Football vs. Mississippi State: What to Watch

OXFORD, Miss. – No. 14 Ole Miss football and Mississippi State are set for a Black Friday Battle for the Golden Egg as they renew their annual rivalry, The Egg Bowl.

Scroll on for our top five storylines between the Rebels (8-3, 4-3) and Bulldogs (2-9, 0-7), as well as other vital info, including where to watch the game.

How to Watch: Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State
Date: Friday, Nov. 29
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Mississippi
Site: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Gameday Info: Click Here
What to Wear: Navy
TV: ABC
Live Stream: ESPN App
Live Stats: Click Here
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/watch
Gameday Program: Click Here

Pressuring the QB
Ole Miss leads the nation in sacks with 49 on the year, while Mississippi State is No. 122 nationally with 35 sacks allowed. The Rebels are averaging 7.0 sacks in their four SEC wins but 2.7 in their three league losses. If Ole Miss can follow its blueprint of building a lead then unleashing its pass rush, it could be a long afternoon for the Bulldog offense.

Protecting the QB
On the other side of the ball, Ole Miss faces a Mississippi State defense that is last in the SEC and second-to-last in the nation, No. 133, with just eight sacks on the year. The Rebels have allowed exactly one sack in all four of their SEC wins but have yielded four or more in their three conference defeats. As it has been all year, protecting Jaxson Dart will be key to an Ole Miss victory.

Walking the Dogs
Ole Miss needs to make sure the Bulldogs walk rather than running all over Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The Rebels are No. 2 nationally and lead the SEC with 87.5 rushing yards allowed per game but gave up a season-high 164 rushing yards in last week's loss at Florida. Meanwhile, MSU's Davon Booth broke out for 124 yards and a touchdown on the ground last week at Missouri.

Red Zone Blues
Last week at Florida, Ole Miss went 0-for-3 in red zone trips with one missed field goal and two turnovers on downs. Those three missed opportunities spelled the difference in a one-score loss. The Rebels also failed on three red zone trips in the loss at LSU. Ole Miss must find a way to capitalize down near the goal line—or score from far.

Down on Third Down
In addition to the red zone woes, another common factor in Ole Miss' losses have been third-down struggles. Ole Miss was 3-for-14 on third down against Florida, 11-for-22 against LSU and 1-for-10 against Kentucky. Situational execution is a must for the Rebels.

Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all the latest Ole Miss football news and content! Subscribe to The Sip, the official newsletter of Rebel football, and we'll drop the best Ole Miss football stories, videos and social media content to your inbox each week.

Update today to the all-new version of the Ole Miss Sports app, presented by Renasant Bank! The new app will serve as a dynamic hub for Rebel gameday content, including ticketing, parking, schedules, shopping for official Ole Miss merchandise and much more. Click here for more info or to download.

RebelsCalendar

Players Mentioned

Jaxson Dart

The University of Mississippi Athletics