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Nic Mitchell hopes to go out winner in 2025 Egg Bowl

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk1 hour agoRobbieFaulkOn3

Growing up in Jacksonville, Fla., Nic Mitchell wasn’t exactly tuned into what was happening in the hated rivalry that was the Battle for the Golden Egg.

While Mississippi State and Ole Miss went out for blood on Thanksgiving weekend, Mitchell was locked in on Florida and Florida State. All of that changed when he arrived in Starkville all the way back in 2021 and he has since found out just how important this game is for everyone involved.

“I didn’t know too much about it,” Mitchell said of the rivalry. “You hear about it on TV, but I didn’t know how much it meant to these people. When you get here and see the boys from Mississippi and how much they buy into this game, it’s tremendous. I’m excited to be a part of it and it’s a blessing.”

Mitchell working to bring Egg Bowl trophy home

Since his arrival at State, Mitchell hasn’t been able to enjoy much success in the game. The Bulldogs have lost three of the four games during his career and the only win came back during his redshirt freshman season in 2022.

Mitchell was on the field last year in Oxford when State was given little chance to compete with the Rebels. He and his teammates had a great game plan defensively and hung in the contest before falling 26-14. While the team had nothing to lose coming into the game, he still remembers the hurt leaving the field with a loss to close the season at 2-10.

“That was a tough loss,” Mitchell said. “Anytime you lose is tough but for that to be our last game of the season and for our seniors to go out like that, it was a gut-wrenching feeling. We’re trying to be on the other side this year. That’s the plan.”

Coming out on top in this one will take a tremendous effort for State.

The Bulldogs (5-6, 1-6 SEC) are taking on an Ole Miss team that is sitting at No. 6 in the College Football Playoff and on the verge of its first ever playoff trip. The Rebels (10-1, 6-1 SEC) have been solid on both sides of the ball and have taken care of nearly every opponent on the roster this season with the lone loss coming at Georgia.

One of the players that have taken them to new heights is an unlikely hero. Trinidad Chambliss transferred to Ole Miss after playing Division II football and was the backup coming into the season. After Austin Simmons went down with an ankle injury, Chambless stepped in and had performed incredibly well. Defending him is the major challenge for Mitchell and the defense.

“He’s kind of small, but he can move and is quick and twitchy,” Mitchell said of Chambliss. “He’s kind of hard to find sometimes and he can run the ball well. He’s a great playmaker and makes a lot of plays for that Ole Miss offense.”

It’s been a long journey for Mitchell but he has a chance to get to a bowl game for the third time in his five years. Over the last two seasons, Mitchell has been more involved than ever as a starter at linebacker. He’s made 65 tackles this season with a career-high 5.0 TFL and 2.5 sacks while grabbing an interception and recovering a fumble.

Mitchell now has a chance to cement his legacy as being a part of the team that got things back on track and returned the Egg Bowl trophy to Starkville.

“It means everything. You don’t know what the future holds and for this to be the last collegiate game in Davis Wade it’s extremely special and means a lot to me. I don’t take it lightly – I know what’s at stake.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been to a bowl and then it’s rivalry week. I know what this game means to the fans and the former players here.  I’m honored to play in it and ready to handle business.”

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