Rogers leads Mississippi State to victory in Egg Bowl
Will Rogers passed for two touchdowns and Mississippi State stopped a potential game-tying 2-point conversion with 1:25 remaining to preserve a 2422 Egg Bowl win over No. 20 Mississippi on Thursday night in Oxford, Miss.
Mississippi State (8-4, 4-4 SEC), which snapped a twogame losing streak in the series, rallied from a 16-7 deficit in the second quarter with a 10-point outburst in the fourth quarter. Massimo Biscardi hit a go-ahead 34yard field goal before Rogers connected on a 22-yard touchdown pass to Rara Thomas to build the 24-16 lead with 7:58 remaining.
Ole Miss (8-4, 4-4 SEC) answered when Jaxson Dart threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Dayton Wade with 1:25 left, capping a 99-yard drive and closing within 24-22.
After two Ole Miss timeouts to set up the 2-point try, a shuttle pass from Dart was batted down to preserve Mississippi State's the advantage. J.P. Purvis recovered the ensuring onside kick to seal it, setting off a postgame celebration undimmed by steady rain.
Rogers finished 27 of 39 passing for 239 yards, including converting 8 of 16 on third down.
Vols to NCAA: Pruitt `deceived' monitors
Tennessee is defending itself against the NCAA's Level I charge of failing to monitor the football program, saying former coach Jeremy Pruitt and nine others fired “repeatedly deceived” administrators and compliance staff overseeing the program.
“The University respectfully submits that it is unrealistic to expect an institution to prevent, or immediately detect, the intentional and concealed misconduct that occurred in this case,” Tennessee wrote in the 108page response dated Monday and obtained first by Knox News on Thursday.
Tennessee started an internal investigation following a tip on Nov. 13, 2020, and found what the university chancellor called “serious violations of NCAA rules.” Pruitt and nine others were fired for cause in January 2021, negating Pruitt's $12.6 million buyout after he went 16-19 in three seasons.
No. 18 North Carolina meets longtime rival
North Carolina didn't handle its first game well after clinching a spot in the ACC championship game.
The 18th-ranked Tar Heels get another shot, this time coming off a loss and facing fierce rival North Carolina State.
Today's game closes the regular-season schedule before UNC (9-2, 6-1 ACC) takes on No. 7 Clemson in the league championship game in Charlotte on Dec. 3. It marks another test for Mack Brown's team on keeping its focus with the title game in the distance — a test the Tar Heels didn't handle well in a surprising 21-17 home loss to four-win Georgia Tech.
It was the first true stumble of the season for star UNC quarterback Drake Maye and a high-scoring offense, and the defense couldn't get a final stop late to get the ball back for a chance to win.
AAC title at stake for Tulane, Cincinnati
Many expected this to be a rebuilding season for the Cincinnati Bearcats, who saw nine players selected in the 2022 NFL draft from the team that reached the CFP semifinals.
Despite injuries and inconsistency this season, coach Luke Fickell's No. 21 squad is in a familiar spot: looking to win the American Athletic Conference championship for the third straight season.
It all comes down to today's showdown at Nippert Stadium between Cincinnati (9-2, 6-1 AAC) and No. 19 Tulane (9-2, 6-1 AAC). The winner will win the AAC regular-season title.