Egg Bowl brawl: Ole Miss, Mississippi State players throw punches, benches clear in fracas
Multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were assessed in the aftermath of the melee in Starkville
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Sidelines cleared during a brief melee in the second quarter of Friday's Egg Bowl between No. 7 Ole Miss and rival Mississippi State. Multiple players were whistled for offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after the Rebels and Bulldogs had to be separated following a sack and strip of Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
After video review of the play, the fumble was ruled an incomplete pass and penalties were assessed. Bulldogs defensive tackle Jaray Bledsoe appeared to throw a punch, but was not penalized after the melee, which began when Ole Miss tight end Dae'Quan Wright began jawing with Tyler Lockhart, leading to him pulling on the Mississippi State player's facemask.
BENCHES CLEARED AT THE EGG BOWL 😱
— ESPN (@espn) November 28, 2025
Ole Miss and Mississippi State got into it 😳 pic.twitter.com/WSJItpWAN1
Ole Miss wideout Deuce Alexander and offensive lineman Delano Townsend were called for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, along with Mississippi State linebacker Malick Sylla.
Rebels coach Lane Kiffin told ESPN as he went into the halftime locker room that the officials let the game get out of hand with extra-curricular activities. He also made sure to call out the Mississippi State side, including athletic director Zac Selmon.
"We just try to play clean football, for a whole sideline to try to fight and leave the [sideline], including their athletic director, I've never seen anything like it," Kiffin said. "I'm just reminding the [officials], we're just trying to play clean football here. We're not trying to start a fight here. Our guys stayed on the sideline like they're supposed to."
Before kickoff in Starkville, Mississippi State students reportedly broke into the Ole Miss locker room and stole the jersey of Chambliss, per Kiffin. The competitive on-field battle may be overshadowed by Kiffin's murky future with the Rebels. In spite of Ole Miss' success over the past few seasons, Kiffin is mulling a move to fill the head-coaching vacancy at either LSU or Florida.
The buzz grew so loud that Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter had to release a statement revealing that Kiffin will make his final decision on Saturday after the Egg Bowl.
