OXFORD, Miss. — — Ulysses Bentley rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown and No. 15 Mississippi beat rival Mississippi State 26-14 in the Egg Bowl on Friday, keeping its slim College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Jaxson Dart completed 14 of 24 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown for the Rebels (9-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference).

Dart became Ole Miss’ career passer with a 17-yard strike to Jordan Watkins in the second quarter. He entered the game 49 yards behind Eli Manning and finished the day with 10,213 yards. Dart, who played as a freshman at Southern Cal, entered the game leading the FBS in offense and passing efficiency.

The Rebels, who lost to Florida last week, will need help in other weekend games to get into the CFP. They battled the SEC’s worst defense and trailed twice in the first half before Bentley broke through with an 89-yard TD run that gave Ole Miss a 17-14 lead with less than nine minutes left before halftime.

Mississippi failed to take a two-point lead against the Bulldogs (2-10, 0-8) until Dart passed tight end Caden Prieskorn 19 yards with 9:56 to play.

“This is a huge game in his state and I think we felt that early on, even though we told them records don’t matter. Strange things happen in these Egg Bowls,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said.

Kiffin said he wouldn’t “politically” seek a playoff spot, but continued to shine a spotlight on the SEC.

“The SEC is different.” “It’s different when you’re on the road and playing in these places,” Kiffin said. (Some teams in other conferences go) “all year without playing in places like that.”

Mississippi State, which entered the game as the SEC’s worst defense (461.8 yards per game), completed its first winless SEC season since 2002. The Bulldogs have lost 12 straight conference games since last October. Michael Van Buren completed 17 of 32 passes for 280 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

It was the fourth time Ole Miss failed to reach 400 yards, due in large part to State’s defensive system, which often used three safeties, Kiffin said. The Rebels rushed for 254 yards.

MSU coach Jeff Lebby, Kiffin’s former offensive coordinator at Ole Miss, said his team didn’t capitalize on opportunities.

“We have to get the layup,” Lebby said. “That is something that is crucial.” The turnovers didn’t have to happen at all. You go away and play a rivalry game against a top-15 opponent, something like that can’t happen.”

The snack bar

The Bulldogs had three turnovers – two Van Buren interceptions and a botched punt – but their defense limited Ole Miss to three points in quick turnaround situations.

The Rebels stopped State on four plays inside the 5-yard line late in the game, thwarting the Bulldogs’ comeback.

Impact on the survey

Depending on the outcome of other rivalry games this weekend, the Rebels could move closer to the top 10.

Next

Mississippi State: The season is over.

Ole Miss: The Rebels are most likely headed to a bowl game – with a slim chance of a CFP bid.

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