Report card for MSU’S Egg Bowl loss
Self-inflicted mistakes doom team Thursday
STARKVILLE — If Mississippi State football had scored points before halftime, perhaps the Egg Bowl would’ve unfolded differently.
Instead, self-inflicted mistakes cropped up throughout, undoing some of the maturity and growth coach Mike Leach has spoken of lately in the 31-21 loss to No. 8 Ole Miss on Thursday.
The Rebels (10-2, 6-2 SEC) outplayed the Bulldogs (7-5, 4-4) in just about every facet of the game, overcoming a slow start to pull away in the second half. And even with quarterback Matt Corral’s interception offering a lifeline, the ray of light was short-lived for Mississippi State, with coach Lane Kiffin’s offense responding with a touchdown drive.
Here’s how we graded Mississippi State for its performance in the Egg Bowl.
Offense
Four first-half drives ended in field goal range. Mississippi State stalled too frequently, with quarterback Will Rogers missing on one throw while three drops before halftime wiped out another would-be touchdown. Rogers completed 66% of his passes, his secondlowest mark of the season.
The Bulldogs got things going in the fourth quarter, but two turnovers on downs before two touchdowns were part of a poor overall performance.
Grade: C
Defense
With a key pass interference call and a 15-yard touchdown catch-and-run from Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss put away Mississippi State. The defense had stood up admirably in the first half, but with little offensive help, the unit buckled in the second half. Linebacker Jett Johnson’s 44-yard interception return set up Rogers’ touchdown pass, but the Bulldogs allowed the Rebels to convert 11 of 17 third downs — and that inability to get off the field proved costly.
Grade: C
Special teams
In a game such as this, missed field goals can’t occur. Nolan Mccord attempted four and made two of them, with misses coming from 33 and 40 yards. Those aren’t automatic kicks for the freshman, clearly, but there’s little room for error. Those six points wouldn’t have bridged the score discrepancy, but putting points on the board may have given the offense more confidence.
Grade: D
Coaching
It took until the fourth quarter for Leach to give in and replace right tackle Scott Lashley, who was called for several holds and couldn’t contain edge rusher Sam Williams. Also, Leach opted
against going for a two-point conversion after Mississippi State scored midway through the fourth quarter. The extra point made it an 11-point game at the time.
Ole Miss went on to score again, putting the game out of reach, so the decision not to go for a two-point conversion didn’t loom as largely as it might have.
Grade: C
Overall
Mississippi State didn’t fumble or have an interception, but drops, penalties and missed field goals were as costly as those giveaways would’ve been. In a rivalry game, the Bulldogs played catchup rather than coming out of the gates firing.
Grade: C