STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen and Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze have winning records against their rivals.
Mullen is 4-2 against the Rebels, while Freeze is 2-1 against the Bulldogs, including a 31-17 victory last season in Oxford. Mullen won the first three games in his tenure, but is 1-2 in the last three.
The coaches will try to improve their records at 6:15 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) when No. 23 MSU (8-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) plays host to No. 19 Ole Miss (8-3, 5-2) at Davis Wade Stadium in the 112th game in the series. The winner will earn bragging rights and the Egg Bowl trophy for the next year.
MSU is coming off a 51-50 victory against Arkansas last Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Bulldogs blew a 17-point lead, but they overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss defeated LSU 38-17 last Saturday in Oxford. The Rebels need a victory against the Bulldogs and Auburn to beat Alabama on Saturday in the Iron Bowl to win the SEC Western Division. The winner of the SEC West will play Florida in the SEC Championship on Dec. 5 in Atlanta.
A lot will be on the line Saturday in Starkville. Here are five things to watch:
1. Can MSU seniors put emotions aside?
Prior to the game, MSU will honor 15 seniors who will play in their final game in Davis Wade Stadium.
The seniors have been through many ups and downs, but they also have helped elevate the program’s national profile. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 for five-straight weeks and won 10 games last season.
Quarterback Dak Prescott has broken 38 school records (eight single-game, 15 single-season, and 15 career).
The Bulldogs will have to put aside the emotion of the pre-game festivities and re-focus on their biggest rival.
2. Will there be another shootout among the quarterbacks?
Last week, Prescott and Arkansas’ Brandon Allen were center stage in a shootout.
Prescott had 554 yards of offense (508 passing yards, 46 rushing yards) and seven touchdowns (five passing, two rushing). The Haughton, Louisiana, native earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts. Allen threw for 406 yards and seven touchdowns.
Prescott said that was the first quarterback duel he was involved with, but he could be involved in another one Saturday.
Ole Miss junior Chad Kelly, a transfer from East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, has thrown for 3,504 yards and 25 touchdowns (12 interceptions). He has rushed for 353 yards and nine touchdowns.
“You never want the other quarterback to outdo you,” Prescott said. “There is no worse of a feeling than you not playing too hot and the other guy across the field being on fire.”
3. Can MSU’s offensive line handle Ole Miss’ defensive line?
There were a lot of questions surrounding MSU’s offensive line at the beginning of the season.
MSU lost center Dillon Day, right guard Ben Beckwith, and left tackle Blaine Clausell to graduation and relied on junior right tackle Justin Senior and senior left guard Justin Malone as the only returning starters from 2014. Senior Rufus Warren took over at left tackle, junior Jamaal Clayborn took over at center, and junior Devon Desper took over at right guard.
They allowed nine sacks against Alabama two weeks ago, and have allowed 24 sacks for the season. Senior didn’t play last week due to an ankle injury. Redshirt freshman Elgton Jenkins filled in for him.
The Rebels are solid at defensive line with junior tackle Robert Nkemdiche and sophomore defensive end Marquis Haynes.
“We’ve got to take care of ourselves,” MSU co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach John Hevesy said. “It doesn’t matter to me what it brings across from us. We’ve got to do what we’re supposed to do.”
Hayes has won SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week three times this season. The Jacksonville, Florida, native has 38 tackles (13 for loss), eight-and-a-half sacks, and three forced fumbles. Nkemdiche has 25 tackles (five-and-a-half for loss) and one-and-a-half sacks.
4. Can MSU contain Laquon Treadwell?
Ole Miss junior Laquon Treadwell is one of the nation’s best wide receivers.
Treadwell has 72 catches for 1,060 yards and eight touchdowns. Against SEC opponents, the Crete, Illinois, native leads all conference wide receivers with 663 yards. He has 41 catches and five touchdowns in SEC games.
“He is a complete receiver,” MSU senior cornerback Taveze Calhoun said. “A big guy that can run and catch the ball, but I think the thing that separates him apart from a lot of receivers is he is willing to block. He sells his body out and is real physical.”
The Bulldogs are allowing 215 passing yards per game, which is ninth in the SEC. Teams have thrown for 17 touchdowns against MSU.
MSU lost senior safety Kendrick Market and senior cornerback Will Redmond to season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligaments midway through the year. Calhoun has helped fill the void, while younger players like safeties Brandon Bryant and Jamal Peters have come into their own.
5. Can either team get the running game going?
MSU is 12th in the league with 139.6 rushing yards per game and Ole Miss is eighth (175.5).
Prescott and Kelly have had solid seasons to help make up for consistent running games, but both quarterbacks could use a breakout ground game Saturday.
Prescott leads the Bulldogs with 478 rushing yards. Junior Brandon Holloway leads MSU running backs with 317 yards, but he hasn’t scored a touchdown. Junior Ashton Shumpert has 201 yards and one touchdown. Redshirt freshman and former West Point standout Aeris Williams has rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior Jaylen Walton leads Ole Miss with 597 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Akeem Judd has rushed for 354 yards and three touchdowns, while sophomore Jordan Wilkins has rushed for 277 yards and two touchdowns.
n In related news, Ole Miss offensive tackle Fahn Cooper was named the winner of the Kent Hull Trophy as the most outstanding college offensive lineman in Mississippi, the Sports Hall of Fame and Museum announced Thursday afternoon.
Cooper will accept the award Dec. 1 at the C Spire Conerly Trophy banquet at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. He is the second-straight offensive tackle from Ole Miss to receive the honor. Laremy Tunsil claimed the Hull Trophy last season.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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