Notes and Observations: Ole Miss Takes Down Mississippi State in Egg Bowl

The Ole Miss Rebels claimed their fourth win in the last five games against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Friday.

Nov 29, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) looks to pass against the Mississippi Rebels during the second quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images / Matt Bush-Imagn Images

The No. 14 Ole Miss Rebels did not play at an elite level on Friday evening, but it was enough to claim their second straight win in the Egg Bowl rivalry against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The Rebels (9-3, 5-3 SEC) took down State 26-14, marking their fourth win in the last five years over their in-state rival. Despite having to punt six times and struggling to establish a consistent offensive rhythm, this win gives Ole Miss the chance to secure its third double-digit win season in coach Lane Kiffin's tenure (since 2020).

With this game and the regular season now in the rearview mirror, here are some notes and observations from Ole Miss' win on Friday.

1. Ole Miss did not play like a College Football Playoff team on Friday, regardless of what chaos may or may not happen in the rankings this weekend.

It's a long shot that Ole Miss even has a chance to get into the College Football Playoff after last week's loss to Florida, but the Rebels did not look the part of a playoff team on Friday afternoon.

Mississippi State came into this year's Egg Bowl with just two wins on the season, none of which had come over Power Four opponents. It ranked 127th out of 133 FBS schools in total defense, but Ole Miss struggled to consistently move the ball in this year's Egg Bowl, having to punt six times in the win.

After the game, Lane Kiffin said that part of Ole Miss' conservative nature on offense was due to the defensive looks it received from State.

"The game was probably different than a lot of people would have thought," Kiffin said, "but those guys came in and played three safeties deep, like a prevent defense where it's hard to throw the ball. Make you run the ball. ... Probably looked different to everybody, but we just had to play a little different style in order to win."

If chaos happens to ensue in the rankings above Ole Miss this weekend, it's unclear what the CFP committee would do. Theoretically, the Rebels came into Friday's game with a slim chance to get into the playoff if multiple things went their way during rivalry weekend, but this year's Egg Bowl performance was not super impressive from an eye-test standpoint.

2. Still, a rivalry win is a rivalry win, and the Egg Bowl always carries some emotional weight.

The Egg Bowl means a lot to the state of Mississippi, and winning it will always carry some form of weight. Ole Miss didn't play particularly well, and State hasn't had a banner season, but claiming back-to-back wins in this rivalry and four of the last five is impressive.

That's not enough to salve the wounds that Ole Miss fans will feel if/when it doesn't get into the playoff after this season's lofty expectations, but it also shouldn't be ignored.

3. The defense should get credit for this win after a rocky start.

After State held a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, it didn't score again for the rest of the day.

Ole Miss got three sacks of the mobile Michael Van Buren, and the Bulldogs were held to just 39 rushing yards the entire game. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding's unit has long been the strength of this team, and it showed up again on Friday.

4. Jaxson Dart broke a big record despite a pedestrian statline.

Jaxson Dart is now holds the record for most career passing yards in Ole Miss history, surpassing Eli Manning's total during Friday's second half.

Dart's influence on this team and program over the last three years cannot be overstated, and earning this record in his final home game as a Rebel is a fitting conclusion to his career.