Maroon and White Nation
Fansided

15 Best Games From The Dan Mullen Era of Mississippi State Football

By Ethan Lee

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 11: A general view of Davis Wade Stadium prior to the game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers on October 11, 2014 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 11: A general view of Davis Wade Stadium prior to the game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers on October 11, 2014 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
12 of 17
Next
STARKVILLE, MS – NOVEMBER 28: Members of the Mississippi State Bulldogs hold the “Golden Egg” trophy following a victory over the Ole Miss Rebels at Davis Wade Stadium on November 28, 2013 in Starkville, Mississippi. Mississippi State won the game 17-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS – NOVEMBER 28: Members of the Mississippi State Bulldogs hold the “Golden Egg” trophy following a victory over the Ole Miss Rebels at Davis Wade Stadium on November 28, 2013 in Starkville, Mississippi. Mississippi State won the game 17-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Mississippi State Football vs Ole Miss 2009

The 2009 Egg Bowl was Dan Mullen’s first. The Bulldogs didn’t really have much to gain from beating their rival back in 2009, but the Ole Miss Rebels certainly did have quite a bit to lose. Mississippi State wasn’t bowl eligible and wouldn’t be even if they beat the Rebels, but Ole Miss was trying to maintain some success that they had.

Houston Nutt took Ole Miss to the Cotton Bowl in 2008 and then again in 2009. The Rebels actually won both years, but they were hoping to find a way to become more relevant than just that. MSU, on the other hand, was crawling out of the Sylvester Croom era and looking to simply find a way back to bowl games.

At the time, Dan Mullen’s first win over the Ole Miss Rebels looked the beginning of the two teams becoming a bit more equal. As it turns out, it was the beginning of MSU having some solid dominance in the Egg Bowl rivalry. This 41-27 win was the first of three consecutive victories that the Bulldogs would get over the Rebels.

This game earned Mullen and the Mississippi State Bulldogs some respect. It set MSU up with plenty of momentum going into 2010, and the Bulldogs won quite a bit in 2010. But, most importantly, it showed everyone in Mississippi that Nutt and the Rebels wouldn’t be any better than Mullen and the Bulldogs.

In fact, this 41-27 win is what got everything going for Mullen and the Bulldogs moving forward.

Home/Mississippi State Football