Mississippi State is going bowling for the fourth straight season, a feat never achieved in program history until now. They could not have done in with much more dramatic flair, coming from behind against Ole Miss with a late field goal and an overtime victory, 17-10. A fumble by Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace was recovered by Mississippi State to cap a wild win in the Egg Bowl.
Mississippi State capped a 13-play drive with a 36-yard field goal by Evan Sobiesk with 2:21 to play. The kick tied the game at 10-10 and gave the home team the momentum they needed to capture what seemed like an improbable Egg Bowl victory against Ole Miss (7-5, 3-5 SEC). After forcing the Rebels to go three-and-put on the ensuing possession, Mississippi State had a chance to take the lead with another late field goal, but Sobiesk’s attempt sailed wide right this time, which led to the game going in to overtime.
A fourth down gamble close to the end zone paid off for Mississippi State on the first overtime possession. After a timeout, Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott ran right up the middle on fourth down and two yards to go inside the five-yard line for a touchdown to put the pressure on Ole Miss. Just when it looked as though Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace was going to run in to the end zone, the ball was knocked loose and Mississippi State recovered the football in the end zone to clinch the win in crazy fashion.
The win for Mississippi State (6-6, 3-5 SEC) makes the Bulldogs eligible for postseason play. Mississippi State is now the 10th team from the SEC to be eligible for the postseason, although the Bulldogs will likely be at the bottom of the SEC bowl pecking order when it comes time for bowls to choose their participants. The SEC is likely to get two teams in to the BCS bowls, but Mississippi State will still probably e in a position to wait and see what other bowls are in need of teams once the SEC bowls get through their selections.
Regardless of where they are heading, getting to a postseason game still feels like an accomplishment for Mississippi State after losing three straight to put them in a must-win situation in their final two games of the year just to get to a bowl game. An overtime victory over Arkansas kept the goal alive and an Egg Bowl victory made it a reality.