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Here's How Rebel Fans Reacted on Social Media to Egg Bowl Victory
The Ole Miss Rebels pulled off an upset and set new team records in Thursday night’s win over Mississippi State, but reactions to the game have been mixed.
A pregame fight between Ole Miss and State players set the tone for what many fans on both sides felt was an unusually ugly game. And the 6-6 finish has left Rebel Nation divided on whether Matt Luke should keep his position as head coach.
But a win is a win, and this one couldn’t have been much sweeter for an Ole Miss team that has endured injuries to key players (including starting quarterback Shea Patterson) and heartbreaking last-minute losses, not to mention the sudden departure of former Head Coach Hugh Freeze just a few months before the season opened and the looming dark cloud of a seemingly interminable NCAA investigation.
As always, Clarion-Ledger cartoonist Marshall Ramsey put the Ole Miss-State rivalry into humorous perspective before the game kicked off in Starkville:
While thrilled with the win, some Rebel fans were disappointed in the on-field behavior of Rebel players and took to social media to share their mixed feelings:
Bill Bunting, an Ole Miss grad now working at the University of Virginia, offered a more wry perspective on the decades-long rivalry and this year’s outcome:
Still others merely savored the victory over a 14th-ranked Bulldog team that was predicted to coast to an easy victory on its home turf:
Former Ole Miss safety Cody Prewitt expressed solidarity with the team:
Directly addressing the question on nearly every Rebel fan’s mind, Fox Sports and Sports Illustrated reporter Bruce Feldman believes Matt Luke proved he was the right man for the permanent head coaching position at Ole Miss:
Other Rebel fans were just happy to see Luke come out on top, if only for one night, after such a long and difficult season:
In the end, the Golden Egg returned to Oxford in a surprising finish to a turbulent season, and it’s ours for the next year. So Hotty Toddy and fins up, Rebel Nation, and just wait ’til next year!
Rick Hynum is editor-in-chief of HottyToddy.com. Email him at rick.hynum@hottytoddy.com.
| Mon, Nov 4 |  | vs Long Island University | W, 90-60 |
| Fri, Nov 8 |  | vs Grambling | W, 66-64 |
| Tue, Nov 12 |  | vs South Alabama | W, 64-54 |
| Sat, Nov 16 |  | vs Colorado State | W, 84-69 |
| Thu, Nov 21 |  | vs Oral Roberts | L, 100-68 |
| Thu, Nov 28 |  | vs BYU | W, 96-85 OT |
| Fri, Nov 29 |  | vs 13 Purdue | L, 80-78 |
| Tue, Dec 3 |  | @ Louisville | W, 86-63 |
| Sat, Dec 7 |  | vs Lindenwood | W, 86-53 |
| Sat, Dec 14 |  | vs Southern Miss | W, 77-46 |
| Tue, Dec 17 |  | vs Southern | W, 74-61 |
| Sat, Dec 21 |  | vs Queens University | W, 80-62 |
| Sat, Dec 28 |  | @ Memphis | L, 87-70 |
| Sat, Jan 4 |  | vs Georgia | W, 63-51 |
| Wed, Jan 8 |  | @ 23 Arkansas | W, 73-66 |
| Sat, Jan 11 |  | vs LSU | W, 77-65 |
| Tue, Jan 14 |  | @ 5 Alabama | W, 74-64 |
| Sat, Jan 18 |  | @ 17 Mississippi State | L, 81-84 |
| Wed, Jan 22 |  | vs 13 Texas A&M | L, 62-63 |
| Sat, Jan 25 |  | @ Missouri | L, 83-75 |
| Wed, Jan 29 |  | vs Texas | W, 72-69 |
| Sat, Feb 1 |  | vs 2 Auburn | L, 92-82 |
| Tue, Feb 4 |  | vs 10 Kentucky | W, 98-84 |
| Sat, Feb 8 | | @ LSU | 7:30 PM SECN |
| Wed, Feb 12 |  | @ South Carolina | 6:00 PM SECN |
| Sat, Feb 15 | | vs 17 Mississippi State | 5:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Feb 22 |  | @ Vanderbilt | 2:30 PM SECN |
| Wed, Feb 26 | | @ 2 Auburn | 6:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Mar 1 |  | vs 12 Oklahoma | 1:00 PM TBA |
| Wed, Mar 5 |  | vs 1 Tennessee | 8:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Mar 8 |  | @ 6 Florida | 5:00 PM SECN |