Quarterback
Ole Miss senior Trinidad Chambliss has 3,101 yards of total offense this season and 20 combined touchdowns passing/rushing. His 13.63 yards per completion is 13th nationally. Despite not starting the first two games of the season, Chambliss’ 281.9 total yards per game is 24th in the FBS. Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen has thrown for 2,433 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions but does not add much as a running threat (111 carries for 28 yards). Bulldogs freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor has 222 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
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Running backs
Rebels sophomore Kewan Lacy is sixth nationally with 1,136 rushing yards and is tied for the national lead with 19 touchdowns. Mississippi State’s Fluff Bothwell and Davon Booth have a combined 1,106 rushing yards and 13 combined rushing scores. Booth also has a pair of receiving touchdowns.
Edge: Ole Miss
Wide receivers/tight ends
Bulldogs wide receivers Brenen Thompson and Anthony Evans III have 868 and 751 receiving yards, respectively. Mississippi State does not have another receiver with more than 300 yards, however. Ole Miss doesn’t have a receiver with 700 yards but boasts five with at least 450 yards. Senior Harrison Wallace III leads the Rebels with 647 yards.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEdge: Even
Offensive line
Ole Miss surrendered five sacks against Florida but is still tied for 34th nationally with 1.45 sacks allowed per game. Prior to that, SEC opponents had a total of two sacks in six games against the Rebels. Mississippi State is tied for 127th nationally with 3.36 sacks allowed per game. In seven SEC games, the Bulldogs have surrendered 4.43 sacks per game. Mississippi State also gives up the most tackles-for-loss per game in the SEC (7.64, 129th nationally).
Edge: Ole Miss
Defensive line
Ole Miss and Mississippi State are fairly close in sacks per game, with the Rebels holding a slight edge (2 to 1.82). The Rebels got off to a rough start defending the run but have since rebounded and rank 53rd nationally with 140.4 yards per game allowed. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, rank 118th at 189.8 yards per game allowed.
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Linebackers
It’s not generally a great thing when three of your top for tacklers are all members of the secondary; it usually means some people are getting loose and into the secondary. Nic Mitchell leads Bulldogs linebackers with 65 total tackles and has five tackles-for-loss. Malick Sylla leads the team with six tackles-for-loss. Ole Miss juniors TJ Dottery and Suntarine Perkins have a combined 124 tackles and 11 tackles-for-loss. Part of this grade is also dependent on where you want to classify junior edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen. He leads all players in the matchup with 5.5 sacks and nine tackles-for-loss.
Edge: Ole Miss
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSecondary
Ole Miss is 22nd nationally with 183 passing yards per game allowed. Mississippi State allows 203.4 yards per game through the air. The Bulldogs have intercepted 12 passes but have allowed 17 touchdowns; the Rebels have six interceptions as a team but have allowed just 13 touchdowns. Mississippi State safety Brylan Lanier and Ole Miss safety Wydett Williams Jr. lead their respective teams with 3 interceptions.
Edge: Even
Special teams
Ole Miss junior kicker Lucas Carneiro has been one of the nation’s best, having hit 21 of 23 field goal tries. Mississippi State kicker Kyle Ferrie is 11 of 14. Rebels punter Oscar Bird averages 46 yards per punt, while Bulldogs punter Ethan Pulliam is at 47.2. The Bulldogs average 11.25 yards per punt return compared to 7.44 for the Rebels. Ole Miss averages 21.13 yards per kick return while Mississippi State averages 14.57.
Edge: Ole Miss
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