Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss final score: 3 things we learned from the Rebels’ 31-17 win

No. 19 Ole Miss outlasted No. 4 Mississippi State in a hard-hitting Egg Bowl, making bigger plays and shutting down the Bulldogs’ offense in a 31-17 victory. And with that, Alabama has clinched the SEC West.

Strong defensive play dominated the game on both sides. The first half’s lone touchdown came late in the first quarter when Bo Wallace dove into the endzone from a yard out. Mississippi State pulled it closer early in the second quarter with a 45-yard field goal, but that was all the scoring to be found in the first two periods.

Mississippi State’s only early offensive success came on power runs from Dak Prescott, and even that was limited. Ole Miss was able to get consistent pressure into the backfield, forcing Prescott to run often on passing situations. The quarterback finished with 47 yards on 24 rushing attempts.

After the two teams traded the lead, Jaylen Walton put Ole Miss up two scores with this incredible 91-yard touchdown run, the third-longest in school history.

via CBS

Prescott found De’Runnya Wilson for a 32-yard touchdown early in the fourth, bringing the Bulldogs within a score, but Ole Miss scored a few minutes later to bring the lead back to 14. A late Mississippi State fourth down conversion fell incomplete, giving the Rebels the victory.

1. Mississippi State is out of the playoff hunt. The Bulldogs needed to beat Ole Miss and have Auburn beat Alabama in order to win the division, but a win against the Rebels was the bare minimum to stay in the top four. Instead, Mississippi State will likely have to settle for a New Year’s Day bowl after a highly successful season with an ultimately disappointing end.

That opens the door for a non-SEC competitor to grab that fourth spot. Alabama, Oregon and Florida State have their places virtually assured if they win out, but Baylor, TCU and Ohio State are among the schools with an opportunity to sneak into the field with this upset.

2. Dak Prescott is not winning the Heisman. Coming into this game, the Mississippi State quarterback needed to make up quite a bit of ground to catch Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota or Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon. At one point the front-runner in the race, Prescott’s chances dwindled when the Bulldogs lost to Alabama. A second loss, and another game without eye-popping statistics, and it’s safe to say he’s out of the running. Prescott will still likely get an invite to New York City, but he won’t be taking the award home with him.

3. Ole Miss has a distant shot at a New Year’s bowl. A win gives them a fighting chance, with victories over Alabama and Mississippi State standing as two of the strongest in the country. Mississippi State’s season has been stronger, however, and it’s hard to see them falling outside of the top ten.

The future looks bright for the Rebels. Walton should be back for one more season, and while Wallace graduates Ole Miss has a lot to look forward to. Hugh Freeze has been recruiting at a very high rate in Oxford, and this season’s defensive unit was perhaps the best in all of college football.