2 kilos of mayonaisse dumped over his head. But he had some assist, as his three kids joined him within the celebration and obtained doused as properly.

“I couldn’t get my wife to do it. She was like, ‘Absolutely not!’” laughed Dickert. “But to share that with my kids is something that is going to be a special memory for us for the rest of our lives.”

Clark completed with 153 yards from scrimmage after taking on the beginning position after second-team All-ACC choice Demond Claiborne opted out of the sport after declaring for the NFL draft.

Freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor, making his second faculty begin, had a giant second half for Mississippi State (5-8) and completed 13-of-22 for 241 yards and a landing. He ran for 60 yards and one other rating earlier than struggling what seemed to be a big leg harm with 1:46 left within the sport. He was carted off the sphere.

Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby wouldn’t go into element after the sport concerning the extent of Taylor’s harm, however sounded relieved, saying: “I feel good about the initial reports.”

After the Bulldogs took an 3-0 lead on the sport’s first possession, Bartley fielded the following kickoff on the aim line and weaved his means up the sphere earlier than turning up the pace and outracing 5 defenders to the tip zone for the longest landing in bowl historical past.

Ashford, a sixth-year QB taking part in for his fourth faculty, put Wake Forest forward 30-12 within the third quarter on a 2-yard run to make it a three-possession sport and the Demon Deacons appeared in cruise management.

But the Bulldogs got here storming again.

Mississippi State lastly discovered the tip zone on the final play of the third quarter when Taylor took a shotgun snap, obtained a operating begin and leaped over the road and prolonged the ball over the aim line on his descent.

He added a 2-point conversion toss to chop it to 10 after which discovered Sanfrisco Magee over the center for a 42-yard catch-and-run landing go to make it 30-27 with 10:17 left.

Wake Forest appeared to place it away when Ashford ran for his second landing with 4:07 remaining, however Navaeh Sanders blocked the additional level and Kelly Jones scooped it up and scored for two factors for the Bulldogs to make it 36-29.

On the following possession, Mississippi State couldn’t handle a primary down and Lebby made the curious choice to punt on fourth-and-11 from the Bulldogs 25 with 2:35 left within the sport, placing belief in his protection that it could pressure a 3 and out and get the offense the ball again.

That backfired, as Ashford dumped a go off to Clark on a third-and-7 and he raced 62 yards untouched to the tip zone to seal the win.

The bowl sport’s distinctive custom consists of the successful head getting a 5-gallon bucket full of 42 1/2 kilos of mayonnaise dumped on his head after the sport.

“I think we have laid a tremendous foundation here,” Dickert stated after bringing in 40 new gamers within the switch portal. “Nine wins is really, really special.”