Strange-but-true tales and unforgettable moments from the Egg Bowl

They telephone it the Egg Bowl, but the yearly Mississippi State-Ole Miss shot crippled has thing to bash with the state's cultivation prowess. According to Department of Agriculture data, Iowa is really the apical shaper of eggs successful the United States (15%), followed by Ohio and Indiana (both 9%). Mississippi doesn't adjacent get a notation successful this "Egg-STAT-ic" station from 2021.

So what's the woody with the nickname? Well, it's what happens erstwhile fans request thing shiny to distract them from thoughts of malice and a paper header writer decides to instrumentality matters into his ain hands.

Let's commencement with the trophy and the archetypal nickname. Although the rivalry dates backmost to 1901 -- State won the archetypal game, Ole Miss the 2nd -- determination was nary postgame prize handed retired until 1927. And the crushed for the alteration was practical: Officials needed thing to clasp spectators' attraction erstwhile the crippled was over. A twelvemonth earlier, a monolithic brawl had breached retired among the instrumentality bases. So some pupil bodies, successful an effort to "foster cleanable sportsmanship," commissioned a trophy to beryllium called "The Golden Egg." It was golden and glossy and beauteous ... and due to the fact that it was much obtuse than the communal shot and lacked immoderate raised edges to mimic the stitching of a football, it looked precisely similar a aureate egg.

Fast-forward fractional a period and the game-day variation of The Clarion-Ledger successful 1978. Executive exertion Tom Patterson -- possibly bushed of an unnecessarily wordy nickname, possibly intent connected a definite benignant of pun -- wrote the headline, "Egg Bowl Is Up For Scramble." And the Egg Bowl evolved from shorthand to a benignant of official-unofficial nickname that some schools usage interchangeably with The Battle for the Golden Egg.

But this is each backstory. They could telephone it The Battle for the Fuzzy Soybean (the state's apical cultivation export) and it would inactive beryllium compelling. Although Alabama-Auburn, Michigan-Ohio State and Florida-Florida State mightiness person much nationalist relevance successful presumption of their interaction connected the nationalist title race, nary rivalry week crippled produces much play than Mississippi State-Ole Miss. (One SEC powerfulness broker erstwhile told ESPN's Mark Schlabach that the rivalry "makes Ohio State-Michigan and Auburn-Alabama look similar Sunday school.") The archetypal clip they played, determination was a one-hour hold due to the fact that Ole Miss accused State of playing nonstudents.

There person been plentifulness of fights and much than capable pettiness shared betwixt the 2 schools. When Dan Mullen was inactive the caput manager of the Bulldogs, helium refused to telephone the Rebs by their name. Instead, helium simply referred to "The School Up North" successful interviews. In-house crippled schedules made usage of the slight, subbing successful T.S.U.N. for Ole Miss.

The 2 current coaches are really rather chummy these days, but the 2 programs can't assistance but feud. They can't adjacent hold connected basal facts. Although they some mention Ole Miss arsenic the person successful the bid with a grounds of 64-48-6, Mississippi State says the crippled has been played connected Thanksgiving 27 times and Ole Miss puts the fig astatine 30.

Whatever grounds publication you subscribe to, the rivalry volition beryllium played for the 119th clip this Thanksgiving (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). To get you ready, present are immoderate of the astir absorbing games successful Egg Bowl history.

1983: The Immaculate Deflection

Sometimes nicknames are misleading. The "Immaculate Deflection" wasn't truly a deflection astatine each -- unless you judge successful cosmic events. Mississippi State, which had surrendered a 17-0 pb and trailed 24-23 with 24 seconds near to play, had a game-winning tract extremity wrong its grasp. Artie Crosby attempted the 27-yard footwear and it looked to beryllium good connected its mode -- bully height, bully line, bully everything. State fans started celebrating. But past the shot conscionable stopped astatine its apex. It was arsenic if Mother Nature swatted it down herself, the beardown upwind gust sending the shot to the acold near of the goalposts.

Mississippi State manager Emory Bellard marveled, "I've ne'er seen a footwear travel backwards successful my years of coaching. It was similar thing reached down and stopped the shot successful flight."

1999: The prime and the kick

This crippled mightiness beryllium the champion successful the rivalry's history. It was 1 of those uncommon occasions erstwhile some schools were ranked: Ole Miss 23rd, Mississippi State 18th. The Rebs jumped retired to a 20-6 lead, but the Bulldogs fought backmost to necktie the crippled with lone 27 seconds remaining.

And alternatively than play for overtime connected the road, Ole Miss had Romaro Miller aerial it retired downfield. Except Robert Bean deflected the walk and kicked it up successful the air. Eugene Clinton got nether it and caught the interception astir the 50-yard enactment and ran the shot backmost to the 27 with 8 seconds left. Scott Westerfield past connected connected the 44-yard game-winning tract goal. Once Ole Miss went retired of bounds connected the kickoff return, fans rushed the field.

2013: Dak announces his arrival

Legends are made successful rivalry games. Before Dak Prescott led Mississippi State to the No. 1 ranking successful 2014 and earlier helium acceptable schoolhouse records connected his mode to becoming a fourth-round draught prime a twelvemonth later, helium was a sophomore successful his archetypal play arsenic a starter, dealing with an limb wounded that knocked him retired of the 2 games earlier the Egg Bowl. And for the archetypal 3 quarters against Ole Miss, helium stood connected the sideline.

But, with the Bulldogs trailing by a tract extremity with 11 minutes left, Prescott persuaded Mullen to fto him successful the game. After knocking disconnected the rust during his archetypal drive, helium drove the discourtesy 59 yards connected 13 plays to unafraid a game-tying tract goal. Then, successful overtime, helium ran for the winning touchdown.

2019: The costly canine pee penalty

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Mississippi State escapes with a 21-20 triumph aft Ole Miss WR Elijah Moore was penalized for celebrating a touchdown by pretending to urinate similar a canine and the Rebels missed the ensuing other point.

First, determination needs to beryllium discourse astir the Egg Bowl to extremity each Egg Bowls. Because if you thought the 2019 crippled was the archetypal clip an Ole Miss subordinate faked urinating connected Mississippi State's field, you'd beryllium wrong. Two years earlier, after a pregame scuffle, DK Metcalf scored a touchdown precocious successful the 3rd quarter, hiked his limb to mimic a canine peeing and incurred a 15-yard penalty.

And conscionable to marque definite the occurrence was inactive burning earlier the instrumentality travel to Starkville, let's not hide A.J. Brown's would-be touchdown astatine the extremity of a third-quarter blowout successful Oxford and the pushing and shoving that turned into a bench-clearing brawl. To punctuate the deficiency of civility, referees assessed a punishment to each subordinate connected some teams.

OK, present connected to 2019. There person been chaotic plays and chaotic finishes passim Egg Bowl history, but nary crippled has produced much fireworks than the 1 successful 2019. After playing to a necktie successful the archetypal half, the Bulldogs went up connected a Garrett Shrader 5-yard touchdown tally successful the 3rd quarter. And it looked arsenic if that was that arsenic Ole Miss punted doubly and threw an interception successful the 4th quarter. But then, with 2 minutes left, Matt Corral, who had travel connected successful alleviation of starter John Rhys Plumlee, drove the Rebs 80 yards connected 11 plays. On the 2-yard enactment with lone 4 seconds remaining, Corral recovered Elijah Moore successful the extremity portion for what looked similar the tying score. Except Moore repeated Metcalf's antics, hiked his limb close successful beforehand of a referee and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The touchdown held, but you tin conjecture what happened next. Pushed backmost 15 yards from the penalty, Luke Logan missed the constituent aft effort and State won.

In a crippled successful which some coaches were connected the blistery seat, neither survived. Ole Miss fired Matt Luke days aboriginal and replaced him with headline-grabbing Lane Kiffin. Not to beryllium outdone, Mississippi State fired Joe Moorhead and got a large sanction of its ain successful Mike Leach.