On Friday, the Mississippi State football team will close out its regular season by facing its in-state rival, the University of Mississippi.State enters the game coming off a close loss to Arkansas over the weekend in Little Rock. In the game, State accumulated 501 yards of total offense, its highest total since the 2002 season against Jacksonville State.
However, the team fell behind early and was never able to get back into the game.
Friday’s contest will be the 104th meeting between the two rivals.
The Rebels won last season’s Egg Bowl by a 20-17 score in Oxford, and they hold the overall series record of 59-38-6.
Last season’s game saw Ole Miss’ Marshay Adams return a punt 47 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, which gave the Rebels the lead.
State kicker Adam Carlson missed a 51 yard field goal that would have tied the game for the Bulldogs.
With a win on Friday, the Bulldogs would secure a better chance of earning the opportunity to play in the postseason. Heading into Friday, all but two members of the Southeastern Conference are eligible to earn a bowl invitation.
Ole Miss is the only school completely out of the postseason bowl picture, while Vanderbilt can earn bowl eligibility with a win over Wake Forest this weekend.
With a short week to prepare for Ole Miss, Bulldogs head coach Sylvester Croom said it’s imperative his team stay focused and finish the season on a strong note.
“It’s Ole Miss, and we need a win to guarantee ourselves a bowl game. It’s at our place, and it’s going to be a battle; there’s no question about that,” Croom said. “They’re going to give us their best shot, and we’ve got to improve in our practice sessions this week. We’ve got to play our best.”
Croom added that he’s aware that during the week there will be talk about his team and its bowl position, but said all that doesn’t matter without the win.
“The bowl game aside, it’s Ole Miss,” Croom said. “Nothing else matters. All that other stuff will be written and talked about, but it’s Ole Miss week and that’s all that matters.”
The Rebels enter Friday’s game coming off a 41-24 loss to the LSU Tigers in Oxford.
Ole Miss starting quarterback Brett Shaeffer threw for 208 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 102 yards and another score, but the Tigers would be too much for the Rebels to overcome.
Shaeffer replaced Seth Adams in the game, and Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron said Shaeffer could get the start against the Bulldogs on Friday.
“We will look at it. He looks like he will give us our best chance right now, but we will look at it on film,” Orgeron said following the LSU game.
As with any rivalry game, the records can often be thrown out, with both teams wanting to claim bragging rights over the other, which is exactly what many of the Rebel players want.
“It’s going to be big emotionally,” Shaeffer said. “It’s going to be tough for me because I have been through a lot in college. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs. I try to keep my head up. I’m not playing this last game for me, I’ll be playing for Ole Miss.”
Rebel defensive back Dustin Mouzon said the Rebels have to put the LSU loss behind them quickly if they plan on beating the Bulldogs.
“We have to throw this game away and get ready for Mississippi State,” he said. “It would have been a big reward to beat [LSU] … but the State game is something we will have to hear about all year if we lose to them, so we will have to be ready.