MSU OFFENSE VS. OLE MISS DEFENSE:

It's tough to get a feel for a game when you don't know who the starting quarterbacks will be. For MSU, it is expected to be Omarr Conner. Conner played quarterback last year, and he filled in admirably for the injured Michael Henig last week. Mississippi State is an improving team, but in some games the turnovers have been costly. If the MSU quarterbacks can avoid turning it over, they can rely on six foot four inch receiver Tony Burks. Burks is emerging as a solid playmaker. Ole Miss has the worst pass defense in the conference.

It's not Burks that Mississippi Coach Ed Orgeron is worried about. His concern is MSU running back Anthony Dixon. Dixon seems to be improving as the year goes on. He had a 65 yard rushing touchdown against Arkansas. He is the key for MSU's offense. Statistically, MSU has the worst rush offense in the SEC, but as Dixon improves, those stats become more and more deceiving. Here's one reason Dixon might struggle on Saturday: Linebacker Patrick Willis. Willis is not just good, he is perhaps the best defensive player in the country. Despite Willis' skills, Ole Miss allows 159.5 rushing yards per game, 11th in the SEC.

Neither team has a particularly strong line. Offensively, MSU has allowed a whopping 28 sacks. Ole Miss has sacked the quarterback just 13 times this season. Willis has two sacks, while Greg Hardy leads the team with three.

MSU is without its starting quarterback. Therefore, the Bulldogs must run the football well. You can expect some productivity at the QB position, but also some mistakes. The Rebels' porous pass defense is aided by the absence of Henig. Ole Miss hasn't been able to stop teams all year, though the Rebels did a nice job against LSU last week. Both teams are getting better, and overall, I'd have to give the edge to the Ole Miss defense when Mississippi State has the ball.

OLE MISS OFFENSE VS. MSU DEFENSE:

At Monday's press conference, we heard Orgeron say Brent Schaeffer would be the starter. Then, there was uncertainty. Now, Schaeffer has been confirmed again as the starting quarterback. The Rebels disappointing season has a lot to do with the struggles of Schaeffer. He has thrown 10 interceptions and only eight touchdowns. He averages 119.2 yards per game. The other option is Seth Adams. Adams has a better passer rating, but much less experience than Schaeffer. This is the worst pass offense in the conference, according to the stats. The receivers are young, and Orgeron said on Monday that freshman Dexter McCluster is unlikely to play. Mike Wallace is the leading receiver with 372 yards.

The Ole Miss offensive line must be aware of defensive end Michael Heard and his 6.5 sacks. Defensive tackles Andrew Powell and Deljuan Robinson have played well also. The Bulldogs will face a line that has given up 27 sacks. However, it is a unit that keeps getting better thanks to offensive line genius Art Kehoe. The lack of a passing game gives the MSU pass defense an edge over the Ole Miss pass offense.

That means the Rebels will have to win the game on the ground. These two offenses are similar in that respect. Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis is the most productive player on the offense. He is approaching a 1,000 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry along the way. The Rebels offense will go as far as he goes. Mississippi State needs to key in on stopping the run and forcing the SEC's worst passing game to make plays. The Bulldogs feature a physical front seven that slowed down Darren McFadden last week. Also, the defensive backs can tackle well. Jeramie Johnson has forced five fumbles.

This game has the makings of a defensive struggle. One thing Ole Miss usually does well is avoid penalties. Also, the Rebels like using trick plays such as onside kicks and fake punts, so MSU must stay aware. A key for Ole Miss will be avoiding third and long. Ole Miss is the worst third down offense in the SEC. It could be ugly, but the team that runs the ball better will have a huge edge. MSU is good against the run and bad against the pass, but they match up perfectly against the Ole Miss offense. Advantage: Bulldogs.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

Coach Croom will make some minor adjustments in the Mississippi State kickoff coverage unit, which was shredded by Arkansas last week. Punter Blake McAdams is above average, but kicker Adam Carlson is just 5 for 9 this season. The Bulldogs are good on punt returns.

Ole Miss return units have provided very few big plays and no touchdowns. Punter Rob Park has had one punt blocked, but he averages a respectable 38.8 yards per attempt. The stat sheet indicates he is good at placing the ball inside the 20. Placekicker Joshua Shene is 12 of 15 this year with a long of 52 yards.

The edge here goes to Ole Miss.

PREDICTION:

Considering the shaky quarterback situations, I don't see either team scoring a lot of points. It will be one of those games in which the team that makes the least amount of mistakes will win. Ole Miss has won the last three Egg Bowls in Oxford. I will take the home team, just because I don't see any other advantage here.

Mississippi State: 10
Ole Miss: 16