Ole Miss football defense shines despite shaky start in Egg Bowl

The Ole Miss Rebels picked up their fourth Egg Bowl victory in the last five seasons on Black Friday, thanks in large part to a defensive performance in the second half.

The Rebels defense came up strong against Mississippi State as Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. lured true freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. into an interception on the third play from scrimmage. This was Paul’s first career interception.

After that, the defense had a shaky performance early in the game, allowing back-to-back points in the first quarter, giving the Bulldogs a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

However, that was all State saw on the scoreboard for the rest of the game.

The Ole Miss defense finished the game with three sacks, eight TFLs, five pass deflections and two interceptions, making life difficult for the Bulldogs as they limited the rushing attack to just 39 total yards on the day and Van Buren’s completion percentage 0.01 was only 53 percent.

Paul was asked what changed before the second half shutout.

“We really came out and just focused on the smaller details,” Paul said after the game. “Once we did that, we felt more comfortable out there. “Communication got better and we just started flying around and playing Rebels defense.”

The Rebels did everything they could this week to capitalize on their College Football Playoff chances, and with plenty of games left to play on rivalry weekend, they’re close. All that’s left to do is: “Put it into God’s hands,” as Paul said after the game.

Despite all the ups and downs, the Rebels’ regular season ended on a high note as they took home their second straight Egg Bowl victory. Now it’s time to wait and see whether they have a chance to reach the CFP.