STARKVILLE – Mississippi State linebacker Beniquez Brown can’t remember how hostile the environment was at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium when Ole Miss defeated MSU 41-24 two years ago.
That’s because he was sitting in his living room in Florence, Alabama.
Brown, then a freshman redshirting during his first year on campus, watched on TV that night as Ole Miss outscored MSU 24-7 in the second half to win their only Egg Bowl in the last five tries.
From his home in Alabama, Brown knew he never wanted to see that happen again.
“I told my mom, ‘We can’t let this happen,'” said Brown. “I was watching in my living room when it went down and I just wanted to be out there. I’ve never played there but some of the older guys have told me this week that it’s going to be crazy.”
Such is life during rivalry week in the Southeastern Conference. Two years after Ole Miss had everything on the line to close the 2012 season – the win clinched bowl eligibility for the first time under coach Hugh Freeze – the Bulldogs now return to Oxford with plenty at stake. At 10-1 on the season, MSU will head on the road in search of several program firsts, including: The first-ever 11-win regular season in program history; the first seven-win SEC season in school history; and the Bulldogs enter Oxford with hopes on staying in conference and national championship contention.
Those hopes, bolstered by a 51-0 blanking of Vanderbilt last Saturday, may rest on the shoulders of a defense that has hit its stride late in the season. In November, the Bulldogs are allowing a league-low 12 points per game, and it’s a month that includes the Vanderbilt shutout and a 17-10 win over a resurgent Arkansas program.
Even the blemish on MSU’s late-season run – the 25-20 loss at Alabama – featured a strong defensive performance, as MSU held the Crimson Tide to a season low 328 yards of total offense.
“We’ve been playing real good,” said Brown. “We just have to finish, focus on the task at hand and go to Ole Miss and continue playing Bulldog football. We know they will be excited for the game, it will be a challenge.”
The trip to Ole Miss could be the stiffest test yet for MSU’s linebackers, a group led by junior Benardrick McKinney and Brown, who ranks second on the team in tackles. That’s because the Ole Miss passing game, with wide receiver Vince Sanders and tight end Evan Engram, thrives making plays in the middle of the field. The two have combined for 71 catches and eight touchdowns this season. To Brown, Engram particularly presents matchup problems.
“They have a very good tight end, and they throw to him a lot,” said Brown. “To us, it’s really no different than every week, we just have to play our assignments and stick to our roles. But (Engram) is a great player.”
The Bulldogs’ defense, thanks to its strong November push, is now up to fourth in the SEC in points allowed. The Ole Miss offense, however, has gone the opposite direction, plummeting from top three in the league to eighth in scoring after a late-season push that included the shutout loss at Arkansas and a 10-7 defeat at LSU.
For MSU coach Dan Mullen, though, the Ole Miss offense remains dangerous due to the presence of one player; senior quarterback Bo Wallace.
Wallace, a three-year starter, threw five touchdown passes in that 2012 Egg Bowl win, and he enters this season’s clash with 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the year.
“The fact that as a quarterback he has the confidence to go make those plays makes him a dangerous player out there on the field,” said Mullen of Wallace. “He’s a guy that can get hot and beat you in a hurry.”
But that didn’t happen in the 2013 Egg Bowl, a game that MSU’s defense held the Ole Miss offense to just three points in a 17-10 overtime victory. On that night, Wallace committed three turnovers and the Rebels failed to scored an offensive touchdown for the second straight trip to Starkville.
According to Brown, though, the addition of a weapon like Engram to the mix changes the offensive dynamic for the Rebels.
“Last year, they really weren’t any different than this year,” said Brown. “But they have the tight end back. He adds a lot to their offense.”
For Brown, this Saturday’s trip to Oxford represents his first Egg Bowl on the road. And while the MSU defense has played well of late, the Bulldogs also must focus on maintaining that level of play while dealing with a challenging environment.
“The older guys on the team have stood up and told us what it’s going to be like, how hostile it will be,” said Brown. “For me, I’m just prepared for everything.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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