By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Elijah Moore needed to move past his sudden mistake. Entering his Egg Bowl encore, Moore has done just that.

Elijah Moore leads the nation in receiving. With 74 catches for 1,054 yards and eight touchdowns, it’s been more than just an All-American season for the Ole Miss standout, it’s been an all-time one. Moore is currently averaging 150.6 receiving yards per game, a margin currently higher than the SEC record held by LSU great Josh Reed at 145. With double digit catches in six of his seven games and three 200-yard games already, Moore’s work rate has been unprecedented.

The numbers truly are remarkable. Seven contests into Moore’s 2020 season, he has just one outing with fewer than 92 receiving yards. Moore has either a touchdown or at least 140 yards through the air in every single game this fall, a streak that actually goes back nine games counting the end of last year, including his late touchdown in the Egg Bowl. If you total only Moore’s production from his three best games this season, he would still rank second in the SEC in receiving yards, trailing only Alabama record-setter DeVonta Smith.

In his past two performances alone, wins over Vanderbilt and South Carolina, Moore has been absolutely unstoppable, compiling 27 receptions for 463 yards and five touchdowns. It’s that considerable momentum that leads him into the most important date on the Ole Miss schedule: an Egg Bowl showdown with Mississippi State.

Saturday’s game isn’t just a rivalry for Moore, it’s redemption.

It was Moore who scored what-looked-to-be the game-tying touchdown with mere seconds remaining in this past year’s Magnolia State melee. On a 3rd-and-goal, he caught a tough pass between two defenders and dove into the endzone for a dramatic touchdown. It was his celebration, however, with Moore mocking a urinating dog, that was unfortunately the more memorable moment. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and, as one could almost see happening before it actually did, the corresponding PAT was missed. Ole Miss lost 21-20.

The penalty overshadowed what was a fantastic season for Moore, one that included four 100-yard games, including nine grabs for 143 yards and a score against eventual national champion LSU, and the big catch in Starkville.

Moore had emerged as one of the top playmakers in the country. Next, he needed to move past his sudden mistake. Entering his Egg Bowl encore, Moore has done just that.

Thriving alongside the likes of quarterback Matt Corral and tight end Kenny Yeboah in Lane Kiffin’s first year in Oxford, Moore has become one of the stars of this college football season. He has earned Heisman Trophy consideration. With at least two games still remaining, counting a rescheduled match with the defending national champions, this is already a season for the ages. Moore is a big reason why Ole Miss is leading the Power Five with 564.9 yards per game.

A Mississippi State rematch awaits as a big part of all of the progress made.

Brandin Cooks and Michael Crabree are the only Power Five receivers with more receptions than Moore seven games into a season this millennium; both of those wide receivers went on to be first round NFL Draft picks. Should current trends continue, Moore will move into the top 20 in SEC history in career receptions this weekend. Having already passed the 1,000-yard mark, the 100-catch milestone is also within reach.

Even if the nation isn’t yet fully appreciating the year Moore is having, the record books are clearly keeping receipts. And there are a lot of notes to take.

As countless highlights show, Moore is a great player, one who got caught up in the emotion of one of his many big plays. Moore’s response, emerging as a leader for Ole Miss and as the Biletnikoff Award frontrunner, has been impressive. As he prepares for his next showdown with Mississippi State, Moore does so with a long list of accolades following him onto the field. Moore is having a season to remember.

Having been in a tough spot and persevered his way through, Moore has earned the admiration and attention of the game itself, not just mere reactions after one of them.