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Ole Miss Football: 5 Reasons Rebels will win 2018 Egg Bowl vs Mississippi State

By Matthew Bartlett

STARKVILLE, MS - NOVEMBER 23: Javien Hamilton #21 of the Mississippi Rebels celebrates the win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs 31-28 in an NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on November 23, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - NOVEMBER 23: Javien Hamilton #21 of the Mississippi Rebels celebrates the win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs 31-28 in an NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on November 23, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
(Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /

1. Ole Miss has the SEC’s most explosive passing game

The loss of DK Metcalf was costly, but it wasn’t enough to silence the arsenal of pass catchers at the disposal of quarterback Jordan Ta’amu. AJ Brown and  DaMarkus Lodge have both torched their fair share of SEC defensive backs this season.

Ole Miss has generated 41 passing plays of 30 yards or greater this season, the most in the SEC by a wide margin, Alabama is second with 30 such plays. The Mississippi State defensive backfield is sturdy, but holding up for an entire game without allowing a big play (or two) to pop downfield isn’t an easy task.

The offensive attack is going to require some creativity against the Bulldogs on Thanksgiving night. No matter what sort of wrinkles Matt Luke and his offensive staff employ, the deep ball will be a key tool in their belt. Ole Miss is going to take some shots downfield. They’ll miss several of them, but if they hit on four or five long pass plays it could be enough to jumpstart the entire offense a force Mississippi State’s sluggish offense to play from behind.

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