Wake Forest beats Mississippi State in wacky Duke's Mayo Bowl

Wake Forest led 15-9 at halftime and led 30-12 in the third quarter, but Miss State clawed back to make it a 30-27 game with 10:17 to go.

The Demon Deacons appeared to score the game-sealing touchdown with 4:13 to go, but a rare defensive two-point conversion from Mississippi State made it a one-possession game again. However, after a punt from the Bulldogs, Robby Ashford completed a 62-yard TD pass to Ty Clark III to clinch the win. 

Ashford threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while Miss State QB Kamario Taylor threw for 241 yards and a TD in his second collegiate start. 

Wake Forest won three of its final four regular-season games before Friday's win. The Demon Deacons have their first winning season since 2022, and first-year head coach Jake Dickert certainly earned his fair share of praise in Winston-Salem. 

Mississippi State has not had a winning season since the late Mike Leach led the Bulldogs to a 9-4 campaign in 2022. MSU started off 4-0 before winning only one of its final eight games.