Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss: Game Grades, Analysis for the Dogs and Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels got a big win on Saturday as they defeated No. 4 Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl, 31-17. The final box score can be found here thanks to NCAA.com.
The Rebels got some big plays on offense and did the same on defense. Bo Wallace was on top of his game for Ole Miss, and the run game was at its best against the Bulldogs.
As for Mississippi State, it racked up the yards, but the points were not there because most of those yards came later in the game when it was trying to play catch-up with the Rebels. Now the Bulldogs have all but been eliminated from College Football Playoff contention.
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Here are game grades and analysis for the Bulldogs and the Rebels.
| Passing Offense | C | B- | ||
| Running Offense | C- | C | ||
| Passing Defense | B | D | ||
| Running Defense | C | D- | ||
| Special Teams | C | C | ||
| Coaching | C+ | C+ |
Passing Offense: Dak Prescott threw the ball well against a good Ole Miss pass defense. His go-to-guy was De’Runnya Wilson, who caught eight passes for 117 yards and one touchdown. Prescott finished the game with 282 yards after only having 64 yards in the first half. That’s one of the things that did the Bulldogs in. The passing game was non-existent to start the game because Prescott was constantly pressured by the Ole Miss front seven.
Running Offense: It was not the best day for the Bulldogs in terms of running the football. Neither Prescott nor Josh Robinson rushed for more than 48 yards because the Ole Miss front seven read the spread option well and tackled effectively. That was a big reason the Bulldogs lost the game. The run game has to be on point if the Bulldogs are going to win.
Passing Defense: The Bulldogs gave up a ton of yards though the air, and Wallace took advantage of it. He threw for 296 yards and connected with Evan Engram often. Engram had 176 yards on five receptions, and once the game got going, Wallace looked more and more comfortable in his final home game of the year.
Running Defense: This is what killed the Bulldogs. Ole Miss does not have a dominant running back, but the Bulldogs made Jaylen Walton look like the second coming of Deuce McAllister. Walton rushed for 148 yards, and 91 of those yards came on one play. The Bulldogs did not keep contain and never really got off their blocks all game long. And because of that, the Rebels rushed for 205 yards.
Special Teams: Evan Sobiesk made a field goal in the second quarter but also missed one. Devon Bell was efficient with his punts, and the Bulldogs only had one return for 21 yards. It was not a bad effort by the special teams, but the coverage team gave up a few big plays and the return team never made any.
Coaching: The game plan by Dan Mullen was fine; the players just could not execute because the Rebels were playing like it was the last game of the year. Mullen kept the game tight to start the game, but after the second half, the Rebels made great adjustments, and Mullen’s team could not counter until it was too late. This game was a good learning experience for him and his players, just like the Alabama game.
| Passing Offense | B | A- |
| Running Offense | B+ | A+ |
| Passing Defense | B- | B |
| Running Defense | B | A |
| Special Teams | A | A |
| Coaching | A+ | A+ |
Passing Offense: Wallace started off sluggish as he threw an interception in the end zone early in the contest. But he settled in as the game went on and made some very nice throws to guys like Engram and Cody Core. Wallace was the good version of himself in the Egg Bowl and showed the Ole Miss faithful why he is now the Rebels' all-time leader in passing yards.
Running Offense: This was one of the best showings of the run game all season. Walton was on fire with 148 rushing yards including a 91-yard touchdown run. Jordan Wilkins had 43 rushing yards, and Core also had a 20-yard run. Hugh Freeze committed to the ground game against State, and it worked because the Bulldogs were gashed by the run, especially in the second half.
Passing Defense: Despite giving up 282 passing yards, the defense did a good job of not letting Prescott get going. He was able to hit Wilson with a few big plays in the second half, but the Rebels sacked Prescott three times and tallied three hurries as well. The pass defense did a good enough job to contain Prescott, but that was only one of the reasons the Rebels won.
Running Defense: The Bulldogs' strength is the run game, and the Rebels took that away. The Bulldogs rushed for 163 yards and only had 3.5 yards per carry. One of the biggest reasons why the Bulldogs could not run the ball as well as they would have liked was defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche. He tallied seven total tackles with three solo and one tackle for loss. He was disruptive all game long and gave the Mississippi State offensive line fits.
Special Teams: The special teams had a good day. Gary Wunderlich made his lone field goal and had a nice punt as well. The one time the Bulldogs had a chance to return a punt they returned it for 20 yards. And the coverage teams did a great job of only allowing one return, which was a kick return that only went 20 yards. So that was another reason the Rebels won by two scores.
Coaching: Freeze did a great job with his game plan and getting his players ready for a very tough Mississippi State team. The Rebels ran the ball well and played good defense, plus the passing game came on when it needed to. The game was close in the first half, which benefited Freeze, who was able to take advantage of it in the second half. Other than the Alabama game, it was Freeze's best coaching performance this season.
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