Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Ole Miss Rebels Match Player Stats On Nov 26, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Nov 26, 2016

Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald ran for a school-record 258 yards and two touchdowns and passed for three more as visiting Mississippi State routed Mississippi 55-20 in the Egg Bowl rivalry game on Saturday in Oxford, Miss.

Mississippi State (5-7, 3-5 SEC) prevented the Rebels -- who were 11th in the AP preseason poll -- from becoming bowl eligible.

Ole Miss (5-7, 2-6) had a difficult time stopping Fitzgerald in the zone-read attack. Fitzgerald averaged 18.4 yards on his 14 carries, breaking off a 70-yard run in the first quarter, a 61-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and a 30-yard scoring rush in the fourth.

Bulldogs running back Aeris Williams picked up 191 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.

Fitzgerald, a sophomore who completed 8 of 17 passes for 109 yards, broke Dak Prescott's school single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Fitzgerald ended the season with 1,243 yards.

Bulldogs defensive back Cedric Jiles punctuated the victory with a 74-yard interception return with 2:59 left.

Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson, a true freshman making his third start in place of injured Chad Kelly, completed 27 of 48 passes for 320 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also gained 73 yards on 13 carries.

Mississippi State led only 27-20 in the third quarter before receiver Fred Ross had his only catch of the game, turning a short pass on fourth-and-3 into a 38-yard score. Fitzgerald's 61-yard touchdown run came on the team's next possession and the Bulldogs poured it on from there.

Mississippi State scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives in the first half to take a 27-10 lead. The fourth TD came on a 24-yard pass to wide-open receiver Malik Dear as Ole Miss was fooled by Fitzgerald's rollout to the left.

The Rebels regained momentum on the next drive, with a fake punt leading to a 25-yard scoring pass to receiver Damore'ea Stringfellow. Ole Miss added a 36-yard field goal in the final minute of the half to cut its deficit to 27-20.

The home team has won 11 of the past 13 meetings in the rivalry. The Rebels had won two in a row in the series.