No. 6 Ole Miss beats Mississippi State in Battle for the Golden Egg; Kiffin decision up next

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Trinidad Chambliss threw for 359 yards and four touchdowns, and No. 6 Mississippi beat Mississippi State 38-19 Friday in the Battle for the Golden Egg.

The win was the 11th in the regular season for the Rebels, marking the most regular-season wins in school history. The Rebels accomplished the feat in the midst of head coach Lane Kiffin’s name being heavily linked to the open LSU job.

“It’s an unbelievable job by these players. We only returned two starters from last year, so, for these guys to overcome adversity throughout the year, play really well — they played a great second half today,” Kiffin said. “I’m just happy for our fans, for our players. All the stuff they dealt with all week from outside people saying they were distracted, there was noise. This is what these guys do. They’ve been doing it for a long time. I think it actually brings them together and they play (well) because of all the stuff outside.”

Chambliss led an offense that racked up 546 yards. The senior transfer from Division II Ferris State was 23 of 34 passing. De’Zhaun Stribling had two of those touchdowns and four catches for 66 yards. Deuce Alexander had two catches for 94 yards, including a 88-yard score in the fourth quarter that put the game away.

The Rebels (11-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) also had a big day on the ground, rushing for 187 yards on 39 carries, with Kewan Lacy accounting for 143 yards on 27 carries.

It’s now decision time for Kiffin. The coach is set to make a decision on his future on Saturday and will announce whether he will go to LSU or stay in Oxford, but his decision was not made by the end of the game on Friday.

“I’ve got a lot of praying to do to figure that out,” Kiffin said. “But right now I’m just going to go enjoy these players. I told them last night, ‘You’re going to win your 11th game and all I want to do is experience joy watching you.’”

After Ole Miss built a 14-7 lead in the first quarter, the Bulldogs' defense picked up and gave the team a chance in the second to gain some momentum. Mississippi State drove the ball inside the red zone and was held to a field goal that made it 14-10.

Over the final 1:45, the Rebels drove the ball down the field and Chambliss hit Stribling for a tough catch and touchdown in the final seconds to take a 21-10 lead at the half.

“The first two drives and the way we started were not what we anticipated or what we wanted,” MSU coach Jeff Lebby said. “We settled in and I think the next four drives we played really well. They were able to go down and score a touchdown in a two-minute drive with 11 seconds left which is not what we wanted. The explosive plays and the way they were able to throw and catch was what gave them the ability to go away from us.”

The Bulldogs had over 400 yards of offense themselves. Jeff Lebby made the surprise change at quarterback and played talented freshman Kamario Taylor the entire game. The Macon native finished his first start 15 of 31 passing for 178 yards and had 20 carries for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

Mississippi State (5-7, 1-7 SEC) finished with 440 total yards on 74 plays with 262 of those on the ground. Fluff Bothwell rushed 17 times for 80 yards and Brenen Thompson had six catches for 80 yards.

The Bulldogs' defense was the issue in the game as Coleman Hutzler’s unit gave up over 500 yards for the sixth time in two seasons.

Ole Miss: The Rebels had a lot of distractions coming into the week with the status of Kiffin being up in the air. Despite the coach being rumored to be the next head man at either Florida or LSU, the Rebels didn’t play like a team distracted and should have sealed up a playoff berth.

Mississippi State: After a 4-0 start this season, the Bulldogs closed the regular season 1-7 and will likely miss out on a bowl for the third-straight season. Jeff Lebby has started his coaching career 7-17 and is now 1-15 in SEC play with zero home conference wins.

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Mississippi running back Kewan Lacy (5) follows the block by offensive lineman Patrick Kutas (75) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi State, Frifday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor (1) is pursued by Mississippi defensive tackle Will Echoles (52) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Frifday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor (1) stiff arms Mississippi cornerback Jaylon Braxton (2) as he runs for 22-yard touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game Frifday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State defenders get entangled a Mississippi wide receiver Cayden Lee (19) runs past with a first down pass reception during the first half of an NCAA college football game Frifday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) is pushed out-of-bounds by Mississippi State cornerback Kelley Jones (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Frifday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill praised Connor Bedard's all-around game a day after the center was left off Canada's roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics.

The 20-year-old Bedard is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. He skated before practice on Monday and could return this month.

Bedard ranked among the NHL leaders with 19 goals and 25 assists in 31 games before he got hurt on Dec. 12 at St. Louis. Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said Wednesday that Bedard was in the mix “right there to the last second,” and the injury wasn't much of a factor in the decision.

While acknowledging the difficulty of finalizing Canada's roster for the 2026 Games, Blashill took aim at some of the conversation surrounding Bedard in his third season since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.

“I don't think the rest of the league knows how good of a two-way winning hockey player Connor has become,” said Blashill, who was hired in May. “That's the one thing probably, and I don't know why. Maybe it's based on previous years. But I don't think they have a full understanding of how good a winning hockey player he is today.”

Bedard was a gifted offensive playmaker long before his NHL debut in October 2023. But the other parts of his game have come a long way since he first joined the Blackhawks.

He is a plus-eight this season after he had a plus-minus rating of minus-80 while playing on two last-place teams in his first two years in the league. He has won 47% of his faceoffs, up from 38.3% last season.

Blashill indicated that some of the reservations about Bedard have more to do with the limitations of defensive metrics than the center's play on the ice.

The Blackhawks went 13-12-6 in their first 31 games with Bedard, who still could be added to Team Canada as an injury replacement. They are 2-6-1 since he got hurt.

“That's the impact he's had. That's the type of two-way player (he is),” Blashill said before Thursday's 4-3 victory over Dallas. “You don't have that impact if you're just a point-getter. You only have that impact if you're a true two-way kind of winning player, and that's what he's become.”

Chicago also has been playing without Frank Nazar, who was placed on IR on Sunday after he was hit in the face by a puck during a 6-4 loss at Ottawa on Dec. 20. He is expected to be sidelined for approximately four weeks.

The Blackhawks lost another center when Jason Dickinson left Tuesday night's 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Islanders with an unspecified injury. But Dickinson skated on Thursday morning and played almost 19 minutes in the win against the Stars.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill, top, talks to players during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars in Chicago, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill, top, talks to defenseman Artyom Levshunov during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars in Chicago, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill, top, watches players during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars in Chicago, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill, top, watches players during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars in Chicago, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill reacts to a call during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)