Three reasons why Mississippi State will beat Missouri

There's no hiding the difficulties of the Bulldogs' matchup against the Tigers, but that doesn't mean there are things in the Bulldogs' favor.

Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor (1) looks on before a play against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

The latest episode of SEC Roll Call put the final three weeks of the season in perspective for college football fans in the Magnolia state.

Unless Mississippi State beats Missouri, this year’s Egg Bowl in Starkville could get very interesting.

On one side, Ole Miss could be one win away from a spot in the College Football Playoff. On the other side, a team desperate to win one more game so it can go to a bowl game.

Mix all of that together, put it on the heat of one of the nation’s biggest rivalries and who knows what’ll come out. But it’ll be fun to watch.

Of course, Florida could ruin that for Ole Miss with a win in Oxford and Missouri could stumble against the Bulldogs.

Frankly, it’s hard to see an easy path for either of those outcomes happening. Florida is, ya know, Florida and we already covered why this is such a favorable matchup for Missouri.

But there are three big reasons why Mississippi State should have some hope of beating the Tigers.

Missouri’s QB Situation

Missouri Tigers quarterback Matt Zollers (5) throws a pass against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

This is arguably the biggest. The Tigers are down to one healthy quarterback who is a true freshman.

Yes, Mississippi State has its own quarterback issues. But we’ve seen enough of Kamario Taylor to believe he can be successful if Blake Shapen isn’t available.

We haven’t seen that from Matt Zollers. He’s played in six games, but only made his first start last week against No. 3 Texas A&M. He completed just 7-of-22 pass attempts for 77 yards and was sacked twice.

Mississippi State’s defense has its weaknesses, but it has some strengths.

The passing defense is still really good with Kelley Jones firmly planted as one of the best cornerbacks in the SEC. Also, the defensive scheme itself isn’t as easy as some others and defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler can show some exotic looks to try and confuse the young quarterback.

Of course, if the Bulldogs limit the Tigers’ rushing attack then it won’t matter.

Mississippi State’s Motivation

Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby has said it before. Him and his team want to hurry and accomplish their goal of reaching bowl eligibility.

They’re not going to worry about which game is more winnable than others (that’s our job). Winning this week would take an enormous load of pressure off the Bulldogs for the Egg Bowl.

Missouri doesn’t have the same motivation. It’s already won six games, but was officially eliminated from CFP contention after three-straight losses.

The Bulldogs will be the more motivated team.

Mississippi State’s Big Plays

The Bulldogs’ ultimate x-factor is in its ability to make big plays. Even in a lopsided loss to Georgia, the Bulldogs had a couple long plays, including a 57-yard pass from Taylor to Brenen Thompson.

The combination of Thompson and Anthony Evans III has grown into of the best duos in the SEC and each has the ability to score at any time, from anywhere.

The problem is will whoever is at quarterback have enough time to get them the football?