By Cole SullivanShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThere’s plenty of drama coming out of Oxford right now, but on Friday the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels were down in Starkville for the classic Egg Bowl rivalry against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
After a fast offensive start from both teams — each scoring touchdowns on their first two drives — the defenses finally settled in. Ole Miss added a third touchdown right before halftime, pushing the lead to 21-10 at the break.
But in the second quarter, tensions boiled over. Multiple flags flew after both benches cleared, leading to pushing, shoving, and even a few punches between players.
According to Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon was also involved in the confrontation — something Kiffin didn’t appreciate. During his brief halftime interview, he called out Selmon directly and emphasized that Ole Miss prides itself on playing clean football.
"We just try to play clean football," Kiffin said. "We try to execute and play really good football. For a whole sideline to try to fight and leave their whole sideline, including their athletic director, I've never seen anything like it... we're not trying to start a fight so our university can get credit for fighting people."
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The Ole Miss-Mississpi State rivalry is one that has some deep roots and they simply do not like each other, which was clear even pregame when Kiffin revealed that the Bulldog fans snuck into there locker room at 3 a.m. EST to steal Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss's jersey from his locker.
Yet, that's simply how the two teams tend to operate, like many collegiate rivalries and when this final week of the regular season comes around every year in college football, with classic matchups across the board, the emotions are high, especially when there's a lot at stake.
...Ole Miss is trying to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive, but the program is also awaiting a decision on Kiffin’s coaching future. It appears he’s narrowed his options to either staying in Oxford or leaving for Baton Rouge to take over at LSU.
That raises the possibility that this showdown against Mississippi State could be his final game with the Rebels, as it would be surprising for the university to allow him to coach in the CFP if he has already agreed to join a conference rival.
More news: UCLA Linked to ‘Obvious’ Choice in Head Coaching Search
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