Above Left to Right: Dak Prescott and the entire Junction #transforming with TEETH to destroy UM.
Confidence.
Nostalgia.
Nerves.
Anticipation.
Butterflies.
Eagerness.
Redemption.
Revenge.
Torture.
TEETH
It's here, it's time. The holiday is over and all focus is shifted to one final task that we have to finish. As I've thought about Egg Bowl week and the complexities and tried to give it perspective, I really couldn't have agreed more with Austin Golding's Prediction Wednesday this week. I encourage you to read it in full below, as I couldn't share my thoughts any better. And I also share the faith that our senior scholar athletes will lead the team to victory this Saturday and be too much in The Torture Chamber for UM to overcome. Miss ya already Dak. Over 40 school records....just wow. Pred Wed:
*Prediction Wednesday* by Austin Golding:
We all knew last week Arkansas and the Bulldogs were going to score some points but I doubt anyone thought it would be over a hundred. Dak Prescott and Brandon Allen put on a show but in the end the team who has learned to win beat the team who is learning to win. Dak put together a night that will be talked about every year these two schools get together. Fred Ross' catch was everywhere the rest of the weekend. It was a hell of a game to watch and just what the Bulldogs needed the week before the most emotional game of the year. It took 51 points to beat what may have been the hottest offense in college football and the Bulldogs got it done on the road.
The Egg Bowl has always been more than a football game in Mississippi. This game serves as a measuring stick to determine which group of people/fans have the upper hand. The social dynamic of this heated rivalry being hosted in a very small state makes it personal. Even though Ole Miss has a 62-43-6 overall lead in the series, the Bulldogs have a 13-11 record against the Rebels since 1991. Hidden in these head to head results is the heart of this rivalry. Long time Ole Miss fans go back to a day when they dominated this match up. Mississippi State fans have enjoyed a rise to power and modern day lead in wins against Ole Miss. MSU and Ole Miss fans alike have reason to believe they should be viewed as the superior program when the reality is both programs continue to fight for the upper hand.
This rivalry has never been healthier when it comes to the football being played. This is the first time in history both teams have been ranked in back to back Egg Bowls. For perspectives sake this is only the 6th time in series history both teams have been ranked going into this game. This is the golden era of the Golden Egg.
The biggest reasons for both teams success this year are the guys they have playing Quarterback. This game will feature the two best QB's in the SEC. Chad Kelly has 3,504 passing yards to Dak Prescott's 3,159. That's good enough for 1st and 2nd in the Southeastern Conference. Kelly has 25 TD's to Dak's 23 but Dak only has 3 interceptions to Kelly's 12. I don't knock Kelly for his picks too much, he is a gunslinger with a big arm and as a result he takes more chances. What surprised me digging into the stats on both QB's is that after all the football that has been played, Chad Kelly has only thrown two more passes than Dak. Kelly has attempted 395 passes to Dak's 393. Clearly the similarities between these two offenses is greater than anyone would have guessed before the season.
Mississippi State - 45 Ole Miss - 38
Beyond the on field statistics the home team has a proven advantage in this series. The home team has won 10 of the last 11 Egg Bowls and Ole Miss hasn't won in Starkville since 2003. Both teams home fields are very tough places to play. The forecast for Saturday looks like temperatures in the 50's with relatively clear skies which means there won't be an empty seat in the stadium. That being said the biggest reason to try and be in Davis Wade Saturday is the opportunity to watch Dak Prescott in Starkville for the last time. Not many people have a chance to knowingly watch the greatest player in their school's history tip his cap on his home field. There is always a lot of emotion in the building for this game, but I feel like the added nostalgia will be what propels MSU to the win.
Dak Prescott has changed Mississippi State football. Before he took the reigns our passing record book didn't look like it belonged in the SEC. Before Dak our team hoped we could win and didn't think they could win. When a player comes into a program and breaks nearly 40 school records it is hard to wrap your mind around that. There have been some players like Jerious Norwood and Anthony Dixon who recently had deafening ovations on senior day, but Dak's will be different. Dak's will be the end of the most successful era in Mississippi State football up to this point. Whoever wins the QB battle next year will be in position to break some of Dak's records but they will have to win a National Championship to eclipse his impact on our program. Saturday is Dak's opportunity to put an exclamation point on the description of his career.
Fans that only watch Egg Bowls in their home stadiums are missing out. The part of the rivalry that extends to Oxford and Starkville as towns seems to be perpetuated by the most closed minded fans within each fan base. Starkville isn't a wasteland and Oxford isn't the ultimate retreat for the top 1%. The truth lies somewhere in the middle and anyone who doesn't enjoy some of what both have to offer is missing out. If anyone tells you any different just ask them when the last time they went to the town they are bashing and I bet their answer is close to "forever ago".
#HailState
#ShowSomeTeeth
#GTHOM
LET'S GO BAY-BEE
TEETH
KHH
p.s. Hope to see you all at the Egg Bowl Bash tonight. Get your advance (cheaper) tickets here: http://dawgparties.ticketleap.com/hailstate/
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