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Ole Miss, Mississippi State Melee Breaks Out As Players Scrap Over Loose Ball in Egg Bowl

It didn’t take long for frustrations to boil over during Friday’s game in Starkville, Miss. between the Rebels and Bulldogs.
Dan Lyons|
Ole Miss, Mississippi State players shove each other after a loose ball early in the Egg Bowl.
Ole Miss, Mississippi State players shove each other after a loose ball early in the Egg Bowl. | via ABC

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Ole Miss RebelsMississippi State Bulldogs

The Egg Bowl is one of college football’s most contentious rivalry games in years that don’t feature College Football Playoff ramifications and the specter of the sport’s biggest coaching decision. With less than four minutes left in the half, Mississippi and Mississippi State players started scrapping after what appeared to be a fumble by Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.

On second-and-8 from the Bulldogs’ 39-yard line, MSU linebacker Malick Sylla laid a hit on the Ole Miss quarterback, forcing what looked like a potential fumble. Bulldogs linebacker Nic Mitchell and Rebels wide receiver Cayden Lee were among those who quickly dove for the ball, and as players on both sides began to scrap for the loose ball, a shoving match broke out. Soon, players and coaches were running onto the field, and it looked like a full-on brawl might begin.

Luckily, referees got things settled down, and ultimately got to reviewing the sitution. Chambliss was deemed to have thrown a forward pass on the play, and no players were ejected for their roles in the fracas. Mississippi State forced a punt, and kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive to cut the Rebels' lead to 14–10. Ole Miss quickly added another touchdown and head to the half up 21–10.

It’s not surprising that this Egg Bowl has some added animosity. Ole Miss is dealing with its own internal turmoil as it awaits the fate of coach Lane Kiffin, who is down to either staying with the Rebels or heading to LSU after declining an offer to take over at Florida. Ahead of Friday’s game, Kiffin mentioned that Mississippi State fans broke into the Mississippi locker room multiple times last night, stealing Chambliss’s jersey in a 3 a.m. caper.

Just another Thanksgiving weekend in the state of Mississippi.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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