// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did 2026 Duke's Mayo Bowl say? I'm a big spread.
| 2026 Duke's Mayo Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 24th Duke's Mayo Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 2, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Bank of America Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Robby Ashford (QB, Wake Forest)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Mississippi State by 3.5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Greg Blum (Big Ten) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 29,328 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN ESPN Radio | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline) (ESPN) Mike Couzens (play-by-play), Max Starks (analyst), and Marilyn Payne (sideline) (ESPN Radio) | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2026 Duke's Mayo Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 2026, at Bank of America Stadium located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 24th annual Duke's Mayo Bowl began at approximately 8:00 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN.[2][3] It was one of the 2025–26 bowl games concluding the 2025 FBS football season. The game's title sponsor was Duke's Mayonnaise.
Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) defeated Mississippi State of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), 43–29.[4]
Teams
[edit]The game featured Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Mississippi State of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The teams had one prior meeting, a win by Mississippi State in the 2011 Music City Bowl.[5]
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
[edit]Wake Forest compiled an 8–4 record during the regular season, losing (in overtime) to one ranked team, Georgia Tech, and defeating one ranked team, Virginia.[6] This marked a considerable turnaround from their 2024 campaign, where the Demon Deacons went 4-8. In the prior offseason, Wake Forest hired former Washington State head coach Jake Dickert as their next head coach.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
[edit]Mississippi State won their first four games, including a four-point win over ranked Arizona State, but then lost seven of their eight remaining games.[7] Five defeats were to ranked teams—Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas, Georgia, and Ole Miss. With a 5–7 record, the Bulldogs were not bowl eligible, but received a invitation due to some bowl-eligible teams opting out.[8]
Game summary
[edit]| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | 15 | 0 | 15 | 13 | 43 |
| Mississippi State | 6 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 29 |
at Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, North Carolina
- Date: Friday, January 2, 2026
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 57 °F (14 °C) • Wind: 6 mph (9.7 km/h) northeast
- Game attendance: 29,328
- Referee: Gregory Blum
- TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
- Box score
| Game information |
|---|
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Statistics
[edit]| Statistics | WF | MSST |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 23 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 68/451 | 69/408 |
| Rushes–yards | 35/148 | 42/114 |
| Passing yards | 303 | 294 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 20/33/1 | 16/27/0 |
| Time of possession | 31:35 | 28:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | Passing | Robby Ashford | 20/33, 303 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Ty Clark III | 17 carries, 91 yards | |
| Receiving | Carlos Hernandez | 6 receptions, 73 yards | |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Kamario Taylor | 13/22, 241 yards, 1 TD |
| Rushing | Kamario Taylor | 18 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Brenen Thompson | 4 receptions, 106 yards |
References
[edit]- ↑ Beasley, Lauren (January 3, 2025). "Former Gamecock QB finds redemption with Duke's Mayo Bowl MVP performance". garnetandcocky.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ↑ "2025-26 College Football Playoff schedule, dates, TV channel, sites". NCAA.com. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ↑ "College Football Bowl Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ↑ "Robby Ashford Leads Wake Forest Past Mississippi State 43-29 in Duke's Mayo Bowl". CBS Sports. Associated Press. January 3, 2026. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State football series history games list". winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
- ↑ "Wake Forest Demon Deacons". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
- ↑ "Mississippi State Bulldogs". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
- ↑ Olson, Eric (December 7, 2025). "Bowl Officials Seek 5-7 Teams to Fill In After Irish, Iowa St, Kansas St Say They're Done for Year". AP News. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Game statistics at statbroadcast.com