Ian Sparks
The college football landscape is changing, and it is changing fast. With conference realignment on the threshold, the anxiously anticipated “Rivalry Week” will look very different with the new scheduling format. Fortunately, though, Ole Miss and Mississippi State’s heated rivalry will continue – the annual fight for the Golden Egg survives.
This year’s game, however unexciting on the offensive side of the ball, ended with Ole Miss returning the highly touted trophy back to Oxford by way of a 17-7 four-quarter battle.
Both teams came into this year’s game with a completely different goal: MSU sought bowl eligibility, and Ole Miss yearned for its second 10-win regular season under Lane Kiffin.
For MSU, this season comes on the back of losing beloved Head Coach Mike Leach at the end of last season, a season which was capped with the Bulldogs topping Kiffin and the Rebels in what was Leach’s last-ever game. Leach had only spent a few seasons in Starkville, but he was leading the Bulldogs to a positive future before his unfortunate passing. Kiffin expressed what many in Starkville and around the country felt by saying how he missed Leach.
“He was an amazing person and always had such great stories, always enjoyed being around him,” Kiffin said on his weekly radio show. “I feel like he was brilliant in kind of a different way than maybe the coach-speak thing. He was really brilliant that he could have a system, run the same system for 20-30 years and it would still work. I mean, he came into the SEC and threw for 600 yards on LSU that time. Nobody’s done that.”
This year’s showdown was not as wacky as some previous Egg Bowls, but the fierce competitiveness and the simple need to not lose was prevalent, as always. The Rebels came into the matchup as double-digit favorites, which they ended up achieving.
That being said, the Bulldogs gave the Rebels all they could handle. Possessing two of the SEC’s top tacklers in Bookie Watson and Jett Johnson, MSU was in a good spot deep into the second half. The Bulldogs took their first and only lead of the game early in the third quarter with a Will Rogers touchdown run, only for Ole Miss and the ever-present running back Quinshon Judkins to respond shortly thereafter.
The Rebels would expand their lead to 10 with a Caden Prieskorn touchdown that ultimately sealed the deal on this year’s Egg Bowl
Offensive MVP: Quinshon Judkins
After Dart was temporarily knocked out, Judkins gained extra motivation to put the offense on his shoulders, as if he needed any in the first place. He ran as if he was angry at the ground, bouncing off of tacklers and dragging them with him, too. He rushed for 128 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown, averaging 4.3 yards a carry.
Defensive MVP: entire defense
Giving defensive MVP to the entire defense might seem unrewarding, but the whole unit truly deserves it. Though Daijahn Anthony led the team in tackles, and Deantre Prince had a sack, the defensive contribution as a whole was what won Ole Miss this game. Dart was banged up from a previous injury, and it just was not a good game offensively. The defense stepping up as much as it did was crucial.
Shining moment: Dart’s first down run late in fourth quarter to seal win
This was selected for multiple reasons, one being that it confirmed the win. Two, it confirmed everything we knew about Jaxson Dart: He is as tough as they come. He was momentarily knocked out, came out for a play, then played on as if nothing happened. With this run, he initiated contact with a defender to run him over to get the first down. If and when he officially makes his decision to come back for one more year, he could be up for some very prestigious awards this time next year.
Needs improvement: getting healthy
As Ole Miss awaits what bowl game it will get, the priority is now to get as healthy as possible. It is unclear if O-lineman Micah Pettus will be available for whichever bowl Ole Miss gets, plus it will give Dart and many others time to receive treatments for their various ailments.
Up next: potential NY6 Bowl?
Ole Miss could find itself on the outside looking in in terms of a New Year’s Six bowl, despite conflicting arguments from many sides. The fact is that Ole Miss has beaten some quality teams and have lost just two games at Alabama and at Georgia, unarguably two of the toughest places to play in the country against one of the best and the best college football teams in the nation.
The Rebels will know their fate soon enough, but for not, they are in a state of waiting.
