Mississippi State and Ole Miss Tied at 17 at the Half

In a sloppy first half, the Bulldogs and Rebels played to a 17-17 tie going into halftime.

The teams combined to go 4-for-15 on third down in the first half, even though they combined for 524 total yards. Bo Wallace finished the half with two interceptions and a fumble, and Tyler Russell tossed his fifth pick of the season. The teams also committed five penalties for 60 yards.

The Rebels took their opening drive 71 yards on four plays, capped off on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Wallace to Jamal Mosley with 13:17 to play in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead. Dontae Moncrief's 42-yard reception highlighted the drive.

Jameon Lewis took the following kickoff 101 yards to tie the game at 7-7 with 13:02 to play in the first quarter.

Mississippi State took a 14-7 lead when Russell eluded pressure from a collapsing pocket and Chad Bumphis slipped behind the Ole Miss defense on a 42-yard completion with 2:46 to play in the first quarter.

Bryson Rose drilled a 43-yard field goal with 13:36 to play in the first half to cut the Mississippi State lead to 14-10, and after stopping Mississippi State on a fourth-and-two jump pass, the Rebels reclaimed the lead on a 77-yard touchdown connection from Wallace to Moncrief to take a 17-14 lead with 5:19 in the first half.

Devon Bell tied the game with 3:21 to play in the half with a 23-yard field goal.

Mississippi State potentially left a halftime lead on the field as the Bulldogs failed to turn two Cam Lawrence first half interceptions into points, missing a field goal and being forced to punt. The Bulldogs later forced a Bo Wallace fumble, recovered by Kaleb Eulls

Quick Analysis

1. Play action against MSU defense: On the first two drives, Ole Miss completed three passes of over 20 yards on play action.

2. The 7-0 lead by Ole Miss was the first time the Rebels led in the Egg Bowl since they held a lead at 8:54 in the second quarter in 2010.

3. Mississippi State had a chance to put this game away early, but failing to convert on three turnovers hurt them. You have to score on turnovers.

4. The Bulldogs really got away from their running game in the first half. With Tyler Russell struggling, I do not get several long throws. Either run the ball or let Russell hit a few short throws to get his rhythm back.

5. The fourth-and-two jump pass might comeback to haunt Mississippi State. The Bulldogs seemed as if they had momentum in the game, and they had a chance to go up seven points. Instead they ended up trailing, and had to come back to tie before the half.