How Mississippi State football's Mike Leach can change his rivalry week luck in Egg Bowl
STARKVILLE — Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin can be a troll on social media and in press conferences.
On Saturday, he called out Arkansas coach Sam Pittman for missing pregame yoga. He followed that up by saying “pine box” in Monday’s press conference — a reference to Tommy Tuberville who said he’d need to be carried out of Oxford in a pine box before leaving for the Auburn job shortly after.
However, amidst the random motivational phrases and retweets of his dog Juice, there’s a post from Kiffin proving the importance of the Egg Bowl.
Responding to a tweet of his son Knox holding the Golden Egg Trophy on Sunday, Kiffin proclaimed winning the Egg Bowl on Thursday (6 p.m., ESPN) and improving to 3-0 in the rivalry is “all that matters.” Many in the Magnolia State agree, and it’s certainly a crucial game for Mississippi State coach Mike Leach.
He’s looking to avoid an 0-3 start in Mississippi’s bitter rivalry after losing his last seven Apple Cups at Washington State. To do so, he may need to get away from what built his coaching career.
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Ole Miss’ rush defense ranks ninth in the SEC, allowing nearly 170 yards per game. Against conference foes, the number nears 200.
Of the five SEC teams below Ole Miss, three have faced Mississippi State: Arkansas, Texas A&M and Auburn.
The Bulldogs (7-4, 3-4 SEC) beat all three, averaging 106 rushing yards per contest. The outlier in those: A 13-rushing yard performance against Auburn. MSU blew a 21-point lead before escaping in overtime in that one.
“Defense dictates to a point what’s ideal to run and execute to begin with,” Leach said Monday. “They’re going to select something to take and to cover, and then you try to counter-punch and respond to that.”
The Air Raid offense leans on the pass, and in losses this season MSU has often relied on it too much. For MSU fans, if attempting zero pass attempts to win the Egg Bowl is what it takes, so be it. They'll want Leach to be on the same page, and he might be.
Even in his attempts to downplay the rivalry in hopes of avoiding too much emotional impact on his players, he knows the magnitude of bringing the trophy home. As for who the rival is, he's indifferent.
“Occasionally, you’ll get a rival fan that thinks they’re special,” Leach said. “But if somehow they left or went to a different conference, heck, we’d have them replaced by the end of the week. If Ole Miss disappeared or went to the Big East, we’d replace them with Arkansas or LSU.”
If the Egg Bowl and rivalry week didn’t fall on the final days of the regular season, perhaps its weight would simmer, but that's not the case.
The result of Thursday’s matchup carries momentum into the offseason. It creates an obvious pitch for coaches trying to land key recruits in the state.
Choctaw County five-star receiver Caleb Cunningham will be in attendance. He holds offers from both schools, among other elite programs. Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3) is known for producing the state’s top receivers. MSU is looking to change that with its pass-heavy offense.
Changing ways begins with changing results.
“Is this an important game? Well, you only get 12 of them up until the bowl of the playoffs,” Leach said. “So hell yeah they’re important.”
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Mississippi State football's Mike Leach can change rivalry luck
