Tied School Record With Three TD Catches In Egg Bowl Win
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a record-setting performance that propelled Ole Miss to a 41-24 Egg Bowl victory on Saturday, sophomore wide receiver Donte Moncrief was tabbed Southeastern Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week by the league office Monday.
Moncrief posted seven catches for a career-high 173 yards and a school record-tying three touchdowns in leading Ole Miss over Mississippi State. The Rebels’ sixth win of the season made them bowl eligible for the first time since 2009.
The 173-yard performance ranks fourth in a game in school history, the most ever against MSU, and the most by a Rebel since 1993. He had touchdown catches of 77, 21 and 16 yards. He used his 6-foot-3, 216-pound frame to overpower a once-heralded Bulldog defensive backfield that includes cornerbacks Johnathan Banks and Darius Slay, as well as his breakaway speed to run by them.
A native of Raleigh, Miss., Moncrief moved into a tie for the Ole Miss record with 10 TD catches this season and rose to fifth place in a career with 14 TD grabs as just a sophomore. It was his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season and his career, which ties him for second in school history for a season and fourth in school history for a career.
He moved up to third place in Rebel history in both receiving yards (948) and receptions (60) in a season.
His 10 TD catches this season are second-most among SEC players. He now ranks fifth in the SEC and 43rd in the NCAA with 79.0 receiving yards per game, and he’s sixth among league players with 5.0 catches per game. In league play, his six TD catches are tied for third-most.
Moncrief shared this week’s honor, the first of his college career, with Florida running back Mike Gillislee.
The Rebels now await a bowl selection. Hugh Freeze’s team is expected to be chosen by the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl (Dec. 31 in Nashville), AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Dec. 31 in Memphis) or BBVA Compass Bowl (Jan. 5 in Birmingham).