Mississippi State Football: 5 reasons Bulldogs will win 2018 Egg Bowl vs. Ole Miss
By Zach Bigalke
1. Bulldogs among best in country in red zone offense, defense
A big reason why the Bulldogs have been so good at holding opponents to low scores has been their red zone defense. Mississippi State has held teams scoreless on 29 percent of their trips to the red zone this year, putting them sixth in the country in that category.
Even more impressive, teams have only scored eight touchdowns on their 31 trips inside the Mississippi State 20. Nobody in the top 25 in red zone defense holds teams to field goals more frequently than the Bulldogs, which is almost more impressive in itself than holding teams to a 71 percent overall scoring success rate.
When they have the ball near their opponent’s goal line, the Bulldogs offense is no slouch themselves. Mississippi State ranks 27th nationally in red zone offense, as they have scored on 30 of their 34 trips inside the 20. And three-quarters of those scores (23 of 30) have been touchdowns, as the Bulldogs maximize the points they get out of such opportunities.
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Add it all up, and the Bulldogs are going to keep their rivals from reaching bowl eligibility this season. As an 11-point favorite on the road, Mississippi State is going to not only take down their rival but cover the spread thanks to these five advantages they bring to Oxford on Thanksgiving.