Ole Miss ‘pisses away’ Egg Bowl in dramatic loss to Mississippi State

This is one of those Egg Bowl stories that will live on for generations.

In the midst of a comeback at Mississippi State’s Davis Wade Stadium on Thanksgiving, Ole Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore made one of the biggest celebration gaffes in the history of college football.

Trailing 21-14 in the final minutes of the contest, Moore hauled in a touchdown pass for the Rebels on what appeared to be a game-tying play with four seconds remaining.

Emphasis on appeared.

What happened next sent grandmothers into a tizzy in an effort to shield the eyes of young ones around the country on this holiday evening.

In the jubilation of the catch, Moore decided to get on his knees, walk around the end zone like a dog and then lift his leg as though he was a canine marking his territory.

The mocking of the Mississippi State mascot cost him a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which ultimately would cost the Rebels a chance to win the game.

As you may have predicted by now, the penalty would come back to haunt the Rebels on the extra point attempt.

Ole Miss kicker Luke Logan was asked to tie the game with an extra point that was now 35 yards away.

He pushed it to the right. Mississippi State survived with a 21-20 victory in Starkville.

Ole Miss coach Matt Luke offered his thoughts on the debacle in a downtrodden post game interview:

The win push Mississippi State into bowl eligibility at 6-6, which should perhaps take some of the heat off second-year coach Joe Moorhead after what many considered a letdown in his second year with the Bulldogs.

You can catch Moorhead’s post-Egg Bowl comments here:

Perhaps this throws additional fuel on the fire of one of the most intense in-state rivalries in the country. Perhaps it turns that rivalry into a punchline for the next few years.

It’s no Cal-Stanford “band on the field” type of theatrics, but in the state of Mississippi it will be referenced on a near-daily basis until those involved are old and grey.

Cover photo of Ole Miss WR Elijah Moore by Rogelio V. Solis of the Associated Press.