Jeff Lebby reveals key to success for Mississippi State in Egg Bowl

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are battling it out with the Ole Miss Rebels in the Egg Bowl on Friday night. And the Bulldogs have come out and made this one interesting early, only trailing 17-14 at halftime. Following their impressive first half, Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby spoke with Kris Budden before heading into the locker room.

“Yeah, for our guys. We’ve gotta find a way to get back in here and stay calm and come out and make plays in the second half. I thought we did a nice job at times. We’ve gotta figure out ways to sustain and have the ability to play good enough on defense this first drive to get off the field and then go get points,” Lebby explained.

What did he think of the first half performance by his quarterback Michael Van Buren? “Yeah, he’s done a good job. I love the toughness, the effort, the energy, but at the same time, we’ve got to be able to go execute. That’s what it’s about,” Lebby finished.

Van Buren has completed 10 of his 20 passes for 170 passing yards, while tossing in a touchdown with one interception. He’s thrown a number of really beautiful passes down the sidelines. His impressive performance has helped to keep the Bulldogs in the mix in this one through the first half.

Ole Miss eventually pulled away in the second half, taking a 26-14 lead with 4:43 left. Rebels running back Ulysses Bentley IV had 16 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. Rebels tight end Caden Prieskorn hauled in one of the most impressive catches of the day, a 19-yard touchdown catch that put Ole Miss up 26-14 with 9:56 left in the fourth quarter.