No. 6 Ole Miss plays Mississippi State Friday at 11 a.m. in the annual Egg Bowl. Here are three keys to a Rebels win over the Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium.
No distractions
Yes, we are doing this one again. Because, as you are likely aware, Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin has yet to publicly state whether or not he will return to Ole Miss or if he will be taking the LSU or Florida jobs that reportedly want his services. The Rebels are on the verge of making the College Football Playoff for the first time ever. While it’s possible a 10-2 Ole Miss team gets in, an 11-1 squad is impossible to leave out of the field. Let all the external factors take care of themselves and make history.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRun the ball
Ole Miss sophomore running back Kewan Lacy is sixth nationally with 1,136 rushing yards and is tied for the national with 19 rushing touchdowns. Senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has 444 rushing yards and six scores on the ground. Mississippi State has the worst run defense in the SEC – one that ranks 118th nationally – giving up 189.8 yards per game. The Bulldogs have given up 217.2 rushing yards per game in their six losses. The calculus here is pretty simple: run the ball.
Win the momentum swings
The Egg Bowl is never normal, per se. It doesn’t matter if one team is significantly better on paper or has a far better record; this game always seems to contain a few curveballs. A 2-10 Mississippi State team managed to keep the game within a touchdown heading into the fourth quarter before ultimately falling 26-14 last season. This year’s Bulldogs have three one-score losses, two coming to ranked foes. They have big-play potential. Don’t let one negative play or one negative moment in a 60-minute game set the tone for the entire day.
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