More Egg Bowl Excitement On Tap This Thanksgiving
May 25, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
MSU and Ole Miss to kick off in prime time on November 23.
STARKVILLE – In 2023, the Thanksgiving turkey will once again come with a side of egg.
The Southeastern Conference announced on Thursday that this year's Battle for the Golden Egg between Mississippi State and Ole Miss will once again be contested in prime time on Thanksgiving night (November 23) at Davis Wade Stadium. The game is set to be televised by ESPN at 6:30 p.m. CT.
This marks the second-straight year and fifth time in the last six meetings that the Bulldogs and Rebels have met on Thanksgiving. State has won three of the last four Thanksgiving Egg Bowls.
Over the last quarter-century or so, Thanksgiving has often been synonymous with the annual rivalry tilt between MSU and Ole Miss. Played on Thanksgiving night for the first time in 27 years back in 1998, the Egg Bowl has been played on Thanksgiving half the time since with most of those games serving up unforgettable memories to go along with everyone's dressing and cranberry sauce.
Considering that, let's take a look back at several of the greatest Bulldog Thanksgiving memories of the last 25 years.
1998 – The West Was Won
There have certainly been more dramatic Thanksgiving Egg Bowls, but none with the stakes of the 1998 version. A Mississippi State victory would clinch the school's first-ever SEC Western Division title and send the Bulldogs to Atlanta for the league's championship game. Kicker Brian Hazelwood's dramatic, game-winning field goal against Arkansas five days prior had put State in position to claim the West, but the Dawgs had to finish the job by topping the rival Rebs, which they ultimately did 28-6.
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1999 – The Kick And The Pick
It's firmly entrenched among the most unforgettable games in Bulldog history. MSU trailed 20-6 entering the fourth quarter, but in a year of comebacks, the Dawgs had one more big one left in them. The heroes down the stretch were many. There was quarterback Wayne Madkin, who threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final period. There was tight end CJ Sirmones and his 38-yard scoring reception that tied the game. Then, there is the play most associated with the evening. With only seconds remaining in the contest, Ole Miss chose to try and drive the field for a game-winning score rather than playing for overtime. It proved to be an unwise decision for the Rebels. Ole Miss quarterback Romaro Miller threw a pass that was tipped by State's Robert Bean around midfield. Somehow, someway, Bean was then able to kick the ball into the air and into the hands of teammate Eugene Clinton. Clinton then returned his interception 27 yards down to the Ole Miss 26-yard line, where State kicker Scott Westerfield set off a Starkville party with a 44-yard field goal that sealed the 23-20 triumph.
2001 – Running Over The Rebs
The 2001 season was a tough one for Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs were able to feast on Thanksgiving. More specifically, the MSU running game feasted. State running backs Dicenzo Miller and Dontae Walker combined to rush for 200 yards and Walker crossed the goal line three times as the Dawgs claimed a 36-28 triumph over a sophomore Eli Manning and the Rebels.
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2013 – Dak's Comeback
Bulldog quarterback Dak Prescott had already given signs throughout the 2013 season that he was special. Then came the Egg Bowl which put Prescott on the fast track to becoming a Mississippi State legend. Prescott didn't start the game due to injury as freshman Damian Williams took his place. But in the fourth quarter, down 10-7, Prescott put aside his ailment, entered the game, and ultimately orchestrated a late drive that resulted in a game-tying field goal with just over two minutes left in regulation. In overtime, Prescott sealed the deal. He broke off a three-yard touchdown run on fourth down to put MSU in front 17-10. Moments later, Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace was laying face down in the same end zone after fumbling away all Rebel hopes, and the Bulldogs were celebrating.
2018 – Dominant Dawgs
There aren't too many lopsided scores in recent Egg Bowl history, but the 2018 edition certainly was as Mississippi State went to Oxford and manhandled the Rebels. MSU outgained Ole Miss 420 yards to 189, outrushed the Rebels 309-37 and more importantly, won the game 35-3. On this Thanksgiving, Dawgs everywhere could simply chew their food and not their fingernails.
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2019 – A Finish Like No Other
Words could never fully describe the madness that ensued at the end of the 2019 Egg Bowl. Even in a rivalry where the unexpected can be expected, no one could've seen this finish coming. Ole Miss received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following a touchdown that had made the score 21-20 State. That ended up as the final when the Rebels were unable to make their pushed-back extra point that would've tied the game.
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2022 – Randy's Right Hand
In the wait before this year's MSU-Ole Miss meeting, the Golden Egg rests in Starkville and defensive lineman Randy Charlton's right hand has a lot to do with that. State held on for a 24-22 win in Oxford last November as the Rebels' two-point attempt to tie the game was denied when Charlton batted down a Jaxson Dart pass with just over a minute left. Making the victory even sweeter for Mississippi State is the fact that it turned out to be the final game in the legendary career of late head coach Mike Leach.
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