Key Mississippi State defender set to return for Egg Bowl
By David Wasson
Published:
The Mississippi State Bulldogs take on arch-rival Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl on Friday (noon ET, ABC), and they appear to be doing so with one of their standout defensive players.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that junior safety Isaac Smith is set to return Friday against the seventh-ranked Rebels. Smith missed last week’s 49-27 loss to Mizzou with a lower-body injury. He was helped to the locker room and was unable to put weight on his right leg.
Smith had been listed as questionable on Mississippi State’s injury reports leading up to the game. Smith, who led the SEC in tackles in 2024 and earned preseason All-SEC coaches third-team honors, has totaled 51 tackles along with 1 sack, 1 interception, and 3 passes broken up so far this season.
Smith is a key cog in the Bulldogs’ quest to cover the middle of the field, along with stopping the run, so having him against Ole Miss is big for Mississippi State.
Mississippi State is seeking its second conference win of the season. Ole Miss is looking for what would be a program-record 11th regular-season victory. The Rebels are a 7.5-point favorite in the game, per the latest odds from BetMGM.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
