OXFORD — The final score — 55-20 — is what people will remember for generations.
But it’s likely people won’t remember how the Mississippi State football turned what appeared to be a matchup of fairly even teams into a lopsided result in the annual battle for the Golden Egg before an announced crowd of 66,038 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald helped MSU earn a lop-sided victory against Ole Miss by rushing for 258 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Sophomore Aeris Williams added 191 yards and two more touchdowns on 25 carries to enable MSU to snap Ole Miss’ two-game winning streak in the series.
The 35-point was the largest margin of victory for the Bulldogs in the series since 1916, and was the most points scored on Ole Miss by MSU since 1915.
When asked about his team’s performance in the second half, MSU coach Dan Mullen said, “I am really proud of our kids, what they have been through this year, a lot of adversity. … This team never gave in, and I am so proud of them.” With the win, Mullen improved to 5-3 in the Egg Bowl.
When asked about the importance of the win, Fitzgerald said, “To end (the season) on something as high as this, a big time Egg Bowl win, is phenomenal.”
Williams, who was a standout at West Point High School, added, “I am very excited. I just thank God and the offensive line. They did a great job blocking today.”
The game turned from a nail-biter into a one-sided affair on two fourth-down plays in the third quarter. After MSU had ran out to a 27-10 lead behind Fitzgerald and Williams in the second quarter, Ole Miss closed the gap to 27-20 by the end of the half. After holding MSU to a three-and-out to start the second half, the Rebels moved 42 yards in nine plays, all on the ground, to set up a fourth-and-1 at the MSU 18-yard line. But the Bulldogs stopped senior running back Akeem Judd for a 1-yard loss.
“The fourth down in the first possession of the third quarter was crucial,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. “I felt the energy in the whole place kind of went down there. There was good energy at the beginning of the second half on the sideline and in the stadium. … There is no question that was a crucial play.”
The Bulldogs then moved to the Ole Miss 38 in eight plays and faced a fourth-and-3. Fitzgerald completed a short crossing route to senior receiver Fred Ross, who followed a great block by Williams to the end zone for the 38-yard touchdown that made it 34-20.
“It (the fourth-down play) was big,” said Ross, who had only one catch in his final regular-season game. “Coach called the right play. They weren’t ready for it, and I caught the ball, flew down the sideline, and Aeris (Williams) had a great block and lead me to the end zone.”
Said Mullen said, “You could see by halftime that the team that made the most plays was going to win, and fortunately for us, we made a few more plays than they did and that ended up being the difference in the game.”
MSU, which ran for 457 yards, controlled the line of scrimmage and the clock the rest of the way. The Bulldogs added three more touchdowns after the fourth-down play. Fitzgerald scored on a 61-yard run later in the quarter and on a 30-yard run in the fourth quarter.
“I was surprised at the way we didn’t stop the run,” said Ole Miss defensive coordinator Dave Wommack, who is retiring after 38 seasons said. “I really thought we would do well against it. They did a great job adjusting to the different looks that we gave them.”
Mullen said establishing the running game early helped the Bulldogs set the tone.
“We had to keep mixing up the looks with different formations to run the ball to keep them on their toes,” Mullen said.
MSU improved to 5-7 and improved its chances to earn a bowl berth if all of the spots aren’t filled by 6-6 teams. The loss prevented Ole Miss (5-7) from becoming bowl eligible and likely ended a season that started with the Rebels as a dark-horse pick to challenge for the SEC Western Division title.
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