Ole Miss and receiver Elijah Moore apologized Friday for the dog urinating celebration in the final moments of the Egg Bowl that contributed to the Rebels’ loss to 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.”
Moore scored a touchdown in Thursday’s game with four seconds left to bring the Rebels within one point of tying the game and sending it to overtime. Moore then crawled on all fours through the end zone, lifting his leg to imitate a dog urinating. That drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and pushed the extra point attempt back. Kicker Luke Logan missed the 35-yard attempt wide right and Ole Miss lost, 21-20.
Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke and athletics director Keith Carter issued a joint statement about Moore’s celebration, apologizing as a program to the Ole Miss family for the “disappointing and unacceptable action” that occurred during the game.
“Elijah is a fine young man who lost control of his emotions in the moment,” the statement said. “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 uncompromising standard of behavior on and off the field.”
The statement continued to say that the issue will be addressed and disciplinary action will be handled internally.
It was not the first time an Ole Miss player had simulated a dog urinating in the Egg Bowl game. Wide receiver D.K. Metcalf also drew a penalty for the celebration in 2017 after scoring a touchdown. Ole Miss went on to win that game 31-28.