Run Raid? Mississippi State wins Egg Bowl in the most unlikely way
By Les East
Published:
Mike Leach won with his defense and his running game.
He doesn’t do that very often. Never has.
But that’s how this Mississippi State team gave him his first Egg Bowl victory in 3 tries against Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss team – 24-22 on Thursday night in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Coordinator Will Arnett’s defense suffocated Kiffin’s explosive running game, which was outgained by Leach’s part-time running game.
Ole Miss could have been distracted by the reports that Auburn was pursuing Kiffin.
But more likely it was driven to distraction Arnett’s defense, by Nathaniel Watson, by Tyrus Wheat, by Jaden Crumedy, by Randy Charlton, by Decamerion Richardson, by Jett Johnson – all of whom were more productive while in the Rebels’ offensive backfield than Quinshon Judkins, Zach Evans or Jaxson Dart was.
Ole Miss could have been affected by the persistent rain in the second half, except for the fact that the State defense was dominant while the weather was good and the little bit of offensive success that Kiffin’s team had came after the rains came.
Leach’s team won this game because it took away what Kiffin’s team does best.
Then it showed it could run the ball better than the Rebels even though Leach’s running game is more like a hobby than a staple of his system.
Judkins, the 3rd-most productive freshman rusher in SEC history, came into the game averaging 208 yards per game. Evans came is averaging 87 for a combined 295.
Together they rushed for 87 and Ole Miss finished with 74, which is about what State averages.
The Bulldogs’ tandem of Jo’quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson – who tend to be more productive as pass catchers than ball carriers — had 76 and 73 yards, respectively.
State won this game the old-fashioned way – a way that has never been particularly fashionable to Leach (not at Texas Tech, not at Washington State, not in Starkville) – with defense and the running game.
Yeah, Will Rogers threw the ball a lot and the characteristic passing game was a big part of Bulldogs’ offense, especially in the first half.
But it was the frustration that Arnett’s defense inflicted on the Rebels’ running game, on Dart and especially on Kiffin that dictated the terms under which this game was decided.
Kiffin, still bothered by getting just 2 touchdowns in 5 red-zone trips in an embarrassing loss at Arkansas 5 days earlier, pressed. The Rebels wound up with 2 touchdowns in 6 red-zone trips against State.
Ole Miss managed a 16-14 halftime lead despite the absence of a running game and that edge endured through a scoreless 3rd quarter.
But Leach’s team kept plugging away. Its offensive line and running game wore down the Rebels’ defense.
The Bulldogs’ defensive line beat up the Rebels’ offensive line and wore down the offense.
A lot of crazy stuff happened in the fourth quarter and there were anxious moments for State in the final minute.
But the Bulldogs never lost control of the game.
This wasn’t an Air Raid game.
But it was State’s game all the way, except for occasional hiccups.
To be fair, this Leach team has shown that it can run the ball. It has shown that it can play tough, physical defense.
Over the years Leach’s teams have often been more physical and had better defenses than they have generally been given credited for.
But that’s not their identity.
The conventional wisdom going into this game was that the most likely path to victory for the Bulldogs would be for Rogers and the passing game to surpass the productivity of Judkins, Evans and Dart in a shootout.
Surpassing the productivity of the Rebels’ running game wound up being pretty easy, but Rogers and company had team-wide help.
The way that State prevailed was atypical of how most teams play in 2022. It was atypical pretty much for any Leach team ever.
But it was the way this Egg Bowl was played. It was the way this Egg was going to be decided.
And for once it was Rogers and the passing game that went along for the ride.
Les East is a New Orleans-based football writer who covers LSU for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow him on Twitter @Les_East.
