This year’s Egg Bowl figures to be the most spirited meeting between Mississippi State and Ole Miss in the rivalry’s 101-year history. With both teams ranked in the Top 10 in the country, the implications go far beyond the usual bragging rights. SEC and national title aspirations for both the Bulldogs and Rebels are on the line when they meet in Oxford on Nov. 29.
Before that epic encounter, Rebels and Bulldogs will collide in an Egg Bowl of a different sort on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. on the MSU intramural field.
The inaugural Unified Egg Bowl will feature teams of Special Olympians who have intellectual disabilities competing alongside MSU and Ole Miss students in a flag football game.
“The goals behind the Unified Egg Bowl are to foster interaction, inclusion and understanding about intellectual disabilities,” said Tony Bahou, President and CEO of Special Olympics Mississippi. “It’s a great way for our athletes to have fun while showing the world that even though we like our sports rivalries, Mississippi is unified in support of Special Olympics.”
As is the custom with any competition between rivals, MSU and Ole Miss fans can contribute — quite literally.
The game also serves as a fund-raiser for Special Olympics Mississippi. Fans can make donations in the names of State or Ole Miss at a special website, unifiedeggbowl.org. The team that raises the most money by kickoff will be given a three-point lead in the game.
As of Monday afternoon, the Bulldogs enjoyed a slight lead, with pledges of $3,630 compared to $3,185 pledged to Team Ole Miss.
“Really, this turned out to be the perfect year to do this,” said Special Olympics Mississippi public relations manager Jim Beaugez. “The teams are having so much success, and interest in both teams has never been higher. We would like to feed off of that excitement for our first Unified Egg Bowl.”
Beaugez said LSU and Alabama held a similar game last year as part of pre-game festivities before the Tide and Tigers met in Tuscaloosa.
“But this is the first time that it’s been a stand-alone event,” he said. “We really didn’t know what to expect, but we’ve really been encouraged. We think it’s going to be a great success.”
As it is with the regular Egg Bowl, the Unified Egg Bowl will alternate between the two campuses.
Beaugez said the attention the game has received from both universities has been gratifying.
“The support, the buy-in, has been wonderful, from both of the schools’ athletic departments, their communications departments and, of course, the student involvement,” Beaugez said.
The Bulldogs have pulled out the stops for the inaugural game.
MSU Athletic Director Scott Stricklin will kick off festivities, and Miss MSU Randi-Kathryn Harmon will perform the national anthem. A pep squad of the school’s Famous Maroon Band will perform at halftime.
Beaugez said he hopes fans will not only donate, but make plans to attend the game.
“We really hope a lot of people will come out and show their support for these athletes,” Beaugez said.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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