Egg Bowl Week. Those words should do enough to set off some reaction to almost every citizen within the Mississippi borders. This is the game that no matter how terrible or good your team is before the game, you think you have a shot to win it. As a fan of the team who is favored to win big this week, I can only be nervous.
We have all to lose and very little to gain in beating Ole Miss this week. That being said, seeing the Rebs on social media and many people commenting on our beloved Dawgs following the last few weeks with narrow defeats/victories and the ever revolving rumors of Dan Mullen leaving us, you would be hard pressed to think that MSU is the heavy favorite this week. I have taken stock of some of the classic lines being thrown around by Reb faithful to try and dig at our fan base and offer up some rebuttals:
• Dan Mullen is awful in the SEC and against ranked opponents. This is a true statement. Dan has struggled to win some of the big games during his tenure at MSU. As a Bulldog fan though, I remember Auburn 2014 and 2015. I remember A&M for the last few years. I remember LSU in 2014 and 2017. I remember 3 straight road wins in Fayetteville. I remember beating Florida, Michigan, NC State, Tennessee, and Georgia. Unfortunately Dan has rarely beaten all these teams in the same season and he is still struggling to get the Bama monkey off his back but who isn’t. Sure, Ole Miss beat Bama twice, and this year lost by 60+ points. If they can pull from the past and take MOMENTS, we have had our fair share under Dan Mullen.
• No Natty Championships. You got me. You are correct we have never claimed a Natty Title we did not have to play a championship game to win. If possible though try to get them to point out we have no natty titles in any sport and then ask them when the last time they played in a Natty Title game? We played in one as recent as 2013 in Baseball and last year in Women’s Basketball. Oh and if they say that Women’s Basketball does not count, 1)They are sexist which is not cool 2) My timeline was exploding with Softball last year when they won the SEC championship and that Rebel is lying if he said he didn’t like or retweet something about that last year.
• Sugar Bowl. I have seen where many Ole Miss fans are pointing out how we have never even played in a Sugar Bowl in the NYE6. Correct, we played in the Orange Bowl in the NYE6 the year before you played in the Sugar. The same Orange Bowl you haven’t played in since 1935 when you lost to Catholic University (Notre Dame?). BOOM ROASTED.
• Cowbells. This is a favorite dig I love to hear as this is a team complaining about another team’s traditions, which had THEIR OWN traditions banned for being racist and offensive. Not a good look. The cowbell is our little piece of history for our fan base to rally around centered about beating Ole Miss many years ago. I would much prefer a harmless cowbell, the signal for dinner to bring families together in some cultures, than someone yelling curse words in my ear followed by a cult like rhyming spell. Also, if you don’t like the cowbell you have never seen a farm and don’t like cattle. So you don’t like to eat meat. Vegans. Woof.
• We do not even see you as our rival. If being a rival means you have to be within 20 wins of an even series, then yes, we are not your rival. Neither is LSU who have you by 20 wins, or Alabama who have you by 35+ wins. Yall are only 9 back of Arkansas though, so maybe yall can have the 4thand 25 Bowl starting next year? Am I sad that Ole Miss has such a large winning record against MSU, of course? However seeing as Dan Mullen is currently 5-3 against them and the state of each program as it is and about be following a certain announcement, the series could be a lot closer in 10 years.
• Bowl Games overall. This one just makes me laugh as they say it with full knowledge they CANNOT go to a bowl game this year even if they had 6 wins and likely won’t be able to next year.
• You are beneath us and not on our level. Finally, you are right. We are beneath you as a full scope program over the last century and are not currently on your level. Our history is one of tough times and grit. We have seen some tough years and tasted some nasty defeats. We have been beaten by 50+ points in our own stadium and been on probation. We have seen our cowbells stripped away, fined for using them, and had them reinstated on a “Ring Responsibly” basis. You know what matters though, through all that we are still here and if you care to argue the trajectory of our respective programs, it’s not an argument. We have OUR coach. We have OUR one of a kind game atmosphere. We have OUR talented roster which just beat LSU and took #1 Bama to the brink and is currently 8-3 in a DOWN year. You have Matt Luke and the NCAA about implode your program. Mass transfers, firings, lawsuits, and resignations are your future. I am proud we are not on that level.
In conclusion, do not let the triggered Rebel faithful get you down Bulldog fans. We have a lot to be proud of this week and beyond. Yall have a Happy Thanksgiving, be safe, and GTHOM.