The Mississippi State football team (5-6, 1-6 SEC) is hoping to win against Ole Miss (9-2, 5-2 SEC) in the regular season finale in order to keep the Egg Bowl Trophy. Two years ago, Ole Miss defeated the Bulldogs 31–21 in their most recent game in Starkville. Thursday night’s kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Davis Wade Stadium, with ESPN airing the game.
The following three are essential for Mississippi State’s matchup with the Rebels in Week 13.
Get the most out of Will Rogers in the passing game
Last week I mentioned Mississippi State having a huge day passing the ball on offense would be key in beating Southern Mississippi and Will Rogers delivered, completing 12 of his 27 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs finished with an 80.2 passing grade, per Pro Football Focus.
Rogers will need to have an even bigger day against Ole Miss. In the seven games Rogers has started for the Bulldogs this season, they have averaged just under 32 points per game. Ole Miss averages 36.5 points per game.
Having Rogers under the center is the only way Mississippi State would have a shot in keeping up on the scoreboard with the Rebels and he will need to have one his best games as a Mississippi State player to keep his team in the game.
Find a way to take Quinshon Judkins out of the game
Easier said than done because Judkins is one of the best running backs in the Southeastern Conference, but in both of Ole Miss’s losses this season he, and the Rebels’ running attack, has been largely ineffective.
In the Rebels’ September loss at Alabama, Judkins rushed for just 56 yards on 13 carries, his third-lowest output of the season as Ole Miss finished with just 56 rushing yards in the game. In his team’s loss against Georgia two weeks ago, Judkins averaged just 3.4 yards per carry (75 yards on 22 carries), which was his third-lowest mark of the season, though he did score two touchdowns in the game.
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart is very capable of beating Mississippi State’s defense on his own. However, the challenge becomes more difficult if he doesn’t have a running game working to open those deep shots down the field as often as he and head coach Lane Kiffin would like.
Create turnovers
Dart has been as effective as any quarterback in college football this season. But his two worst games have ended up coming in both of Ole Miss’s losses this season.
Dart did not throw a single touchdown in the Rebels’ games against Georgia or Alabama. In Tuscaloosa, Dart finished 20 of 35 for 244 yards and threw an interception. In Athens he finished 10 or 17 for 112 yards and an interception.
This season, Mississippi State hasn’t been very good at forcing turnovers, but Thursday’s possession steals might prove to be the simplest method of preventing Ole Miss from scoring.
