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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAME PREVIEW: Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State
11/24/2008 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. The Ole Miss football team looks for its fifth consecutive win when the 25th-ranked Rebels host in-state rival Mississippi State Friday at 11:30 a.m. CT from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in the annual Egg Bowl.
The game will be regionally televised by Raycom Sports and is available on ESPN GamePlan and ESPN360.com.
Ole Miss (7-5, 4-3 SEC) is coming off an impressive 31-13 victory Saturday at 18th-ranked LSU to snap a six-game losing streak to the Tigers. Rebel sophomore quarterback Jevan Snead hurled a pair of touchdown passes to up his season total to 19, ranking him second in the SEC in that category. Senior wide receiver Mike Wallace was the recipient of both touchdown passes against LSU and ranks first in the conference with 19.3 yards per catch.
The Rebels also put together a dominating performance in the trenches against the Tigers as evident by sweeping the SEC's weekly offensive and defensive line awards. Senior Peria Jerry was honored as the league's defensive lineman of the week after finishing with three tackles with 2.5 for loss, including a sack. He helped the Rebel defense limit LSU to just 37 rushing yards. Junior Daverin Geralds' was named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after returning to his hometown and grading out at 88 percent with eight knockdown blocks and 12 finishes.
"I was really proud of our team," Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt said. "The players played extremely hard last night for four quarters. We did a good job of stopping the run. That was our goal, to stop a big back with a very good offensive line. With our kicking teams, we had to do an excellent job against (Trindon) Holliday, which we did."
Mississippi State (4-7, 2-5 SEC) snapped a two-game skid Saturday, holding on for a 31-28 victory over Arkansas in Starkville. The Bulldog offense is averaging 16.6 points and 297.7 yards per game. Junior running back Anthony Dixon ranks fifth in the SEC in rushing at 77.5 yards per outing with seven touchdowns. Junior quarterback Tyson Lee has emerged as the starter behind center, completing 148-of-251 passes for 1,470 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Junior wide receiver Brandon McRae is fourth in the conference in receptions with 50 for 512 yards and three scores.
"Anthony Dixon, who I have a lot of respect for, has always been a very, very tough runner," Nutt said. "I've seen him take a 60 or 70-yard run. He is faster than you think. You have got to take good angles. Once again the defensive line has a job to do and that's where it all starts, especially going against a tailback like that. There is no secret to what they are going to do, they are going to put in the ball in his hands and we know that."
The MSU defense is surrendering 315.4 yards per game, including 144.6 on the ground. Senior linebacker Dominic Douglas is the SEC's leading tackler with 100 total stops. Senior safety Derek Pegues boasts two interceptions and six pass break-ups, and on special teams, he averages 23.1 yards on kickoff returns and 6.6 on punts.
Friday's game will be the 105th meeting of one of the nation's most-played rivalries. Ole Miss holds a 59-39-6 advantage in the series dating back to 1901. The series is tied with the North Carolina-Wake Forest series for the 16th longest in NCAA Division I-A history. The rivalry is also listed as the 10th longest uninterrupted series, as the NCAA considers Friday's game the 93rd consecutive year that the two schools have faced each other.
It will be the 81st "Battle of the Golden Egg," as the two schools started playing for the trophy in 1927. Ole Miss holds a 53-22-5 advantage in the "Egg Bowl." The home team has won eight of the last nine games. Ole Miss has taken four of the last six in the series, although MSU prevailed 17-14 in last year's meeting at Scott Field. State holds a narrow 9-8 edge in the 17 meetings 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 Oxford and have won four straight.
OleMissSports.com will provide live audio, live stats and an in-game blog. The official Rebel athletics website will also provide a full game recap, photo gallery and live postgame coverage.
