Ole Miss lost its Egg Bowl rivalry game to Ole Miss by (No.) 1 on Thursday after a doggone dumb penalty. A day later, there was a stream of apologies.
Rebels sophomore wide receiver Elijah Moore and the football program issued mea culpas through the university for Moore's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with four seconds remaining against Mississippi State. Moore raised his leg and simulated a canine peeing on the Bulldogs' end zone after scoring a touchdown. The 15-yard penalty pushed back the potential game-tying extra-point kick, which Luke Logan missed wide right. Ole Miss lost 21-20.
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"I apologize to my teammates, coaches and Rebel Nation for my actions at the end of the game," Moore said in his prepared statement released Friday, per the Clarion Ledger. "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."
In a separate statement, Ole Miss coach Matt Luke and athletic director Keith Carter apologized to "the Ole Miss family" (but, like Moore, not to Mississippi State, as several media members noted). "Elijah is a fine young man who lost control of his emotions in the moment," the statement read in part. Luke and Carter also said that "disciplinary action will be handled internally."
Moore is not the first Ole Miss receiver to make the dog-peeing gesture during an Egg Bowl in the Bulldogs' house in Starkville. D.K. Metcalf, now playing in the NFL, also made it in 2017 during an Ole Miss win.
