Coach Matt Luke and Ole Miss football will be looking for their sixth win of the season Thursday night as they host Miss State in the Egg Bowl.
Ole Miss football (5-6, 1-6) will be back in action Thanksgiving night as the Rebels host the No.21 ranked Miss State Bulldogs (7-4, 3-4) in Oxford. The Rebels are coming into the Thursday night game off a 36-29 OT loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores. Miss State enters the matchup coming off a 52-6 blowout win over the Arkansas Razorbacks.
While Miss State is heavily favored in the 2018 Egg Bowl history has proven the game can be won by either team regardless of the records. Last season was a perfect example as Miss State was ranked No.14 and Ole Miss and coach Matt Luke were entering the game with a 5-6 record. Ole Miss picked up the 31-28 win and soon afterward Matt Luke had his interim tag removed.
A Lot To Play For
Ole Miss Rebels
While the Rebels will be playing their final game of the 2018 Ole Miss football season there is still a lot to play for. An Egg Bowl win means bragging rights for another year and it will send out the seniors and draft eligible juniors on a good note.
A win also means another .500 season for Matt Luke and is a huge feather in his recruiting cap. The Egg Bowl win goes a long way in getting local high-school players attention directed towards Ole Miss and Oxford and that never hurts.
This season has been a rough one for Ole Miss football and there are many fans who are frustrated with the coaching staff. An Egg Bowl win would certainly help take some of the heat off Matt Luke and other coaches on his staff.
A Lot Of History
Ole Miss and Miss State first met in 1901 with Miss State picking up the 17-0 win over Ole Miss. Including the first meeting between the two schools there have been 114 games with the first Egg Bowl Trophy being presented in 1927. The Rebels lead the series 64-44-6 and also lead the series 57-27-5 since the trophy has been presented.
Over the years we have seen some great Egg Bowl games which have taken place. Both teams have been much better in recent years and it has provided for some very entertaining games. The current win streak is 1 game which belongs to the Rebels. However, The longest consecutive win streak in the series belongs to Miss State who won 13 straight from 1911 to 1925.
Bulldogs Key Players
On the offensive side of the ball Miss State is led by quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. Thru 10 games this season Fitzgerald has completed 120 of 231 attempts for 1,504 yards and 14 TDs. Fitzgerald is also the Bulldogs leading rusher with 183 carries for 901 yards and 10 TDs. Sophomore RB Kylin Hill is also a threat out of the Miss State backfield with 88 carries for 583 yards and 3 TDs. Sophomore WR Osirus Mitchell leads Miss State in receiving with 24 receptions for 385 yards and 4 TDs.
Miss State has an excellent defense which has been allowing just 110.4 yards per game on the ground and 165.3 yards thru the air. Thru 11 games the Bulldogs defense had only allowed 7 rushing TDs and just 5 passing TDs. Senior defensive end Montez Sweat leads the Bulldogs with 7 sacks. Sweat also has 46 tackles. Sophomore linebacker Erroll Thompson leads Miss State with 2 interceptions. Thompson also has 74 tackles and 3 sacks. Senior safety Jonathan Abram leads the Bulldogs with 80 tackles and has 3 sacks and 1 interception.
Observations
As bad as we hate to admit it coach Joe Moorhead has done an incredible job in his first season as Bulldogs head coach. Miss State has a very good team which can put up huge rushing numbers and the Rebels are one of the worst run defenses in the nation. Unless Ole Miss can force the Bulldogs to throw the ball it could be a long and very ugly night for the Rebels defense.
The question most Ole Miss football fans have is can Phil Longo and the Rebels offense be productive against one of the best defenses in the nation? For the Rebels to have any degree of success against the Bulldogs the Rebels have to be able to operate in the red-zone. Field goals will not win games with the defense the Rebels have. Longo has to utilize the weapons he has in order to score TDs.
So we await the annual Egg Bowl and hope its a good clean game without incident and we certainly hope our Rebels win. Kickoff from the Vaught in Oxford is set for 6:30 pm CT Thanksgiving night and the game will be televised via ESPN. Good luck to coach Matt Luke and the Rebels and BEAT STATE! Hotty Toddy!