Created to Be
The Created to Be podcast is hosted by Bethany Pigott, Justin Pigott, Darius Brown, and Brandi Morgan. Episodes incorporate what’s happening in FCA at Mississippi State, fun and lighthearted conversations that help you get to know the hosts and their guests, and real-life topics and themes being discussed with coaches and athletes.
Created to Be
A Spirited Competition, Rivalries, and Learning Temperance
In this episode of the Created to Be podcast, Justin, Bethany, and Darius dive into where rivalries come from and what truly defines them. From childhood memories to the storied histories of college football programs, they unpack every angle—including the messy and heated moments. As you listen, see if you can guess some of the rivalry highlights featured in this week’s conversation!
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Anytime you let the game or an outcome of a game dictate and change who you are, I think that's something that you gotta really be honest with.
SPEAKER_03:Welcome to the Created to Be podcast. We're so excited to have Darius back with us this week. What's up, Doc? What's up? I'm glad to be back. And of course, Justin's here.
SPEAKER_05:Here I am.
SPEAKER_03:Yes. We're gonna be probably mainstays. We're so excited to have some personality back, though.
SPEAKER_04:We can marriage, marriage. Yeah. Stuck with me.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. We uh tried to hold our own last week, but um, we're missing Brandy again this week. But Darius, we're glad you're back. I don't know that people know all that you do. So I thought maybe if you want to share where you were, what you were up to.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so I uh I do a pretty um good bit of things. I was in Detroit, Michigan. Um I had to uh sing, uh, and Santana was praying at a conference. And so we were both there serving. Um, and it's always good to get get away. You know, I did miss the podcast, so uh that was a little something, you know, I was missing, but uh it is good to get away, uh to get away from home a little bit to kind of explore. And then also we got many friends and family uh that was in Detroit. So that was a great to kind of get away and see them and just, you know, for a small time and then get back, you know, to the regular scheduled program.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. So what else do you you are a youth pastor?
SPEAKER_01:So I'm a youth pastor. I'm a uh insurance broker, a financial consultant, um, then of course chapeling with the basketball team. Um, I'm also a um is a youth director over the um young people's uh department of the churches that I uh we're part of, and that's that consists of churches in Tennessee, uh Mississippi, and Louisiana. Like I'm over I'm the youth director over all of that. So uh a lot of my time is given to that. Uh plus I sing in my personal time. I got my own uh personal ministry singing. So on my end is in a lot of different things, but hey, um, you know, they said too much is given, much is required, you know, and I wanna I wanna live, you know, and so I'm excited about all the things I get to do.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so you bring a lot of interesting stories and experience to FCA here. And some people may not know, but within FCA, as far as staff is concerned, just because someone's on staff doesn't necessarily mean that they're full-time. So we have a variety of roles that people um can play and engage with, and that's one thing that's been great. Over the past few years, they added an ambassador position, which means someone that can work, you know, what, 10 hours or less a week.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And so that's been able, we've been able to utilize that position to bring some people on board. So we have ambassadors, part-time staff, and full-time staff, interns, wide variety.
SPEAKER_01:And I want this work. I wanted to kind of plug this in because um I was doing a lot of those things before I became a uh a partner uh and a server with FCA. And I remember praying about uh some more open doors uh to be able to minister, to be able to connect, to be able to grow. And FCA provided me that opportunity. Um, just being able to work here, the experiences. Uh, and you know, I was a graduate of Mississippi State, so uh it's such a great honor for me to be able to come and serve where I graduated from, where I met my wife, uh, and to talk about the Lord, the community, you know, Christ. That's just it has been something that's been so refreshing, uh rejuvenating. Uh a lot of things that I've gotten here. It's amazing because things I've gotten here have helped me at home. And then some things at home have kind of helped me while I'm here. So uh literally, like the scripture says, all things have worked together for good. Yeah, and so I'm just glad to be, you know, a part of working with what you all are doing.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, we're excited to have Darius. Glad you're here, man. Yeah, so we can talk a little bit about what happened this past week. Now, again, we record on um Thursdays normally, and then it comes out on Tuesdays. And so the timing of things will we'll by the time this comes out, we'll have had the open mic, but we haven't had it yet. So we anticipate that at the huddle, and that'll be a great time. And we did get to talk to some of the students just about why we share stories. So we're we'll be sharing more of that feedback and what people have taken and how they've grown in FCA this semester on the next episode. Um, but we did have a very spirited huddle this past week.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, spirited is a good word for it. Very uh competitive Jeopardy game. Yes. I'm almost some pizza. Um, mainly track uh took up most of the group because a lot of other teams went home. Track practices a lot, and so they happen to still be around, and we're real glad they were. Um very intense team.
SPEAKER_03:We're gonna talk about pretty much the topic of the whole episode today is rivalries. I mean, that's gonna be the stretch time, but also kind of stay in that vein for just our converse whole conversation today. And we might have generated some rivalries in the room on Monday night because Ben Murray with Track got on a roll. Did and they were getting accused that their team was getting accused of answering like the questions because they were Googling them, but Ben was just answering them.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So that that got, but they started way down in Jeopardy. They they missed a few questions, so they were really far down. And Justin kept having remind everyone, this is a long game. It's a long game. And they ended up winning. And Andrew Carlisle, I knew based on the question, the final Jeopardy question, I knew before we went into the huddle there's one guy that's gonna know this. And if he whoever's whoever drafts Andrew on their team will get this question right. And Andrew did not disappoint. No, he didn't. What was the question, Justin? Maybe for the audience, it was City Egg Bowl 2013.
SPEAKER_04:2015, which this receiver, I think, had 10 receptions and 144 yards.
SPEAKER_01:Do you know?
SPEAKER_04:2015.
SPEAKER_01:Won the egg bowl. Someone said 50. So that was around the time that I was here as a student. So that means Dak Prescott was the quarterback, and uh was they with images Mississippi State or Ole Miss? It was the Mississippi State. It was Mississippi State. It was Mississippi State.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. So in 15. We're not gonna have an old miss.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, I just well well, I just want to be able to verify in 15. So we had people like uh Fred Brown, we had Fred Ross, we had Darunya Wilson, uh I think Donald Gray. Or he no, he was I don't know.
SPEAKER_04:One of those three I just mentioned.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, which one? Who are you gonna go with?
SPEAKER_01:I'm gonna say this. I'm going between how much are you wagering? No. I'm going between Darunya Wilson and Fred Ross because Ross was always a which one? I'm gonna say Fred Ross.
SPEAKER_03:You got it. I did. Yeah, nice job. You know, it's funny. It's another team put Darunya.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. So they both had good guesses. Because both of them, I well, when I was here, they was like some of the main guys receiving, you know.
SPEAKER_03:So that was Final Jeopardy. So we knew because Andrew. T for 144.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I had a good day. Big day. Yeah, that's a lot of catch-ups.
SPEAKER_03:But we knew whoever had Andrew. Oh, he was still off. Like he's gonna know this. And so he was pumped. I was so pumped that it played out that way, but it happened to be the track group that Ben Murray had been answering questions and then Andrew. So it was a So Andrew was on BST? Yes. Oh, yeah. So they just they took it. But if he had been on another team, it would have been dramatic because it would have stolen the whole thing. Wow. But yeah, they um talk about learning. Uh, we learned a lot. You know, we have Shay and Jeremiah serve that team, so we hear from them just how spirited their growth room meetings are.
SPEAKER_04:The unique thing about track, and um this is coming from a baseball perspective, but then I've been told this before. Track is multiple families in one big team. And so you have all these different position groups. You've got sprinters, you got jumpers, you got throwers, you got middle distance, you got long distance, you got all these different, you know, and then you got the hept athletes and the pole vaulters, you know, you got or dick athletes, all of them. And so they're all in kind of these different groups and they all train in different groups most of the time. And so when they get together in the meets, it's like a family reunion. Right, yeah. And so it's just so many different families within the big family. And uh so it's a lot of fun when you get them together in the growth room, as I know, like that as well. Um anyway, it's just a very unique team. So I felt like any other team.
SPEAKER_03:So I felt like we got to step into their world, like them all mainly them being the one to show up on Monday night and like host them.
SPEAKER_04:So it is very and then with track you throw in the world aspect too. You have people from all different countries.
SPEAKER_03:So it's just it's what's his name that said that one of the questions was a billion views about like a billion. It was it was nick.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, he said a million.
SPEAKER_03:And then we we were hard on him, Darius. We were like, if you don't say what is or if you don't like one of the teams, the answer was Psalm 23, 1. It was like what verse and they said, Poor our son Eli was on Jeremiah's team, and he just repeated Jeremiah and said Psalm 23, and we had to, and Justin had to look at him and be like, No, and it was rough, and so but I mean that's and then I think one of the things that we underestimate is these people are competitors.
SPEAKER_01:Oh so because they're competitors, it's like you know, some people when they they don't want to lose at anything. So there's I mean they were playing for a bag. But but it's it's it's the you know what I'm learning, it's the thrill of being able to say, I beat you.
SPEAKER_03:That's right.
SPEAKER_01:Like that's a good segue, Darius. I mean that on purpose. No, it's it's the thrill of saying I won. Like I I I know people, it you don't want to play them in anything. Like, and and me, I'm I'm bad. Because if I win, I won't play you again. I make you I make you sit in the feeling of defeat.
SPEAKER_03:For as long as possible. For as long as possible. Okay, let me ask this. Did either one of you have like a childhood rivalry with your friend that you competed with like that?
SPEAKER_01:I had one guy, so I have to give you the backstory. So where I went to Shannon High School at the time, it was three middle schools to make up one high school. So I was not planning on playing football. Look how small I am. I'm like, but what happened? I was already going to be on the basketball team. That was that was already a given. But all of my friends played went to play football, and then I found out they was doing a ninth grade team, which I knew the people in my grade at the other two schools, so I'm gonna go try out. I tried for the team and make it as a wide receiver. It was a guy that was a wide receiver like me, short. We was literally short glasses. But the difference was the middle school team, he went to Shannon Middle School and they ran the same offense as Shannon High School. So where I'm having to learn the plays, he already knows them. And we used to compete. I would be so mad because I'm like, he's not better than me. But because he knows the plays, and you know how we get into this, you second string, I'm first string. And so one day the coach uh he made us hit up against each other. And I hit him so hard. I mean, I put all of my I put all of my strength. I hit him so hard I broke my shoulder pads. Like it caused the the the the strap to break.
SPEAKER_05:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:And but it was such a collision and we were so small, the coach said, get up and run it again. Y'all need to see how they are running. He wanted everybody. So the next time though, he let the guy hit me and he Yeah, he laid it to me. So we we literally had to go against each other in the Oklahoma drill like four times, and he became a little rivalry for me. Like was this a known rivalry inside your No, we both knew. Like he knew and I knew. Were you cool off the field? Or y'all were What's crazy is um he ended up becoming one of my best friends. Yeah. He ended up becoming one of my best friends, and to this day we still talk. Um I mean, it's is I it's amazing how those things kind of start off. Um, but but that was a personal, that was a personal ride because I did not like him. And then, you know, we small, so you got the little man syndrome, you sizing each other up, you know, and uh and when you're small, you always look for somebody that's your size. Because every time you're playing, you the smallest one. Then you finally, okay, I I know this is who I'm gonna guard, this is who I'm going against. And uh, but he he ended up, he actually kept playing football. That was his more of his thing. I I was a basketball player, so I ended up stopping playing, but we became best of friends. But that was he was a rivalry for me. Like we knew, like when I see you or when you see me, you know, we want to outdo each other. But what about you, Jess?
SPEAKER_04:No, I I think growing up it was just my brother. Yeah. You know, 10-year age difference, so like big gap there. But I always wanted to be Jason. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was younger, which is part of the reason why I became so competitive, I think, is because I was trying to get after him. And I also had a neighborhood friend who was a little bit older than me named Bubba. Bubba Dobbs. Of course you got it. And he was also left-handed. And um, but Bubba was lived right down the street, and so he would come and play. And um, yeah, I n I I couldn't beat Bubba a whole lot at either, but maybe a wiffle ball in the bag occasionally. But yeah, just being playing against people that were older than me, I think kind of stirred some things. I think once I got further up, it was more such more of a team thing. Like I had to win my position on the team. So like you have some of those like trying to beat that person, but uh it was so much more of a team thing. I didn't think about personal robberies maybe in high school and college.
SPEAKER_03:What's your story about not in front of Bubba?
SPEAKER_04:Oh god, okay, so growing up I lost to Bubba in the front yard. We were playing football, something, and oh, I wasn't real happy about it. So I got the ball and I threw it at Bubba. Just threw it at him. I was mad when he wasn't looking. And uh it didn't hurt him at all. Um because it hit him, but he's like, whatever. My dad saw it. My dad was working in the yard, working on the hydrangea bushes or something. He proceeds to see that and starts ripping his belt off and just starts smoking me. And I'm like, Dad, I'm like, not in front of Bubba. And uh yeah, very uh teachable moment um for me. Yeah, so not in front of Bubba.
SPEAKER_03:Not in front of Bubba.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I I was remembering that I ran cross country in high school and I kind of just discovered I could run. Like my sister needed to get faster for basketball and had gotten some track workouts. So she was a few years older than me. So in middle school, I just went and did the track workouts with her one summer. So then when cross-country season rolled around, normally basketball for whatever reason had to always run cross country. And so I just was like winning some stuff, you know. So I was like, oh, cool, I can run. Well, there was this really good, like always winning district, moving on a runner in a town in our like rivalry town, Justin knows these towns. But I was in Bridgeport, Texas at the time, and this was Decatur. And I would compare like Bridgeport feels like Mississippi State, and Decatur feels like Ole Miss. Like it's just that kind of differences. And I beat her at one of a race, and I was just like shocked. But I don't think she ever felt like I was a rival, but it was like I in my head, she was a rival, you know? Yeah, yeah. Um, and I was younger, I was much younger than her. So I was very shocked that I beat her. But there was always people on, you know, either it was cross-country, like I moved to a new town, and there was a girl that was like the person that won on that team and always placed first. And I competed and challenged her and ended up becoming the top runner. And so you have these like, you know, they not might not be outspoken, but you have the people like you were saying, you kind of like size up, like, okay, we're about right there. And then, but it does make you better. I mean, if you if you let it make you better, you know, because you can, you know, challenge each other and practice things like that.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I think like with you saying that, now I had uh I did have some, so I'm I'm just gonna say this. I was basketball was my thing. Like from the time I started watching it, it was it. I was so in love with basketball, and my dad, when I was like five or six, my dad's friend was the coach of Shannon High School. He told my dad, no, I was like four, he told my dad to give me a regular size basketball. Because you know when you kids, you you play with the smaller one, he told him to give me a regular size, he said because he'll handle it better. So by the time I was seven or eight, I could dribble a ball like uh an older person. So I say that because basketball was my thing. The only thing I did was play basketball. I didn't learn how to ride a bike just until I was 13.
SPEAKER_00:Why?
SPEAKER_01:Because all I did was play basketball. And the only reason why I learned how to ride a bike, because they was playing basketball somewhere where I couldn't walk.
SPEAKER_03:So you were motivated.
SPEAKER_01:Got motivated. Mama, I need a bike. I'm out there at 13, my dad trying to help me to learn to ride a bike at 13. Oh, people laughing at me, but I was falling, but I was motivated because I wanted to go play basketball. So I say that. Show up to the court, but just need to be. Exactly. And so, uh, but I say that because it was one guy that was my cousin. Everybody was talking about how good he was. I never saw him. But my dad was like, that's your cousin. And it was like a movie. One day I'm over uh my godmom's house and I'm just out there dribbling a ball, just dribbling. And I see this kid come up, about my age. I can tell he's he's my age, but he's taller, got braids in his hair. Look, he comes up doing the same thing that I'm doing. He's dribbling, and we come to meet each other, and I'm like, so what's up? Who are you? What's your name? You know, as kids. And he told me who he was, and he's this guy I've been hearing about. So soon I see him, I'm like, okay, I'm I'm I'm checking about. I got to. And so it's kind of like you said though, it's an inner competition. And so in middle school, we end up having to play them. Him, the because he was one of the middle schools that made up once we got to high school. And I heard from somebody that he was averaging like 20 points a game. And I said, I got to outdo that. So when I I I became a jugger, I was, I was, and then it helped me because my team wasn't that good. So I could shoot as much as I wanted. But I I ended up averaging like 23 points a game, but I just wanted to outdo him. Like it was an inner uh competition. And he now, but as we got older, he he just continued to grow and see, and he went on to play in college. But it's like what you were saying, sometimes it's that inner motivation of what someone else that you know that, okay, I know they're gonna show up and be their best self. I have to outdo that. And that it motivated me to try to become as best as I could, you know, as I could be.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. We're gonna get into more about rivalries in this stretch time, but one of the games that stands out to me that was kind of like that unspoken, outdo each other moment that I've seen in my time at Mississippi State was a couple years ago when we played Kentucky, which would be Josh Hubbard's freshman year, I believe. And Reed Shepard was playing for Kentucky at the time.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And it was such a but Reed would make a shot, Josh would make a shot. Like you, I I didn't realize until further into the game. I was like, this is really about them. Like this is and so after the game, you know, unfortunately, I'm pretty sure Reed Shepard hit the winning shot. He did. Like Josh made a shot to put us ahead, and then Reed came out.
SPEAKER_04:There's very little time left.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it was crazy. No rebound. We would have got the rebound again. Man, it was tough. And I was I was motivated. I mean, Justin was out of town and I hauled all the kids to the game. I was like, we are going to watch Kentucky. So we thought it was, you know, we thought it was ours after that shot. We went crazy. Damn. But afterwards on Instagram, there was a really cool exchange between Reed and Josh on social media. And so I just thought this is a good example of, you know, clearly on the court. They weren't being nasty to each other, but you could tell they were kind of sparring, you know. And then afterwards, just the respect between the two. I like that.
SPEAKER_04:They both had like 30 plus.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, it was crazy. I've seen Josh do that a couple times though. Um, I don't know if you remember last year, it was last year when we played Alabama and Sears came. And Sears is like this preseason player of the year, and Josh goes out for 38.
SPEAKER_03:And you could just tell he had uh a little chip.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you could just tell he got a look in his eye. He got that chip on his shoulder. And I feel like uh because he he did it a few weeks ago when we played Kansas State, because Kansas State has a guy, Haggerty.
SPEAKER_04:Haggerty, and so was at Memphis. He was at Memphis. I was gonna mention that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, he was at Memphis, and this year he's at Kansas State, but you could tell, like it got to one point during the game, Haggerty goes down, scores, Josh comes down, scores. Right. Yeah, Haggerty goes down, scores, Josh goes down and scores. It's like you could tell, it's like that they're not saying nothing. Right. But it's like But you're picking up on the story.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, it's like we see what's going on. Well, they were going at it, and Josh, and we had a better game as a team beat Memphis. Right. This game, Kansas State had a much better game than we did. Haggerty had like 38. So well in Haggerty's mind, I got I got covered by the game.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. It's good for him. Good game for him. It it was, you know, but is is the to see that competitive spirit, though, that's uh it's like you said, the game within the game. Yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and we might have a callback to that because I think as we get to the end of this conversation, there are some it's just rivalries are really interesting. And I think that they can be done in a way that is fun and competitive. Honoring, yeah, honoring and pushing each other. Like so, anyways, we'll get to that. But just wanted to mention that about Josh. But yeah, the stretch time is about that because I like as we said, we're recording today, but we have a game coming up against Olmis, and also a lot of teams have their rival. I mean, it's rivalry weekend.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, this is in a lot of ways one of the best weeks of football. I mean, it's it's what you look forward to. Yeah. Because uh also these games have college playoffs.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_04:Um, and then when your rival could take you out of the college playoff conversation, it's a lot at stake, or out of the SEC title game or whatever makes it. It's a bowl game for us. So we win, it's a lot. There's a lot of storylines this year. Man, a lot. Every year. Every year there's always storylines.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I guess for us though, with what we've gone through the last few years, this is probably one of the bigger egg polls because last year we was not gonna make anything. Um, the year before that, uh did we make anything? Same. It was I was gonna say, yeah, the same. We weren't making anything. So this year it's like you got a chance to extend your season, you got a chance to ruin their season and to get the golden egg bowl all in one. Like just a lot on the line. And then with the possibility of we don't know what Lane Kivan is gonna do. So some people say you can put the nail in the coffin. I mean, we don't we don't know, but I think nail in the kiffin? Look, look, that's a good one. The nail in the kiffin. So, you know, I think uh I think it's it's it's something to uh to kind of look forward to and it's it can be exciting. I was gonna ask you justin uh being a and you too, Bethany. I can ask both of y'all. Being a former athlete in baseball and you with basketball, how how big was it to beat Ole Miss?
SPEAKER_03:Was it was that a I would I would tell you a story from my freshman year. I call the the the my freshman year was like the dark ages in women's basketball because we were in between uh Tan White and Latoya Thomas have graduated, and then Mary Catherine Govereau was a player that came. I mean, there was a lot of good players in between there, but just players that really took the team on their back. And anyway, so I was in that space in between. So we were kind of in that like rebuilding year. We only won six games my freshman year, one conference game. Ouch. But it was the win was against Old Miss at Old Miss. Oh, so if you're gonna win one game to win SEC when you're struggling, yeah. So, but I came from Texas, so I had to learn that Mississippi State didn't like Old Miss. So it's it was kind of like, okay, what's the big deal? I mean, my my my dad went to Texas AM, and so and he's not a super alumni fan. I mean, now he just likes to pick at me because SEC with AM and Mississippi State in the same conference now. Like I feel like he cares a little bit more about AM just to bother me. But anyway, so I didn't really grow up with a lot of rivalry talk or you know, as far as college foot college sports, but Justin probably could answer a little bit more because you came in with more of all of that.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, it was mainly the fan bases were tough. Like playing in Oxford, it's not like I mean you don't want to go play you don't get excited about playing at the on the road necessarily. But going to Oxford, just it was just not the most pleasant place at times. I didn't mind pitching in it. I liked pitching it, and I liked pitching away just because I liked having the opportunity to get the crowd quiet and not in the game. You know, I like that satisfying fueled me a bit. It is satisfying. Um at the same time, I think what fueled it is it's because um a lot of us knew each other, and so a lot of us got recruited by both. Yeah. And some wanted to come one place, some wanted to go the other, you know, like but it just panned out this way. And so you're battling for state. No, I did not want to. That's what you are that is that what you're implying? There are others that wanted to come to state that end up going to Old Miss. And like, let me be clear. Maybe vice versa. I'm not sure. Um, I didn't really talk to many of the guys that go, but um anyway, yeah, I think that fueled it as well. And then yeah, I mean it's nice to beat them. It is definitely nice to beat them, and in baseball, but there's so many as well in baseball. So you know, you wanna you need to beat them to help you in your own season and your own status to hopefully host well.
SPEAKER_01:I'll tell y'all this as a fan who was not actually a part of the field of play, but I'm gonna tell y'all this growing up in a house like I grew up, with a family like I grew up, you do not want to lose to them in anything. In anything. Yeah. I you know, I used to now I'm gonna tell you this. I used to be a person once I would support old men as long as they were not playing Mississippi State until they start thinking they're blue buds, they're better than everybody. It got to the point where it's like, okay, I don't want you to win anything. Not against us. I don't care if you're playing Citadel, I don't care if you're playing West Point High School, I don't want you to win in anything. And see what the place I work. Yesterday we had our Thanksgiving dinner. We always try to do a company Thanksgiving dinner. I rolled in there with my Mississippi State sweater on with my Mississippi State hat, and I wanted them to fully understand this is bone week. Because you know, our Minnie Price Harrington works with me. So when she shows up, yeah, she works with me. So when she shows up, I wanted her to understand and know where we who we are, what we representing, and let her understand that I don't care that you play that O Miss or none of those plays. It's about Mississippi State over here.
SPEAKER_03:That's so cute. She's really good. She had a very interesting type of basketball.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, she's great. And I want to say that she is a great person, though. I I I mean, was a great hooper, but also a great person.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I saw a lot of shots going. I've softened up a bit now. Yeah. Well, look, it's because of FCA. Uh maybe. I yeah, I mean staff over there. I love those guys. And I, you know, we are always supporting each other in every way and supporting the coaches.
SPEAKER_00:And so Pray for me, I ain't there yet.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, well I'm not there yet. I get it. As a player now, I wanted them to lose at everything.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:But then even beyond a few years, I wanted them to lose at everything. I think now I'm just I'm and you know what? And you could it all comes down to the coaches too. Coaches can fuel this thing and turn it south either way. So like Dan Mullen. Dan fueled that thing. It was a good place. And so yeah, and so then you got the you know, them lifting their leg, type of egg bowl, all that stuff, like their peeing and whatever, like a dog pen. And so like that fueled things by because Mullen fueled stuff, and so it really wasn't a it wasn't in a the rivalry was not in a really good space during that time. It was pretty bitter. I feel like now Leech, Leech and Kiffen had such a respectable relationship, it kind of mellowed out to be more respectful, um, more respectful. But yeah, the fan bases are still rough on those.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, I heard someone tell me the other day they will not take. No, it's like I will like just how things could pan out or like how people just don't act right, you know, like fans, I think.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, but but I I think when now this is me. I just felt like the egg bowl was better when it was intense. Like the the niceness of it with the like you was talking about Legion Lane. I I I don't I feel like that took the because I feel like it took some of that fire away because it's like that's what added to the antics and added to
SPEAKER_04:the you know I mean and and now it's like uh I don't like feeling like uh I do like the underdog mentality because I always was an underdog so I but I don't like that little engine that could hope we no like go out let's go out no you go no and and and I'm saying after the game we can shake hands we can kumbaya but all of the letting it be known we don't like them we can't stand in them well and I I like that because to me that's what makes a rivalry a rivalry yes I get this is the this is the menace to everyone of just the fighting not for the fights and the show I don't want the no I don't want the fights but there's been there's a lot of fights during that era a lot of fights so that's I don't like the fights but I I I don't mind a little getting each other smelling each other's breath and and kind of just kind of yeah I'm butting down fights a little rough I mean keep hands and feet and all other objects to you I mean Fitzgerald's ankle now see that I don't like that see people could look at that and be like it was intentional I don't know it looks fucking it looks fucking I'm not gonna say that for the guy I don't know that for sure but it looked a little rough and I don't like that kind of stuff you know I don't that's the kind of stuff I don't want you know when let's get after it let's go back and forth let's have some intense let's have some battles let's like get after it um but I don't like the Chippy and the Bush league stuff and then another thing element that's added I don't think is you said something earlier that we don't have as much today.
SPEAKER_01:A lot of the guys were from Mississippi. That's what I was saying this is the least actually Mississippi egg bowl maybe ever from the players right yeah and then then you know it's different because when I was here it was unheard of criminal for a player to transfer from Mississippi State and go to O Miss or vice versa. But now it's natural it's like it's normal. I mean and it's not just with us it's with anybody that has rivalries you know people uh Brendan Thompson who's with us he started out at Texas then he transfers to Oklahoma which is a great big time rival and then he's now with us like so I'm saying that's I feel like that also takes some of the fuel out of it because it's like we're gonna go out the street in the past you were looking out the exact numbers I've seen some numbers but half the team used to be for Mississippi for both teams just about now we're at like a third.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah or less maybe I think it's in the 30s this year. It's 33 and 34 I think for each team that's crazy. Yeah. In the past it was more closer in the 50s. So yeah that changes things. So you're talking about people that grew up watching this they get it. Yeah. All right being Mississippi kids and so that adds fuel to it. So I can I can even say that from the baseball perspective. This is a different one playing against USM okay USM is not necessarily a rival but it's a Mississippian state game that is rough. These guys most of them at the time last year didn't know much about from Mississippi. They didn't realize going to USM and playing baseball was going to be so intense. They don't like us this is crazy. And I'm like yeah they don't like because I don't say it's from USM most of them wanted to come up here and they didn't and they were at USM nothing wrong with USM I'm not speaking down to USM I've got go go golden eagles all right to the top whatever um so in all that but they didn't realize they'd be so hateful. Yeah and I'm like guys this is in state you don't get this like they just don't gr they don't grab they they don't they don't grasp it. And so yeah I'll get to the point without as many Mississippi people it's just not not good for the rivalry.
SPEAKER_03:I've heard that with different sports that players are having to explain to other players that have transferred in why this is such a big deal. You know so even if the players change the fans kind of stay the same. So the fans are carrying the fans dictate the rivalry and then you have a team that might come out that might not be prepared or take it as seriously and then that's disappointing to the fans. So there's like a whole you know that's a lot going on but okay so I looked up some research of sorts about rivalry games. And so here's a definition okay a competition between two teams or schools that have a longstanding history of intense emotional and often tradition filled matchups. It's more than just a regular game. That's why everybody gets so hyped up for it there's history to it um there's high stakes um even if you know nothing else was on the line this weekend there would still be bragging rights and we do have a trophy you know most of these rivalry games have trophies Michigan Ohio State being one of those Ryan Day has not beat Michigan they play they think he's lost the last four they were thinking about five Ryan Day but he wins a national championship last year.
SPEAKER_04:So I'm assuming his job is secure right but there is the pressure again of you have not beaten Michigan in four, maybe five times right now.
SPEAKER_03:Like the fans care about that.
SPEAKER_04:The fans care about that up there in a massive way.
SPEAKER_03:So you have emotional energy involved you have the tradition and then you have the identity which is so interesting to me because I guess you know depending on where you grew up and what's important to your family and the values that you have like there's an article that talks about rivalries and how people want to feel up with these rivalries that they feel part of something bigger like that there's a self-esteem that they have that builds their self-esteem to be part of this larger group that can't stand these other people in this other program. So anyway that's part of it um but do y'all know you might have already looked at the notes but do you know the oldest college rivalry?
SPEAKER_04:The oldest was one of the it's gotta be one of the Ivy leagues so it's gotta be uh Yale Harvard Yale Princeton something I don't know is it old is who been playing since forever Justin was right it was Yale Princeton which is kind of like the not necessarily documented one and then Harvard Yale in 1875.
SPEAKER_03:Eight Okay back in the day one of the oldest and most well known back in the day. Apparently it had it's just called the game. I also noticed that I looked up some we'll get into this in a little bit but like egg bowl highlights over the years and they have like I wanted to go back and forth and see if y'all recognize what people start terming things off of these games. Like we talked about the Auburn Alabama game and how it was called the what's Kick Six. That's related titles and the guy ran it back. Yeah yeah yeah yeah that's Auburn I remember that one of the questions I had was what is the oldest form of a rivalry? Like normally if you Google this college football is going to come up but when did people figure out like this is a thing to compete? So can you think of a sporting event that might have initiated all this or a type of sport maybe not sporting events.
SPEAKER_04:Well I think it's sport you go back to the original you got you got the Olympics and where that came from in the whole Rome piece. I'm assuming it started back sometime back then.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. And specific do you have a specific idea of what it might have been what the competition might have been well I mean they did Rome and chariots races.
SPEAKER_04:Just it's on point today. But then you know you had the I don't know was that is that it's chariot racing clubs in the Roman Empire.
SPEAKER_01:Went to go what? Okay did you read my notes? Or were you born in 1875?
SPEAKER_03:Well Rome was way more way more okay I did want to ask y'all some questions real quick about uh in just a second date you have a date for that it just says it just says that's the earliest well I mean I'm just thinking that's what we know the Coliseum and all that.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Like USA and Canada and cricket in 1853 was another one. Yeah so that was another cricket. Okay one of the things that I didn't realize about rivalries is that there can be a lot per team. Like normally I always think in state but when we were watching Arkansas and Texas the other day, Jesse Palmer and Joe Tessator were the commentators and they had the camera on them. And I thought it was funny because I mean I don't know I'm not there but I felt like Joe gave Jesse a very odd look when Jesse said this is one of the oldest rivalries in college football or something or most storied or whatever. And I even kind of had this why in the world did he just say that but one of the qualifiers for rivalry that I learned is how often they play each other. Like that's kind of a qualifier of is this a rivalry or not? So can can you I keep doing guessing questions because I'm really I'm wanting to know how many times do you think Arkansas and Texas have met to play? What's your ballpark guess? Six seven six seven sixty seven hundred and fifty times. Okay eighty one times okay so somewhere in between there but yeah that's a little bit that's a lot because but it's it's it's a lot but it doesn't seem like the Texas just came to the SEC so they must have been in another conference.
SPEAKER_01:They were in the Southwest something like that a years ago that was the uh um coach Hatfield Coach Hatfield Arkansas teams Southwest conference was that before or after leather helmets no it wasn't that that long ago okay so here are some others um do these sound weird to you like I don't know why this Alabama Clemson is a robbery so I I'm gonna say this I think robberies are not just how many times they have played there could be other aspects like people who have been champions because I remember one time it was almost like Clemson and Alabama were meeting for either they were playing in the championship or they were you know meeting up so I'm saying that could be three to four years stretch. It's kind of like whenever you beat that person and you're like I'm being it becomes a because I know Clemson for one for one stretch they went to the championship like almost three years in a row. And so and then you have Bemma who was winning all of those championships so it's like they could I think you can have a rivalry in that aspect as well it's like it's not about how many times you have played but what's all at stake that's connected to those different you know those different teams because besides what they have done originally I don't see where and why Clemson Bell will arrive.
SPEAKER_04:Peyton Manning there for a bit yeah that's interesting like that players could kind of play so we had Mahomes and Josh Allen a little bit Colts Bills.
SPEAKER_03:Yep Bills beat him in the regular season Colts beat him in the postseason and then you'd also gonna have Mahomes and Brady because you know he he beat him with the Buccaneers Brady beat him with the Buccaneers and then Brady didn't pay him with the pages did he did he play maybe I think he did I think he's like the first year freshman I think it was just shocking to me to see if you Google this and get on Wikipedia like there's a lot that I mean it's but you know Alabama Arkansas and Auburn that I was kind of surprised by that I would be like why do I care so much?
SPEAKER_04:I think you go with the ones that have trophies listed on there see I think it's like Arkansas and LSU's a rivalry.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah they'll be playing for a trophy you got Auburn and Alabama Iron Bowl Mississippi State O Miss Oklahoma Oklahoma State Georgia Georgia Tech and State.
SPEAKER_03:That's what I They are there but then you have the Texas and Oklahoma right I could see Arkansas and Texas I guess because of state line yeah like how did it was just so shock I was like wait what did he just say and didn't just mess up on air like that's no way and then you Google it and you're like oh no it's a thing. Um so anyways that was just interesting another interesting thing that I found was that Texas AM and Texas before they started playing football against each other when they established those schools they had very distinct ways that they wanted Texas to do life. So it each school kind of represented this different vision of what Texas they wanted Texas state to be. And so I was like wow I don't know that that necessarily translates to football but just where maybe some of those things started about pitting against each other was actually potentially like a way of life that we do things in the state and now it's almost like the game is a representation of our way is better than your way you know or we want things.
SPEAKER_01:And that's kind of even when you look at the fans they don't even look the same. Like the way they carry themselves Texas and them fans and Texas fans look completely different. It's like different cultures.
SPEAKER_03:So it's just interesting to think like it could go back even further to something where like the university was established in a state especially obviously the in-state robberies I don't really get the ones that are outside the state I'd have to do some more on that but anyway just some little facts about rivalries that I've learned as I've researched this stuff.
SPEAKER_04:I wanted to ask if y'all knew some of these egg bowl moments okay okay all right so do you know the term feed moncrief yeah I remember when uh what happened Dante moment is it Dante Moncrief he had a great year he had a great he had a couple great seasons um played for the Colts for a while um didn't pan out super well in the NFL but it was what half very very good um he had a great game and they just kept throwing the ball and so it was just kind of throughout the year it was feed moncrief and then it just became a saying yeah and then it was bad for us because I remember that particular game he went off we had Banks who was a Thorpe Award winner.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah yeah and it's like he couldn't even stop him right yeah yeah it's like he's like he made Banks look normal.
SPEAKER_03:Do y'all think current players and if anybody's out there listening maybe could comment on this part do you think current players check the history of a school that they go to like that they care to be connected to like how great someone did and become someone in the record books at the school?
SPEAKER_01:I feel like it's very dependent on who it is like like when you look at Florida I'll use Florida Tim Tebow by himself made a lot of people say I want to play for that and be you get what I'm saying? So I think it's more player driven um but I feel like now with the things like NIL and all those different things some people don't even care.
SPEAKER_04:It's like no you know I I think too if you could get a chance to go to somewhere like Ohio State you go okay look at the receivers in the NFL and what they're doing. Right. That is wide receiver you yes you go to quarterback you could probably say oh you because they had so many quarterbacks out of that except Link Riley and a little bit forward um tight end. Do you want to be a tight end in the NFL go to Iowa Iowa will develop you there's five or six starting tight ends in Iowa. So like there's there's places that just pump out people certain places Georgia half the defense all the time from Georgia's team a few years ago was in the NFL playing for the Eagles and uh one of the other teams I can't think of. So like I mean if you think of being a linebacker you think about going to Georgia or whatever.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah I I just think as people come in you know as a everybody just moves around so much I think that baseball here is an an example of a program that has a storied history but is doing a good job to reintroduce that history to fans and players to like cultivate that a little bit more to make it more of something that you're attached to and even if you're moving around to to know where you're at. Right and want to be part of it. And so I don't know I mean even bringing back all the alumni and stuff it's just like you hear these names and we could be saying all these names and people have no idea because they've never I mean I didn't really look any of that up there's a great balance there of living so much in the past and then connecting though.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Because I think every year we're talking about some team in the 90s for football. Right. You know and I think we're all like wait to be good again like and obviously we'll talk about the DAX season forever. But you know I I mean where it's like all right we've we've celebrated this team every year for the last 20 years.
SPEAKER_03:But it's also good to know where a team what the potential is being in this place if we haven't won consistently but like that certain things happened here so that you can know it's possible.
SPEAKER_04:Random story but I mean I remember Picky and we won state championship for the first time in 2003 or sorry 2002 at my high school and I feel like from that year on all the teams that came after us when we got out of there in 2003 just were berated of being like be like the O two team be like the O two team and they haven't done anything since they've had a couple good teams but it's just the pressure of the whole thing has been you know and I think they just stopped eventually finally be like okay stop bringing up 2002.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah which might be a good good topic for another episode like how do you you know you know where you're at but also how moving forward.
SPEAKER_01:I I mean I feel like like Justin made a great point like wide receivers going to Ohio State uh because you look at what they've been just pumping into the league the last five years like they they are not just good in college they're producing in the league. So I do believe players actually fake take a you know take a look into those things um you look at our school like a Josh Oprah with basketball one thing I started noticing with a lot of the recruits we were that we were going after they kept saying referencing him like he was able to come in as a freshman and Jazz trusted him to play. So that kind of weighs on the mind I do believe that goes on a little bit um but I do believe the money aspect has just changed a lot of that because it gets to the point where it's like most people are trying to get to the next level.
unknown:Right.
SPEAKER_01:Well if I can quote unquote make some form of next level dollars I'll look past you haven't put anybody in the you know because I was looking at like BYU and basketball like they getting some of the top players and you think about basketball like they always have been sure good but it's like you getting top three players in the world like in the nation so it's it's one of those things I do think people I think they're doing a little bit of both. I think the the the signing up the the finding players who want to be a part of something just purely a part of something I don't think you have too much of that. You know I don't I don't think because you have people like a Josh who possibly could go anywhere.
SPEAKER_03:Isaac Smith who possibly can go anywhere but they're choosing to be here I felt like that speaks a lot about I want to be a part of this I want to be a a a changer so right yeah so okay another one that's on here pick and the kick I remember the pick and the kick.
SPEAKER_01:What was the situation? And I'm gonna tell you why I remember the pick and the kick because the quarterback I had a cousin that was playing for O Miss at the time and the quarterback went to my high school that's when Romero threw the interception they threw a they threw a pass when they should have ran it I think and the ball bounces off the guy's foot and we picked it off and then we end up kicking the field goal to win the game.
SPEAKER_04:It was instarful I remember that do you remember that Romero Miller was the quarterback from Shannon he was the quarterback right before Eli okay this was before y'all's time but it says immaculate deflection oh I remember it though I I know it was before my time but I remember watching it Immaculate deflection okay this is when we're going to kick the wind the game okay and it's a it's a routine kick it's not that far away I don't think it was 40 yard um it doesn't say okay 40 mile an hour wind blows as the ball's kicked it's in the air it's going through the uprights the wind blows the thing goes backwards and lands short it's crazy it was like almost into the uprights and then it just goes blows it straight backwards so the wind the wind blew it straight back and it did not go through the uprights should that not give us a no a free kick no it just I don't know I don't know what happened there man.
SPEAKER_03:I just think these terms are so funny what about Tubbs goes for two no I don't know though no I looked it up but I didn't 1997 Olmus trailed by seven with just over two minutes left but capped a comeback with a 10 yard touchdown reception to win the game I'm sure I was upset about it when it was 13.
SPEAKER_04:Okay you mentioned this one Justin dog leg lifts oh yeah it became a thing it and it really bit him in the butt this was the uh year we had the gold helmets I think that's just what I remember and um anyway I forget the receiver who did it Elijah Moore Elijah Moore they were winning this this put him up a touchdown oh they tied it they was gonna they was gonna that was the extra point was gonna tie it yeah the extra point was gonna tie it they came back they were pumped he goes and acts like he's peeing on the field like a dog in the end zone they get a a penalty that moves the field goal the extra point back the kicker misses the extra point and we win that game ouch I do remember Bo Wallace fumbling a ball too in the end zone.
SPEAKER_01:Yes that saved us a game as well that's when that was a great that was that game has so many storylines because you remember Dak wasn't supposed to play Dak comes in I think the fourth quarter scores the game when it touched down the crowd rallies behind them we go to overtime and Bo Wallace fumbles.
SPEAKER_03:Oh so in 2018 there was another game where we won convincingly 35 to three I remember you remember then oh well no 35 to three what what year was it?
SPEAKER_01:This says 2018 sometimes the dates are wrong on these things No no that might have been right I remember one year we went to Oxford and we just blowed the doors off but this was about a fight that happened afterwards. No so that wasn't that game. So that's why I said so I remember two games. So the game you're referring to is when uh we was uh fighting them toward the end and helmets were getting pulled do you know how many ejections there were? No I don't remember.
SPEAKER_03:It says four four ejections ejections from the game.
SPEAKER_01:Going back to that but but one of the things I do remember about that game is one of the players pulled Omen's quarterback's helmet off but a Mississippi State guy grabbed the old man's quarterback and pulled him away from the crowd where he would get hurt because everybody got smeared yeah I was like that was that was nice because I'm like he could have it was gonna get bad like everybody got on helmets but you you know yeah um we talked about the I think was the pass to Ross from Nick Fitzgerald Fitzgerald did we talk about that one?
SPEAKER_03:Or was that a different year?
SPEAKER_04:I don't know that was 15. Because this says 2016 but my information was 14 so it was uh whoever who was after Dak was it Fids?
SPEAKER_03:Fids was after Dak.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah like right after Dak.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So that's memorable and then it says upsets and fan fantastic finishes. The 1981 game was one of the biggest upsets in the series history with Mississippi ranked number seven in Ole Miss at 36 and one um I don't know how I we should have Googled like how many of these games have either team been ranked you know like how who has been more ranked in the history of it y'all know.
SPEAKER_01:I think Ole Miss I often say yeah probably Ole Miss because when they had uh Vaughn him what's his name Vault uh Vault Vault Hemiway yeah I think when he was the yeah they they was just rolling yeah they were rolling yeah like in the sixties or something yeah that's Arch Manning.
SPEAKER_03:Okay so what do you think that why do you think that it's enjoyable like people like to sit around and talk about this stuff. Maybe guys more than girls but like why it's memories.
SPEAKER_04:It's memories it got takes you back to different moments you remember the people involved it's just a it's a state thing it's a pride thing it's an identity thing it's all that like you mentioned. Yeah it just and you know it's your side against theirs and it's just you know it's kind of like talking about the weather you know you can you can just remember that yeah maybe it's kind of a frame of reference like you were there I was there you don't have to explain so much you can just be like boom just start sharing a story and you already kind of upload like well we all have moments if you grow up in a state and you've been a part of it you'll have moments where you're like not happy with the other side you know that just kind of burns you a little bit or moments and so those things just kind of poke at you um unless you get saved again and then you're okay um and you can be more at peace about it.
SPEAKER_01:But and then too I think we when you have families that have had children to be a part of these games you know I think about like Isaac his dad literally played for Ole Miss now he plays for state like what that home dynamic is like or Will Rogers whose dad and family was all pro OMS and then he signs for Mississippi State. So you know I feel like a lot of those things and then you gotta think what helps us is the egg bow was played on Thanksgiving. So like you were saying families are around each other we're spending time and then that was like the nightcap you know and um so I you know when I look back at it you know I it's so many different memorable moments um because now I'm you know I'm grown but I remember as a kid man that game would almost make me cry like if you lost that game like run Thanksgiving mate would it you know it's like it's like the same people you just got through laughing and hugging and and kumbayan with now you don't want to talk to them no more.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah you're ready you're ready to go like win or lose it will lead you to another piece of pie.
SPEAKER_01:Nah that's true celebration is true and mourning cleared yes but the pie is more enjoyable when you win that's yeah like when you lose it's almost like yeah is this you know that that is it's tough especially with where I'm from when you're around a lot of antagonistic people that's the same like like like like like you just can't lose it's it's it's rub it in and they got to keep rubbing in man now you gotta go a whole 364 days one of our pastors at our church is a massive Oldness fan. Great dude he has good he's fine intentions but when he gets up and talks about the weekend of football and I'm just like move on go to the next announcement like don't even you know go live over there those are the worst we think that it would be better if we didn't have these rivalry games like just for some of the bad things that it produces does the the I think the good outweighs the bad yeah exactly I I think the good outweighs the bad is is because like you said the one of the biggest upsets when we was no rank seventh they was three six and one however I feel like those moments you know you you if you remove the rivalry you gotta think so many great moments that you are moving. Yeah so much history you know I I mean with anything you're gonna have some cuns but I don't think you know you should remove a rivalry altogether because you're talking about a lot of things that man that was a part of my upbringing like I'm just saying that I felt like that's a part of my life like you remove that you know is I think we need to ask Texas and Texas AM fans.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah no joke that one because that was such a staple and then they moved conferences and then they didn't play for a while. They didn't play for a while but now they back playing now they are but now there's so many teams in the league I don't think they're playing every year.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah maybe they get them right right right right yeah I still don't think they like each other but no they don't but that's amazing because I you from Texas Bethany so I was here and and I think that's location kind of speaks to what we expect sometimes because I we was like here it's like I was thinking that Texas and Oklahoma was the biggest rivalry. Like I wouldn't think Texas Texas AM was as big of a because was promoted is the Red River shootout.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah you know and so uh I didn't know that like you you you're teaching me something today like well I don't know if it's a ballot conference conference alignments that's changing all of that I mean with the Pac 12 disappearance and now you got people on the coast of California going all the way to the ACC. Right what are we doing? And then Big 10s so now you got east and west and the big ten too along with the middle and there's so many teams so they you can't play them every year. That's the challenging thing is so now we're we're losing a lot of rivalries because of this alignment stuff. So I'm indifferent I think it brings the worst out of people um and I don't like that at all. I do like the moments and some moments that it produces.
SPEAKER_03:But then yeah you have this like you have if you have players that seem kind of aloof and like it's just another game that's a little disappointing to fans that have been part of the history for so long that are expecting something different and then they show up and it's like eh you know so like I get the energy and excitement.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah it's it's it's it's something man um I don't have a for sure answer on that one.
SPEAKER_01:I mean I do. I do I don't want them no don't do don't do expect because you gotta think I don't want to say rivalry.
SPEAKER_04:I don't want to remove it at all.
SPEAKER_01:But it's just that does the good outweigh the bad does the good outweigh the bad well for me I'm gonna say at a at a Mississippi State with the challenges that we've had over the last few years with sports we have needed something to kind of You know that's a good point. You know what I'm saying? We we because what I'm saying is because we haven't been a consistently top tier Sports program. And it's not me being down on my home, but I'm saying you look forward to something to celebrate the season with. Yeah. You get what I'm saying? You got to think. If they win Friday, Friday is gonna erase all of the games we should have won. We felt like we could have won. You don't you don't even care. Because most people would trade all of those losses for this one win. Right. As opposed to having all of those wins and we lose this.
SPEAKER_04:So I'm saying it gives you, you know, it's I would love to poll. I'd probably say 99.9% of Mississippi State fans would take all those losses and get old the playoffs. Oh man. What? And then get to a bowl in the same time.
SPEAKER_01:In a heartbeat.
SPEAKER_03:Oh it wouldn't even that that ain't even. I don't even think you got to poll that one. No, I made a mistake one year saying something.
SPEAKER_04:And vice versa, if old Mystic's on the other time would do the same thing.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it might have been to Justin that I said this, but something about how we were, I want to say we weren't ranked as high. And so I was kind of like, I mean, there's no shock. Justin was like, but it's the egg bowl.
SPEAKER_05:Yes.
SPEAKER_03:And so the also the factor of people maybe playing out of their minds. If, you know, like you can't necessarily say, this is our record, this is your record, like this is the obvious story that's gonna happen. It's like, no, no, it's the egg bowl.
SPEAKER_01:You better And that's what okay, so they was asking me. So I'm gonna make two points. Why why I'm gonna say for keeping. You said your freshman year, y'all only won 6K, but the one you remember in Oxford, right? And then I'm gonna say this last year, it's just the truth. We wasn't that great at all. But I've never seen a team play so hard in the egg bolt in Oxford, and I had a chance to win. Right. Because the it's like that game pulls something out of you. And I I believe this. So this is my theory. If we if they were better last year and we were worse, and they didn't beat us that bad, and we're better this year. We're better this year, and they're not as good, and we're at home. I'm expecting, I'm just gonna tell you, I'm expecting to wrap this one up in maroon and white. And to save Kiffin out.
SPEAKER_04:I am not saying remove the rivalry. I'm not gonna The rivalry does produce really great moments, and I think gets more out of athletes. Like any rivalry, as you're growing up as a kid, it produces something in you that would not have been there before. You have to have somebody to compete against. And and that multiple times of competing against somebody, whoever that rival is, does produce um a better athlete. It gets you somewhere that you would not have been there. So like I I I get it. I just I don't like the nastiness that it produces. Yeah, because there's been stories, not here, but at other schools where people have like Well, we got stuff throwing on the field, you got fights, you got things, just not pretty things that are not good. I do like what it produces. The athletes, the moments, the outlandish performances that are just like you might see something crazy in a game like that.
SPEAKER_03:You might not see all that.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, and people go down as legends at a school just for their moments against a rival. You know?
SPEAKER_00:You're the standard right now.
SPEAKER_04:So I I think there's just it's cool opportunities.
SPEAKER_01:You're the standard right now. I want you to know this. Everybody, you just heard a speech from our FCA leader. That is our FCA leader, making sure no matter what, we stay Christian, we stay true to who we are called to be, in spite of our feelings, in spite of outcomes. We have to stay consistent. I like that about you, Justin. You just he's so great. I really consider. Should we, you know what? But I think this is what we should do. This is what we should add. Keep doing the rivalry, but before the game, we should have Justin give a speech to both sides. Listen, hey, you all. We don't have to tear each other. Listen, I know, like, you know, before the game comes on, you know how they have those people have him come on and tell them, look, have him, matter of fact, this will be perfect. Him with an LCA person from All Miss and him standing there, they shaking hands, they're talking, we want to win this game. But at the end, we're all on the same team.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, God. Let's love each other. Now I get people with nice stuff on the field right there. Who are these people? Who's this dude? No.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, my face hurt.
SPEAKER_01:Hey.
unknown:From last year.
SPEAKER_01:No, but but I I get it, man, because it it has I I will say this that rivalry, because one of my mentees, I'm his mentor, but he's a diehard Ole Miss fan. So we've had to learn temples. We've had to, and I've told him at times, we will not talk about these other schools because it gets sometimes in the in the uh spirit of competitiveness getting riled up, and before you know it, you don't want to be around them. You don't want, and I'm like, man, sports is not that serious.
SPEAKER_04:No, and so relational maturity, I guess. I mean, don't be offended. Your team stumped today, or you lost. Like, you can be offended all you want, and somebody can poke the bear in you all they want, but you've got to choose to Yeah, that's true.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, a couple of examples of that that I was I said on the podcast last time, but when we when Morgan William hit the shot over the Yukon girl to bring their streak and go to the um I say Yukon's what was her name? Gabby. Yeah. Gabby Williams. Yeah. She, you know, the Yukon, when we left, the Yukon fans that were passing us in the parking lot were very wasn't like they were tip their cap to, you know, they were like, y'all were the better team tonight. Like it could have gone either way, you know? And so, and that's not a robbery, but I mean, we had lost pretty bad the year before to Yukon. Yeah, but like you gotta wait that whole year, and then you get this next matchup, and then you beat them like that. And then the other day, um, my dad again, Texas AM, he said we were on the phone and he said something like, Are you not gonna say anything about uh Texas AM? And I was like, Dad, they're just good, like, good job. Like, I don't know. I think that there's some of that is being able to just say, Hey, like, yeah, you're great, you know, and not hold this irritation or bitterness or whatever, you know? It's like, no, objectively, y'all are pretty great this year. So good for you, you know. Um, but I will say y'all kind of said some of this. There was this quote that I read on one of the articles. It says, make sure you have a proper perspective on rivals and competition. They are often our best teachers, forcing us to reflect on our practices and strengthen our original convictions. So, as an argument to keep rivals, it's a good like if you can have a proper perspective on it, if you didn't have that other guy that, or in the instance of, you know, Josh and Reed, like you have these people that you can that can bring the best out of it it could bring the worst out of you if you make it about jealousy and competition and having to prove yourself. But if you're a secure person, you can look at that and say, How did they beat me? I'm gonna go back and I'm gonna see watch film or I'm gonna do whatever so that I can be better. And if you don't have that competition, who do you have to push you to the next level, you know?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. But if you're an athlete that's worth your salt, you want to be something in the big moments in the big games. Rivalry games are those games too.
SPEAKER_00:You gotta say that again. If you're an athlete that's worth what?
SPEAKER_04:Your salt. Like it it it's just a phrase of like, you know, if if you really wanna do this and you wanna be an athlete in big moments, like if you're if you want to be that, and that's why I think that's why we play, right? You grow up watching these moments and you see those iconic moments as a player, and you're like, God, I want to be in those moments, I want to prepare for that, and I want to win, then yeah, you wanna play these rivalry games. You want to be the guy. Like you dream of that stuff. So, like, why would you want to go or play anywhere else in any other situation and not want to be in these moments?
SPEAKER_00:Not as I mean, that's a great way to look at it.
SPEAKER_04:Like, to me, I mean, I don't know, I look at it from perspective I always wanted to play in the SEC because it was the best baseball conference of my time, and it still is. And so I could have gone to USM, not a knock on USM. I love people there, croaches were great, but I wanted to play here. And so if I take the challenge to see if you could play. Can I play at this level and succeed? And so this is what you're building for. You're so funny. And it was proven income through in those moments.
SPEAKER_03:Everybody's a little bit different, but I mean, I I don't know. Why play? Why play if you don't want to be? I will say this. I was at a doctor's appointment and I mentioned and found out, you know, I was married to Justin, and he said, Oh, I remember him, and I'm an old miss fan. Wow. That's a compliment. So um this old miss guy knew about that.
SPEAKER_01:Um it was great to be on a message board and his name pops up. I'm like, I know him, I work with him. Yes, I didn't, and and Justin's so humble.
SPEAKER_04:Like he's like subject here.
SPEAKER_01:He's all that's the thing. He's so humble. If you didn't know it, you would not know he has done what he has done. But ladies and gentlemen, he has a resume. I just think everybody can know.
SPEAKER_03:Like being able to tip their cap to the other. Like, man, yeah, I know that plan. I remember him. I remember him. I remember. Yeah. Y'all have any life takeaways from our conversation today?
SPEAKER_01:Hmm. Well, I I guess, you know, when when and re keep the main thing the main thing. As he's talking about rivalries, you know, sometimes we can get so caught up in the uniforms, you know, and if you're not careful, uh you can start, you know, not liking certain people just because of a jersey that they wear, you know, or and and not really respecting them, not even considering, you know, some of the things that they have to accomplish. It's like, no, they're not on our team, or they may not, but you have to, you know, be a person of appreciating hard work, perseverance, you know, and uh that's something that I've had to kind of learn and be mindful of. Uh, and I'm just saying, space, especially in the space of rivalry. Because sometimes you can be so into your your team and you don't like nothing at all. You're not gonna say anything good, but you know, and I was thinking about how, for me, seriously, temperance. That's why I said keeping the main thing, the main thing, this I'm a mentor to this guy. He's like my little brother. So it's like you're allowing something that you can't control, something that's not that important to keep us at times distance. And it's like he was saying, maturing in relationships. I feel like those are all great things to kind of to stay mindful of and then to realize uh these are moments, and just like they come, they're gonna go. You know, we can't just completely be defined, you know, to these moments. That's why I say keeping the main thing, the main thing. I think about the people who are in these moments. Like uh he you talked about the uh when the guy acts like he was peeing like a dog, and then you have the kicker get a flag, need the kicker, goes out there, miss the field goal. The extra point, you gotta think he's having to keep reliving that moment, and some people will hold him to one kick out of all the kicks he've ever made, you know, and so it's like you said, keeping the main thing, the main thing, always being able to uh realize moments are moments, and though they can be uh moments of elevation, you know, for some that are on the flip side of those moments, you know, that's not their proudest moments, but um I think it helps us to keep things in perspective.
SPEAKER_03:Especially with social media. Now things can travel a lot faster and be out there for everybody to see forever.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. I think there's a way to give your best, do your best, honor the game and honor the people that you're playing. And um and that's all you can do. That's really all you can do. Anytime you let the game or an outcome of a game dictate and change who you are. I think that's something that you've got to really be honest with and going, okay, how much am I letting miss affect me? Like I I remember watching a basketball championship. We had to have an FCA leadership meeting right after that. Like 15 minutes later. Really? And I had a really hard time rated that shouldn't be. I had that was probably one of the hardest meetings.
SPEAKER_03:This was because we blew the wale. Hit the game.
SPEAKER_04:Notre Dame beat us. We ran out. I I don't know why we could act like we were spent. That's that's no, we were spent the year before against South Carolina. After we beat Us South Carolina. Yes, that's so that's the Notre Dame. They were in foul trouble. We had all these opportunities to go ahead and they just stuck around, could not do it.
SPEAKER_03:And she hit a bank shot, a bank three from like the side. They did an inbounds play from the side. I remember that. But yeah, so it was just so deflating. Very it was so bad. We we had to, we were like, we got to get ourselves together. We got college students coming over in 15 minutes and like and they're from and it was the University of Texas students, so they're used to like winning stuff all the time, you know. We're like, y'all, we're in mourning because this could have been our first national championship as a school. Um, but yeah, that was but yeah, uh you were saying that if it changes you, it removes your emotion.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, and it's it's gonna move your emotion. Sure. It should. If you got any life, you know, it's gonna move, it's gonna move you a little bit. Um but yeah, I just I just think it can lead to you doing some really stupid stuff and not being yourself to a point where it's too far. Right. You care way too much.
SPEAKER_03:Right.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, you know, a little bit of an evaluation. Um and then realizing all the stories that play into this. All the stories from that team, all the stories from our team, whatever it may be, and the guys that have worked so hard to get to this place, the coaches that have coached so hard to get to this place, and yes, the outcome turns out the way that we don't want miss necessarily that we're the way we do want, you can't discredit all the work that's I don't know. Sometimes I think we can lose that.
SPEAKER_01:I feel like you can get lost in that, and I'm learning that. Learning to embrace every moment, but also kind of be able to separate moments. Like, don't let one one moment define because like even you was talking about with the the national championship that we lost with the women's basketball. It's like you lost it off a last second shot, but they can't diminish the journey. You literally made it back to back. You know how hard that is to go to two championships in two times, like you know, so it's it's kind of one of those days where, like you said, keeping the main thing, the main thing, and uh that's one thing I've learned to do is to to respect, to honor, uh, and even take lessons out of everything. You know, you mentioned earlier Ron Day losing to Michigan. And I was thinking, man, but the mental fortitude to lose a game that you are already pressured going into. You lose it every day. You're getting up, they're talking about you potentially losing your job, and then you go out and win the national championship. Like that, to be able to let that loss be this is by itself. We still got too much to play for, too much ahead of us, and to actually go out there and do it, change the narrative, change the conversation, like save his job, you know, like it's like I'm saying, like Okay, highest winning percentage in college football is right right now as well.
SPEAKER_04:And they he could have lost his job.
SPEAKER_03:It's crazy. That is But it is what I think that what I've noticed in sports is it's what story, what narrative is being told. Yes. It's what you remember, you know. Like that's I think what's so powerful about story is that you can see you might be watching it and you might try to say, This is what I saw, and this is what I remember, but the media will get involved or whatever, and they'll tell you what happened. And then, you know, you miss these other details that oh well he's like got the highest winning percentage, and we almost fired him because of this one game. That's what this is what we're being told isn't supporting.
SPEAKER_01:And that's what happened to PS Day's coach, Franklin. He literally was a game away from the national championship last year. One game away. He didn't build them up one game away, and because this year they were struggling a little bit, he gets fired. And I'm sitting there like, this is one of the better coaches in all of college football. But but like you were saying, the media spins it, they blows it up.
SPEAKER_03:And we get lost in those stories, and then we're like, what is the actual, what's actually happening here? You know, one of the things that I remembered about that Notre Dame game, and then we'll um we'll wrap it up, but it's just how some of these rivalries, at least for me, because I was I watched that game and that hurt so bad. To me, Notre Dame is like a rival in women's basketball for us. We have we played them in uh I think maybe after the first four in the maybe in the first round of the tournament a few years ago with women's basketball. And I was like, oh, I want to beat them so bad. I think they beat us again. But even in soccer, it it it kind of becomes a thing for me personally. But other people might not notice.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Like, but it was because I saw that moment and it hurt so bad that now it's really with women's sport. Oh, maybe it would be any sport, but when they played us in soccer, I was like, dude, it's a women's sport thing. Yeah, and they've enrolled us. So it does, it does bother me. But depending on what the I know. I'm like, uh so to Darius's point earlier, to maybe lay in the plane of this conversation, how it can apply to life is I think that you were saying earlier, I guess how you could let these things get to the point where you really don't like a person, don't want anything to do with a person, even get to a point where you hate person, place, whatever, because of these rivalries and how I think that translates to a lot of other areas of life. Like if you can learn this, that we just we make these lanes that it's like we're so comfortable here, we like this. Oh, we've also found people that like the same thing, think the same way, believe the same way, and we don't want anything to do with those people over there because they think different. That if you do that and live like it's just gonna make it hard as you navigate through life and you have different situations, whether it's a work environment, whether it's a church, whatever, it kind of puts you in this corner where you can't really relate if you have that kind of mindset. So I do think that that's kind of a crossover takeaway from how these things can impact you, just a way of your thinking, you know.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Sports did not create rivalries. It was already in there.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:And so the gift of sports is it helps us for life if you approach that way. You want to defeat rivalry and living from a place of rivalry in your life to where it affects you, then sports can be a great way to teach you those things. Um and so if you could see it that way, because it originally sports was there for formation. Coaches, sports, games, all those things were there because it brought joy, entertainment, it was fun. But um learned from it. You can learn from it. Formation is the heart behind it. Why most coaches, if all of them, got into this is because of formation. And so it's great teaching moments and all of it. And so that goes for the fan as well. Time to learn.
SPEAKER_03:Time to learn.
SPEAKER_04:Time for us to grow.
SPEAKER_03:Any parting shots, Doc?
SPEAKER_01:No, uh just like you said earlier, keep the main thing the main thing. And um, no matter what happens, win or lose, make sure that you stay with, you know, real respect, uh, love, you don't dishonor people. Um and this is a great time of year, you know, and so I don't know what you all are gonna be doing, but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be with some of my family. And uh is it's important to hear that message because a lot of them are on the other side. But hey, I believe that we're gonna be ready. I'm I'm gonna be ready. Got you ready with this conversation. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, you have you have taken, you kind of have teetered. Uh you have teetered some of my excitement. Not your passionate. No, no, I'm gonna say not about the not teeter the excitement about the game, but more so not allowing the rivalry to control my emotions, crow to control my mindset. Um, again, like I said, God already been dealing me on temperance. So you he just used you to kind of reel look to reel me in and say, remember, remember, remember.
SPEAKER_04:I'm I'm I'm a very boring person. So I love them, but I'm not gonna be the exciting one to stir the pot.
SPEAKER_03:Not too high, not too low.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I'm not gonna be a pot stir.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, well, we've had enjoyed this conversation. We look forward to seeing with the results of this weekend, um, which we'll find out obviously in a few days. But we hope that everybody has a good time if you uh are able to make it out to the game and or watch it, and that we can keep our heads on straight, stay cool, calm, and collected. Um, but we'll look forward to talking with everybody next week. And um, thanks for listening.
SPEAKER_02:Thanks for listening to the Create It To Be Podcast. To learn more about FCA at Mississippi State, visit www.msdufca.org and follow us on Instagram at hale statefca underscore. If you would like to become a financial partner, visit www.fca.org slash donate to sew into the work God is doing through FCA at Mississippi State.