Prescott, rest of Mississippi State seniors prep for final home game

This year's edition of the Egg Bowl again carries high stakes for both squads.

Mississippi State hosts Ole Miss at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday in a game that will likely affect each team's postseason fate.

A win Saturday for No. 19 Ole Miss and the Rebels (8-3, 5-2) will have wins over three of their most hated rivals, including LSU and Alabama.

A win Saturday for No. 23 Mississippi State will hand senior quarterback Dak Prescott his second career victory over the Rebels in his final home game. The Bulldogs (8-3, 4-3) can also improve their odds of receiving one of the SEC's more coveted bowl bids.

Prescott enters the game coming off likely the best performance of his career in a 51-50 win at Arkansas on Saturday.

Prescott completed 38-of-50 passes for 508 yards, five touchdowns and an interception. He also ran 15 times for 46 yards and two touchdowns.

He was recognized for his big game on Monday as the SEC Offensive Player of the Week.

Prescott became just the ninth player in SEC history to account for seven touchdowns in a game and no player in college football has accounted for more touchdowns over the last five games than the Louisiana native (21).

For Prescott and the rest of the seniors, Saturday's game serves as their final home game in Starkville

"This our last game for these seniors that have put a lot into this program," Mullen said. "This is one of the winningest senior classes in school history. It'll be emotional for them, their families and us. This the last chance to say goodbye to guys that have done so much for our program."

Mullen noted Monday that this year's senior class is winningest since the 1942 season.

"I think they've just

changed the perception of the program in two ways, how we're perceived outside the program nationally and the respect they've earned around the league," he said. "They've also changed how we're perceived in the program's fan base and expectations around the league. I think they've done a great job of changing that."

This marks the sixth time in the Egg Bowl's history that both teams enter the game ranked with the Rebels holding a 3-2 advantage in those games, including last year's 31-17 win in Oxford.

This is the first time the two programs have met as ranked teams in consecutive seasons. Last year, Ole Miss was No. 18 and the Bulldogs were No. 4.

Mullen said Monday that his team is in good shape health wise.

"(Tight end) Gus Walley is questionable, but everybody else came out healthier than when they went in," he said.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Prescott, rest of Mississippi State seniors prep for final home game ."