On a beautiful, brisk fall day in late November, Mississippi State welcomed the Missouri Tigers to Davis Wade Stadium for the final home of the 2024 season before finishing out on the road against Ole Miss on Friday afternoon in the Egg Bowl. Mississippi State opened the game with a bit of swagger, going down the field and kicking a field goal to take a 3-0 lead over the visitors from Missouri, providing a shot in the arm to the Mississippi State fans at Davis Wade Stadium to give the Bulldogs the home field advantage on Saturday afternoon.

However, the fireworks were short-lived, as Missouri responded with a vengeance, jumping on the Bulldogs 14-3 before a masterful drive by Mississippi State before the quarter’s end to make it 14-10. As the first quarter turned into the second, Missouri added two touchdowns to the lead while holding Mississippi State to a field goal to take a 28-13 lead to the locker room.

Missouri opened the second half with the ball, taking nearly nine minutes off the clock before settling for a field goal to extend the Tigers’ lead to 31-13 over the Bulldogs. Davon Booth would take it 43 yards to the house for a Mississippi State touchdown to cut the lead to 31-20 with 5:25 on the clock in the third quarter. A missed field goal attempt from the Missouri Tigers breathed life into the Bulldogs as they felt the game within reach.

With cowbells echoing into the night sky at Davis Wade Stadium, the Bulldogs started the fourth quarter with momentum and were in scoring position. However, the drive stalled out with a turnover on downs, giving it back to Mizzou. Missouri would break the back of the Bulldogs, putting together a long, methodical touchdown scoring drive that extended the Tiger’s lead to 39-20 with 5:40 remaining on the game clock. A turnover on downs would give Missouri back the ball with a little over four minutes remaining.

Sure, another loss doesn’t feel the greatest to the Mississippi State fans, but Coach Lebby is building the program from the ground up and showed improvements on both sides of the ball against Missouri. With the Egg Bowl remaining, the Bulldogs now play for their pride in the maroon and white while laying the brickwork for the 2025 team to take the next step toward a brighter future for Mississippi State Football.

Mississippi State will shift the focus to the Egg Bowl on Friday as it looks to play off Ole Miss’s Florida loss. Ole Miss won the Egg Bowl last season in Starkville.

Photo Credits : Missouri and Mississippi State Football on X