Melee mars Mississippi State’s Egg Bowl win

TOP 25/SEC

NO. 18 MISSISSIPPI STATE 35, MISSISSIPPI 3

OXFORD, Miss. — Nick Fitzgerald ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score to lead No. 18 Mississippi State over Mississippi 35-3 on Thursday night in an Egg Bowl marred by a fight in the second half that led to four ejections.

Mississippi State looked as though it would cruise to a fairly uneventful victory before Ole Miss receiver A.J. Brown appeared to score a touchdown at the end of the third quarter. Players immediately started shoving, and the fight spilled into the end zone while both benches emptied onto the field.

Mississippi State’s Cameron Dantzler, Jamal Peters and Willie Gay Jr. were ejected, along with Ole Miss’ C.J. Moore. The referee said every player on both teams received an unsportsmanlike penalty. Gay was ejected because he already had one unsportsmanlike penalty earlier in the game.

Brown’s touchdown was called back because time had expired in the third quarter before the play began.

As for the game, Mississippi State (8-4, 4-4 SEC) won by sticking to what it’s done best all year: Running the ball effectively and playing terrific defense. The Bulldogs gained 122 yards rushing in the first quarter to set the tone and built a 14-0 lead by early in the second quarter.

Fitzgerald ran for 117 yards on 18 carries. Kylin Hill added 108 yards rushing.

Ole Miss (5-7, 1-7) ended the season on a five-game losing streak. The Rebels’ passing offense — which has been among the best in the SEC this season — never got going against the Bulldogs.

Jordan Ta’amu completed just 8 of 17 passes for 87 yards and 1 touchdown.

The game delivered a vintage performance from the Bulldogs, who were fantastic on defense and did just enough on offense. It’s been an up-and-down regular season for Mississippi State, but back-to-back big victories over Arkansas and Ole Miss make it look better.

It was an ugly end to the season for the Rebels. The offense could never get going and the defense couldn’t consistently stop Mississippi State’s running game.