Ole Miss went from potentially tying the game against Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl last night to an embarrassing one-point loss thanks to the antics of wide receiver Elijah Moore.
Moore caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Rebels quarterback Matt Corral with four seconds remaining to bring the game within one point.
However, what would’ve been an easy extra point for Ole Miss kicker Luke Logan to tie the game was pushed back to field-goal range after Moore was flagged for his touchdown celebration.
Moore got down on all fours and lifted his leg to imitate a dog peeing, which triggered a 15-yard penalty on the ensuing play.
The celebration was reminiscent of former Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf doing the same celebration in the 2017 Egg Bowl. Metcalf copied wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. after he infamously did the crude celebration while he was with the New York Giants.
Logan missed the 36-yarder, sealing the win for Mississippi State.
“I apologize to my teammates, coaches and Rebel Nation for my actions at the end of the game,” Moore said in a statement. “It was an emotional moment, and I deeply regret it. It does not represent who I am or who we are as a team, and I will grow stronger from this mistake.”
While it’s not guaranteed that Logan would’ve made the extra point had it been within normal range, Logan has hit a reliable 95.7% of his extra point attempts throughout his three-year collegiate career.
Ole Miss was not guaranteed a win in overtime, but they would’ve at least had a chance to win the game if Logan was in a better position to tie the game.
“We want to apologize formally as a program to the Ole Miss family for the disappointing and unacceptable action that occurred at the end of Thursday’s game,” Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke and athletics director Keith Carter said in a joint statement. “Elijah is a fine young man who lost control of his emotions in the moment. This incident does not reflect in any way the type of student-athletes on our football team or the culture of respect that permeates our locker room. Discipline is a staple of our program as evidenced by being the least penalized team in our league, and we will continue to uphold an uncompromising standard of behavior on and off the field. In maintaining our team’s high level of accountability, we will address the matter, and disciplinary action will be handled internally.”