Mike Leach says Mississippi State must 'play fast' to beat Ole Miss offense
For the third time in his career, Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach is set to coach in the iconic Egg Bowl rivalry. Mississippi State and Ole Miss are slated for a 7 p.m. ET kick on Thanksgiving night, a game in which Leach will have to plan to stop an explosive Ole Miss offense. Earlier in the week, Leach explained how Mississippi State will go about doing just that.
“Just play fast. We’ve got to play fast,” Leach said. “We do some of that ourselves. We’ve got to play fast. I think the key with them is the quarterback. The quarterback, how quick he can transition and operate without being affected, I think, is key. They have plenty of good players and you can even argue he’s not the best of all of them. He’s a very good one. But I think he’s key because he’s the guy that transitions it to everybody else. The more you can frustrate that, the better off you are.”
Leach and the Bulldogs enter the rivalry game — the final game of the season — with a 7-4 overall record. Mississippi State has been able to achieve success like that due to some solid defensive play in 2022. The Bulldogs rank 48th nationally in scoring defense, giving up 24.3 points per game, and 39th in total defense, giving up 351.7 yards per game. Leach will need strong defensive play like that on Thursday night.
Ole Miss enters the Egg Bowl ranked 24th in scoring offense, putting up 35.3 points per game. The Rebels are also fourth in total offense at 505.5 yards per game. Quarterback Jaxson Dart has been a key piece of that success, averaging 214.8 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game in the air.
Mississippi State looks to stop skid
The Egg Bowl between these two teams is one of the more iconic rivalries in all of college football. And as of late, the rivalry has been rather split. While the Rebels have won two straight in the rivalry, Mississippi State had previously won three of the last four. The Rebels hold an all-time record in the series of 64-46-6.
Ole Miss enters the game having lost three of its last four, while Mississippi State has won two of the last three.