The Wake Forest Demon Deacons defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 43-29 in the Duke's Mayo Bowl after a highly dramatic fourth quarter that saw Robby Ashford score the go-ahead-for-good touchdown on a 1-yard goal-line run and then throw a 62-yard cover-all-spreads TD pass to Ty Clark III to leave no doubt.
Ashford, after over three years, has finally gotten revenge on Mississippi State. The Bulldogs, of course, famously defeated the Auburn Tigers 39-33 in Starkville on November 5, 2022, in Cadillac Williams' first game as interim head coach.
Ashford had a stellar game on Friday night against the Bulldogs, completing 20/33 passes, three of them for touchdowns, while adding 50 yards and two TDs on the ground.
Sure, Mississippi State had opt-outs. Still, Ashford exploded for a highlight reel night against an SEC squad. It was a neutral field on paper, but it was a Wake Forest home game in spirit in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Auburn fans may feel FOMO after 5-7 MS State's thrilling bowl game
That could've been Auburn in a bowl game to ring in the new year, with DJ Durkin possibly having mayonnaise dumped on his head after beating a former QB on the other side. Maybe Alex Golesh would've even embraced the fun bowl game theme.
Nope. No bowl game for the Tigers, who, despite finishing 5-7 during the 2025 season, got a bowl game invite, at least one confirmed to be the Birmingham Bowl. No fun for the fans, even if the game had featured a depleted roster. College Football observers wouldn't have held that hypothetical loss against Auburn. It would've been a fairly pressure-free scenario.
Nope. 5-7, and uncertainty heading into 2026 was the only thing on the menu.
At least the Tigers didn't finish 5-8. It could be worse for Auburn. Somehow.