One of college football’s premier rivalry games was as advertised on Black Friday — a gritty, hard-fought, and oftentimes ugly Egg Bowl between two programs with no love for one another. In that matchup, No. 14 Ole Miss walked away a 26-14 victory over Mississippi State.
With a win on Saturday, Lane Kiffin built a 4-1 overall record against Mississippi State (2-10, 0-8 SEC), led by the Rebel frontman’s former offensive coordinator, Jeff Lebby. Ole Miss (9-3, 5-3 SEC) now boasts a 66-47-6 overall record against the Bulldogs.
In a duel between a veteran signal-caller and a rookie field general, the lower-performing quarterback’s team came out on top. Jaxson Dart threw for 143 yards and a touchdown — and surpassed Eli Manning as the Rebels’ all-time passing yards leader.
“My first year here, when we lost, it was the worst thing ever. It carried on until we got to play them again. I made a note to myself that I would never lose this game again,” Dart said.
“There’s a lot of hate in this rivalry. That’s just how it is … It’s always messy and I was just happy to be able to pull away with a win. I hate that school.”
Michael Van Buren, Jr. doubled his counterpart’s production, tossing for 280 yards, a touchdown, and two costly interceptions. The freshman’s picks underscored a series of miscues that prevented the Bulldogs from earning their first conference victory of the year.
In addition to the interceptions, Mississippi State muffed a punt and suffered a gut-wrenching turnover on downs in the red zone after a deep shot to put the team within arms reach. Though Ole Miss seldom responded to mishaps with touchdowns, largely courtesy of Mississippi State’s strongest defensive performance against an SEC opponent, the Rebels did enough to come out on top.
Rebel running back Ulysses Bentley IV, who did not earn a carry in a consequential loss at Florida six days ago, was a catalyst for an otherwise inept offense. Bentley was handed the ball 20 times and had an 89-yard score in the process.
Both squads had their high points defensively. Mississippi State had a season-best eight tackles for loss and tacked on a pair of sacks in the process. Ole Miss’ secondary, though tested all afternoon, stole the ball twice. Pete Golding’s group made its mark in shutting down an effective Mississippi State ground game, only allowing 39 rushing yards in the contest.
The Bulldogs found their offensive success in the air, with Kevin Coleman, Jr., accounting for 118 of the team’s 291 receiving yards. The Rebels were uncharacteristically effective on the ground, posting 254 rushing yards.
“This game was probably different than a lot of people would have thought,” Kiffin said. “These guys came in and played three safeties deep like a prevent defense. It’s hard to throw the ball and it makes you run the ball … We probably looked different to everybody, but we had to play a different style in order to win.”
Special teams played a key role in the contest. Both Ole Miss and Mississippi State punted the ball six times apiece. Rebel punter Fraser Masin averaged 45.3 yards per boot while Bulldog specialist Nick Barr-Mira averaged 43.5 yards when he kicked the ball away. Ole Miss was the only team to attempt field goals. Senior Caden Davis made two of three with his longest being a 43-yarder.
Lebby, in his Egg Bowl debut as a head coach, put together a respectable game plan, utilizing trick plays and trusting a talented quarterback to take shots. While this worked to the Bulldogs’ advantage, Ole Miss playing a turnover-free game proved to be one of the key differences in a game where the Rebels predominantly played flat offensively.
This was the first time Lebby and Kiffin squared off on the gridiron, but is not anticipated to be the last. If the game remains as tense and heated as it was on Friday, fans of each program will have plenty to look forward to in the future.
Scoring summary
Things got started on a high note for Ole Miss, but they didn’t stay that way. Van Buren tossed an interception right into the hands of Rebel linebacker Chris “Pooh” Paul, Jr. Ole Miss, with a short field, was forced to settle for a field goal. Davis was money from 39 yards out to give his team a 3-0 lead.
Facing a fourth and seven on its own side of the field, Mississippi State got crafty, dialing up a passing play in which punter Nick Barr-Mira tossed the ball to Justin Ball to extend the drive. Seven plays later, Van Buren connected with Coleman on fourth and long to give the Bulldogs a 7-3 lead with 7:54 left in the first quarter.
A five-yard loss on first down put Ole Miss in a precarious position. However, Dart stepped up to the plate, delivered on third and 15, and later used his legs to pick up 21 yards to march the Rebels across midfield. Once Ole Miss got into the red zone, Kiffin turned to two-way player JJ Pegues to punch the ball across the goal line for a 10-7 lead.
Mississippi State was not intimidated by the Rebels’ score. After converting on third and long, Van Buren took a shot and located Jordan Mosely for a 42-yard gain. Van Buren then used his legs to score a touchdown from six yards out, reclaiming a Bulldog lead.
Trailing 14-10 early in the second quarter, Ole Miss found itself in troubled waters after two short offensive drives. Fortunately, the Bulldogs also had to punt twice in the process. Bentley, on first down, broke away for an 89-yard touchdown to give Ole Miss a lead it would not relinquish.
Ole Miss led 17-14 at the intermission after Davis missed from 54 yards out as the clock expired. An early second-half turnover put Mississippi State in limbo when Van Buren underthrew a pass that was picked off by Rebel safety Trey Washington at midfield. Ole Miss sputtered in its next offensive drive and had to boot it away.
Later in the third quarter, Ole Miss was forced to boot the ball away on fourth and 21. After a review of Fraser Masin’s punt, it was discovered that Coleman, Mississippi State’s returner, had touched the ball and that Rebel linebacker Suntarine Perkins recovered. Ole Miss ultimately cashed in on a 43-yard field goal to go up 20-14.
Up six with 15 minutes left in the rivalry game, Ole Miss sought to separate further on the scoreboard. A couple of chunk plays and a fortuitous penalty later, the Rebels found themselves deep in Bulldog territory. Dart, on third and five, located his reliable tight end, Caden Prieskorn, for a 19-yard score.
Kiffin dialed up a two-point conversion. Dart tossed the ball to Bulldog safety Isaac Smith, deeming the attempt a failure. Ole Miss held a 26-14 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the matchup.
Mississippi State, in desperate need of points, found a little fortune when Michael Van Buren found Coleman on a deep shot to place the Bulldogs on the Rebels’ one-yard line. On first down, Booth was stuffed after rushing up the gut. One play later, Ole Miss snuffed a Van Buren carry, forcing a loss of a yard.
The Bulldogs jumped early on third down, moving the offense back to the seven-yard line. The offense earned all five of those yards back when repeating the down. On fourth down, Van Buren’s pass to Coleman was incomplete — amounting to a turnover on downs with 5:46 remaining on the clock.
Ole Miss proceeded to run out the clock, amassing consecutive wins over its in-state foe.
Stat leaders
- Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart: 14-24, 143 passing yards, 77 rushing yards, and one touchdown
- Ole Miss running back Ulysses Bentley IV: 20 carries, 136 yards, and one touchdown
- Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen: Eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3.5 tackles for loss
- Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren, Jr.: 17-32, 280 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions
- Mississippi State wide receiver Kevin Coleman, Jr.: Six receptions, 118 yards, and one touchdown
- Mississippi State safety Isaac Smith: 12 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one pass breakup
What’s next
Lebby’s first season in Starkville comes to an end on a low note, but Bulldog fans have a lot to look forward to considering how the team battled all year, despite going toe-to-toe with some of the toughest programs in the country.
Ole Miss, on the other hand, is bowl-bound and still has a slim shot of earning a bid into the College Football Playoff. The Rebels will need help from multiple higher-ranked programs on Saturday and will know their fate on Selection Sunday in two weeks.
“We’re the team that showed that we can beat anybody,” Dart said. “I think, without a doubt, that we’re one of the best teams in the country.”
