The Egg Bowl returned to its Black Friday slot on Nov. 28 with an 11 a.m. kickoff, and the stakes were clear before the first snap. Ole Miss arrived needing a win to persevere in the College Football Playoff race. Mississippi State entered trying to keep its bowl hopes intact. Davis Wade Stadium filled quickly, and the quarterback decision that surfaced before the game shaped the rest of the afternoon.

Jeff Lebby handed the offensive start to true freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor rather than sixth-year senior Blake Shapen, a move that marked a clear shift toward the future. This was Taylor’s first career start. His mobility carried the Bulldogs early, and his 35-yard touchdown run in the second quarter ripped momentum back toward Mississippi State.

After the game, Lebby explained his decision.

Lebby said, “Yeah, really, really hard decision for me as we got back from Missouri, thought about it nonstop on Sunday. And for me, it was as hard as it was to make, the result hadn’t been what we needed.

“And for us, I felt like things had not been great up front. Who’s the guy that has the ability, man, to make a couple of plays when things aren’t perfect, and [Taylor] had done some good things and felt like it was the right time. And again, for me, incredibly hard because of my love for Blake, his toughness, how he has led, and continues just to be exactly who he’s supposed to be.”

Photos from the game

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Brooks Surber

Ole Miss controlled the game behind Rebel quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who was the most dominant player on the field. He threw for 359 yards and four touchdowns and repeatedly capitalized on explosive plays in the passing game. Mississippi State struggled to contain Ole Miss on the perimeter, and the Rebels crossed the 540-yard mark as they dictated the tempo from start to finish.

Mississippi State trailed 24-13 at halftime and never closed the deficit. Ole Miss opened the third quarter with another long scoring drive that forced the Bulldogs into obvious passing situations. Mississippi State continued to find occasional flashes of offense, but Ole Miss controlled every key moment and removed any chance of a comeback.

Taylor reflected on his debut start with honesty and composure.

“I feel like I could have executed a lot better,” Taylor said. “There was some stuff on the field, I wish I could get some plays back. But going into this, Coach Lebby made sure I was confident. Blake was a very good support with me. Helping me learn what they’re doing, what they’re trying to do, how they’re trying their best with me. They were very supportive. So I wanted to be very comfortable.”

He also talked about Shapen’s impact on his development.

“Our relations is like he’s my big brother,” Taylor said. “I told him earlier today he’s the reason I came so far as a freshman. I would go in there, pick his mind, and compete with him every day, and he has been a great support to me. ”

Despite the loss, the quarterback storyline never left the center of the conversation. The choice to ride with Taylor was clearly about long-term direction. Lebby emphasized that point.

“We are building this the right way,” Lebby said. “You look at us from year one to year two, there’s been great growth and I think anyone can see that. I think we’ve got somebody, a man who’s going to catch a snap every single down that’s going to be an elite player in this conference, in America. And so, building it the right way around him, creating stability for him will be huge. We must go get the pieces that we need up front offensively, and that will be a huge point of emphasis as we get ready for the portal piece of it.”

Ole Miss also entered rivalry week carrying one of college football’s biggest storylines. For much of November, Lane Kiffin’s future hovered over the program as reports linked him to several high-profile jobs, including LSU. Days before the Egg Bowl, athletic director Keith Carter said an announcement on Kiffin’s status would come after the game, and national outlets reported LSU was finalizing a massive offer. Inside the program, players and staff braced for the possibility that Friday might be Kiffin’s final game on the Ole Miss sideline.

The timeline accelerated after the 38-19 win over Mississippi State, which secured the first 11-win regular season in school history. A Sunday team meeting, originally set for 9 a.m., was delayed until early afternoon. When players arrived, Kiffin wasn’t there. Carter told them he was leaving and that defensive coordinator Pete Golding would take over and lead the Rebels into the College Football Playoff.

Soon after, Kiffin posted a statement confirming he was taking the LSU job. He said he had asked to coach Ole Miss through the playoff run but was denied. By then, financial details were already public: LSU had offered a seven-year, $91 million deal, placing Kiffin near the top of college football’s salary scale.

The fallout in Oxford was immediate and emotional. Video showed Kiffin boarding a plane to Baton Rouge as fans booed from behind a fence, and a photo of clothes left on a rack outside an athletic facility circulated online as a symbol of the bitterness. Reports suggested players had confronted Kiffin late in the week, frustrated that the LSU rumors were overshadowing their playoff push. National reaction centered on the messy timing. Kiffin said the portal and recruiting calendar forced his hand, but he still left a playoff-bound team now preparing for a title chase with a new head coach.

For Ole Miss, the win capped an 11-1 regular season and strengthened the Rebels’ playoff case. For Mississippi State, the loss dropped the Bulldogs to 5 and 7 and left them hoping for an unlikely APR opening to extend the season. As fans filtered out of Davis Wade, the disappointment was obvious, but so was the clarity. Mississippi State saw the quarterback who can guide the next chapter, and it saw glimpses of the identity that Lebby intends to develop.

The Egg Bowl always leaves a mark, and this one will be no different. The scoreboard was frustrating, but the direction became clearer. Taylor showed toughness, explosiveness and leadership in a rivalry setting that tests everything a player has. The future came into focus, even on a day when almost nothing else went Mississippi State’s way.

Mississippi State will now face the pressures of Early Signing Day as it tries to flip recruits and capitalize on the monstrous 2025 coaching carousel. The early signing period will begin on Dec. 3 and extend to Dec. 5.