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Oxford, Miss. • Bo Wallace threw for 294 yards and five touchdowns, Donte Moncrief caught three TD passes and Mississippi pulled away in the second half to beat No. 25 Mississippi State 41-24 on Saturday night.
Ole Miss (6-6, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) won the Egg Bowl for the first time since 2008, breaking Mississippi State's three-game winning streak in the series. The Rebels also earned bowl eligibility for the first time since 2009.
Mississippi State (8-4, 4-4) made a field goal late in the second quarter to tie the game at 17-17 going into halftime. But the Rebels reeled off 24 straight points in the second half to push past the Bulldogs.
Moncrief caught seven passes for 173 yards and tied a school record with three receiving touchdowns. Jeff Scott added 111 yards rushing.
Chad Bumphis led Mississippi State with six catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Russell completed 18 of 33 passes for 268 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Ole Miss finished with 527 yards.
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen's brash personality has added some spice to the Egg Bowl in recent seasons, with the Bulldogs dominating the series and not being afraid to gloat about it.
Houston Nutt's inability to beat Mississippi State was one reason Ole Miss fired him after last season, and new coach Hugh Freeze has matched Mullen's intensity.
This time, it was the Rebels who had reason to celebrate.
The heightened emotions Saturday were evident even at the coin toss, when the captains from both teams had to be separated by officials.
And the action started early with Ole Miss needing less than two minutes to score a touchdown. Wallace found Moncrief for a 42-yard completion on the second play of the game, and the Rebels scored two plays later on a 25-yard pass to Jamal Mosley. —