Rebels recapture the Golden Egg with gritty performance

The 120th edition of the Egg Bowl wasn’t pretty by any means. However, a strong defensive performance alongside a tough running game helped the Rebels recapture the Golden Egg Trophy on Thanksgiving Day.

Ole Miss took their regular season record to 10-2 with a 17-7 win over rivals Mississippi State. The victory means the Rebels recapture the Golden Egg, having lost the game in 2022.

In typical Egg Bowl fashion, the first half was ugly, with the defenses holding strong. The only points came from the foot of Caden Davis, kicking a 36-yard field goal.

On the field goal drive, it was the Quinshon Judkins show, sprinkled with some Ulysses Bentley and an unnecessary roughness call on MSU safety Corey Ellington.

Both teams combined for just 28 yards on their opening three possessions, with the Bulldogs having just six of those. The first nine possessions all resulted in punts, with the defenses on top alongside some nervy offensive plays.

It was the opposition who took the lead early in the second half. The Bulldogs offense diced through the Rebels defense, with quarterback Will Rogers rushing home from the 1-yard line.

Ole Miss replied with their own touchdown on the next drive. It was sophomore running back Judkins who did most of the damage on the drive, rushing for 54 yards. Judkins finished the possession with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Judkins finished the game with 119 rushing yards and a touchdown. The total took him past 1,000 yards on the season, a target that didn’t look possible after a slow start in the opening four games.

The Ole Miss offense started to get a flow together, especially in the run game. After an MSU three-and-out, the Rebels extended their lead with a Caden Prieskorn touchdown. It was the big tight ends second touchdown of the season, his first coming last week against ULM Warhawks.

After faking a block on a play-action pass, Prieskorn sneaked down the centre of the field to get himself wide open. Dart found the big man who walked it into the end zone.

The game fizzled out, with the only real action being a Bulldogs drive that resulted in a second missed field goal attempt from Kyle Ferrie.

The Rebels recapture of the Golden Egg was the third time Lane Kiffin has beaten Mississippi State from four attempts with Ole Miss.

Having been ranked number 12 by the CFP committee, the Rebels must now wait to see if any carnage happens above them, seeing them potentially compete in a second NY6 Bowl under Kiffin.

Whatever Bowl game Ole Miss competes in, it’s been another great season for Kiffin and the team.