OXFORD — Ole Miss linebacker Deterrian Shackelford felt like his team was ready to have a turn-around performance.
Led by junior running back Jaylen Walton and senior quarterback Bo Wallace, the Rebels enjoyed a resurgence.
No. 18 Ole Miss snapped a three-game Southeastern Conference losing streak and brought the Golden Egg back to its campus with a 31-17 win against No. 4 Mississippi State on Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in the annual Battle for The Golden Egg.
The victory enhances Ole Miss’ chance at a New Year’s Day bowl game and knocks MSU from College Football Playoff contention.
“This was a really sweet win,” Shackelford said. “We had been needing a lift. The one thing about this team is we will always fight. I’ve had my share of injuries and to be able to come out and play 60 minutes for this team and this program is a blessing.
“Hats off to Mississippi State. You don’t only lose two games in this league by not being good. I felt like we came out with a mission, though.”
Ole Miss was ranked as high as No. 3 nationally a month ago. It then suffered a heart-breaking road loss at LSU and home loss to Auburn. While Ole Miss competed in those games, the same couldn’t be said last week in a head-scratching 30-0 loss at Arkansas.
Ole Miss entered the Arkansas game with a chance to share the Southeastern Conference Western Division championship. The Rebels entered the rivalry matchup trying to deny its archrival a similar opportunity.
“It really shows the mental capability of this team to be able to come out here and win the game,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. “We had to have a great effort to be able to beat a great team like this. For seniors this is special. You always want to win your final game. To be able to do that at home in front of your crowd is special.”
Ole Miss (9-3, 5-3 SEC) racked up 532 yards and seized control midway through the third quarter. The Rebels led 7-3 at halftime but fell behind 10-7 after a nine-play, 62-yard scoring drive by MSU on its second possession of the second half.
Ole Miss responded by moving 84 yards on four plays. Wallace hit Evan Engram on an 83-yard pickup three plays prior to a 1-yard touchdown run by Jeremy Liggins.
“It was great to see us have an explosive night on the ground,” Freeze said. “Jaylen ran the ball with authority. Perhaps the 91-yard run was the biggest play of the game.”
Trailing 17-10, MSU (10-2, 6-2) had apparently sized control field position after a 61-yard punt by Devon Bell. On first down from its 9-yard line, Ole Miss seized control with a 91-yard touchdown run by Walton. It appeared Walton would be stopped twice for a loss before reversing field and racing around the left end untouched to the end zone.
Wallace was 13 of 30 for 296 yards. His receiving corps was already depleted by injury before losing Vince Sanders to a knee sprain in the second quarter. Sophomore tight end Evan Engram emerged with five catches for 176 yards, including a pair of game-changing catches on third-down plays.
Ole Miss only had one turnover — a Wallace interception in the first quarter. The Rebels had six turnovers last week against Arkansas.
“We took care of the ball and took advantage of scoring opportunities,” Wallace said. “We had a rough stretch there, but everybody really stuck together and kept believing in what we were doing. We knew we had been making too many mistakes. We felt like if we limit our mistakes we can beat anybody we play.”
The challenge for Ole Miss was to respond after a lackluster effort against Arkansas. Most felt like the first quarter would be a tell-tale sign of whether the Rebels were ready for a spirited four-quarter fight.
Ole Miss set the tone on defense with two big stops on the first two possessions. Wallace then got the offense in gear by hitting Engram with a 46-yard pass. On the next play, Wallace kept for a 1-yard touchdown run.
After scoring one touchdown against LSU and not scoring at all against Arkansas, the offensive momentum was huge.
“We felt like we needed a spark,” Wallace said. “Jaylen and Evan really provided that for the offense. The defense played great. They were up to the challenge.”
MSU had 445 yards and ran 22 more plays than Ole Miss (84-62). The Rebels defense continually responded. Sophomore defensive back Tony Conner led the way with six solo tackles, seven total tackles, and three tackles for loss.
Conner, who is from Batesville, has grown up with the rivalry. Walton and Engram are from Tennessee and Georgia, respectively, but have caught on quickly.
“We have worked hard to have a great season,” Shackelford said. “We didn’t reach all of our goals, but it feels great to see that hard work pay off today.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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