College Football
Preview
Mississippi State at Mississippi
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 24, 2012
Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Mississippi
By SportsDirect Inc.

There will be plenty on the line in the 109th edition of the Egg Bowl on Saturday when a Mississippi team coming off a near-upset hosts 24th-ranked Mississippi State. The Rebels gave No. 7 Louisiana State all it could handle before late mistakes resulted in a 41-35 loss. That kept Ole Miss from gaining bowl eligibility for the first time since 2009, a goal it will attempt to reach against the Bulldogs, who have won the last three meetings between the old rivals. Mississippi State snapped a three-game losing streak by routing Arkansas last week at home. The Bulldogs, with a win Saturday and then another in a bowl game, would become just the third team in school history to reach double digits in victories.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: Pick 'em

ABOUT NO. 24 MISSISSIPPI STATE (8-3, 4-3 SEC): As Tyler Russell goes, so go the Bulldogs. The junior had 17 touchdown passes against one interception during Mississippi State's 7-0 start, and two touchdowns against three picks in the three-week gauntlet that included Alabama, Texas A&M and LSU. Against the Razorbacks, he threw for 274 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions to earn SEC Player of the Week honors. Overall, the Bulldogs have done a fine job of taking care of the football -- they rank fourth in the nation with a plus-16 turnover margin and 12th nationally with 27 forced turnovers.

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI (5-6, 2-5): If the Rebels had been able to finish games a bit better, their season would look a lot different. They blew a 17-point second-half lead in a 27-26 loss at Vanderbilt two Saturdays ago and then lost a fourth-quarter advantage at Baton Rouge. Bo Wallace accounted for four touchdowns, two on the ground, but had three interceptions in a game that had Ole Miss cursing itself for mistakes. Donte Moncrief had six catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns, including a 30-yard score with 11:11 left that put the Rebels ahead 35-28.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Bulldogs are 25-2 when leading at halftime under head coach Dan Mullen.

2. Ole Miss has lost its last two games by a total of seven points.

3. Mississippi State has not won four straight games in the rivalry since 1939-42.

PREDICTION: Mississippi 41, Mississippi State 38
Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W/L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
Mississippi State 8-3 W1 30.8 20.7 6-1 2-2 7-3 1-0 4-3
Mississippi 5-6 L3 30.0 28.9 3-3 2-3 0-3 1-0 2-5
Last Meeting
Mississippi State Mississippi
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
11/26/11 MISS 3 MISST 31 317 247 70 202 92 110
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Mississippi State C. Relf 61.5 70 2 1
Mississippi B. Brunetti 54.5 110 0 0
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Mississippi State V. Ballard 23 144 6.3 1
Mississippi E. Davis 12 32 2.7 0
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Mississippi State L. Perkins 3 27 9.0 1
Mississippi J. Mosley 1 61 61.0 0
Touchdowns Player TD
Mississippi State V. Ballard 2
Mississippi F. Allen 0
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Mississippi State T. Russell 60.4 2523 21 4
Mississippi B. Wallace 63.1 2549 14 13
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Mississippi State L. Perkins 170 896 5.3 8
Mississippi J. Scott 162 719 4.4 6
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Mississippi State C. Bumphis 49 758 15.5 10
Mississippi D. Moncrief 53 775 14.6 7
Touchdowns Player TD
Mississippi State C. Bumphis 10
Mississippi B. Wallace 9
Quickchart Matchup
Mississippi State Off vs  Mississippi Def
394.6 yards
389.7 yards
4.5 yards/rush
3.7 yards/rush
7.5 yards/attempt
7.6 yards/attempt
Mississippi Off vs  Mississippi State Def
417.7 yards
377.5 yards
4 yards/rush
4.3 yards/rush
7.9 yards/attempt
6.7 yards/attempt