Mississippi State Interim head coach Greg Knox looking ahead to Egg Bowl, impressed with Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State interim head coach Greg Knox met with the media on Monday as the Bulldogs look ahead to facing No. 12 Ole Miss on Thanksgiving in the annual Egg Bowl game.
“Egg Bowl week, so here we go,” Knox said. “Our guys are excited for an in-state rivalry game. They know the importance of it and it has been building since the end of the (Southern Miss) game.”
Knox took over the program after Zach Arnett was fired following the loss to Texas A&M on November 11. The Bulldogs are coming off a 41-20 victory over Southern Miss on Saturday.
Knox told the media the Bulldogs are excited about the game and have to get ready to play.
Knox knows the two sides of this rivalry from coaching on both staffs. He was at Ole Miss under Tommy Tuberville from 1995-98.
“It is physical, tough and in-state. Mississippi kids. Going against each other, they played against each other, it’s challenging.”
Mississippi State interim head coach Greg Knox
Knox added that the Egg Bowl is one game in which you can throw the records out when the two play.
“It doesn’t matter if you won one game or if won ten. When that foot hits that ball on (Thursday) night. You have to lineup and you have to play.”
Greg Knox
Ole Miss rolls into Starkville with a 9-2 overall record and a 5-2 mark in the SEC after a 35-3 victory over ULM Saturday.
“They’re are really good on offense and they score points,” Knox said of head coach Lane Kiffin’s Rebel offense.
This season, the Rebels have averaged 36.45 points per game and over 5,100 yards of total offense through 11 games.
“Quarterback (Jaxson Dart) is a very very good player,” Knox said. “They play with great tempo. They put points on the board.”
Dart is headed into his second Egg Bowl. This season, he has thrown for 2,889 yards with 19 touchdowns to only five interceptions through the 11 games. Dart has also run the ball for 347 yards and seven touchdowns.
“He is confident,” Knox said of the Ole Miss QB. “I watch a confident guy throw. I have kind of been watching him all year. I have watched him throughout the season being confident in what he’s doing. Plays with a sense of maturity. Throws the ball well and knows where he wants to go with it,” he added.
“(Dart) is a complete package. When the protection breaks down he can run. I like his style and attitude. I think he’s doing a really good job for them.”
Interim head coach Greg Knox on Jaxson Dart
Ole Miss and Mississippi State will add the latest chapter to the record books on Thursday night in the Battle for the Golden Egg at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Adam Brown
Adam Brown joins The Rebel Walk as the Managing Editor after being on the Ole Miss beat as a Sports Editor for over 11 years. He is a lifelong Oxford resident. Brown graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Prior to The Rebel Walk, Brown was the sports editor of HottyToddy.com covering every Ole Miss sport and local high school sports in the community.
