Bent Bulldawg’s Bites: umiss @ MSU
This Thursday night, after you and your family have celebrated this season of being thankful for what we have by gorging down way more delicious Southern holiday fare than anyone needs and making your plan of attack for the stores on Friday to acquire more stuff, the Mississippi Black Bears will be rolling into Starkville for their one-hundred and tenth meeting with our beloved Bulldawgs of Mississippi State.
The Dawgs have battled and been battered this season and have a few frustrating losses to show for it. There have been moments of greatness and periods of perplexity. The Mississippi State faithful of the Maroon & White Nation have had an emotional roller-coaster ride to arrive at this point — a point at which we realize that this isn’t the season that we compete for the West, but bowl eligibility still isn’t out of the picture. All that is now required for MSU to become eligible for our fourth consecutive post-season appearance is to do what all True Maroon Bulldawgs love to see their team do just about as much as anything else… Beat umiss.
The Black Bears have enjoyed an unexpected level of success this season by getting a lot of performance out of the true fre$hmen of their much-hyped hi$toric $igning cla$$. They’ve played tough toe-to-toe football with some of the perennial powerhouses and managed to cut down one giant in their “real rival”, Louisiana State. Pulling off the victory in this year’s Egg Bowl is not going to be easy for the Dawgs.
This year’s Egg Bowl should just about amount to a good ol’ fashioned street fight. Based on the level of performance we’ve seen on the field this year, one would think that umiss would have the upper hand. Based, however, on the level of talent and ability that we all know our Bulldogs have, that might not be the case. The Bulldawgs just have to do the one thing that has never really been Mississippi State’s strong suit — play up to full potential.
It’s all in the hands of the players and coaches at this point. There’s nothing more you or I can do except show up for the game cowbell in hand, cheer loud, and clang proud… and maybe pray. Because face it, wouldn’t you love to put this look back on CHF’s face?
It’s not just a matter of wanting to, we absolutely have to. None of us want to even fathom another year of taunting at the hands of that boozy bunch of high-falutin’ hoity-toity hotty-toddiers who unfortunately are your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family.
In the name of getting to know your enemy, I’d like to share this first-class documentary on some of the best aspects of umiss and their traditions:
When umiss comes to town Thursday night, they’ll be bringing with them the Golden Egg Trophy, and all any of us want out of this game is to ensure that it stays in Starkville when they leave. That may be a tall order for our Dawgs. Support your team. Show up Maroon proud and Cowbell loud. To our players and coaches, I say Fight for Mississippi State. Grind for your State. Go Dawgs!
Hail State.