Quick recap: Turnovers doom Mississippi State in 26-14 loss at rival Ole Miss
Mississippi State had three turnovers and just 115 yards of offense in the second half Friday as the Bulldogs dropped a 26-14 decision at No. 14 Ole Miss in Oxford. With the Egg Bowl loss, the Bulldogs (2-10 overall) finished with their first winless season in SEC play since the 2003 season.
Ole Miss led 17-14 at halftime and it was a defensive slugfest in the second half. Ole Miss (9-3, 5-3) got a 43 yard field goal from Caden Davis in the third quarter to extend its lead to 20-14. The lone scoring in the final quarter was a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jaxson Dart to Caden Prieskorn.
For the game, Dart was 14 of 24 passing for 143 yards with one touchdown and he also rushed for 77 yards. Ulyesses Bentley had 20 carries for 136 yards and one touchdown for the Rebels, as well.
Michael Van Buren was 17 of 32 for 280 yards with one touchdown and the Bulldog true freshman also threw two interceptions. Kevin Coleman had his best game as a Bulldog on Friday and finished with six catches for 118 yards and one touchdown.
State had a chance to make it interesting with just under six minutes left in regulation. But Ole Miss stopped the Bulldogs on four straight plays at the Rebels’ one-yard line.
Ole Miss got on the board first thanks to a Chris Paul interception. Paul picked off Michael Van Buren and returned the interception to the State 34 yard line. The Rebels’ offense, however, had to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Caden Davis and led 3-0 with 12:43 remaining in the first quarter.
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Mississippi State answered on the following possession with the first touchdown of the day. The Bulldogs gambled on 4th down deep inside their own territory as punter Nicholas Barr-Mira completed a pass to Justin Ball on a fake punt to keep the drive alive. Then on 4th and 7 from the Ole Miss 34, Van Buren hit Kevin Coleman on a crossing route and Coleman scored from 34 yads out as State led 7-3 with 7:54 left in the first period.
The Rebels quickly responded on the ensuing series as Ole Miss marched 75 yards to regain the lead. JJ Pegues, who also plays defensive tackle, scored on a five-yard rush to give Ole Miss a 10-7 advantage with 2:16 left in the opening quarter.
State’s offense continued to thrive later in the first quarter. Van Buren used a 42-yard pass to Jordan Mosley to jumpstart the drive and Van Buren finished the 75-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown run, giving State a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
After both offenses struggled for a bit, the Rebels regained the lead midway through the second quarter. Pinned deep at its own 11, Ulysses Bentley sprinted 89 yards untouched to put the Rebels up 17-14 with 8:40 remaining in the half. That would also be the final points of the half for either squad.
