Mississippi State Football: Bulldogs Comeback Effort Falls Short in the Egg Bowl

Mississippi State Football: Bulldogs Comeback Falls Short in the Egg Bowl

The 2020 Egg Bowl featured first-year head coaches for the first time since 1938. Mike Leach and Lane Kiffin are not strangers to each other, but the Egg Bowl is a different football environment. The Bulldogs and the Rebels both come into this game with losing records. In this rivalry, records are thrown out of the window.

Mississippi State has held on to the Golden Egg Trophy for the last two years. Ole Miss came into the game as an eleven point favorite. You can throw the oddsmakers’ opinions out the window too.

This game started about as weird as any Egg Bowl I have ever seen. Both coaches turned the ball over on downs early in the ball game. Ole Miss would strike first on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Matt Corral to Dontario Drummond.

The Bulldogs would march down the field, but Austin Williams would fumble the ball, and Deane Leonard would return the ball 84 yards. Ole Miss would score a few plays later on another 4th down attempt on a one-yard run by Snoop Connor.

The Bulldogs would finally get on the scoreboard with a 4 play 75-yard drive. Rogers would find Malik Heath for the 6-yard score. The Rebels would waste little time responding as Corral found Braylon Sanders for an eighty-one-yard touchdown.

With the Rebels leading 21-7, the Bulldogs needed to respond. Rogers marched the Bulldogs down the field and would find Marks on a crucial 4th and one play to keep the drive alive. Rogers would find Malik Heath again for an eleven-yard touchdown as the Bulldogs would go into halftime down 21-14.

In the third quarter, the Bulldog defense would come alive to keep Ole Miss out of the end zone. Unfortunately, the Bulldog offense could not take advantage of the continued gifts by Lane Kiffin. Ole Miss would drive into the red zone, surely looking for a touchdown. The Bulldogs defense would hold the Rebels to a field goal as the lead would increase to 24-14.

Rogers would march the Bulldogs down the field into scoring position. He would find Jaden Walley on a beautiful one-handed catch. The Bulldogs would score a few plays later as Rogers would find Austin Williams across the middle. This time Williams would not fumble and would not be denied.

With the score is now 24-21, Mississippi State would need their defense to stop the Rebels once again. The Rebels would convert two crucial third downs, and a pass interference penalty would get the Rebels in the red zone.

Jerrion Ealy would score as the entire Rebel offensive line created a convoy to the endzone. The Rebels now lead 31-21. Mississippi State would have one last possession as time is just not in the Bulldog’s favor.

Mississippi State would add a field goal with 2:08 remaining. Mississippi State would force the Rebels to punt, and only a miracle score would keep the game in play. Rogers would find Spivey on a 41-yard catch. A last-second heave to the endzone would fall incomplete, and the Rebels would reclaim the Egg Bowl Trophy.