Bonus Coverage: Ghosts of Golden Eggs Past
GHOSTS OF GOLDEN EGGS PAST
There've been good times.
There've seen bad times.
I have my share of hard times too.
When I found Bully and began to follow him, it was a time that ole Pharoah Johnny Vaught had the Children of Maroon wandering in the wilderness of a 17 game winless streak. The streak was finally broken, but State could never quite achieve dominance in the series. Paul Davis won one. Jackie won a bunch. Even Charlie Shira and Sly Croom won some. But Dan, taking a page from Jackie Wayne's playbook of tweaking the nose of "Mississippi," came in assuming the role of the uppity Yankee in The Colonel's Court, whipped them, and rubbed their faces in it. It was akin to some Yankee bully boy wandering over to The Grove, grabbing someone's fine whiskey from under their chandlier, chugging it down, belching, then wandering down to the Square and relieving himself in broad daylight. The reaction from the Ole Missy was a startled, "Well ... well ... I declayah!" So the Ipana Kid himself, old Bucky Beaver, was brought in ... and aided by checkbooks, clandestine operatives of the Citizens Council, a tent revival facade, and an innovative offense, sought to restore things to the hoped for "Natural Order." Occasional appearances to the contrary, howver, college sports has a few rules, and brazen disregard for those rules didn't set well with the authorities. Now chastened by the long arm of the law, a new plan must be developed ... one which apparently comes each season with a new mascot, determined by students with a good sense of humor and an eye for popular entertainment.
Let's review a few Egg Bowls from the past ... and, yes, they will unapologetically be painted with a Maroon tint:
1957 - My first year to know that college football existed other than in the stadium of the JCJC Bobcats. I had seen my first senior college games on Nov. 2 at old Hinds Memorial Stadium in Jackson, a doubleheader with State (then called the Maroons) with Billy Stacy at the helm, trouncing Tulane that afternoon and Ole Miss shutting out Houston that night. Being something of a precocious child, I recognized that God favored those wearing maroon, and hitched my wagon to the State star. Unfortunately I was only a child, and mistakenly believed for a while that red and blue wasn't all that bad either. I cheered for both teams, but in that deciding game, I did have the good sense to cheer for dear ole State. The game ended in a 7 - 7 tie. Both team had good seasons.
1961 - I made my first trip to Starkville and attended my first State vs. Ole Miss game. Ole Miss was nationally ranked, and the Bulldogs were in the midst of a long SEC losing streak. Although I cheered for State, I had relatively low expectations. They were met. My only memories are these two: 1) TSUN QB Doug Elmore was back to receive a punt, watched it slowly roll while a group of Maroons watched it, then turned their backs. Elmore cunningly snatched the ball, took off running, and didn't stop until he got to the end zone. Sneaky bastard! 2) Ole Miss had a big lumox named Chuck Tempfer who kicked for them. One of his kicks hit the scoreboard on the north end of Scott Field, which had a sweep clock. The ball broke the sweep hand, and they had to keep the time on the field. Arsehole!
1962 - The Rebels had had a banner year; the Bulldogs not so much (although they finally had broken a long SEC losing streak by going for 2 and beating Auburn in Birmingham). Ole Miss, though highly favored found themselves in a pitched battle, trailing 7-6 until reserve QB Jim Weatherly ran a bootleg that fooled everyone (apparenly because it was not a designed bootleg; he and the RB misssed the exchange) and sprinted down the sidelines to give UM a 13-6 win. Weatherly was pilloried in later years by TSUN fans because the team lost some games. He was the leader of a band called Jim Weatherly & the Vegas and was criticized because he cared more about rock & roll than football. Weatherly went on to success as a songwriter, including "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "Neither One of Us," both hits for Gladys Knight & the Pips, as well as a numbet of other songs.
1963 - Both teams were bound for bowls, which was rare. The Bulldogs had one of the best teams in my lifetime, losing 2 games when their star running back, Ode Burrell, was out after having been roughed while punting against Memphis State. Ole Miss was unbeaten and once tied (by Memphis State). The game seesawed back and forth before the Rebels, trailing 10-7, drove to a 1st and goal late in the game. 3 plays netted little, and rather than playing for the win, TSUN settled for a field goal and a tie. State beat NC State in the frigid Liberty Bowl; TSUN lost to Alabama (who they never played in the regular season), playing in the Sugar Bowl in old Tulane Stadium that was surrounded by the surreal sight of snow banks from the previous day.
1964 - The Bulldogs break the streak, beating Ole Miss 20-17 in Oxford in a blustery, cold game that for some reason was on national TV. Dr. D.W. Colvard gave State students the Monday after Thanksgiving off to celebrate the end of the streak.
1967 - The last game of State's All-American LB D.D. Lewis, this was the first football game I had ever seen in which it appeared that the prudent move would've been to have lifeguards posted at every 10 yd. marker. Rain of Biblical proportions had fallen on Scott Field, and water stood several inches deep on the field and on the track surrounding the field. A good Rebel team struggled to eke out a 10-3 over a Bulldog team that finished 1-9, and D.D. must have made every tackle. I honestly thought he was going to drown some TSUN running backs, plus he introduced the art of skimming as he sent several skipping across the surface of Scott Field like flat rocks. A moral victory to be sure ... and one in which the Reb backs no doubt the next day felt Mr. T's favorite word, "Painnnnn!"
1968 - Another cold, windy, drizzly day (you'll notice a theme here) in Oxford, and a winless MSU team took it to a UM team led by sophomore sensation Archie Manning, which was bound for the Liberty Bowl. The game ended in a 17 - 17 tie, but the Rebs were hanging on like Apollo Creed in the first Rocky ... and most definitely uttered Creed's famous line: "Ain't gonna be no rematch!" God wore maroon that day, as Chuck Jordan ricocheted a field goal that bounced off an upright, then the crossbar, and went through. Also Andy Rhoades, who suffered a traumatic rupture of the spleen 2 seasons earlier in a game in Houston, at a time when he was leading the SEC in rushing, had never recovered. But against TSUN that day, he consistently rambled over and through Rebel defenders, particularly in the 2nd half. Years later I asked him about that game, and at the risk of violating his HIPAA rights, will share his reply. He said he got "dinged" in the 1st half, didn't remember anything about the 2nd -- depended on other players to tell him what to do on each play. It's not what you know; it's what you do.
1970 - The Bulldogs break through for another win, this one 19 - 14, in Oxford. With "pooah Ahchie" out with a broken arm, courtesy of the pesky USM Eagles, the 'Dogs rode a stout defense against Reb backup QB "Chug Fumbler" to the win. Soph. DB Frank Dowsing, State's first African-American player, intercepted a pass in the end zone late in the game to seal the win. That had to really grate on the nerves of the lilly-white, "Dixie" playing, Rebel flag-waving home crowd.
1974 - This was the first Egg Bowl in which State had come in the heavy favorite in decades. The desparation among the Red & Blue was evident: First, they tried to start a fight to get 'Dog players tossed before the game even began. Then for their first play they threw down their ace of spades, leaving their fastest player on the sideline, appearing to talk to a coach, while the team lined up, and the QB threw to the unguarded player for an easy TD. One play, 7-0 bad guys. Soon it was 31-7 State as the veer offense with Felker, Packer, Johnson, Vitrano, and a talented defense overwhelmed the poor Rebels. Cheaters never win.
1982 - The Bulldogs won 27-10, which is most notable because they beat TSUN in baseball by that same score that same year on a night when Dudy Noble was shrouded in fog. Every fly ball was a potential home run. If I'm not mistaken, Glen Young played in both the football and baseball games.
1983 - "The Immaculate Deflection" ... God was most assuredly not wearing maroon that day. State ran almost at will on the TSUN D, and with a few minutes remaining drove deep into UM terrritory, largely on repeated QB sneaks by John Bond of 7-10 yds. each. It was another blustery, cold day, and Emory Bellard chose to play for the tie with his excellent kicker, Artie Cosby, who had drilled some from 50+. Trailing by 1 and with time running out, Bellard sets up a normally routine kick ... but this was not a normal day. Like the parting of the Red Sea, a Blue tornadic gust of wind blew Cosby's straight down the fairway kick to a standstill, then back. No good. 24-23 bad guys. Still makes me want to puke ... and question my faith.
1991 - Jackie's first year, and the first year sinc 1972 that the game had been on campus rather than in Jackson. State hosted and waxed the Rebels 24 - 9, the first of several unhappy days in Lafayette Co. due to Jackie, who proudly wore the mantle of the Ole Miss anti-Christ. The 'Dogs went on to the Liberty Bowl.
1996 - Yet another cold, windy, rainy day. The Vaught-Hemingway field was a quagmire. Behind thunderous, devastating blocks by the 'Dogs' Fred McCrary (who had at least one poor UM defender looking for a place to hide) ground the toothless Rebs into their own mud, while Kevin Sluder and his teammates threw Reb linemen and backs around like rag dolls. 17 - 0, but it wasn't nearly that close.
1999 - "The Pass, the Kick, the Tip, and the Kick" ... good things come to those who wait. The Bulldogs fell behind early on a cold, rainy night (there's that theme again); the Rebels were relentless and the Bulldogs couldn't get started. Finally the tide began to turn ... interesting because all season long Jackie had gone to the bullpen for Matt Wyatt if Madkin was struggling, but not this time. Tight ends ran free. Donald Lee first, then the late C. J. Sirmones, alone at the 30, waltzed in. The Bulldogs had tied it up late. Rather than playing for OT, Cutcliffe decided to try to throw the Rebels into FG position. Alas, poor, poor Webels. Bean tipped then kicked it, Eugene Clinton caught it and returned it deep, and set it up for Scott Westerfield, who entered the Bulldog Pantheon of Heroes by sending it right down the middle. As the legendary Jack would say, "Wrap it it maroon and white!"
2005 - As big of a one man show as I've ever seen! Jerious Norwood put on a clinic, shredding a reputedly good TSUN D. led by future NFL star Patrick Willis, as the Bulldogs romped 35 - 14. I almost felt sorry for Willis as Norwood flew by and through him ... almost.
2007 - The Crooming of the Ogre. State had had a good year by Croom standards and looked to be bold bound, while playing an underperforming Rebel team. However, Ole Miss was the far superior team for 3+ periods. Then the worm turned, and the 'Dogs got on the board late. They then forced a TSUN punt, which was a line drive that none other than Derek Pegues, a former star who had been thought to be a lock as a Rebel recruit from their farm team at South Panola, grabbed it on the run and raced through bewildered Rebs for a TD to tie it up. A field goal by a kicker who had to that point been spotty gave the 'Dogs the win. Helluva comeback for 'Dogs, nearly giving Sly a heart attack as he raced around the field afterward with the big State flag. Orgeron got worse than cardiac arrest -- he got Croomed -- while the 'Dogs prepared to play in the Liberty Bowl.
2008 - Croom Crooms himself. In one of the most lopsided losses the Bulldogs have suffered, only one year after winning the Liberty Bowl, Sylvester's 'Dogs ended a very disappointing season by getting pounded 45 - 0. But the fertilizer brought new growth, as Dan Mullen was hired as State's new head football coach.
2009 - In his first Egg Bowl Dan the Man's team overcame a sluggish 1st half by unleashing jumbo QB Chris Relf on the read option with Anthony "Boobie" Dixon. Both had banner days, as the decided underDogs smote the Philistine Rebels 41 - 27. Dan then created his own special place in TSUN's own Pit of Misery by declaring that it was evident which program in the state was on the rise. He's done little since to relinquish his spot. Dilly, dilly!
2013 - Dak becomes Dak. Fighting injuries, the Bulldogs limped into their last 2 games as underdogs and needing wins in both to salvage a break even season and become bowl eligible. First they won their first game ever at Arkansas, then they faced the high powered now Black Bears at home. Playing very close to the vest, with a true freshman QB who was starting his first game, the 'Dog D held it close until very late. Trailing by 3, Mullen turned to Dak Prescott, who had missed 3-4 games with an arm injury and was not expected to play. But play he did, driving State to a tying FG, then winning it with a run for the ages on 4th and goal from about the 2. Nickoe Whitley then sealed it for State with a strip of Bo Wallace, which Jamerson Love fell on in the end zone for the 'Dogs. Game, set, match ... and Dak!
2016 - The trend looked ominous. Even with the greatest MSU player in modern history, the heavy favorite despite a disappointing season, needing a win to secure a bowl bid. The 'Dog defense had generally been woeful, and the Rebel offense was potent. However, after a fairly tight first half, the dam broke for TSUN, as Nick Fitzgerald and Aeris Williams had career days blazing through the so-called Landshark D. It was a merciless and surprising beatdown ... one that led to a surprising bowl bid for the Bulldogs. Ole mo' seemed to be again wearing maroon and white. To be continued ....
What will I write after tomorrow night's game? Good question ... that's why they play the games. There's little doubt that State has had the better team, although the Landbear offense is potent. The sobering part is that the team expected to win by most has not done so but about once in the past 1 years. Good time to reverse that trend.
Comments
Post a Comment