GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Ole Miss vs. No. 25 Mississippi State

Nov. 27, 2010

TV: ESPNU | Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network (Sirius 217, XM 199)
WEB: Video: ESPN3.com | Audio: RebelVision

OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss hosts No. 25 Mississippi State today in the in-state rivals' annual Battle for the Golden Egg.

All Rebel fans are asked to wear blue for the game, which gets underway at 6 p.m. It will be televised by ESPNU and can also be seen on ESPN3.com. Fans can hear the game on the Ole Miss Radio Network, Sirius 217, XM 199 or OleMissSports.com via RebelVision.

In one of the nation's most-played rivalries, the Rebels and Bulldogs will meet for the 107th time, with Ole Miss holding a 60-40-6 advantage in the all-time series. The home team has won 10 of the last 11 meetings, while Houston Nutt is 10-2 all-time against the Bulldogs, including his time as the Arkansas and Ole Miss head coach.

Ole Miss (4-7, 1-6 Southeastern Conference) will look to avenge last year's 41-27 defeat in Starkville. The Rebels won 45-0 in Oxford two years ago.

"It is really big with MSU," Nutt said. "Playing Mississippi State when I was at Arkansas is not the same as it is here at Ole Miss. We have basically reversed roles this year with State. Last year we were going to a bowl game, but this year we are not. This is a big ballgame. All summer long all I heard was people talking about the Mississippi State game. When your state is divided, you truly understand what a rivalry is. It's really big."

Nineteen Rebel seniors will be honored during pre-game ceremonies in their last regular-season game. Among those are permanent team captains Lionel Breaux, Johnny Brown, Jonathan Cornell, Kentrell Lockett and Jerrell Powe.

The Rebels are led by a powerful running attack that ranks second in the SEC and 14th in the nation with 220.5 rushing yards per game.

Brandon Bolden has scored 13 rushing touchdowns this season, which is the second highest total in school history and just one score behind the school record of 14 held by Kayo Dottley, Deuce McAllister and Archie Manning.

Mississippi State (7-4, 3-4 SEC) had won six games in a row before dropping the last two against nationally ranked Alabama and Arkansas squads. The Bulldogs also have a highly rated running game, ranking 16th in the country. Freshman Vick Ballard leads the squad with 849 yards on the ground. Their defense ranks 25th in the nation, giving up just 361.0 yards per outing.

"If you look at their turnover margin, they have done a great job of protecting the ball and getting turnovers," Nutt said about the Bulldogs. "Their running game seems to have gotten better. They have always had a running game, but it has improved. Their defense is very strong; they are the ones creating most of the turnovers."

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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