Why is Ole Miss-Mississippi State called the Egg Bowl? Rivalry nickname’s origins, explained

Ole Miss football and Mississippi State are ready to face off in one of the most storied intrastate rivalries in all sports: the 120th edition of the Egg Bowl.

The Rebels (9-2, 5-2 in SEC play) currently have the upper hand in the series history, boasting a 64-47-6 record over the Bulldogs since the first meeting took place on Oct. 28, 1901. They’ll look to extend their series lead over the Bulldogs on Saturday as Jaxson Dart aims to lead Ole Miss to its second 10-win season in three seasons at the expense of Mississippi State.

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On the other side, quarterback Will Rogers and the Bulldogs (5-6, 1-6) have struggled in conference play this season. But they currently hold The Golden Egg, the trophy given to the winner of the contest every year, after Mississippi State defeated Ole Miss 24-22 in the 2022 Egg Bowl.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Egg Bowl and its origins.

Why is it called the Egg Bowl?

Mississippi State (formerly Mississippi A&M) dominated early in the series, winning 13 straight games from 1911 to 1925 and outscoring Ole Miss 327–33. The turning point occurred in 1926, when Ole Miss ended the streak with a 7–6 victory, sparking clashes between fans as jubilant Ole Miss supporters rushed the field to take down the goal post, only to be met by A&M fans using wooden chairs as defense.

To deter future conflicts, students from both schools established The Golden Egg in 1927: a large trophy awarded to the winning team annually. In the event of a tie, the school that won the previous year kept the trophy for the first half of the new year before sending it to the other school for the second half, symbolizing supremacy in Mississippi college football.

The game earned the nickname “Egg Bowl” in 1979, coined by The Clarion-Ledger sports editor Tom Patterson. Per former Clarion-Ledger columnist Rick Cleveland, Patterson named the game so because neither the 3-7 Bulldogs nor 3-7 Rebels were bowl eligible.

“That’s why the late Tom Patterson, The Clarion-Ledger sports editor at the time, named it The Egg Bowl,” Cleveland wrote in 2017 for Mississippi Today. “If none of our teams were going to be good enough to go to a bowl game — and they weren’t — Patterson decided to create one and cover it with a special section.”

The term for the meeting has stuck ever since.

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Who won the 2022 Egg Bowl?

The 2022 Egg Bowl marked Mississippi State’s coach Mark Leach’s last victory before his death in December 2022. In the closing moments, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart orchestrated a 99-yard drive, culminating in a late touchdown with 1:25 remaining. Despite this, the Bulldogs thwarted the subsequent 2-point conversion, securing a 24-22 victory.

Along with the clutch stop on the attempted 2-point conversion, the Mississippi State defense allowed Dart and the Ole Miss offense to convert just 4 of 17 third downs. Rogers threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Egg Bowl all-time records

The Golden Egg trophy was only introduced in 1927, but Ole Miss and Mississippi State have met on the gridiron since 1901. In their 119 meetings, Ole Miss leads with a record of 64-47-6.

Mississippi State won the Egg Bowl in 2022, snapping a two-game losing streak in the competition.

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Is the Egg Bowl always on Thanksgiving?

While the 2023 Egg Bowl will take place on Thanksgiving Day, the matchup between Ole Miss and Mississippi State is not always on the day of the American holiday.

However, the meeting typically takes place in late November, but the specific date of the Egg Bowl can change from year to year based on the overall college football schedule, television broadcast agreements and other factors.