The Southeastern Conference’s decision in late July to implement a 10-game football schedule consisting solely of league games also included the requirement that all contests transpire on Saturdays.
We haven’t paid much attention to the Saturday-only aspect until now, as there will be no Ole Miss-Mississippi State clash on Thanksgiving night. Any pregame brawls involving the Rebels and Bulldogs will have to wait until the weekend, as will touchdown celebrations that involve getting on all fours and hiking up a leg as if to urinate.
Given the chaos of Mississippi State’s 21-20 triumph in Starkville last season and given that Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach now head the Magnolia State’s top two programs, this year’s meeting contained tons of anticipation and deserved its own evening, but along came a certain pandemic.
“I think it’s the same for both teams, so I probably really don’t have an opinion,” Kiffin said this week of the shift. “I would guess the Thursday night game gets more recruits watching you because there are less games.”
This year’s Egg Bowl is not only on a Saturday but has been buried on the SEC Network opposite the annual CBS telecast of the Iron Bowl, which now has the monster storyline of Nick Saban’s absence due to a positive COVID-19 test. While two defensive touchdowns served as the difference in Auburn’s 48-45 upset in last November’s Iron Bowl, the Egg Bowl two days earlier came down to an Elijah Moore 2-yard touchdown reception with four seconds left that pulled the Rebels within 21-20.
Moore crawled in the end zone before performing his leg hike that resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and Luke Logan’s 35-yard extra-point attempt. Logan missed, the “Piss & Miss” moniker was birthed, and the Matt Luke coaching era in Oxford ended after 36 games.
“That was a long time ago,” Kiffin said. “I talked to Elijah about it when I first got here and was learning and moving forward. I didn’t think there was any need to this week. That was a long time ago and a lot of catches ago.”
State pride is often all that’s at stake in an Egg Bowl, and it’s no different this year as both programs are in rebuilding phases. Kiffin’s Rebels have a 3-4 record with an entertaining offense and a Swiss-cheese defense, while Leach’s Bulldogs are 2-5 but have displayed promise, which was reflected in a 44-34 opening upset of LSU and last week’s 31-24 loss at Georgia.
Former Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen certainly ratcheted up the animosity in this series by referring to Ole Miss as “That School Up North,” but there hasn’t appeared to be even a trace of dislike between Kiffin and Leach.
“Anytime that you’re doing something as repetitious as football, you try to avoid as many boring people as you can,” Leach said. “Lane is not boring, so I’ve always been excited to spend time with him. If you’re stuck at one of these coaches meetings that everybody pretends are so important, Lane lightens it up a little bit.”
Mississippi State photo / Mississippi State first-year football coach Mike Leach, pictured, appreciates his relationship with Ole Miss counterpart Lane Kiffin.Pasquali’s Pix
Notre Dame at North Carolina: Mack Brown’s head-coaching career spans 32 seasons, but he has never faced Notre Dame until now. Fighting Irish 24, Tar Heels 17.
Kentucky at Florida: Should the Gators win, Mullen would be 28-6 through his first 34 games in Gainesville, topping the 27-7 records of Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. Gators 45, Wildcats 17.
Vanderbilt at Missouri: The intrigue level would skyrocket in this one if Commodores soccer standout Sarah Fuller earned some kicking chores. “She’s got a strong leg,” Derek Mason said Wednesday. “We’ll see what that yields.” Tigers 26, Commodores 16.
Auburn at Alabama: The Crimson Tide are just 5-7 all-time against Auburn in Tuscaloosa, but they were once 1-7. Crimson Tide 41, Tigers 20.
Mississippi State at Ole Miss: The Rebels have scored more than 50 points in consecutive SEC games for the first time in program history. Rebels 38, Bulldogs 33.
LSU at Texas A&M: The Tigers this week became the first reigning national champions to fail to appear in the initial College Football Playoff rankings the following season. Aggies 35, Tigers 26.
Duke at Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets haven’t played since losing 31-13 to Notre Dame on Halloween, and they are the lone Power Five program to have experienced three weekends off since the season started. Yellow Jackets 27, Blue Devils 24.
Georgia at South Carolina: Kirby Smart when asked Wednesday about longtime buddy Mike Bobo’s golf game: “I don’t answer questions like that with guys who are above 25 or 30 handicaps. Basically, he’s terrible.” Bulldogs 34, Gamecocks 17.
Other picks:
Iowa State 31, Texas 28
Oregon 35, Oregon State 30
Ohio State 49, Illinois 16
Indiana 27, Maryland 22
Oklahoma State 38, Texas Tech 19
Michigan 20, Penn State 17
N.C. State 33, Syracuse 24
Coastal Carolina 34, Texas State 3
Clemson 52, Pittsburgh 25
Northwestern 26, Michigan St. 21
Southern California 24, Colorado 23
Florida Atlantic 23, MTSU 20
Virginia 41, Florida State 26
Winners – 15
Swinneys – 5
Pasquali is 147-51 overall (74.2%) this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.