Ole Miss brings momentum into Egg Bowl

OXFORD --The bye week paid off for No. 19 Ole Miss on Saturday as the Rebels knocked off then-No. 17 LSU 38-17. With the loss, the Tigers fell out of the Associated Press Poll.

What we learned

The Rebels (8-3, 5-2) offense continues to roll. Quarterback Chad Kelly threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns. He also led Ole Miss' rushing efforts with 81 yards and two touchdowns. With the effort, the junior broke Ole Miss' single-season records for total offense (3,857) and touchdowns (34).

"You have to give all of the honor to God. None of this is possible without my teammates," Kelly said. "There's a long list of players who have played here so it's an honor and I'm very blessed to be here."

Perhaps more importantly, Kelly didn't throw an interception for the second straight game.

"You have to understand you have to control the game," Kelly said. "Sometimes you have to take chances but sometimes you don't so check downs are your friend and we're doing a great job all around."

What's next

With Ole Miss averaging 40.5 points per game - good enough for 12th nationally, one spot ahead of Southern Miss -- and Mississippi State scoring at a 33.5 clip, Saturday's Egg Bowl in Starkville is sure to feature plenty of offense.

The last four contests - and 10 of the last 11 -- between the bitter rivals have been won by the home team.

Ole Miss senior Mike Hilton has been a part of two Ole Miss wins in Oxford, so, what gives the home team such an advantage in the series?

"Just the crowd noise," said the Fayetteville, Ga., native. "Crowd noise can really cause havoc for offenses, really throw the offense off their rhythm."

This story was originally published November 22, 2015 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Ole Miss brings momentum into Egg Bowl ."