OXFORD — A.J. Jefferson walked around Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with a big smile.
The Mississippi State senior defensive lineman was followed by all of his teammates as he showed off the new hardware that was about to be transported back to Starkville.
Jefferson hadn’t experienced the emotion of winning the Egg Bowl trophy since his freshman season in 2013. Three years ago, Jefferson saw Benardrick McKinney carry the Egg Bowl trophy around Davis Wade Stadium, so he wanted to do that before he graduated. Jefferson earned that chance Saturday and then led MSU’s victory lap following a 55-20 victory against Ole Miss in the Battle for the Golden Egg at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
“It feels great,” Jefferson said. “It just makes me feel like a sense of accomplishment, ‘Dang, we did it. We got the Egg back.’ ”
Jefferson took the trophy around to the pockets of MSU fans that were hanging around the cold stadium. As Jefferson did, McKinney, who now plays for the NFL’s Washington Redskins, popped into his mind.
It was the first win for the Bulldogs (5-7, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) in the rivalry since the 17-10 overtime victory in 2013 in Starkville.
MSU senior Fred Ross, whose 38-yard touchdown in the third quarter gave the Bulldogs a 34-20 lead, said it was tough to watch Ole Miss take its victory lap last season around Davis Wade Stadium.
“It was a sour feeling,” Ross said. “It feels so good to finally have that trophy back.”
Senior Richie Brown, who had four tackles, led a line of MSU players that raced toward the table with the Egg Bowl trophy in the south end zone as time wound down. Brown was one of the first to reach the trophy, and he helped lift it up to kick off the celebration.
“It was unreal. A lot of emotions,” Brown said. “We’ve waited for a while to get this trophy back. It’s exciting.”
The 35-point margin of victory is the Bulldogs’ fourth largest in the history of the rivalry, and the largest in the modern era (36 in 1916). It is the largest in Oxford, eclipsing a 22-point margin of victory in 1998.
MSU coach Dan Mullen improved to 5-3 in the rivalry, and 2-2 in Oxford. It is the Bulldogs’ first road victory in the series since a 31-23 win in 2010.
“It’s awesome,” Mullen said. “I’m not going to say it’s the biggest win, but every time you win it it’s awesome, and every time you lose it it’s awful because it sticks with you. Just what an unbelievable feeling to come in, to get that win and bring that trophy back to Starkville.”
Mullen walked into his post-game press conference with his family and a cigar in his right hand. He said it was smoky in the locker room and they handed him one. He didn’t light it up before talking to the media.
“I figured this might be a smoke-free media room, so I didn’t light up before I got in here,” Mullen said.
Senior safety Kivon Coman didn’t light his cigar, either, but he kept it in his mouth. He said they always have the cigars and have been waiting for the right win against a big enough opponent to use in the celebration. They were passed out on the field, and the smoke from the cigars eventually took over the locker room.
“There’s no other big team you want to beat other than Ole Miss when you play at Mississippi State,” Coman said. “It was very foggy. You had to take a shower and hurry up and get out of there. You didn’t want any part of that.”
Coman, who tied the team-high with eight tackles, said he couldn’t explain the feelings and emotions he experienced as he and his teammates ran toward the Egg Bowl trophy.
The win kept the Rebels (5-7, 2-6) from becoming bowl eligible for a fifth-straight season under coach Hugh Freeze.
MSU sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who broke the school’s single-game rushing record with 258 yards, also became the fifth SEC quarterback to surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark (1,246) in his first start in the Egg Bowl. During his redshirt year, Fitzgerald watched as MSU lost 31-17 in Oxford and saw former MSU quarterback Dak Prescott lose his final regular-season game last season.
“I still think it really hasn’t set in yet,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m sure whenever it does I’ll be jumping around for joy. It’s definitely up there in the top five moments of my life. That was awesome.”
Jefferson said MSU President Mark Keenum and new MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen, the school’s former baseball coach, made their way into the locker room to celebrate the victory. He said it was a crazy celebrating in the locker room and is something he won’t every forget.
“Just the smile and the energy from coach Mullen, the players and all the seniors,” Jefferson said. “I think I saw Richie and Fred holding hands and crying. I had to tell them to stop, ‘Stop. Man up.’ It was like a big family, happy. It was like Christmas and the Egg Bowl trophy was our present.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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