Ole Miss avoided an upset to Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl Thursday night, dropping the Bulldogs 17-7.

It was one of the slowest starts in Egg Bowl history, but it made for an exciting second half that saw Ole Miss pull ahead with a few critical touchdowns and some clutch stops by the defense.

Now the Rebels have their second 10-win season of the Lane Kiffin-era and they’re looking to get their first 11-win season in program history in their bowl game.

Here are a few takeaways from this year’s Egg Bowl.

First half delivers snooze fest

The first half of the Egg Bowl was so boring that the biggest highlight was a proposal that happened on the sideline.

The only points came on an Ole Miss field goal halfway through the second quarter, and the game went into halftime with the Rebels up 3-0. The first half had 11 punts between the 2 teams, and there were just 280 yards of total offense in the first half. Ole Miss had 137 yards and Mississippi State had 143.

It was the first time since 1990 that both Ole Miss and Mississippi State failed to produce a touchdown in the first half.

Quinshon Judkins steps up

Quinshon Judkins has been outstanding for Ole Miss this season, but the running back has been absent in some big moments, like the Alabama game where he had just 56 yards and failed to get into the endzone.

He played the hero in Saturday night’s rivalry game against Mississippi State, recording 119 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter that woke up Ole Miss’ offense and gave the Rebels the lead.

Judkins reached the 1,000 yard mark on the season, marking a second-straight year where he has reached that mark.

Rebels defense holds strong late

Ole Miss needed a few big defense stops in the fourth quarter to secure a win.

The Rebels got exactly what they needed.

After Ole Miss got its first touchdown of the game late in the third quarter, Mississippi State went 3 and out and gave the ball back to the Rebels, who proceeded to score another touchdown to take a 10-point lead. Once again, Ole Miss forced a 3 and out to keep Mississippi State from answering.

Halfway through the 4th quarter, Mississippi State had some momentum as it moved down the field, but Ole Miss’ defense came up big to force the Bulldogs to kick a field goal, but their attempt was short and the Rebels kept their 10-point lead down the stretch.

Ole Miss’ defense stepped up once again after its special teams allowed a big punt return from Mississippi State that set the Bulldogs up inside Rebel territory. Rather than folding after the big punt return, Ole Miss stepped up and forced a turnover on downs.

It was a great showing from the Rebels defense and it helped them secure the win.