Most fans have become familiar with the annual Egg Bowl rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State, thanks to the unprecedented success both schools are experiencing on the gridiron this year. However, those same fans might be surprised to discover Ole Miss has an even bigger rival than its in-state, intraconference foe from Starkville.

Many Ole Miss fans actually consider LSU to be the team’s biggest rival. The Rebels and Tigers have met 102 times for what’s known as the Magnolia Bowl, and this regional rivalry has only grown larger and more meaningful as the two teams continue to produce memorable moments and thrilling finishes.

In honor of “Throwback Thursday,” let’s take a look at some of the fantastic matchups these two teams have produced throughout the years:

All-time record: LSU leads 58-40-2

Current streak: Ole Miss, won 1

Longest win streaks: LSU 8 (1928-1937), Ole Miss 6 (1952-1957)

BIG MOMENTS IN OLE MISS-LSU’S RECENT HISTORY

2013

We only have to travel one year back in time to rediscover one of the most thrilling Magnolia Bowls in history. The unranked Rebels defeated No. 6 LSU on Andrew Ritter’s 41-yard field goal with two seconds remaining, marking head coach Hugh Freeze’s biggest win since taking over the Ole Miss program.

The Rebels led 10-0 at halftime and 24-7 midway through the third quarter before allowing the Tigers to score 17 unanswered points to tie the game. LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger found wideout Jarvis Landry for the game-tying touchdown with 3:19 remaining, but Ole Miss followed that touchdown with a 14-play drive to set up Ritter’s game-winning kick.

Bo Wallace gave a Good Bo performance against the Tigers, completing 30 of 39 passes for 346 yards without an interception. Jaylen Walton rushed for a career high 105 yards and two touchdowns to help Ole Miss to victory.

What made this win significant for Ole Miss was where both teams were headed entering this game. The Rebels had lost three straight games early in Freeze’s second year on the job, while LSU was ranked in the top 10 of the national polls and appeared to be in the midst of a promising season with Mettenberger running the offense.

The win vaulted Ole Miss to a strong finish to the season that has carried over into this year’s 7-0 start. The loss crushed LSU’s title chances, and the Tigers lost nine star players to the NFL at season’s end.

2003

The 2003 showdown between LSU and Ole Miss may be the greatest Magnolia Bowl of the 2000’s, featuring a showdown of two top 15 teams loaded with future NFL talent. The Tigers entered the game with a 9-1 record and the No. 3 ranking in the national polls. Ole Miss was 8-2 at the time and ranked No. 15 in the nation.

Both teams had their sights set on an SEC West crown and a spot in the SEC Championship Game, making the late-season showdown one of the games of the year in the conference. LSU had one SEC loss while Ole Miss was unbeaten in the conference, giving the Rebels an edge in their pursuit of a West division title.

Ole Miss appeared to be in great shape when Travis Johnson intercepted LSU quarterback Matt Mauck on the Tigers’ first snap of the game, returning the interception six yards to give the Rebels an early 7-0 lead. With future Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning leading the team, the Rebels felt they had taken control of the game following the early pick-six.

They couldn’t have been more wrong, as Manning and the offense wouldn’t score their first and only touchdown of the game until the fourth quarter.

Manning was just 16 of 36 passing for a mere 200 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but Mauck was even worse, completing 16 of 29 passes for just 189 yards with three interceptions. The two high-scoring teams engaged in a defensive struggle, and LSU scratched and clawed its way to a 17-7 lead in the fourth quarter on Mauck’s 53-yard touchdown strike to Devry Henderson.

The Rebels answered with a touchdown from Manning to Brandon Jacobs to cut the lead to 17-14, and had a chance to tie the game on Jonathan Nichols’ 36-yard field goal with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter. However, Nichols pushed the kick wide right, marking just his second miss in 25 tries to that point in his career.

Ole Miss gained possession one final time, but couldn’t even pick up a first down as the Tigers held on to a 17-14 victory.

LSU would go on to win that year’s Sugar Bowl, earning Nick Saban’s first-career national title. Ole Miss would finish the year with a 10-3 record and a win in the Cotton Bowl.

1989

The 1989 Magnolia Bowl remains one of the most memorable installments in the rivalry, due to the thrilling game on the field and the heart-warming passion displayed in the stands at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

The game came one week after Ole Miss faced Vanderbilt in another annual rivalry game. If that game sounds familiar, it’s because it’s widely remembered as the game Chucky Mullins suffered a career-ending neck injury that would leave him paralyzed until his tragic death two years later.

A then-record crowd of 42,700 fans packed Vaught-Hemingway for the game against LSU one week later, and buckets were passed throughout the stands to collect money for Mullins’ recovery. The Rebels’ fan base, with help from fans of the visiting Tigers, raised more than $150,000 in Mullins’ honor. For one fleeting night, the two rivals came together for the greater good.

Then those same rivals stepped between the white lines and played one of the most exciting games in series history.

LSU was just 1-6 at the time, but ran up a 21-point lead on the 6-2 Rebels only to allow them to cut that lead to five points with time winding down. Ole Miss quarterback John Darnell drove the Rebels into LSU territory, and it appeared as though they’d survive a scare from the SEC’s cellar dweller at the time.

Instead, Darnell threw an interception in the end zone, sealing the Rebels’ fate. LSU held on to win 35-30, beginning a stretch of three wins in the final four weeks of the season to salvage a 4-7 record.

The loss dropped Ole Miss to 6-3 at the time, and the Rebels went on to close the year with an 8-4 mark.