Quinshon Judkins rushed for a touchdown, Jaxson Dart passed for a touchdown and No. 12 Ole Miss shut down Mississippi State’s offense in a 17-7 Egg Bowl victory Thursday night in Starkville, Miss.
The Rebels (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) led just 3-0 at halftime before Judkins, who finished with 119 yards on 28 carries, sparked the offense in the second half.
Will Rogers passed for 207 yards and ran 1 yard for the only touchdown by the Bulldogs (5-7, 1-7), who saw their 13-season streak of bowl appearances come to and end.
On Mississippi State’s first possession of the second half, Rogers completed all four of his passes for 47 yards during a 71-yard drive that ended with his touchdown and a 7-3 lead.
The Rebels responded with Judkins rushing six times for 40 yards, the last 2 of which came on a touchdown that gave Ole Miss a 10-7 lead at the end of the third quarter.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Dart converted a fourth-and-3 from the Mississippi State 41 by throwing a 7-yard completion to Jordan Watkins. Three plays later, Dart threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Caden Prieskorn for a 17-7 lead.
The Bulldogs tried to make it a one-score game, but Kyle Ferrie’s 50-yard field-goal attempt hit the crossbar and fell short with 6:28 remaining.
Both teams punted four times during a scoreless first quarter, and on the second play of the second quarter, the Bulldogs punted for a fifth time.
The Rebels put together the game’s first successful drive on the ensuing possession, moving 66 yards in 13 plays before stalling. Caden Davis kicked a 36-yard field goal to give Ole Miss a 3-0 lead.
On the Bulldogs’ last possession of the first half, they entered Rebels territory for the first time, reaching the 24 before stalling. Ferrie was wide left on a 42-yard field-goal attempt with 15 seconds to go, leaving Ole Miss with a 3-0 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media