5 dream scenarios for Mississippi State football in 2023
By Ethan Lee
No. 5: It’d be great if the Ole Miss Rebels relied heavily on running the ball once more
Wouldn’t it be simply wonderful if the Ole Miss Rebels happened to boast an offense that happened to rely on running the ball again? After all, Ole Miss having a heavy reliance on running the ball is what ultimately gave Mike Leach and Mississippi State a very real shot at winning the Egg Bowl in 2022.
Prior to the Egg Bowl, the following things were true about Ole Miss’ offense:
- Ole Miss averaged 278.3 rushing yards per game
- Ole Miss averaged 32 points per game
- Ole Miss averaged 5.6 yards per carry
- Quinshon Judkins averaged 125.9 yards
- Judkins carried the ball 20.8 times a game
- Judkins averaged 6 yards per carry
- Judkins scored 1.45 rushing touchdowns a game
Against Mississippi State and Zach Arnett’s defense, the following things were true about Ole Miss’ offense:
- Ole Miss gained 78 total rushing yards
- Ole Miss scored 22 points
- Ole Miss averaged 2 yards per carry
- Judkins gained 91 rushing yards
- Judkins carried the ball 22 times
- Judkins averaged 4.1 yards per carry
- Judkins didn’t score a touchdown
That’s a significant difference!
This isn’t meant to take anything away from how Jaxson Dart performed or is capable of playing. He’s a remarkably talented, dynamic athlete who performed well in Lane Kiffin’s system back in 2022, but the Rebels relied on running the ball to really make things work on the offensive side of things.
If they’re relying heavily on running the ball again, there’s reason to believe that the Bulldogs should have a very real shot in the Egg Bowl next season.