20 Years Later, “The Kick and the Pick” Still Lives On
November 25, 2019 | Football
by Mikaela Elizondo, Graduate Assistant/Communications
For most people, the last Thursday of November means Thanksgiving. For residents of Mississippi, it holds a much deeper meaning.
This week, Mississippi State and Ole Miss will meet on Thanksgiving for the 26th time and hash it out in the Battle for the Golden Egg, supporting arguably the biggest rivalry in college football.
Twenty years ago, on November 25, 1999, the two programs walked into Davis Wade Stadium with the same goal in mind: defeat the other team and secure in-state bragging rights for the next 365 days. Mississippi State – ranked No. 18 at the time – was 8-2 overall but coming off consecutive setbacks to Alabama and Arkansas. No. 23 Ole Miss held a 7-3 record. Both teams had a lot to lose.
"There is a lot of uneasiness when this game comes around," former State defensive back Eugene Clinton said. "It's a passionate game. It doesn't matter what the record of each team is at the time; the passion of this game can make up for a bad season or [damper] a great season. It's not just Mississippi State fans or Ole Miss fans. The whole state of Mississippi is up for this rivalry."
What happened that evening on Scott Field has been the talk around the Thanksgiving table for the last two decades. Trailing 20-6 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Mississippi State sideline began getting discouraged.
"As a captain and leader, I remember being on the sideline saying, 'Hey guys, you've got to believe. We can go out here and get a stop, the offense will get the ball back and score. Then we get another stop and the offense can score again,'" team captain Barrin Simpson said. "It sounded a little outlandish, but I believed every [word] of it."
Simpson's encouraging words were seemingly effective as State rallied furiously and found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 20. Quarterback Wayne Madkin found tight end Donald Lee on 5-yard touchdown pass to cut the Rebels' lead to 20-13 with 12:49 to go.
Down by 7 with just over two minutes remaining and Ole Miss in possession at the State 31, things still look pretty bleak for the Bulldogs. But MSU forced a Rebel punt with time winding down, and the senior signal caller Madkin then guided the Bulldogs 88 yards, hitting tight end C.J. Sirmones on a third down 38-yard score to tie it at 20 with 27 seconds left in regulation.
"The thing about that team was that we knew we were pretty resilient," former place-kicker Scott Westerfield explained. "If we could break the door a little bit, we felt like we could get back in any game."
Having already registered improbable victories over Auburn, Kentucky and LSU earlier in the season in consecutive games - each in the last two minutes of regulation - pressure and late comebacks were nothing out of the ordinary for head coach Jackie Sherrill's 1999 squad.
Expecting Ole Miss to run the clock out, State's sideline prepared for overtime at that point.
"Not knowing they were going to take the shot, our coach called a regular call for the defense. We were prepared for them to take a knee," Clinton said. "Then, they made one of the biggest mistakes they could make."
Ole Miss quarterback Romaro Miller threw a deep pass that was tipped by MSU's Robert Bean, who then inadvertently kicked in the air and straight into Clinton's waiting hands - a play that would become one of the most iconic in Egg Bowl history. Clinton returned the ball 27 yards to the Ole Miss 26-yard line.
"Ole Miss threw the pass and Robert Bean and I were on the same page at that point," Clinton said. "All I remember was him kicking me the ball and me catching it. I turned and ran for as many yards as I could get."
State couldn't celebrate just yet. With eight seconds remaining, the game rested on Westerfield's foot, which had been quite reliable throughout his career, still ranking among MSU's Top 5 kickers all-time.
"I went out there and got set, but sure enough when I got halfway, they called a timeout," Westerfield said. "I had to keep to myself and stay away from everyone because I didn't want to get all in the hype. I was able to tune out all the background noise of people screaming and hollering. I remember telling myself, 'Just make good contact. If you hit the ball solid, you're going to make it.'"
Having connected on a 45-yarder earlier in the season to lift the Bulldogs to victory over Kentucky, Westerfield's teammates had all the confidence in the world in him on this one…a 44-yard try.
"I was thinking, 'Scotty's got this,'" Clinton said. "He's going to beam it up. Scotty was always good at what he did. He was always clutch under pressure. I felt confident that he could take care of the field goal. I always did."
Westerfield's kick was a no-doubter, splitting the goal posts to give MSU the advantage with just four ticks remaining, sending both sidelines, the entire stadium of 41,200 fans and the national television audience into a frenzy.
"We all went crazy in the locker room," Simpson said. "There was water, Gatorade bottles, everything all over the place. It was such a dramatic win."
The late triumph over the rival Rebels in the Battle for the Golden Egg easily topped all three of MSU's come-from-behind victories the 1999 season saw. And those included reserve quarterback Matt Wyatt orchestrating an amazing rally for an 18-16 triumph at Auburn, Rod Gibson diving in for a touchdown on fourth down to lift State to a 17-16 Homecoming victory over LSU, and Westerfield's kick to down Kentucky 23-22.
The Bulldogs would go on to down Clemson 17-7 in the 1999 Peach Bowl in Atlanta, capping only the second 10-win season (10-2) in program history – the first since 1940 – and finishing ranked 13th in the AP poll, 12th by the Coaches.
"It was about as sweet as it could possibly be," Simpson said. "To come back and beat Ole Miss, there's nothing better than that."
The bragging rights extend far past collegiate football. Simpson went on to play 11 years in the Canadian Football League where he played with Bean against a few former SEC foes.
"I remember talking to one of the offensive linemen for Ole Miss," Simpson said. "Bean and I would always rag him about the Egg Bowl. We would tell him, 'We're going to come back and beat y'all just like in college.' We took every advantage to talk about that rivalry."
When the 1999 team reunites, they never miss a chance to discuss the historic game.
"We talk about the excitement from that one game and what it meant to us as individuals, to those seniors and what it meant to Mississippi State University," Clinton said. "After the years, it has grown to be something special and that game holds a special place in my heart."
Westerfield has worked in the Bridge Division of the Mississippi Department of Transportation since graduating from State, where he now holds the role of Assistant State Bridge Engineer. Simpson and Clinton continued their football careers following graduation. Simpson spent several years competing in the Canadian Football League and Clinton went on to play overseas in Spain and spent a half of a year with the Detroit Lions before becoming a coach at Brandon High School.
Although the 1999 team members have all gone their separate ways, "The Kick and The Pick" game will always unite them just as it united Mississippi State fans on that memorable Thanksgiving night - November 25, 1999.
For most people, the last Thursday of November means Thanksgiving. For residents of Mississippi, it holds a much deeper meaning.
This week, Mississippi State and Ole Miss will meet on Thanksgiving for the 26th time and hash it out in the Battle for the Golden Egg, supporting arguably the biggest rivalry in college football.
Twenty years ago, on November 25, 1999, the two programs walked into Davis Wade Stadium with the same goal in mind: defeat the other team and secure in-state bragging rights for the next 365 days. Mississippi State – ranked No. 18 at the time – was 8-2 overall but coming off consecutive setbacks to Alabama and Arkansas. No. 23 Ole Miss held a 7-3 record. Both teams had a lot to lose.
"There is a lot of uneasiness when this game comes around," former State defensive back Eugene Clinton said. "It's a passionate game. It doesn't matter what the record of each team is at the time; the passion of this game can make up for a bad season or [damper] a great season. It's not just Mississippi State fans or Ole Miss fans. The whole state of Mississippi is up for this rivalry."
What happened that evening on Scott Field has been the talk around the Thanksgiving table for the last two decades. Trailing 20-6 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Mississippi State sideline began getting discouraged.
"As a captain and leader, I remember being on the sideline saying, 'Hey guys, you've got to believe. We can go out here and get a stop, the offense will get the ball back and score. Then we get another stop and the offense can score again,'" team captain Barrin Simpson said. "It sounded a little outlandish, but I believed every [word] of it."
Simpson's encouraging words were seemingly effective as State rallied furiously and found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 20. Quarterback Wayne Madkin found tight end Donald Lee on 5-yard touchdown pass to cut the Rebels' lead to 20-13 with 12:49 to go.
Down by 7 with just over two minutes remaining and Ole Miss in possession at the State 31, things still look pretty bleak for the Bulldogs. But MSU forced a Rebel punt with time winding down, and the senior signal caller Madkin then guided the Bulldogs 88 yards, hitting tight end C.J. Sirmones on a third down 38-yard score to tie it at 20 with 27 seconds left in regulation.
"The thing about that team was that we knew we were pretty resilient," former place-kicker Scott Westerfield explained. "If we could break the door a little bit, we felt like we could get back in any game."
Having already registered improbable victories over Auburn, Kentucky and LSU earlier in the season in consecutive games - each in the last two minutes of regulation - pressure and late comebacks were nothing out of the ordinary for head coach Jackie Sherrill's 1999 squad.
Expecting Ole Miss to run the clock out, State's sideline prepared for overtime at that point.
"Not knowing they were going to take the shot, our coach called a regular call for the defense. We were prepared for them to take a knee," Clinton said. "Then, they made one of the biggest mistakes they could make."
Ole Miss quarterback Romaro Miller threw a deep pass that was tipped by MSU's Robert Bean, who then inadvertently kicked in the air and straight into Clinton's waiting hands - a play that would become one of the most iconic in Egg Bowl history. Clinton returned the ball 27 yards to the Ole Miss 26-yard line.
"Ole Miss threw the pass and Robert Bean and I were on the same page at that point," Clinton said. "All I remember was him kicking me the ball and me catching it. I turned and ran for as many yards as I could get."
State couldn't celebrate just yet. With eight seconds remaining, the game rested on Westerfield's foot, which had been quite reliable throughout his career, still ranking among MSU's Top 5 kickers all-time.
"I went out there and got set, but sure enough when I got halfway, they called a timeout," Westerfield said. "I had to keep to myself and stay away from everyone because I didn't want to get all in the hype. I was able to tune out all the background noise of people screaming and hollering. I remember telling myself, 'Just make good contact. If you hit the ball solid, you're going to make it.'"
Having connected on a 45-yarder earlier in the season to lift the Bulldogs to victory over Kentucky, Westerfield's teammates had all the confidence in the world in him on this one…a 44-yard try.
"I was thinking, 'Scotty's got this,'" Clinton said. "He's going to beam it up. Scotty was always good at what he did. He was always clutch under pressure. I felt confident that he could take care of the field goal. I always did."
Westerfield's kick was a no-doubter, splitting the goal posts to give MSU the advantage with just four ticks remaining, sending both sidelines, the entire stadium of 41,200 fans and the national television audience into a frenzy.
"We all went crazy in the locker room," Simpson said. "There was water, Gatorade bottles, everything all over the place. It was such a dramatic win."
The late triumph over the rival Rebels in the Battle for the Golden Egg easily topped all three of MSU's come-from-behind victories the 1999 season saw. And those included reserve quarterback Matt Wyatt orchestrating an amazing rally for an 18-16 triumph at Auburn, Rod Gibson diving in for a touchdown on fourth down to lift State to a 17-16 Homecoming victory over LSU, and Westerfield's kick to down Kentucky 23-22.
The Bulldogs would go on to down Clemson 17-7 in the 1999 Peach Bowl in Atlanta, capping only the second 10-win season (10-2) in program history – the first since 1940 – and finishing ranked 13th in the AP poll, 12th by the Coaches.
"It was about as sweet as it could possibly be," Simpson said. "To come back and beat Ole Miss, there's nothing better than that."
The bragging rights extend far past collegiate football. Simpson went on to play 11 years in the Canadian Football League where he played with Bean against a few former SEC foes.
"I remember talking to one of the offensive linemen for Ole Miss," Simpson said. "Bean and I would always rag him about the Egg Bowl. We would tell him, 'We're going to come back and beat y'all just like in college.' We took every advantage to talk about that rivalry."
When the 1999 team reunites, they never miss a chance to discuss the historic game.
"We talk about the excitement from that one game and what it meant to us as individuals, to those seniors and what it meant to Mississippi State University," Clinton said. "After the years, it has grown to be something special and that game holds a special place in my heart."
Westerfield has worked in the Bridge Division of the Mississippi Department of Transportation since graduating from State, where he now holds the role of Assistant State Bridge Engineer. Simpson and Clinton continued their football careers following graduation. Simpson spent several years competing in the Canadian Football League and Clinton went on to play overseas in Spain and spent a half of a year with the Detroit Lions before becoming a coach at Brandon High School.
Although the 1999 team members have all gone their separate ways, "The Kick and The Pick" game will always unite them just as it united Mississippi State fans on that memorable Thanksgiving night - November 25, 1999.
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