Ole Miss takes Golden Egg back to Oxford after beating Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WLOX) - The golden egg is back in Oxford after Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State in the 94th annual Egg Bowl Thursday night in Starkville.

Two of the nation’s most high-powered offenses met Thanksgiving night in Starkville, braving a little rain and wind for the most anticipated rivalry game in the Magnolia State. The sound of hundreds of cowbells filling Davis Wade Stadium, however, wasn’t enough to push the Bulldogs to a win.

A defensive slugfest broke out in the first half, with neither team putting together a fluid drive until midway through the second quarter, at which point State led 6-3 by way of two field goals.

With just over two minutes left in the half, Snoop Conner notched the game’s first touchdown from just a yard out to make it 10-6 entering the break. Less than five minutes into the third quarter, he did it again, putting the pressure on Will Rogers and the Bulldogs.

Putting on the pressure is something Sam Williams has done all season, and he did it again Thursday with one of his two sacks of the night.

Coach Lane Kiffin knows he can nearly ice it with a scoring drive, and Matt Corral puts the finishing touch on it to make it a three-possession game. A Jaden Walley touchdown gave the Dawgs a prayer, but nothing more than that as Jerrion Ealy turned the lights out on the next drive.

Ole Miss beat Mississippi 31-21, keeping the Golden Egg in Oxford and giving Lane Kiffin his second rivalry win.

Ole Miss finishes the season with 10 wins for the first time in program history, while Mississippi State ends with a record of 7-5. Next up for both teams is waiting to see where they’ll play come bowl season.

Next year, the Dawgs will head to the Grove for the 95th annual Egg Bowl, which will again be held on Thanksgiving Day.

The two teams have played every year since 1944, with 23 of those games falling on Thanksgiving.

Although the teams first met back in 1901, the awarding of the Golden Egg would not begin for another 26 years in 1927. And, the term “Egg Bowl” was said to be coined by The Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson when they printed the headline “Egg Bowl is Up For Scramble.”

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