STARKVILLE, Miss. - Eli Manning and Mississippi sent Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill into retirement with his worst Egg Bowl loss ever.
Manning threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns in Ole Miss' 31-0 victory Thursday night in the 100th meeting between the Magnolia state rivals.
The Rebels (9-3, 7-1) remained in the SEC West title race and reached nine regular-season victories for the first time since 1990. Ole Miss can earn its first trip to the SEC Championship Game if No. 3 LSU loses to Arkansas today in Baton Rouge.
For Sherrill and the Bulldogs (2-10, 1-7), the season ended with a sixth straight lopsided loss. Since the 60-year-old coach announced his retirement on Oct. 17, the Bulldogs have been outscored 267-57.
He received a long standing ovation from Bulldogs fans when he was introduced before the game.
But by the fourth quarter, most of the rain-soaked fans remaining in Scott Field were rooting for the Rebels.
Sherrill completed 13 seasons at Mississippi State 75-75-2, but was 8-27 in the final three.
Sherrill won over Bulldogs fans by becoming the first Mississippi State coach in decades to consistently beat Ole Miss, doing it seven times in his first 11 seasons.
In the end, he couldn't even do that.
The Rebels won the Battle for the Golden Egg for the second straight season, a first during the Sherrill era.
And never have the Rebels so easily dismantled Sherrill's Bulldogs.
Ole Miss outgained the Bulldogs 359-192. Kevin Fant, playing his last game for Mississippi State, was 14-for-28 for 91 yards.
The largest margin of victory for Ole Miss against Sherrill's teams had been 15. The shutout was the Rebels' first against the Bulldogs since 1971.
Manning and his Heisman Trophy candidacy took a beating in a loss to LSU on Saturday. The senior quarterback was often off target against the Tigers, but was impeccable with his passing in a steady rain against the Bulldogs.
He passed for more yards (211) in the first half against Mississippi State than he did the entire game against LSU (200) as the Rebels built a 24-0 lead.
Only two lost fumbles by Manning in Mississippi State territory kept it from getting completely out of hand early.
Manning found Tremaine Turner in the back of the end zone for a 25-yard score late in the first quarter and got a lot of help from backup tight end Lawrence Lilly on an 11-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Lilly reached behind him for the throw and tipped the ball, which hit off a defender and Lilly reached into a crowd to cradle it in for a 14-0 lead.
Chris Collins caught Manning's third TD late in the third quarter, breaking a tackle and going 23 yards.
Collins caught eight passes for 113 yards and Manning finished 19-for-27, improving to 2-1 in Egg Bowls.
Ole Miss leads the series 57-37-6. Since the rivals started playing for the Golden Egg trophy in 1927, Ole Miss leads 51-20-5.
LSU: Offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher withdrew from consideration for the Mississippi State coaching vacancy.
Fisher, who appeared to be the leading candidate, released a statement saying he canceled an interview with Mississippi State athletic director Larry Templeton that was scheduled for Saturday.
"It's obviously very flattering to have your name mentioned for a head-coaching position in the Southeastern Conference," Fisher said. "On the other hand, I'm very happy here at LSU ... "
Fisher's withdrawal could open the door for Green Bay Packers assistant coach Sylvester Croom.
A Memphis television station reported Wednesday night that Croom, 49, would be hired. Croom, who would be the SEC's first African-American football coach, declined comment.
Templeton said he has not offered the job to Croom and would not confirm that Croom has been interviewed.
TCU: Athletic director Eric Hyman said one "could draw the conclusion" that the Horned Frogs will turn down an expected invitation from the GMAC Bowl because of academic reasons. The bowl will be played Dec. 18 in Mobile, Ala. That week coincides with TCU's final-semester exams. Hyman said no decisions have been made about which bowl game TCU will play in, and he declined to discuss options or preferences.
