STARKVILLE — The small town of Maplesville, Alabama, is less than an hour from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. To Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, it’s almost twice that distance.
That didn’t stop Nathaniel Watson from spurning the Tide for the Tigers anyway.
Watson “really couldn’t tell you why” he grew up a big Auburn fan, but having friends and family who went there certainly helped. His uncle, Harold Morrow, played at Auburn before a career as an NFL fullback.
Mississippi State’s middle linebacker has been around the Iron Bowl long enough to see “a lot of flares and stuff get going.” He’s been to games between the two schools in Tuscaloosa, witnessing one of college football’s purest rivalries in person.
“S***, it’s electric,” Watson said. “It’s a big rivalry.”
Compared to the annual Egg Bowl rivalry between MSU and Ole Miss, though?
Watson admitted there are a lot of similarities but said the Thanksgiving night showdown in the Magnolia State is superior.
“Even if they’re not a Mississippi State or Ole Miss fan, everybody tunes into that one game,” he said. “It’s just a bigger game, bigger stage.”
For Watson and other Mississippi State players, the rivalries they grew up in seem to pale in comparison to the one they will play in once again at 6 p.m. Thursday in Oxford.
Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes said the high school hatred between Grenada High School — his alma mater — and West Point can’t compare.
“It has nothing on the Egg Bowl,” Forbes said. “It’s a lot more at stake and a lot more bragging rights.”
Neither the Bulldogs nor the Rebels have dominated the rivalry to the extent West Point has dominated Grenada, of course. The Green Wave won 14 straight games from 1982 to 2019 before a Grenada win in 2020 — Forbes’ freshman season at MSU.
A month later, West Point went back to Grenada and eliminated the Chargers from the state playoffs.
“You knew what you were going to get out of them — hard nosed, run the ball a lot,” Forbes said. “That was just a really well-coached and hard-nosed football team.”
For wide receiver Austin Williams, however, things were a lot more balanced.
Williams’ alma mater is Ocean Springs High School, which owns a 25-25 all-time record against rival Biloxi High. The Greyhounds went 2-2 against the Indians during Williams’ four years in high school.
“We’re just really close,” Williams said. “We’re neighboring cities, right? So we’re always just kind of going back at it.”
Ocean Springs managed to go 4-0 during that time span against a crosstown rival in St. Martin, though. The Greyhounds have won five straight in that rivalry series, including a 49-24 win this October.
Williams’ alma mater plays Friday night in the MHSAA Class 6A semifinals against Brandon — where his roommate, quarterback Will Rogers, went to school.
Yes, there will be trash talk.
“I know we’re both looking forward to that,” Williams said.
Of course, the game played one night before will dominate the conversation.
For a Mississippi native like Rogers, who grew up an Ole Miss fan and now plays for the Rebels’ rival, there’s nothing like the Egg Bowl.
“I don't think you fully understand unless you're from here or are a part of the game,” Rogers said. “This is the game that everybody thinks about every year. It doesn't matter where we play it or who is ranked higher or what the records are. It's the biggest game of the year, every year.”
Those who have played in it know that.
Watson recalled being awed by the tempo of his very first Egg Bowl, in Starkville in 2019.
The contest came down to the wire, and Mississippi State won after Ole Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore’s ill-fated celebration, a penalty flag and the missed extra point that followed.
“It was electric, them missing that kick and us winning it,” Watson said. “The crowd went crazy.”
MSU hasn’t won an Egg Bowl since.
Ole Miss took home a 31-24 win in 2020 in Oxford. The following season, the Rebels beat the Bulldogs 31-21 at Davis Wade Stadium.
Williams said those results, though, have no bearing on what’s about to happen.
“Coming into the game, the Egg Bowl is the Egg Bowl,” he said. “Regardless of what happened the previous season or whatever it is, it’s kind of just neutral ground.”
Few players can empathize with that concept more than linebacker Jett Johnson, who grew up in Tupelo in a house divided: His mother rooted for the Rebels, while his father backed the Bulldogs.
And it’s not only Johnson’s parents who are split on the issue. There’s little consensus among his friends and family, either.
“I’ve got Ole Miss people, State people,” Johnson said. “It’s just a blessing to be a part of it.”
That’s the prevailing feeling as the 119th Egg Bowl approaches.
It’s greater than Grenada. Bigger than Biloxi. Stronger than the Iron Bowl of Watson’s youth.
It’s Mississippi State and Ole Miss, and those from the Magnolia State know there’s nothing like it.
“From the north to the south, the Egg Bowl is everywhere,” Williams said.
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