Egg Bowl Is Back On Thanksgiving

Photo by Kevin Bain / University Communications

The Egg Bowl is returning to Thanksgiving Day for the first time since 2003.

This year’s version of the annual rivalry game between Ole Miss and Mississippi State will be played at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville on Thursday, Nov. 28. The game will be televised on ESPN with a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff.

“I think it’s great for this storied rivalry to return to Thanksgiving Day,” said second-year Rebel head coach Hugh Freeze. “There were so many memorable moments from our meetings on that holiday in the past, and I hope to see a big Rebel turnout in Starkville this year.”

Ole Miss holds a 61-42-6 all-time record against Mississippi State, including a 55-25-5 lead in the Battle for the Golden Egg that began in 1927. Last year, the Rebels won state bragging rights with a 41-24 victory in Oxford.

The Rebels shut out the Bulldogs 31-0 in Starkville in their last Thanksgiving meeting, which gave Ole Miss a share of the 2003 Southeastern Conference Western Division Championship. It was the end of a six-year stretch from 1998-2003 that the Egg Bowl was played on Thanksgiving.

The in-state SEC foes have played on Thanksgiving 25 times, and Ole Miss holds a 15-9-1 edge in those games. They have battled for the Golden Egg on the holiday 16 times, with the Rebels leading 10-5-1.

Egg Bowl TV viewers – last three years
2010: Mississippi State at Ole Miss, 531,560 (ESPNU)
2011: Ole Miss at Mississippi State, 409,911 (ESPNU)
2012: Mississippi State at Ole Miss, 502,011 (ESPNU)

Thanksgiving TV viewers – last three years
2010: Texas A&M at Texas, 4.9M (ESPN)
2011: Texas at Texas A&M, 4.1M (ESPN)
2012: TCU at Texas, 1.9M (ESPN)