LOOK: Joe Judge makes good on Egg Bowl bet with former Ole Miss tight end
Joe Judge is a proud alum of Mississippi State. Evan Engram is a proud former star for the Ole Miss Rebels. Evidently, the two made a bet on this year’s Egg Bowl — a game won by Engram’s Rebels, 31-21.
As if the Thanksgiving Day by the Bulldogs loss didn’t sting enough, Judge made good on his bet on Wednesday. The New York Giants coach rocked an Ole Miss hat to his press conference.
“A bet’s a bet,” said Judge, via Giants’ beat reporter Art Stapleton.
Last season, Judge and Engram made the same bet — a game also won by Engram’s Ole Miss squad. After that iteration of the Egg Bowl, Judge showed up to work in an Ole Miss sweatshirt and bucket hat. As you can see, Engram took it easy on Judge this season.
Thanksgiving Day was good for the Giants — their rival Dallas Cowboys suffered a devastating loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. However, Judge’s Mississippi State squad couldn’t close out a perfect day for the coach.
More on Joe Judge, Evan Engram
Joe Judge began his coaching career at Mississippi State. After playing for the Bulldogs from 2000-2004, he became a graduate assistant with Mississippi State in 2005.
After stops under successful head coaches like Nick Saban in Alabama and Bill Belichick in New England, the Giants took a chance on Judge. While it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, New York believes he’s their future.
Prior to the hire of Mike Leach, it was reported by college football insider Bruce Feldman that Judge was a “strong candidate” for the Bulldogs job. However, Judge took his name out of the running by choosing to join the Giants.
As for Judge’s tight end Engram, he’s had an uneven career since entering the NFL as the No. 23 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. After a blazing start to his career with an impressive rookie season, he hasn’t been able to recapture the magic.
Still, Engram was voted to his first career Pro Bowl in 2020. The talent is there, but the Giants are still waiting for him to blossom into a top tier tight end.
Thus far in 2021, the former Ole Miss tight end has just 26 receptions on the season. All in all, he’s accumulated 224 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
Joe Judge and Evan Engram are both proud of their schools. As they try to turn the Giants back into a playoff contender, the duo is having some fun on the side as well.