Game Preview: Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State

By Ben Garrett

OleMissSports.com Insider

OXFORD, Miss. -- Ole Miss takes on in-state rival Mississippi State in the 80th Egg Bowl Friday in Starkville. Kickoff is set for 11:30 a.m. CT inside Davis Wade Stadium, and the game will be televised by Lincoln Financial Sports.

“This is a good Mississippi State football team. This is probably their best team since I have been here,” said Rebel head coach Ed Orgeron. “They are well coached, and this will be a big challenge for us. We will have to play our best game to beat the Bulldogs.”

The Ole Miss offense put on a show against No. 1 LSU Saturday, accounting for 466 yards of total offense in the 41-24 setback. The Rebels (3-8, 0-7 SEC) produced 265 yards through the air and 201 on the ground, which was the most surrendered in either category by the Tigers’ top-ranked defense this season.

With his 53 yards against LSU, BenJarvus Green-Ellis topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the second straight year. The senior tailback is averaging 92.7 yards per game and has accounted for four 100-yard games this season.

Senior quarterback Brent Schaeffer was a dual threat against the Tigers, coming off the bench to rush for 94 yards and throw for 208 both career highs. He ran for a touchdown for the first time since the 2006 opener and completed 13-of-28 passes with a 33-yard TD toss to Shay Hodge, making consecutive games for the duo to hook up for a score.

After missing two games, sophomore defensive end Greg Hardy returned with two sacks against LSU, giving him three games this year with multiple QB sacks, 10.0 total sacks and 18.0 tackles for loss. Hardy tops the SEC and ranks third in the NCAA in both sacks (1.11 pg) and TFLs (2.00 pg) and is also the conference leader in forced fumbles (0.33 pg).

The Bulldogs (6-5, 3-4) are bowl eligible for the first time since 2000 but are coming off a 45-31 loss to Arkansas last week. The MSU offense averages 140.3 rushing yards and 168.0 passing yards per game.

Sophomore RB Anthony Dixon directs the ground game with 954 yards and an SEC-high 13 touchdowns. True freshman QB Wesley Carroll has settled in at signal-caller and completed 113-of-209 passes for 1,223 yards with eight TDs and five interceptions.

“On offense I think Anthony Dixon is a fantastic player. He’s a hard runner and is quick,” Orgeron said. “I think the key to their offense is quarterback Wesley Carroll. He had a big day against Arkansas and is very accurate.”

This game will be the 104th meeting of one of the nation’s most-played rivalries, which became known as the "Battle for the Golden Egg" in 1927. Ole Miss enjoys a 59-38-6 lead in the series and holds a 4-1 record over the last five meetings between the schools. Last season, the Rebels defeated State 20-17 in Oxford.

The series is tied at 8-8 since the series returned to campus sites in 1991, after being played yearly in Jackson from 1973-1990. The Rebels hold a 20-10-3 advantage in games played in Starkville.           

The University of Mississippi Athletics

Related News

Related Videos