Ole Miss sends Sherrill out with loss; now waits on LSU
By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
Nov. 28, 2003
STARKVILLE Mississippi State looked nothing like a team that had won just two games.
Inspired by pre-game laud for head coach Jackie Sherrill in the final game of his career, the Bulldogs took the field with a zeal long forgotten at Scott Field.
With Davis Wade Stadium shaking under the feet and cowbells of thousands of fervent fans, Mississippi State took to the gridiron to send the winningest coach in school history out in the manner he deserved.
And then the game started.
In the face of driving rains and determined Rebels, the Bulldogs melted to in-state rival Ole Miss as the No. 17 Rebels took a 31-0 win in the annual Battle for the Golden Egg.
With the win, Ole Miss finishes its regular season 9-3 overall and 7-1 in the Southeastern Conference. The Rebels clinched at least a share of the SEC West title for the first time.
"Seven-and-one records in the Southeastern Conference aren't easy to come by," said Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe. "That clinches at least a share of the (SEC West) title. That's exciting because there hasn't been any kind of football title won in 40 years (at Ole Miss)."
Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, playing in his final regular season game, threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-27 passing. His counterpart, Bulldogs senior Kevin Fant, was sacked three times and completed just 14-of-28 passes for a meager 91 yards.
"There's no question his brother has worked with him a lot," said Sherrill, comparing the Rebels quarterback to his brother, former Tennessee All-American Peyton Manning. "At this stage, from what I remember of Peyton, Eli is farther along. There's no quarterback in the country better than Eli right now."
The loss gave Sherrill a 75-75-2 record for his Bulldogs career. He won just eight games in his last thee seasons.
"We wanted to win this for coach Sherrill and the young guys, to give them hope for next year," said MSU wide receiver Justin Jenkins. "All we needed was a win to get their heads up."
Mississippi State never came close to getting that win. After two straight stops in the first quarter, the Bulldogs were always one step behind their opponents and sometimes themselves.
The Rebels gave MSU chances to stay in the game, as wet footballs cost Ole Miss two scoring chances in the first half. Leading 7-0 early in the second quarter, Manning lost the ball on a quarterback sneak at the MSU 21. On the Rebels' next drive, Manning turned the ball over again in Bulldogs territory on a fumbled snap. Both fumbles were recovered by Bulldogs senior linebacker T.J. Mawhinney.
Mother Nature could not hold the Ole Miss offense forever, though, and neither could Mississippi State's defense. Midway through the second period, Manning hit tight end Lawrence Lilly for a juggling reception inside the Bulldogs five-yard line. dove forward for the catch and the Rebels' second touchdown.
Manning said patience was key after Ole Miss was stuffed on its first two possessions.
"We couldn't get going at first," Manning said. "We had some dropped balls and didn't play as well as we wanted to. But we started making some plays and running the ball well."
Facing in a blowout in his final game, Sherrill had no time for patience such as Manning's. After another fruitless MSU drive was answered by a Johnathan Nichols field goal that put the Rebels up 17-0 in the second quarter, Sherrill yanked quarterback Kevin Fant and replaced him with Kyle York.
The sophomore back-up met with as little success as had the senior starter. York was 0-for-3 in his brief appearance.
Brandon Jacobs added a late touchdown with just 15 seconds remaining in the first half that gave Ole Miss a 24-0 halftime lead.
"The weather played to our advantage once the game got rolling, because we got a lead," said Rebels defensive coordinator Chuck Driesbach. "Both teams are playing on the same field with the same ball, and we were able to score 31 points."
Fant returned at the beginning of the second half, but his brief sabbatical brought him no new fortune.
The only thing Mississippi State did better than Ole Miss was to make mistakes. The Rebels blundered through a possession late in the third quarter and punted, but Bulldogs returner Nick Turner muffed the catch. Taye Biddle recovered for Ole Miss at the MSU 23.
Two plays later, wide receiver Chris Collins caught a quick pass near the sidelines and kicked out of a low tackle attempt before sprinting 23 yards for a touchdown. The score gave the Rebels a 31-0 lead after the third quarter.
The Bulldogs nearly broke the shutout in the fourth quarter. Spurred by Turner's 39-yard run to the Ole Miss 34-yard line, Mississippi State cracked the Rebels 10-yard line with about 10 minutes remaining.
As it has done all season, the Bulldogs offense squandered the opportunity. Fant overthrew wide receiver Justin Jenkins on fourth down for a drive-ending incompletion.
The loss sent the Bulldogs to a 2-10 record. It was the team's third straight sub-.500 season.
"We played hard every single play, every single snap," Mawhinney said. "It just wasn't our year. If it went wrong, it just went wrong. That's the way it works in this game."
