The Egg

The Egg Bowl is just a few days away. To be honest, I have no idea who will win this game. The Bulldogs have obviously had a better year and have played well in many games this year. On the other hand, the Rebels have had an up and down year and have very few wins.

For the Bulldogs this game means alot. They pretty much have to win this game to have to go to a bowl game in my opinion. Going to a bowl game will mean alot for the Dogs and their fans who have not been to a bowl game in quite sometime. The defense is pretty darn good and they have a good running back. The running game will surely test the Ole Miss linebackers who are hit and miss when making tackles.

This is a game of pride for the Rebels. If the Rebels lose this game, it will be the first time since the early 1980's to have a winless season in the SEC. While there will be no postseason for the Rebels, the best they can do is keep their arch rivals out of a bowl game. I don't know about yall, but if I was a player, that would be enough to get me fired up to play.

I am sure Sam H. and David A. will be at the game, but I am interested to see if any of the Ole Miss readers will be there. Also, interested in any predictions people may have.

(UMAA Notes)
SERIES INFO: This game will be the 104th meeting of one of the nation’s most-played rivalries. Ole Miss holds a 59-38-6 advantage in the series dating back to 1901. The Ole Miss-Mississippi State series is tied with the North Carolina-Wake Forest series for the 16th longest in NCAA Division I-A history. The rivalry is also listed as the 10th longest uninterrupted series, as the NCAA considers Friday’s game the 92nd consecutive year that the two schools have faced each other. Neither team, however, fielded a squad in 1943 due to World War II. Friday’s game will be the 80th “Battle of the Golden Egg,” as the two schools started playing for the trophy in 1927. Ole Miss holds a 53-21-5 advantage in the “Egg Bowl.” The home team has won seven of the last eight games. Ole Miss has taken four of the last five in the series, including last year’s 20-17 triumph in Oxford. The series is tied at 8-8 in the last 16 meetings since the series returned to campus sites in 1991, after being played yearly in Jackson from 1973-1990. The Rebels hold a 20-10-3 advantage in games played in Starkville.

MISSISSIPPI STATE SCOUTING REPORT: With SEC victories over Auburn, Kentucky and Alabama, the Bulldogs are bowl eligible for the first time since 2000. State is coming off a 45-31 loss to Arkansas Saturday in Little Rock. The MSU offense averages 140.3 rushing yards and 168.0 passing yards per game. Sophomore RB Anthony Dixon directs the ground game with 954 yards and an SEC-high 13 TDs. True freshman QB Wesley Carroll has settled in at signal-caller and completed 113-of-209 passes for 1,223 yards with eight TDs and five interceptions. Senior Tony Burks and junior Jamayel Smith lead the receiving corps with 30 catches for 418 yards and 28 for 455, respectively. The Bulldogs rank fifth in the conference in both total defense (343.3 ypg) and pass defense (188.3 ypg). Jamar Chaney is the top tackler with 73 total stops, while fellow junior LB Dominic Douglas has recorded 69 tackles with eight TFLs. Senior DL Titus Brown is among the SEC leaders with 12 TFLs and eight sacks, and sophomore DB Anthony Johnson boasts three interceptions and eight pass break-ups. Junior K Adam Carlson has converted 8-of-11 field goals and 30-of-31 PATs.

THE START OF THE GOLDEN EGG: The Golden Egg was first proposed by members of Sigma Iota, an Ole Miss honorary society in 1927. Sigma Iota proposed that a trophy be awarded in a dignified ceremony designed to calm excited fans, after Ole Miss fans stormed the field at Starkville’s Scott Field following the Rebels’ 7-6 win in the 1926 contest.
The 1926 win snapped a 13-game losing streak to then Mississippi A&M, and was just Ole Miss’ fifth win in 23 tries. Following the game, Ole Miss fans made a dash for the goal posts, while Aggie fans took after them with cane bottom chairs and fights broke out. The mayhem continued until most of the chairs were splintered.
After Sigma Iota made its proposal, Mississippi A&M approved the suggestion, and Ole Miss, two weeks before the game, officially added its approval. The trophy, to be called “The Golden Egg,” would be a regulation-size gold-plated football mounted on a pedestal. Cost approximately $250 would be shared by both schools.
On Thanksgiving Day, 1927, the first “Battle of the Golden Egg” was waged before a crowd of 14,000 in Oxford. The Rebels won 20-12 and the symbol of supremacy in the series was born