Ole Miss Football vs. Mississippi State: Series Snapshot

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss football welcomes in-state rival Mississippi State to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Black Friday for the renewal of its most-played rivalry in the annual Egg Bowl.

Series Snapshot

This is the 121st meeting between the schools, with Ole Miss holding a 65-49-6 advantage all-time on the field, including a pair of vacated Rebel wins (2012, 2014) and a pair of MSU forfeits (1976-77). The series dates back to 1901, a 17-0 win for Mississippi State in Starkville. Ole Miss was won three of four meetings in the Lane Kiffin era.

Series in Oxford

Ole Miss holds a 24-14-3 advantage all-time on the field in Oxford, including a 1-1 mark in the Kiffin era. The first meeting between the schools in Oxford in 1903 ended in a 6-6 tie. Ole Miss’ first win over MSU in Oxford came in 1927, a 20-12 victory. The Bulldogs have won three of the last four at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Last Meeting in Oxford

The last Egg Bowl in Oxford was an evenly matched contest as Ole Miss took a narrow 16-14 lead into halftime. Perhaps the turning point in the game came late in the third quarter when Ole Miss started a drive at the MSU 36-yard line after a strip-sack by Tavius Robinson and Cedric Johnson. Quinshon Judkins was stopped behind the line on 3rd-and-1 at the State 5-yard line, and Jaxson Dart’s fourth-down attempt was knocked down. MSU responded with a field goal drive to take a 17-16 lead and never trailed again in a 24-22 final.

Last Meeting

Ole Miss and Mississippi State played a defensive battle in their last meeting, with the Rebels logging just 307 yards of total offense, a figured they’ve surpassed in every game since. Ole Miss took just a 3-0 lead into halftime and trailed 7-3 last in the third quarter before notching back-to-back touchdown drives to take command in a 17-7 victory.

The Egg Bowl History

This will be the 97th “Battle of the Golden Egg,” as the two schools started playing for the trophy in 1927. Ole Miss holds a 59-30-5 advantage in Egg Bowl games. The Golden Egg was first proposed by members of Sigma Iota, an Ole Miss honorary society, to be awarded in a dignified ceremony. This came after a 1926 incident in which Ole Miss snapped a 13-game losing streak in the rivalry, and Rebel fans stormed the field in Starkville, sparking, in essence, a riot on Scott Field. The trophy was approved the following year, and Ole Miss won the first Egg Bowl, 20-12, on Thanksgiving Day in Oxford in 1927.