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OXFORD, Miss. (AP) Nick Fitzgerald ran for career-high 258 yards and two touchdowns and also threw three touchdown passes to lead Mississippi State over Mississippi 55-20 in the Egg Bowl on Saturday night.
Mississippi State (5-7, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) has won five of eight Egg Bowls under coach Dan Mullen. This victory - in front of a 66,038 fans on the Rebels' home turf - was particularly impressive.
The Bulldogs finished with 457 yards rushing and averaged nearly 10 yards per rushing play. Aeris Williams added 191 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Ole Miss (5-7, 2-6) was led by freshman quarterback Shea Patterson, who threw for 320 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Akeem Judd led the Rebels with 107 yards rushing.
Mississippi State jumped out to a 27-10 lead by midway through the second quarter largely thanks to big running plays for Fitzgerald and Williams. Ole Miss has struggled with its linebacker play all season and the Bulldogs were eager to exploit that weakness in the middle in the field, hitting the Rebels again and again for big gains.
Ole Miss rallied late in the second quarter with 10 straight points to pull within 27-20 by halftime, but the Rebels were outscored 28-0 in the second half.
THE TAKEAWAY
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs earn a satisfying ending to the regular season after several frustrating moments this fall. What's even better for Mississippi State: Several of the team's star players like Fitzgerald (sophomore), Williams (sophomore) and linebacker Leo Lewis (freshman) should have plenty of football left in Starkville.
Ole Miss: It's been a disastrous season for the Rebels, which started as the No. 11-ranked team in the country. A porous defense, combined with season-ending injuries to key players like quarterback Chad Kelly and cornerback Kendarius Webster was too much for Ole Miss to overcome.
BREAKING RECORDS
Fitzgerald ran for a 70-yard gain in the first quarter to break the school record for yards rushing by a quarterback. The previous record was 986 by Dak Prescott during the 2014 season. Fitzgerald entered the game with 985.
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