If you’re a resident within the Magnolia State, there’s generally an allegiance to one of the two major institutions: Ole Miss or Mississippi State.

Generations upon generations of people have some sort of link to either school — whether it’s familial or not.

It’s no different for the players participating in the annual Egg Bowl — especially for those who are natives of the state of Mississippi. On Saturday, the two programs will square off versus one another for the prized trophy.

The contest used to be called the “Battle for the Golden Egg.” However in 1978, a sports editor named Tom Patterson referred to the game as the Egg Bowl — because he felt as if both programs were not going to play in a bowl game. Thus, this was the de factor bowl game for both teams, and the newspaper wanted to cover special events within the sports section. The Clarion-Ledger newspaper then ultimately hyped up the game as the Egg Bowl, and the name ended up sticking.

To date, Ole Miss leads the overall series by a mark of 63-43-6. The Rebels have won the last two meetings between the programs — although the Bulldogs have been victorious in four of the last seven contests.

Ole Miss secondary players Tony Conner and Derrick Jones spoke about the significance of this game — and what it means to those hailing from the state.

Conner made it a point to relay this message to his fellow teammates in the secondary:

“This game means a lot to everybody around here. Our fans especially. Our fans always tell us we can lose every game, but make sure we win the Egg Bowl. I met with the secondary guys and let them know how important this game really is. This game here means the most.”

Jones echoed what Conner relayed:

“It means a lot to me. I’m from Mississippi. I chose this school for a reason. I want to keep this trophy here.”