[3:30 PM] Mississippi State @ Ole Miss

Who will WIN this matchup?

Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-7)

@ Ole Miss Rebels (5-6)

 

• Ole Miss received more respect than perhaps any team in the nation this season as it remained in the coaches poll at No. 24 despite a 3-3 record before a 38-21 loss at LSU knocked it out for good. Mississippi State dropped its last two after stunning then-CFP No. 4 Texas A&M 35-28 on Nov. 5.

• Sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald (18 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions) paces the Bulldogs with 985 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, and leads the nation with three 300-yard passing, 100-yard rushing games. Senior wide receiver Fred Ross caught 10 passes for a career-high 171 yards last week and leads the team with 67 receptions, 835 yards and an SEC-most 11 touchdowns. Linebacker Leo Lewis leads SEC freshmen with 66 tackles (sixth nationally among first-year Power Five Conference players) while senior tackle Johnathan Calvin has a team-best five sacks.

• Quarterback Shea Patterson passed for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Rebels’ 38-17 loss at Vanderbilt last week and becomes the first freshman in school history to start three games when he goes under center Saturday. Senior Evan Engram averages 84.2 receiving yards – most nationally among tight ends. Junior defensive end Marquis Haynes leads the team with six sacks and boasts 23.5 for his career, good for third all-time at Ole Miss.

• The Rebels try to become bowl-eligible for the fifth straight season, which would mark their longest run since going to 15 in a row from 1957-71.

• Ole Miss leads the series 63-43-6 after winning the last two meetings 38-27 in 2015 and 31-17 in 2014. The teams began the “Battle for the Golden Egg” in 1927 before the contest became known as the Egg Bowl in 1978.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: Ole Miss Rebels

Confidence: 4/10

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