What Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin said about Egg Bowl, Mississippi State at SEC Media Days
ATLANTA — Lane Kiffin says he doesn’t think about a game 129 days away, but the value of the Egg Bowl is hard to overstate.
In a state where the Ole Miss vs Mississippi State games are met by constant clashes in recruiting, the Rebels' football coach knows the advantage he owns with his 2-0 record against the Bulldogs. He knows the value of being undefeated against Mike Leach and the pressure placed on the MSU coach entering their third seasons in the Magnolia State.
“You really don’t know until you get to a place like Mississippi and see what it means to those people,” Kiffin said Monday at SEC Media Days. “They’re not kidding when they say the next 364 days will be affected. When the common fan says that, they’re serious.”
SEC MEDIA DAYS: Kiffin discusses potentially facing Jackson State
MORE MEDIA DAYS: Greg Sankey says Texas, Oklahoma trump UCLA, USC
Kiffin and Leach, who are familiar with each other from their Pac-12 days, were hired in 2020. Mississippi State had won the last two Egg Bowls and three of the last four, but since Kiffin arrived the momentum has shifted.
The two staffs have squared off in recruiting, with players such as Tupelo defensive end Jacarius Clayton flipping from Ole Miss to State in December. But Ole Miss, has had the higher-rated recruiting class each of the previous two cycles, according to 247Sports.
Ole Miss wide receiver Jonathan Mingo is a Brandon, Mississippi, native who was a four-star prospect with offers from both programs. His commitment came in the summer following Ole Miss’ 2017 win in Starkville.
Mingo has the potential of graduating with three Egg Bowl wins, though he feels the number could be four. His first Egg Bowl came in 2019 when Elijah Moore was called for a costly unsportsmanlike penalty when he celebrated by imitating a dog urinating.
Mingo, who was high school teammates with Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers, said the two make a bet each season. Mingo has had the upper hand thus far, and like Kiffin, he hopes the success continues.
“(Rogers) never lives up to it," Mingo said. "He promises he’s a man of his word. It’s fun playing against Will. He’s my best friend.”
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: Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin on Egg Bowl, Mississippi State
