Report Card: Rebels dominate Bulldogs to win back Golden Egg

Here are a few grades from Ole Miss’ 31-17 win over No. 4 Mississippi State:

OFFENSE: A-

The Rebels went on a scoring spree just one week after being shut out on the road against Arkansas, putting 31 points on the board and totaling 532 yards of offense. Bo Wallace played well in his final home game as a Rebel, completing 14-of-31 passes for 327 yards and a touchdown. He did throw a red zone interception, his third in two games, but Mississippi State could not turn it into points. The Rebels averaged 8.6 yards per play against a stout Bulldogs defensive front, but the star of the show was Jaylen Walton. The junior rushed for 149 yards on 14 carries, highlighted by a breathtaking 91-yard touchdown run in the second half that ignited the home crowd and sparked the Rebels offense. Evan Engram had a huge day catching the football, with five receptions for 176 yards. Ole Miss did struggle on third downs, converting on just four of 14 attempts, but that would make no difference in the game.

DEFENSE: B+

Statistically, Ole Miss surrendered some yards, but the Rebels continued their dominant trend on the defensive side of the football. Dave Wommack’s defense took the run game away for the Bulldogs, and if a team can be successful stopping the run against Mississippi State, its offense isn’t really that good. The Rebels got consistent pressure on Dak Prescott with just their front four, causing Prescott to misfire most of the afternoon. Ole Miss did get beat over the top a few times in the second half, causing the grade to be knocked down a letter. The Rebels recorded nine tackles-for-loss and three sacks, and allowed the Bulldogs only one red zone score in three tries.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

Gary Wunderlich made his only field goal attempt of the afternoon, while Nathan Noble averaged nearly 65 yards per kickoff and recorded five touchbacks in six attempts. Will Gleeson had a great day punting the football, averring 38.9 yards on seven punts. He, along with Wunderlich, pinned Mississippi State inside its 20-yard line three times.

COACHING: A

Hugh Freeze emptied the playbook against the Bulldogs, pulling out trick play after trick play. For a run game that has struggled all year, Freeze said he knew he had to be creative in order to give the Rebels a chance to run the football well, and he did just that in his play-calling. Freeze got his guys to the perimeter of the field where they had a lot of success, and Mississippi State didn’t have an answer for some of the new wrinkles the third-year head coach threw in. Ole Miss looked like the better and more prepared team from the opening whistle, a testament to Freeze’s coaching of his team and its ability to bounce back from an embarrassing loss just a week ago.

OVERALL: A

The Rebels upset their in-state rival, more than likely ruining the Bulldogs’ hopes of a College Football Playoff berth while reclaiming the Golden Egg for the next 364 days. Ole Miss put forth a performance that closely resembled its early-season efforts, before a midseason slide and barrage of injuries set the Rebels off-course. It was an impressive performance against a very good team who had much for which to play. With the win, Ole Miss also has a shot at a 10-win season and a potential slide in the backdoor for a New Year’s Six bowl.

Jordan Cox

After living in Birmingham, Ala., Jordan left the ground zero of SEC Nation to head south to Florida to tell the unique stories of the renowned tradition of SEC football. In his free time, his mission is to find the best locales around.