Interjecting the Egg Bowl into Superbowl 50
Superbowl 50 will be played on February 7th between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos. The Egg Bowl rivalry has some interesting connections to the game, featuring some memories that are a little sore for each.
The Panthers feature former Ole Miss Offensive Tackle Michael Oher and former MSU Defensive Tackle Kyle Love. Bulldog Center Dillon Day is on the practice squad for the Broncos. But this is about the team’s quarterbacks….as everything in the NFL is.
Peyton Manning and Cam Newton – two former #1 NFL Draft picks 13 years apart. OM thought they had Peyton signed, sealed and delivered since birth. MSU thought the same about Cam. Both QBs rebuffed the Mississippi schools and headed elsewhere in the conference, where they won a conference championship.
Manning / Ole Miss
During Manning’s senior year of high school (1993), Ole Miss was in the throes of a NCAA investigation at the tail-end of the Billy Brewer era. Before National Signing Day, they were hit with sanctions. Brewer was fired later that summer and Joe Lee Dunn took over for the 1994 season.
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Most likely this had a lot to do with Manning’s decision to go elsewhere. His brother, Cooper, played at Ole Miss and his dad was a legend, but circumstances weren’t good. Meanwhile, Phillip Fulmer had just taken Tennessee to a 10-2 record in his first full year at the helm.
The Rebels were just 23-22 from 1994-1997, but if they had Manning they would’ve surely been better. Perhaps with such a player like Peyton, they would’ve been elevated to the point where Eli’s career would’ve featured a potential national title. Joe Lee Dunn may have never gone to Mississippi State assuming he doesn’t get let go after the ’94 season, and who knows where Tommy Tuberville and David Cutcliffe fall into the equation.
Related Story: Did Chris Relf Have a Better Career than Archie Manning
Newton / Mississippi State
Cam Newton left Florida after their 2008 national championship season due to allegations he bought a stolen computer and academic misconduct. That was Dan Mullen’s final year as the Gators’ offensive coordinator, so after a season at Blinn junior college, Mullen was eager to recruit Newton to Mississippi State for the 2010 season.
It looked like everything was set to go with Cam at MSU. Then all-of-the-sudden he veered 180 degrees and signed with Auburn. Supposedly his father made the final decision for him, and there was a massive scandal in November of 2010 as it was found out his father sought money from Mississippi State for his son’s services (but did not get any). It has never been proven that he received any money from Auburn.
Newton played just one season at Auburn. It was a good one featuring a national championship and Heisman Trophy. That same year Dan Mullen had MSU surging to a 9-4 record with a solid defense and running game. If Cam had decided to come to State, there’s no doubt the Bulldogs would’ve beat Auburn that year, and Arkansas too. The other two games were LSU and Alabama so who knows….but Craig James and Rece Davis certainly thought the Bulldogs would’ve been in the national title game….
WHO TO ROOT FOR?
I’m over the Cam Newton saga. It’s been five years. And before the 2014 game I said if we won I’d be over the Cam stuff and I am. Plus we’ve bested Auburn three times since then – could’ve just as easily been five for five. But I’m going to root for Peyton Manning in this one.
Aside from any ill-will against Newton, here are five good reasons to pull for the Broncos:
- Peyton spurned his family legacy, and did not go to Ole Miss
- Peyton is a really nice guy, who doesn’t like him?
- It’s Peyton’s last Superbowl – he’s turning 40 in March so even if he doesn’t retire this is it
- The Broncos have a MSU player on the roster with zero Ole Miss players
- If you’re a Saints or Falcons fan, why would you want a NFC South rival to win?