Frank Fanelli

Jordan Ta’amu threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns, Jordan Wilkins ran for two scores and Mississippi upset No. 16 Mississippi State 31-28 on Thursday night. Ole Miss held off a late Mississippi State rally to win the Egg Bowl for the fourth time in six seasons. The Rebels had a 10-6 lead at halftime and broke it open in the second half with touchdown passes of 77 yards to A.J. Brown and 63 yards to D.K. Metcalf.

Check out Brown’s 77-yard TD catch:

Brown, who is the SEC’s leader in yards receiving, had six catches for 167 yards! He legit could not be stopped. Wilkins had 110 yards rushing on the ground to add to the fact. Mississippi State was a two-touchdown favorite, but had to play most of the game without starting quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. The game took a rough turn late in the first quarter when Fitzgerald took a snap and ran to the left before being tackled to the ground. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior immediately grabbed at his right leg, which was bent at an awkward angle. He was down for several minutes before being carted off the field.

Fitzgerald came into the game with 968 yards rushing this season, which was the most for a quarterback in the SEC. Without him, the Bulldogs turned to true freshman Keyton Thompson, but the offense wasn’t nearly as effective until the fourth quarter when it was little too late.

The Bulldogs trailed 31-13 with 8:23 remaining, but scored two touchdowns to pull to 31-28 with 1:05 left. Ole Miss recovered the onside kick to seal the victory with under two minutes left. Mississippi State hurt itself with five turnovers. The five turnovers consisted of two interceptions and three fumbles.

Here’s Ole Miss celebrating with the Egg Bowl Trophy:

What’s Next for Both Teams: 

Ole Miss – It’s a sweet ending to a rough season for the Rebels. Ole Miss has a TRULY eventful offseason ahead of it. The reason why is because the program is still awaiting word on its full punishment from the NCAA in its rules infractions case against the school. The Rebels will also decide if they’ll keep interim coach Matt Luke or turn to someone else. I think if they truly can’t find anyone for the job, they are in good hands with Luke as he did a decent job coming into this role. Postseason for the Rebels? Nope, Ole Miss’ season is over. The Rebels aren’t eligible for the postseason because of a self-imposed bowl ban related to that NCAA infractions case.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs had all the momentum coming into Thursday’s game, but Fitzgerald’s injury changed all that in a hurry. I expected them to blow out Ole Miss, but as soon as the injury happened, you could clearly tell they were done. The Bulldogs look forward to their eighth straight trip to a bowl game as well.