STARKVILLE — Jack and Mary Lott weren’t about to let a little rain spoil their party.
The Lotts have attended the past 15 football games between the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State. The Lowndes County residents were in their customary seats Saturday night at MSU’s Davis Wade Stadium to watch their Bulldogs become bowl eligible with a 31-3 victory against the Rebels before a rain-drenched crowd of 55,270.
“We don’t miss a Mississippi State home football game,” Mary Lott said. “It has been that way for more than 30 years. We try to make a road game or two when we can. Now that we are both retired, it is easier to cheer on the Bulldogs.”
The Lotts had plenty of reasons to cheer Saturday night. MSU scored on three of its first five possessions and was never seriously threatened in the Battle for the Golden Egg. The Bulldogs moved the opening possession 68 yards on 11 plays, and thanks in part to a slick track due to the weather, built a 21-0 halftime lead.
“It was a disappointment and certainly not unexpected,” said Tupelo’s Jack Reynolds, an Ole Miss supporter who was tailgating with MSU and Ole Miss fans before the game in The Junction. “This season was so bad that a bad loss like tonight was not unexpected.
“However, I always cheer for the Rebels. I attended school there. My wife did. My children did. I will always be there through thick and thin.”
Ole Miss finished 2-10 and 0-8 in the Southeastern Conference. It is the second time in the past five seasons the Rebels had a winless season in league play. Meanwhile, MSU moves to 6-6 and 2-6. The Bulldogs are bowl eligible for a second straight season.
“Some people might be disappointed in this season,” Starkville’s Jason Rodgers said. “However, tonight, you can’t be disappointed. Coach (Dan) Mullen has made this game quite personal. You can tell he has an emotional attachment to beating Ole Miss.
“Even though this team struggled some, being able to win six games and making a bowl is still progress. I was here in 2003 when we were in the same position Ole Miss was in. It is not a lot of fun.”
On a rain-drenched night in 2003, the Rebels had their way in a 31-0 victory against the Bulldogs. That contest was the final game for MSU coach Jackie Sherrill. Saturday night’s loss marked the end of Houston Nutt’s four-year coaching run at Ole Miss.
Ole Miss officials announced three weeks ago that Nutt wouldn’t be retained after this season. Nutt goes out with back-to-back losing seasons and a 1-3 mark against MSU, including three straight losses.
“You can’t just keep losing to Mississippi State,” West Point’s Breanna Roberts said. “It was really apparent the program was not going in the right direction. You hate to see it not work out for coach Nutt. He’s a good coach, though, and he will find more work.
“The big question is now who is next? We keep going through coaches. Sooner or later, it has to stop. Even if you don’t win championships, you got to make bowl games and beat your rival.”
Since the Ole Miss coaching search is in its third week, some Rebel fans remain optimistic a new coaching staff could be in place as early as next week. As more seasons close and more jobs open, the fans feel Ole Miss needs to act quickly to get the best possible hire for their situation.
“You hope to get the right coach, but you never know,” Rodgers said. “To be honest with you, I was not real excited about coach Nutt. However, he started out strong, won two Cotton Bowls, and then it all fell apart.
“I don’t know if it was laziness or what. But other schools kept working and he did not. It showed up on the field. We were a pitiful team by the end of the year.”
While MSU isn’t in a position to win championships this year, the outlook appears brighter. The Bulldogs are bowl eligible in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2000. You would have to go back to 1919 (a 33-0 win) to find the last time MSU won a game against Ole Miss game by that large a margin.
It is only the third time in school history MSU has won three straight in the 108 meetings of the rivalry. You have to go back to 1939-42 to find the last time MSU has had a winning streak as long in the series.
“It is like coach Mullen says, this is about bragging rights,” Starkville’s Robert Carter said. “The players and coaches have talked the talk all year, now it is time to back that talk. Beating Ole Miss is extremely important if you want to get the better recruits.
“With Ole Miss entering a lame-duck coaching situation, it is really time for the MSU staff to hit the ground hard. Just because you have had success does not mean you can let up now.”
MSU’s victory means the Lotts will have a bowl trip to plan. While they have made 15 straight Egg Bowls and held MSU season tickets for more than 30 years, they also haven’t missed any bowl games the team has played in that time.
“Now it is a wait and see,” Lott said. “I think we will make hotel reservations in Nashville (home of the Music City Bowl) and Memphis (home of the Liberty Bowl). We have a group of friends who are all retired. They will be going with us.
“Lord willing, wherever the Dogs are, we plan to be in attendance.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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