No. 8 Mississippi beats Mississippi State 31-21 in Egg Bowl

Updated Nov. 25, 2021 11:45 p.m. ET

Associated Press

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Snoop Conner ran for two touchdowns and No. 8 Mississippi scored 21 straight points to beat Mississippi State 31-21 on Thursday night in a windy, rainy and cold Egg Bowl.

Matt Corral ran for a touchdown and passed for 229 yards to help Ole Miss (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) overcome an early 6-3 deficit for a 24-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. Corral was 25 of 33 with an interception.

The Rebels finished with 388 yards of total offense, with Connor scoring twice on 1-yard runs during the decisive outburst. He rushed for 60 yards on 16 carries. Dontario Drummond had 13 receptions for 133 yards and Jerrion Ealy scored on a 15-yard run to make it 31-13 lead with 5:35 left.

Mississippi State's Will Rogers was 38 of 58 for 336 yards and an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Walley in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs (7-5, 4-4) added an 11-yard touchdown run by Jo’quavious Marks with 2:27 remaining, but could not pull within single digits.

The Bulldogs had 420 yards of total offense, primarily in the final period in the belated rally, but had trouble translating yards into points.

Makai Polk had 10 receptions for 98 yards and added a two-point conversion. Nolan McCord had field goals of 34 and 29 yards.

THE TAKEAWAYS

Mississippi: Winning a high-risk, high-reward match, was capped by the usual bragging rights. The Rebels won a school-record 10 regular-season games and wrapped up second place in the SEC West race. A New Year’s Six appearance appears likely, accompanied by a Top 10 ranking. Corral, already declared for the NFL draft, remains a dark horse in the Heisman Trophy chase.

Mississippi State: Despite the loss, the Bulldogs exceeded expectations in Mike Leach’s second season, beating No. 14 Texas A&M, No. 24 North Carolina State and winning four of the last six starts. Rogers passed for 300-plus yards for the 10th time this season as Mississippi State trends upward toward postseason play.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

No. 8 Ole Miss is in position to move up to a season-high spot pending the results of weekend rivalries.

UP NEXT

Mississippi: Awaits a bowl bid, most likely a New Year’s Six appearance.

Mississippi State: Awaits a bowl bid.