Cowbell Corner

No. 13 Mississippi State ready for another Magnolia Cup grind

The Bulldogs look to keep the Magnolia Cup in Starkville against Ole Miss in a hard-fought rivalry showdown Thursday night.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Centerfielder Zoe Main (#27) during the match between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the Ole Miss Soccer Field in Oxford, MS.
Mississippi State Centerfielder Zoe Main (#27) during the match between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the Ole Miss Soccer Field in Oxford, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

Instead of a whistle to start Thursday’s night game at MSU Soccer Field, they should use an old-fashioned boxing ring bell.

Because when Mississippi State and Ole Miss faceoff, in any sport, it’s not just a game. It’s a fight and that’s exactly what the Bulldogs are expecting.

“We know it's going to be a dogfight,” Mississippi State coach Nick Zimmerman said. “It always is. At some point, you throw tactics out the window, and it's just an absolute grind.”

Last year’s match for the Magnolia Cup saw Mississippi State extend its win streak in the series to five games with a 2-0 win.

Five yellow cards were issued in the match, all after the 70th minute and the Bulldogs didn’t score their second goal until the 87th minute.

Zoe Main scored both of the Bulldogs’ goals last season, which was her third Magnolia Cup match, and admitted having a trophy to play does add to the intensity of the game.

“I think this is just one of those games where we're so lucky to get to play for another trophy,” Main said. “It's so rare to get to play for a trophy outside of your conference title or the NCAA tournament, so I think it's just one of those things where it's a fight, it's a battle for 90 minutes, and it just means so much when you finally get to win and go grab that trophy and, like, celebrate with your fans, especially playing here.”

It's been a while since the Rebels have held the trophy, but they still have more wins in the series and hold the record for retaining the Magnolia Cup for the longest stretch (seven years).

Mississippi State’s making a run to beat that mark and is likely to extend its streak to six years Thursday night.

The Rebels have lost three-straight SEC matches after beginning conference play with a tie against Auburn. They’ve scored only three goals in four conference matches and have allowed 13 goals.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have scored 10 goals in their four SEC matches and have allowed only three goals.

Despite the favorable odds, Mississippi State’s coaches and players know anything can happen.

“They're well coached. They get better as games go on. They scored quite a number of goals in the 75th and 90th minute,” Zimmerman said. “There's waves in the games that data shows that they're very, very strong. It's going to take every single second of that 90 minutes [Thursday] and put in a shift and really try to put two halves together. We've got to make sure that we don't switch off for a single second.”

How to Watch: Ole Miss at No. 13 Mississippi State

Who: Ole Miss Rebels (4-4-1, 0-3-1 SEC) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-1-1, 3-0-1 SEC)

When: 6 p.m., Thursday

Where: MSU Soccer Field, Starkville, Miss.

TV: SECN+

Radio: Live Radio

Stats: Live Stats

Series History: Ole Miss leads the all-time series, 11-15-5

Last Meeting: Mississippi State 2, Ole Miss 0 (October 18, 2024)

Last time out, Bulldogs: def. Missouri, 3-0

Last time out, Aggies: lost to No. 7 Arkansas, 4-1

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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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