As Jeffery Simmons, a junior defensive lineman from Macon, was interviewed, he held a cigar in his hand. The sweet, smoky smell from the players’ cigars filled the air as they relished in their victory and receiving the Golden Egg back.
“I think they started that before I got here,” Simmons said. “Win the Egg Bowl, and you get a cigar. We came up here and took care of business. To come up here and win this game, and do our job, to celebrate on their field, and like I said payback, that is something that we wanted.”
Kylin Hill, a sophomore running back from Columbus, steamed up the middle to get into the end zone on a 6-yard gain. This gave MSU the early lead in the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss continued to be unable to stop the run as Aeris Williams, a senior running back from West Point, and Nick Fitzgerald, a senior quarterback from Richmond Hills, Georgia, ran the ball down the field and filleted the Landsharks with MSU’s second touchdown drive of the game.
Hill would finish the game with 108 yards and 309 total yards rushing, Williams would have 65 to finish the game and Fitzgerald would have 117 rushing yards. Hill said the team found success on the ground thanks to the success of the offensive line.
“Our offensive line did a tremendous job,” Hill said. “There was some that I left on the table because I’m still trying to get back into the game. I feel like we were going to run the ball on any team when everything is clicking.”
Hill picked up possibly the biggest gain of the first half with a 30-yard gain to pick up a first down. A pass interference against Ole Miss gave MSU the ball at the 9-yard line, and Fitzgerald rifled a ball to Deddrick Thomas to make it a 21-3 lead.
“A lot of momentum knowing we were going to get the ball in the second half to start with,” Moorhead said. “Great protection in man-to-man coverage. Deddrick did a good job getting a man spun, and Nick put it on him. Certainly a good way for us to head into the locker room.”
Fitzgerald rushed into the end zone with a 9-yard gain to put the Bulldogs up 28-3. He had to scramble to the pylon, but he got his third touchdown of the game. Fitzgerald would finish with three touchdowns, beating Ole Miss for the second time in his career.
“It felt great, it really did,” Fitzgerald said. “To go through something like that your junior ear, and luckily, I had some time to come back for a whole other season. It felt amazing to know the people that kind of caused it and getting to go to their house and you get to dominate them on their field in front of their fans, it was huge,”
MSU’s Maurice Smitherman made a big interception to keep Ole Miss out of the end zone, as he tore away the ball and saved a would-be touchdown from being scored.
“He kind of beat me off of the line,” Smitherman said. “He went up for the ball and I just took it out of his hands. I think he had it for a little bit and I just took it away from him. I think I’ve done it a couple of times in practice.”
Smitherman described how he felt as he took the ball out of the receiver’s hands, knowing he made an interception.
“It was a great feeling, I just took it out of his hands,” Smitherman said. “It was a great feeling, and my teammates were celebrating. We were emotional about this game.”
The only fight the Landsharks put up in their 35-3 defeat in the Egg Bowl was at the end of the third quarter. It appeared Ole Miss scored on a 41-yard touchdown pass, but the game clock had expired, ending the third quarter. A bit of jawing quickly turned into punching, helmet pulling, and the Mississippi State University and Ole Miss football players went into an all out brawl on the field.
Head coach Joe Moorhead was not please with the fight.
“That is not what I want it to be. I want our players to play with class and poise,” Moorhead said. “I was trying to get the guys off of the field. Certainly that extracurricular stuff during the game and after the game is not going to be tolerated by me.”
The fight did not take away the joy of the victory for Moorhead, as he said he was as happy as a lark during his post-game press conference. However, he emphasized his displeasure with the behavior of the team at the end of the third quarter and after the game.
“It is sad how that went down,” Smitherman said. “We just have to keep our composure for the most part. That is not who we are, but he (Moorhead) told us we are not going to back down from anyone either.”
Aeris Williams joined the scoring party with a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs a 35-3 lead over the Landsharks. MSU would end the game not giving up a single touchdown, and just 189 yards on offense. Moorhead said the defense played phenomenally.
“I have watched these guys (Ole Miss) all season, when we are going against guys they are in our breakdowns,” Moorhead said. “The explosiveness, the run game and in the pass game. For us to be able to do what we did defensively speaks volumes, not only for this game, but what we have been able to do all season.”
As the team ran over to the blue table the Golden Egg sat on, and carried it to celebrate with the fans and band, Simmons described the feelings and importance of the win.
“It felt good, just bringing that egg back to Starkville,” Simmons said. “Especially with coach Moorhead’s first one. It is big to everyone around Mississippi State, everyone who supports us. All I can say is it is pretty big.”
