No. 25 Bulldogs, Rebels set for Egg Bowl rivalry

Sports

Discussion

November 24, 2012

No. 25 Bulldogs, Rebels set for Egg Bowl rivalry

DAVID BRANDT,AP Sports Writer Associated Press Sat Nov 24, 2012, 10:35 AM CST

OXFORD — OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — There's much at stake in this year's Egg Bowl.

No. 25 Mississippi State (8-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) is trying to win four in a row in the rivalry for the first time since the 1940s when the teams meet on Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mississippi (5-6, 2-5) is one victory away from bowl eligibility for the first time since 2009.

Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen said what makes the rivalry so special is there aren't many areas of the Magnolia State that are dominated by one of the two fan bases. Instead, there are Bulldogs and Rebels sprinkled together in almost every city.

There's no avoiding the other group.

"It's a neighbor-to-neighbor (rivalry), which makes it an even bigger game," Mullen said.

First-year Mississippi coach Hugh Freeze is well of aware of the demographics.

He grew up outside of Senatobia, Miss., which is about a 45-minute drive from Oxford, and his personal experience with the rivalry is longstanding.

And he badly wants the Golden Egg to make a return to Oxford.

"I actually have family members that are on the other side," Freeze said. "I have great respect for some coaches down there, also. I won't get into the name calling. We have great respect for them. We want to beat them as bad as they want to beat us. I understand the impact it has on the program, our fans and the people of this state. We're going to go about it the right way and try to beat them that badly on Saturday."

Ole Miss might love a lopsided win, but oddsmakers see the game as a close one, giving the Rebels a slight edge.

Mississippi State recovered from a three-game losing streak last weekend by beating Arkansas 45-14 in Starkville. The Bulldogs are led by quarterback Tyler Russell, who has thrown for 2,503 yards and 21 touchdowns and already owns several single-season passing records.

The Rebels will counter with an undersized but speedy defense that is second in the SEC with 31 sacks. Linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche is the poster child, a 5-foot-11, 203-pound redshirt freshman who leads the Rebels with 12 tackles for a loss.

"They have a really good defense," Russell said. "We have to go play. I feel like if we do the things we need to do, we will take care of business. If not, we won't."

The issue for Ole Miss has been playing four good quarters. The Rebels have had a late lead against Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and LSU this season, but let all three games get away.

There are certainly valid excuses for the late breakdowns. Ole Miss is young in several spots and doesn't have much depth.

But players say those shortcomings shouldn't matter, especially when it comes to the Egg Bowl and earning a chance at the postseason.

"We're definitely ready," Ole Miss offensive lineman Emmanuel McCray said. "We have a lot of coaches that played for the university, so they have the same passion ... It's a little more intense, but it's still calm. You don't want to be overemotional."

Even though he's from the northeast, Mullen has always been passionate about the rivalry during his four years in Mississippi. He's seen firsthand how it can hit close to home.

His neighbor in Starkville is an Ole Miss fan. And when Mullen's 3-year-old went to visit his friends next door last week, Canon Mullen was rooting for "The School Up North."

Albeit against LSU.

Canon and the neighbor's children were all watching SEC football like a lot of kids in this state and several were rooting for the Rebels to beat the Tigers.

"Since we lost to LSU the week before, he was not real high on LSU at that point," Mullen said with a grin. "He wouldn't mind seeing them lose."

But that'll change Saturday. Now it's the Rebels who are the enemy.

___

Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.comd/davidbrandtAP

Text Only

Sports

(PHOTOS) Newton County Class 4A State Championship Slideshow from games one and two of the MHSAA Class 4A State Championship.
May 24, 2013
Not done yet
After being shutout less than 24 hours earlier, the Newton County Cougars used a 10-inning affair to force a Game 3 in the Class 4A championship series, topping Lewisburg, 2-1, in Game 2 at Trustmark Park.

May 23, 2013 1 Photo
Hollins focused on Spurs, not his contract
Lionel Hollins has been more successful than any Grizzlies coach and will be a free agent after June 30.
He has the Grizzlies in the Western Conference finals for the first time and has won more games with this team than any other coach.

May 23, 2013
Slive focused on future after big changes
Mike Slive sprawls in a comfy arm chair, propping his feet on a coffee table between one massive tome on Winston Churchill and an even thicker "Encyclopedia of Southern Culture."
He's relaxed and feeling awfully good about the state of the Southeastern Conference.
It's a rare moment of calm for the SEC's cerebral commissioner, but he can afford it since his "A pile" of things to do has gotten considerably slimmer over the past two years.

May 23, 2013
’Bama bounces Ole Miss from SEC Tourney
For the second day in a row, the Rebels went into extra-innings but were unable to emerge with the victory as No. 21 Ole Miss (37-22) fell to Alabama (34-25) 7-5 in 10 innings at the SEC Tournament on Thursday.
With the loss, the Rebels were eliminated from the SEC Tournament and will now await NCAA Tournament selection announcements at 11 a.m. on Monday. The selection of the NCAA Tournament field will be televised by ESPNU.
Tanner Bailey (4-2) suffered the loss for the Rebels, allowing two runs on one hit with two walks in 2.1 innings of work.

May 23, 2013
Roy shows big-league talent in win
Every youth leaguer dreams of being a Major League Baseball player. In Tuesday's Cardinals-Mets game, 8-year-old Trace Roy swung the bat and flashed some leather that looked like a glimpse into the future.

May 23, 2013 2 Photos
Cougars fall in Game 1
A sixth inning rally by Lewisburg handed the Newton County Cougars their first lost of the postseason, 2-0, in Game 1 of the Class 4A baseball championship at Trustmark Park.

May 23, 2013 2 Photos
Bulldogs win again, beat S. Carolina in SEC Tournament
Demarcus Henderson and Wes Rea both had RBI singles in the ninth inning to lift Mississippi State to a 5-3 win over South Carolina Wednesday night in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament.
    The Bulldogs (42-16) loaded the bases with one out before Henderson and Rea drove in runs on consecutive at-bats for the second time in the game.
    Mississippi State had beaten Missouri 2-1 in 17 innings Tuesday night, matching the longest game in SEC tournament history.
    Reliever Myles Gentry (4-0) limited the Gamecocks (39-17) to a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth.
    Gentry pitched 5-2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out eight.
    Rea was 3 for 4 while Henderson drove in three runs.
    Mississippi State led 3-0 before South Carolina tied it up in the fourth.
    Max Schrock drew a bases loaded walk and Brison Celek followed with a two-run single.

May 22, 2013
Hogs top Ole Miss in SEC Tournament
For the second time this season the Rebels played an extra-inning affair with the Razorbacks, but with a different outcome as No. 21 Ole Miss (37-21) fell to No. 15 Arkansas (36-19) 2-1 in 10 innings on Wednesday.

May 22, 2013
Fundamentals leading Newton County to Jackson
In 2006, Newton County baseball won the 3A state title. Since then, they've moved up a class but haven't had much luck – until now.

May 22, 2013 1 Photo
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

Discussion

No. 25 Bulldogs, Rebels set for Egg Bowl rivalry

Site Map

Contact Us