Watch: Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach, Student-Athletes Talk Egg Bowl Victory
Mississippi State's defense held strong against Ole Miss on Thursday night, and the offense came back to claim the 24-22 victory over the Magnolia State rivals.
The Bulldogs (8-4, 4-4) finished the regular season with a third-place finish in the SEC West secured. The Rebels finished with the same record but sit in fourth place in the divisional standings.
Quarterback Will Rogers went 27-of-39 passing for 239 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and three fumbles. Running backs Jo'quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson were the top offensive players of the game, recording a combined 149 yards on the ground with Marks punching in the lone score.
Defensively, DeCamerion Richardson and Nathaniel Watson had 10 tackles each, while Emmanuel Forbes and Jett Johnson totaled nine. Randy Charlton broke up the late Ole Miss two-point conversion attempt to seal the deal for MSU.
Charlton described what he saw on the play in a postgame press conference.
"We practice the same play in practice 24/7," Charlton said. "Just stuck my hand out, tried to just hit the ball."
Mike Leach won his first Egg Bowl as Mississippi State's third-year head coach after falling to Lane Kiffin and his Rebs in both 2020 and 2021. The victory serves as one of the biggest moments in Leach's time with the Bulldogs, as he finally climbed over the hurdle. He met with members of Mississippi State's media after the game and explained his mentality throughout the matchup.
"I figure, you know, in my case and everybody else's, just go out and do the best you can," Leach said. "You know, your best is always enough, that's all you've got.
Hear everything Leach and his players -- including Rogers, Watson, Charlton and Johnson -- said after the game using the link below.
