i did my home work :moon: the underdog has covered four of the last five in the "egg bowl" done alot of reading on this game, from every possible article i could, it a big outlaw monster play
from my outlaws friends from vegas which they are 7-0 this year
The Sports Network
DATE & TIME: Thursday, November 28th, 7:45 p.m. (et)
FACTS & STATS: Site: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (60,580) -- Oxford, Mississippi. Television: Local. Home Record: Mississippi St. 2-4, Ole Miss 5-1. Away Record: Mississippi St. 1-4, Ole Miss 0-5. Conference Record: Mississippi St. 0-7, Ole Miss 2-5. Series Record: Ole Miss leads, 55-37-6.
GAME NOTES: Intrastate rivals collide in Oxford as the Ole Miss Rebels play host to the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Thanksgiving night. Mississippi State needs a victory in this contest to avoid its first winless SEC season since the 1988 campaign. The Bulldogs fell behind early against Arkansas last week, and despite a valiant comeback attempt, they dropped a 26-19 decision in the contest. Mississippi State has dropped four consecutive decisions, and one of its three victories this season came over Jacksonville State, a Division I-AA team. As for Ole Miss, it has dropped five consecutive decisions since an outstanding 5-1 start to the campaign. Because of the recent slide, the Rebels need to win this game just to become bowl eligible. Last weekend, the Rebels suffered a 14-13 letdown to LSU. Although Ole Miss owns a 55-37-6 lead in the all-time series between these two teams, Mississippi State earned a hard-fought 36-28 victory in last season's matchup.
The Mississippi State offense, which has had a great deal of trouble moving the ball and scoring points all season, put up some impressive numbers against Arkansas last week. The Bulldogs came up with 27 first downs and 414 yards of total offense, outstanding production for a group that lacks star power. For the second straight game, Kyle York replaced a banged-up Kevin Fant at quarterback. Fant, who has been nursing a sore ankle, hyperextended his knee and did not play in the fourth quarter against Arkansas. He finished 14-of-26 for 115 yards and an interception, and York was 11-of-22 for 174 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Justin Griffith led the ground attack with 72 yards on 13 carries. Overall this season, Mississippi State is averaging 329.4 ypg of total offense. Fant has been mediocre at best under center for the Bulldogs thus far, as he has completed 52 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. As for York, he has thrown 10 interceptions in only 129 attempts. Terrell Grindle and Ray Ray Bivins have both recorded 34 catches and three touchdowns to lead the receiving corps. As for Griffith, he has run for 431 yards and two scores this season.
There are both positives and negatives that can be pointed out from Mississippi State's defensive performance in last week's loss. The players and coaches can certainly take pride in the fact that they yielded only 89 passing yards. Concerning, however, are the 237 rushing yards that the Bulldogs surrendered. Also, they failed to register any sacks or takeaways on the day. Arkansas made good on 11-of-17 third down conversion attempts, another area of concern to Mississippi State. Through 11 games, the Bulldogs are yielding 326.5 ppg to opponents. The strength of the unit has been its play against the pass, as they are allowing quarterbacks to complete less than half of their passes for an average of less than 150 yards an outing. Mississippi State has not been nearly as effective against the run, as it is allowing just under 4.8 yards a carry. Linebacker Mario Haggan is an outstanding performer for the defense, and his 114 total tackles are 30 more than his closest teammates.
Once again last weekend, Ole Miss was unable to generate any kind of running threat in the loss to LSU. The Rebels rushed for a mere 61 yards on 28 carries, putting a great deal of pressure on Eli Manning and the receivers. Manning completed only 19-of-38 passes in the contest with one touchdown and two interceptions. Although Chris Collins did have five receptions, those catches went for only 39 yards. Ole Miss was unable to sustain drives in the ball game, as it made good on only 5-of-16 third down conversion attempts and kept possession for barely over 27 minutes. Heading into Thursday's game, Ole Miss is averaging 27.3 ppg and 363.7 ypg of total offense. While Manning has posted solid numbers, he has fallen shy of lofty expectations that made him a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy heading into the season. Manning has completed 58.3 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. His two top targets have been Collins and Bill Flowers, who have both recorded 45 receptions. Collins has been the big-play receiver, as hid eight touchdowns are more than twice as many as any other receiver. As for the running back situation, no player has been able to step up and establish himself as a capable workhorse. Robert Williams looked good early in the season, but he has since been released from the squad for a violation of team rules.
Defensively, Ole Miss put forth a solid effort in the loss to LSU. The Rebels allowed only 14 points in the contest, a performance that should have been enough to earn the squad a victory. The Rebels yielded 124 rushing yards on 46 attempts, and average of less than three yards per carry. Against the pass, they surrendered 188 yards on 15-of-27 completions. Teams have racked up 26.9 ppg and 339.7 ypg against Ole Miss this season. The Rebels have allowed 18 touchdowns on the ground and 15 through the air. They have recorded 25 sacks this season and 24 takeaways, but those big plays have not overcome otherwise shaky play. Few players in the country have been as important to a defensive unit as Eric Oliver has been for the Rebels. He has made 110 total tackles to date, and considering his closest teammate has posted only 65 stops, expect Oliver to be around the ball constantly on Thursday.
Both of these teams have plenty to play for in this game. Ole Miss is eager to earn back some lost respect and give itself a chance to reach postseason play. As for Mississippi State, it obviously wants to avoid going winless in SEC play. In what figures to be a close game from start to finish,