Cowbell Corner

Bulldog Roundup: Magnolia Cup win sets up SEC showdown vs. Arkansas

Your daily briefing on what's going on with Mississippi State Athletics.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State players celebrate a 2-0 win over Ole Miss to keep the Magnolia Cup in Starkville for another year.
Mississippi State players celebrate a 2-0 win over Ole Miss to keep the Magnolia Cup in Starkville for another year. | Mississippi State Athletic

Mississippi State did its part to ensure an epic match Sunday in Fayetteville, Ark. with a 2-0 win against Ole Miss.

Arkansas did its part, as well, but went above and beyond its duties to make Sunday’s match the most meaningful possible.

On the same night No. 13 Mississippi State defeated Ole Miss 2-0, No. 7 Arkansas ended its match against No. 10 South Carolina in a draw, 2-2.

That puts the Razorbacks and Bulldogs in a tie for first place in the SEC headed into their match against one another at 6 p.m. Sunday on SECN+.

The Bulldogs will have the confidence to come to northwest Arkansas and beat the Razorbacks for a second consecutive year.

Last season, Mississippi State beat Arkansas 1-0, which launched the Bulldogs into the highest tiers of college soccer.

The Bulldogs won’t need as much this time around to elevate themselves in the conversations about championship contenders.

Mississippi State boasts a 13-game stretch of wins against SEC teams, the most notable being the Bulldogs’ win against then-No. 1 Arkansas last season.

And for as long as Mississippi State’s Ally Perry continues her heroics, the Bulldogs should feel very confident after Thursday’s Magnolia Cup victory.

"I'm glad it's over, and I'm really proud of the girls," Bulldogs’ coach Nick Zimmerman said. "We started the game really well, and then we had that lull where we lost our way a little bit. At halftime, the message was that this means something. So many of our players hadn't been a part of this, but I think they understood that you're going to get Ole Miss' very best."

Yesterday’s Results

Soccer: No. 13 Mississippi State 2, Ole Miss 0

Softball: Copiah-Lincoln CC at Mississippi State (exhibition), 6:30 p.m.

Today’s Schedule

Volleyball: Alabama at Mississippi State, 6 p.m., SECN+

Women’s Tennis: Samford Fall Invitational

Did You Notice?

  • Mississippi State volleyball will continue conference play at home this weekend, taking on Alabama and Texas. This weekend's matches will be held in The Griss and available to stream on SEC Network+. There will be free drink koozies and free food for students at Friday's match, and Sunday's match is themed "Christmas at The Griss".

Daily Dose Of Mike Leach

"It's kind of like doing surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel. We had pieces and parts flying everywhere. It turned out in our favor. We've just got to clean it up the next time around.”
Mike Leach

We’ll Leave You With This

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Thursday availability report.
Thursday availability report. | SEC

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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