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Prescott, Wallace take different paths between Egg Bowl showdowns
By Ethan Levine
Published:
This year’s Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State might be the most highly-anticipated installment in the history of the rivalry, at least on a national level, but the path to this year’s epic game actually began at last year’s Egg Bowl.
Dak Prescott came off the Mississippi State bench — battling multiple injuries and still grieving the death of his mother — and drove MSU 59 yards in 13 plays to tie the game at 10-all in the final minutes of play. He then led the Bulldogs on another scoring drive in the first overtime in the history of the rivalry, running in the go-ahead touchdown himself on a fourth and 1 from the 3 yard line.
Bo Wallace, who had begun to falter after leading Ole Miss to an early edge on the scoreboard, was then tasked with answering Prescott’s touchdown. And he appeared well on his way to doing so, taking a first down carry and running straight through the Bulldogs defense on his way to the end zone. Wallace had nothing but green grass in front of him; unfortunately his obstacles were closing from behind.
Safety Nickoe Whitley knocked the ball out of Wallace’s grasp on the 3 yard line, and teammate Jamerson Love recovered the fumble in the end zone to seal a victory for Mississippi State. Prescott was cemented as the hero, Wallace as the goat.
Fast forward 12 months and neither players’ trajectory has changed much. Prescott is still Mississippi State’s leading man, posting Heisman-caliber numbers for most of the season while leading Mississippi State to 10 wins, a chance at an SEC West title and a potential berth in the inaugural four-team playoff.
Wallace, on the other hand, remains the supremely talented quarterback who always seems to make the worst mistakes at the worst times. He’s led Ole Miss to one of its best seasons not involving a Manning (Archie or Eli), yet he’s known more for his frustrating follies than his impressive talents.
Both players’ 2014 campaigns have fallen perfectly in-line with how their 2013 seasons ended. Prescott is 286 yards passing and 109 yards rushing away from becoming the second player in SEC history to throw for 3,000 and rush for 1,000 in the same season (Johnny Manziel was the other, Tim Tebow and Cam Newton never did it). Wallace is second in the SEC in turnovers this season and is known more for his mistakes than his 2,700 passing yards and 22 touchdowns through the air.
It was last year’s Egg Bowl that began defining each player’s 2014 season, and when the two star signal callers meet again for the final time in this year’s Egg Bowl (Wallace is a senior and Prescott likely a future pro) it will be each player’s final chance to cement their respective legacies for better or for worse.
If Prescott struggles and Mississippi State blows its title chances in a loss, it will be a black mark on an otherwise impressive college career. If he stars one last time, he’ll go down as perhaps the greatest player in school history.
Likewise, if Wallace follows his three-turnover performance against Arkansas last week with another turnover-laden performance against MSU, he’ll be remembered similarly to a player like Jevan Snead. But if he stars and the Rebels win to spoil the Bulldogs historic season, he’ll go down as a hero in the Ole Miss history books.
We can already see how impactful this game is to the legacies of both players. Last year’s game served as the perfect foreshadowing to the entire 2014 season, and this year’s game could serve as similar foreshadowing for the futures of both quarterbacks beyond college football.
Prescott is sure to be drafted somewhere in the first half of next year’s NFL Draft, and a strong showing against the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense will shoot him up most draft boards the way last year’s showing in the Egg Bowl shot him up the watch lists of many college football experts. Wallace is also likely to be drafted somewhere in the back-end of the draft, but a big game on a big stage could improve his pro future as well.
Saturday’s game is a defining game for both schools in the Magnolia State, but it’s also a defining game for both quarterbacks involved. If this year’s Egg Bowl has anywhere near the impact last year’s showdown had, it could tell us all we need to know about two of the best quarterbacks in the SEC.
So, as if you needed more of a reason to tune in Saturday afternoon, be sure to follow the play of both signal callers. It could impact a whole lot more than just this year’s game.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.