oples prediction for wooden spoon at the start of the season but theyre on the verge of finals football and look to be a highly professional outfit on and off the football field. Theyve showed they ar

OXFORD, Miss. -- Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen arrived at the postgame press conference with a wide smile on his face and a cigar in his right hand.It was unlit. He said that wasnt the case in the locker room.Its pretty smoky, Mullen said.The Bulldogs had good reason to celebrate on Saturday night following a dominant 55-20 road victory over rival Mississippi in the Egg Bowl.Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald ran for a school-record 258 yards and two touchdowns and also threw for three touchdowns to bring The Golden Egg trophy back to Starkville after two years in the Rebels possession.The Bulldogs (5-7, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) have won five of eight Egg Bowls under Mullen. This rivalry victory -- in front of a 66,038 fans on the Rebels home turf -- was particularly impressive.Every time you win it, its awesome, Mullen said. Every time you lose, its awful. Because it sticks with you. What an unbelievable feeling.The Bulldogs finished with 457 yards rushing and averaged nearly 10 yards per rushing play. Aeris Williams added 191 yards rushing and two touchdowns, but it was Fitzgerald who had the biggest gains, including runs of 70 and 61 yards.Its a phenomenal feeling, Fitzgerald said. Its always great when youre running and no ones around you. To do it in a big time game like this in front of this crowd -- its unreal.Ole Miss (5-7, 2-6) was led by freshman quarterback Shea Patterson, who threw for 320 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Akeem Judd led the Rebels with 107 yards rushing.Mississippi State jumped out to a 27-10 lead by midway through the second quarter largely thanks to big running plays for Fitzgerald and Williams. Ole Miss has struggled with its linebacker play all season and the Bulldogs were eager to exploit that weakness in the middle in the field, hitting the Rebels again and again for big gains.Ole Miss rallied late in the second quarter with 10 straight points to pull within 27-20 by halftime, but the Rebels were outscored 28-0 in the second half. By the fourth quarter, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was strangely quiet except for a small contingent of Mississippi State fans who cheered every moment.It stinks and I hate it for the fans, the university, the seniors and everybody involved with this program, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. Its a very disappointing night.THE TAKEAWAYMississippi State: The Bulldogs earn a satisfying ending to the regular season after several frustrating moments this fall. Whats even better for Mississippi State: Several of the teams star players like Fitzgerald (sophomore), Williams (sophomore) and linebacker Leo Lewis (freshman) should have plenty of football left in Starkville.Ole Miss: Its been a disastrous season for the Rebels, who started as the No. 11-ranked team in the country. A porous defense, combined with season-ending injuries to key players like quarterback Chad Kelly and cornerback Kendarius Webster was too much for Ole Miss to overcome.BREAKING RECORDSFitzgerald ran for a 70-yard gain in the first quarter to break the school record for yards rushing by a quarterback. The previous record was 986 by Dak Prescott during the 2014 season. Fitzgerald entered the game with 985.WOMMACKS LAST STANDOle Miss announced about an hour before the game that defensive coordinator Dave Wommack would retire following this season. It was a tough final game for the veteran coach -- the Rebels gave up 566 total yards.Freeze didnt rule out big changes outside of Wommacks departure.We will look at everyone and everybody, Freeze said. That starts with me. When you cant stop their base stuff, its the process or the people. We will evaluate both and weve got to recruit better. Ill be looking for a coordinator that can bring toughness and physicality to our program and players.-----More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . Amos Rusie Jersey . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Robby Thompson Jersey . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/2376u-willie-mays-jersey-giants.html . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Orlando Cepeda Jersey . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. Mike McCormick Jersey . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. A month out from the NRL finals and its a frantic race to secure a top 8 spot but four doesnt go into two. ESPN has studied the numbers to reveal who will survive and who will go on Mad Monday.PANTHERSCurrently 7th on 24 points (For and Against: +3)Matches remaining - Knights (A), Tigers (H), Titans (A), Sea Eagles (H)Key player: Nathan Cleary - He may be an 18 year old rookie but he plays with the calmness and control of a seasoned star. If he continues his fine form theres no reason the Panthers cant go deep into the playoffs.Why they will make the finals: They appear to have the most favourable run home of the four teams fighting for the two remaining spots, and they should win all four games and may even push further up the ladder if they play to current form.Why they wont make the finals: Their roster is extremely talented but it is also young and relatively inexperienced in big games. Dealing with pressure isnt something anyone can train for so Penriths entire campaign rests on how their young stars deal with the weight of expectation.Predicted Finish: 6th on 32 points - I expect the Panthers to win all of their remaining fixtures and finish the regular season with 32 competition points. That could even be enough to reel in the battling Brisbane Broncos, who face a difficult month of fixtures leading into the NRL finals.WARRIORSCurrently 8th on 24 points (For and Against: -7)Matches remaining: - Rabbitohs (H), Cowboys (A), Tigers (H), Eels (H)Key player: Shaun Johnson - Its no scoop but the Warriors halfback is the key to almost everything they do. He is the NRLs most dangerous player in broken play, and he must be highly involved for them to achieve anything this season.Why they will make the finals: Nobody in the history of rugby league has ever been able to tip the Warriors with any great confidence but they are tougher to beat at home and that SHOULD be enough for them to qualify for September football.Why they wont make the finals: The Warriors are a tipsters nightmare and they can find a way to blow it. even when the equation seems set in stone. Call me foolish but I am backing them in ... but they have let me down before.Predicted Finish:?8th on 30 points - The Warriors are blessed with three of their remaining four games at home and I believe they can win those and may drop the away game to the Cowboys. But they cant afford to be complacent as a poor for and against could be the difference between finals footy or Mad Monday.TIGERSCurrently 9th on 24 points (For and Against: -47)Matches remaining: - Titans (A), Panthers (H), Warriors (A), Raiders (H)Key player: Mitchell Moses - Has really stepped up in the absence of Luke Brooks and Robbie Farah and looks to be realising his true potential.dddddddddddd. If he can maintain, or even build on, his current form when/if the other two return to the side then Wests Tigers can cause major headaches for the NRL heavyweights.Why they will make the finals: Their confidence is sky-high and there is no more dangerous side when confident. They are also unpredictable and difficult to stop when they have momentum and they have a lot of that right now after three straight wins.Why they wont make the finals: May have left their run of form a little too late. Jason Taylor has copped plenty of criticism for his decision to drop Tigers great Robbie Farah but they have since gone on to score their first hat-trick of wins for the season. Current form warrants finals footy but they may just run out of games.Predicted Finish: 9th on 28 points - The Tigers are arguably in their best form of the season but face a tricky run home against three equally desperate sides also chasing finals qualification before finishing with a game against one of the form teams of the competition in Canberra. Close but not close enough.TITANS- Currently 10th on 23 points (For and Against: +7)Matches remaining - Tigers (A), Knights (A), Panthers (H), Cowboys (H)Key player: Jarryd Hayne - Seems strange to suggest a player who hasnt been there all year holds the key to their season, but it is a luxury to add someone of Haynes quality at this stage of the campaign. Theyve got this far without him so if he fires the Titans will do more than just make up numbers.Why they will make the finals: The Titans were many peoples prediction for wooden spoon at the start of the season but theyre on the verge of finals football and look to be a highly professional outfit on and off the football field. Theyve showed they are capable of defying the odds and dont seem to let pressure affect them.Why they wont make the finals: I am a little concerned that halfback Ashley Taylor might go into his shell after the arrival of Jarryd Hayne. Taylor seemed content to take a back seat to Hayne against the Warriors but he is one of the main reasons the Titans are in playoff contention and the 21-year-old must remain chief playmaker.Predicted Finish:?10th on 25 points - A positive points differential, albeit a small one, is an advantage and the fact they have their most difficult games at home will also help. The Titans have had an excellent season and surprised almost everyone but I still see them falling just short of the playoffs in 2016. ' ' '