'Throw Out The Records': Mississippi State Interim Coach Greg Knox Discusses Egg Bowl
Lane Kiffin is coaching in his fourth Egg Bowl Thursday night when Ole Miss travels to Davis Wade Stadium. As for Mississippi State interim coach Greg Knox, he'll be making his debut as the leading man for the Magnolia State's biggest rivalry.
But it won't be his first Egg Bowl.
Knox, who's coached for over three decades at the collegiate level, primarily in the Southeastern Conference, spent three seasons on Tommy Tubberville's staff as the Rebels' receivers coach from 1996-1998. A decade later, he returned to the sidelines of Vaught-Hemingway and Davis Wade, only this time under Dan Mullen.
Thursday will be Knox's 14th Egg Bowl, and he knows how one play could change the course of an outcome at the most opportunistic time.
"One thing about this game, you can take the records and you can throw them out," Knox said in his Monday presser. "It doesn’t matter if you’ve won one game or if you’ve won 10. When that foot hits the ball, you have to line up and you have to play."
The Rebels (9-2, 5-2 SEC) are looking to clinch their second 10-win regular season in program history. The Bulldogs (5-6, 1-5 SEC) are looking to clinch bowl eligibility for the 14th consecutive season, so both teams have something to play for.
Even still, the Egg Bowl is for bragging rights. Last season's 24-22 win for the Bulldogs capped off the first eight-win season since 2018. It also marked the final victory for Mike Leach, who tragically passed away weeks following the showdown in Oxford.
Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (left) talks with Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) during a time out during the first half against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Knox isn't wrong about the "record being thrown out," either. The Bulldogs have been without star quarterback Will Rogers since their early October win over Western Michigan. Last week, he returned to snap a three-game losing streak against Southern Miss, throwing for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
On the flip-side stands Jaxson Dart, who continued to build off his sophomore season with promising results. He's coming off another 300-plus yard, multi-touchdown outing in the home finale over Louisiana-Monroe.
For the season, Dart's thrown for 2,889 yards and 19 touchdowns against five interceptions, six fewer than 2022.
"He’s very confident in what he’s doing," Knox said of Dart. "He plays with a sense of maturity, throws the ball well, knows where he wants to go with it. He’s just a complete package. When the protection breaks down, he can run. I like his style, his attitude. He’s the key to their offense."
As an offense, the Rebels are averaging 36.5 points per contest, 18th-most among FBS schools. They're also averaging 468.9 yards per game, which ranks third among SEC teams.
"They score a lot of points," Knox said. "Their quarterback is a very, very good player. They play with great tempo, and the put points on the board, so we have to have ourselves ready to go."
The 120th edition of Egg Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. All-time, Ole Miss holds a 64-47-6 edge in the series.
