Mississippi State football's Egg Bowl loss jeopardizes bowl hopes — but doesn't end them

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football had a chance to make things interesting late Thursday against Ole Miss. After all, the Egg Bowl is known for the craziness it brings on Thanksgiving.

Freshman kicker Kyle Ferrie lined up from 50 yards out with a chance to cut Ole Miss' lead to seven midway through the fourth quarter. The kick was on its way toward splitting the uprights, but the ball bounced off the crossbar.

Fittingly, it landed short to all but cap a 17-7 loss in a season where MSU (5-7, 1-7 SEC) didn't live up to the high expectations set from last season's nine-win campaign. Mississippi State hasn't beaten Ole Miss (10-2, 6-2) at Davis Wade Stadium since 2019.

Can Mississippi State still make a bowl game?

Despite falling short of six wins, Mississippi State still has a chance to extend its 13-year bowl streak. The Bulldogs have the fourth-best Academic Progress Rate (APR) among teams with four or five wins.

There are 82 bowl spots to fill. As of Thursday night, only 68 teams have clinched a bowl berth. James Madison and Jacksonville State both have exceeded six wins and would take priority if extra teams are needed. Both programs are otherwise ineligible for a bowl bid because of rules during their transition from FCS to FBS.

Will Rogers gets goal line redemption, but offense struggles

MSU won last year’s Egg Bowl in Oxford, but it didn’t come without a scare. The Bulldogs had a chance to put the game away late, but quarterback Will Rogers fumbled at the goal line. Ole Miss scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession but failed to convert the two-point conversion, giving MSU the victory.

Rogers got his redemption Thursday. After coming up short of the end zone on a first down run, Rogers kept the ball on second down for a score. The touchdown put MSU ahead 7-3. It was Rogers’ first rushing touchdown of the season and the second of his career (2020).

That touchdown turned out to be the lone score for an MSU offense that could finish last in the SEC in points per game.

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DeShawn Page ejected for targeting

MSU was without senior linebacker DeShawn Page for most of the second half. He was ejected in the third quarter after being penalized for targeting.

Page was ruled to have led with his helmet when tackling Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart on a third down scramble. The penalty kept the Rebels from having to make a fourth-down decision on a play that would’ve been run with Dart on the sideline.

Ole Miss went on to score its first touchdown later on the drive, regaining a 10-7 lead.

Greg Knox takes field on 4-wheeler

A video centered on riding a 4-wheeler from motivational speaker Inky Johnson has provided fuel during Greg Knox’s stint as interim coach following the firing of Zach Arnett on Nov. 13. So, Knox took it a step further for the biggest game of the season.

Knox led Mississippi State from the locker room and onto the field while riding a 4-wheeler. During an interview with ESPN prior to taking the field, Knox explained how the 4-wheeler symbolized MSU’s ability to overcome adversity.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State's Egg Bowl loss hurts bowl hopes but doesn't end them