By Staff
VICTORY Ole Miss offensive lineman Cliff Woodruff (74) hoists the Egg Bowl trophy following the Rebels' 24-12 victory over Mississippi State on Thursday in Oxford. AP Photo
By Austin Bishop / EMG regional sports director
Nov. 29, 2002
Eli Manning passed for two touchdowns Thursday night and ran for another to lead the Ole Miss Rebels to a 24-12 win over archrival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.
Not only did Ole Miss improve its edge in the 99-game history of the rivalry to 56-37-6, but the Rebels apparently locked up a postseason bowl bid. Last year, the Rebs were disappointed when they didn't go to a bowl game despite posting a solid 7-4 record.
This year Ole Miss will likely take part in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., with a record of 6-6. The Southeastern Conference has seven bowl tie-ins, and only seven bowl-eligible teams, so the Rebels are certain of a spot. The other bowl under consideration is the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn.
If Ole Miss goes to Shreveport, it will be the Rebels' third appearance in the Independence Bowl in five years. The last bowl game for Ole Miss came on Dec. 28, 2000, when the Rebels fell to West Virginia 49-38 in the Music City Bowl.
The loss brought a close to the second-straight disappointing season for the Bulldogs of MSU.
State finishes the year at 3-9, the worst record ever for a Jackie Sherrill-coached team. Three of his teams finished at 3-8 MSU in 2001, MSU in 1995 and Washington State in 1976. Sherrill is now 73-65-2 in his 12 years at Mississippi State and 178-110-4 overall in 25 seasons.