Ole Miss Rebels Week 13 Notebook: Observations From Ugly Win Over Mississippi State

The Ole Miss Rebels reclaimed the illustrious Golden Egg Trophy on Thursday night in a defensive slugfest versus the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

It was not pretty, but the No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs 17-7 in their annual Egg Bowl rivalry game. Ole Miss secured its second 10-win regular season in three years on Saturday night, despite seeing less-than-ideal production from the Rebels' offense.

The Rebels entered halftime with a 3-0 lead over State, but eventually took the lead thanks to scores from running back Quinshon Judkins and tight end Caden Prieskorn. The Rebels now await their bowl game decision with a chance at obtaining the first 11-win season in program history. 

Below are my notes and observations from Ole Miss' Week 13 victory over Mississippi State in the 2023 Egg Bowl. 

Ole Miss Rebels running back Quinshon Judkins celebrates a first down vs. the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the 2023 Egg Bowl / © Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Rebels' Defense Forces Six Consecutive Punts In First Half

Both defenses showed up to play in the first half, as the two teams traded punts for the entire first quarter until the Rebels finally knocked in a field goal in the second quarter. Ole Miss’ defense was lights out the entire first half, as the unit forced State to punt on its first six offensive drives, and kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard entering halftime. 

Ole Miss, State Combine For Lowest Scoring First Half in Over 25 Years 

Ole Miss has had a nasty habit of starting games slow offensively, and Mississippi State has fielded one of the worst units in the SEC this season. Both of these factors created the slowest first half of the season for Ole Miss, as the Rebels scored a season-low three points. 

Rebels Rush For Over 200 Yards vs. Bulldogs

The Ole Miss passing attack struggled versus the Bulldogs' defense, as the Rebels' offensive line is missing starters and quarterback Jaxson Dart is also a tad banged up. Dart finished the game with 96 passing yards and one touchdown. Thankfully, Ole Miss' rushing attack stepped up and carried the Rebs to victory versus State. Quinshon Judkins ran for 119 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries, and Ulysses Bentley also added 63 yards on 10 attempts.