The Bulldogs started off strong, but the Rebels rallied at half time to get the win. Rivalry games are always tough to win, as records and stats cease to matter and anything can happen.
From fake punts to 89-yard touchdown runs to dramatic goal line stands, the Egg Bowl proved to be a dog fight between bitter rivals that came down to an elite Rebel offense putting the nail in the coffin in the fourth quarter.
Notably, quarterback Jaxson Dart broke Eli Manning’s all-time passing yards record during the game — with Dart achieving 10,132 passing yards and surpassing Eli Manning’s 10,119 passing yards — becoming the Rebel with the most passing yards in school history.
Shaky start
Mississippi State’s first offensive drive started off with an interception, but after that it was all Bulldogs.
The Bulldog offense came out firing on all cylinders against the Rebels, scoring on back-to-back drives after the early interception and were able to hold the Ole Miss offense to just 17 points during the first half.
The Rebels defense looked good against the run game in most cases but were battered by the passing game. Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. easily connected with wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. on the deep ball.
Especially in Friday’s game against Mississippi State and in the Rebel’s loss to Florida the week before, Ole Miss frequently failed to come up with stops in the air. This has been the Rebel’s biggest problem defensively all season with stopping the passing game — despite their elite group of defensive linemen and linebackers that are able to stop the run completely against most of their opponents.
Without a strong run game, the Ole Miss offense had a rocky start. The team hesitated to pass when they needed to, and when they did, catchable passes were dropped. This has been another major problem for the Rebels that cost them victories against both Florida and LSU.
Offense showed up late
Despite the Rebels’ capability for great victories, displayed against South Carolina and Georgia, the Ole Miss offense has seemed lackluster this season and has struggled to perform consistently.
The run game has been close to non-existent, while the passing game has been lukewarm at best. This is a far cry from the Ole Miss team that defeated a talented Penn State in the Peach Bowl last season and the team that was expected to make the new 12 team College Football Playoffs at the start of this season.
Running back Ulysses Bently IV showed out against Mississippi State, accumulating a total of 146 rushing yards and scoring an 89-yard run for a touchdown. The result of this sent the Rebels to a 17-14 lead over the Bulldogs heading into halftime after trailing the entire first half.
The story was much the same this week against Mississippi State, as the Rebels ended the first quarter trailing 14-10 and going to halftime leading by a field goal.
Part of this is undoubtedly due to injury, with star wide receiver Tre Harris remaining injured and a withered running back room after running back Henry Parrish Jr. was injured.
It also seemed to stem from reluctance — or perhaps fear — to pass the ball following the loss to Florida.
Unbreakable defense in the second half
The biggest strength for this talented Ole Miss team has been their defense. With the Rebel offense only scoring nine points in the entire second half, the solid defensive unit pretty much won the Rebels the game.
Three sacks and an ironclad second half seemed fitting after their phenomenal season this year, and while it sucks for Rebel fans to see the seniors they have been watching for three to five years part ways, they went out with a gritty victory and the beautiful golden Egg Bowl trophy.
At the half, linebacker Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr led the defense with five tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a sack and an early-game interception.
The Rebel’s defense rallied at halftime and didn’t allow a single point the entire second half. Rendering the Bulldog’s run game useless, the defense held strong against the passing attack.
At the end of the day, defensive tackle Walter Nolen totaled eight tackles on the night, adding three-and-a-half tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Paul also contributed six tackles, a sack and an interception to close out his time as an Ole Miss linebacker.
