Friday, October 24, 2014 – GEAUX TIGERS!
It is a College Football Lite weekend. Most of the teams are wondering what, if anything is salvageable from what was once a promising season, while others are playing for pride and the pledge of an outstanding recruit. The only game of significance is in Baton Rouge where the Ole Miss Rebels come to Death Valley, ranked and undefeated for the first time since 1962. Yes 1962! But this is a game where all the statistics fly out the window.You play strictly for the pride of your school and the rich history surrounding the two schools. Anything can happen. And Mike the Tiger does not like to be the “underdog” especially in Death Valley, but he does like to play spoiler. So GEAUX TIGERS!
If you want to read more about this great football rivalry, read the article below from Tiger Rag, sent to me by my cousin who made the block sending Billy Cannon down the sidelines for the 7-3 win in 1959. You can bet The Halloween Game is rocking the radio and TV stations in Louisiana today.
By JIM ENGSTER Tiger Rag President
Ole Miss is 7-0 for the first time since 1962 when the campus of Oxford erupted in violence and death as James Meredith integrated the school’s majestic campus.
At the time, Ole Miss was the best football program in America under coach Johnny Vaught. It’s taken 52 years for the Rebels to return to the glory they last enjoyed when President Obama was in diapers.
The annual hate fest between LSU and Ole Miss could return if a top-three ranking and unbeaten status accompanies the Rebels each time they face the Tigers. Between 1958 and 1962, the rivalry reached war-between-the-states proportions as LSU also hovered above the nation.
Here is a look at the LSU-Ole Miss football war in its five-year pinnacle.
Nov. 1, 1958 at Baton Rouge: No. 6 Ole Miss (6-0) vs. No. 1 LSU (6-0) Final Score: LSU 14, Ole Miss 0
Oct. 31, 1959 at Baton Rouge: No. 3 Ole Miss (6-0) vs. No. 1 LSU (6-0) Final Score: LSU 7, Ole Miss 3
Jan 1, 1960 at New Orleans (Sugar Bowl): No. 2 Ole Miss (9-1) vs. No. 3 LSU (9-1) Final Score: Ole Miss 21, LSU 0
Oct. 29, 1960 at Oxford: No. 2 Ole Miss (6-0) vs. Unranked LSU (1-4) Final Score: Ole Miss 6, LSU 6
Nov. 4, 1961 at Baton Rouge: No. 2 Ole Miss 6-0 vs. No. 7 LSU 5-1 Final Score: LSU 10 Ole Miss 7
Nov. 3. 1962 at Baton Rouge: No. 6 Ole Miss (6-0) vs. No. 4 LSU (6-0-1) Final Score: Ole Miss 15, LSU 7
In six classic games during a golden era for both programs, LSU held a 3-2-1 advantage over the mighty Rebels. The record is impressive because Ole Miss produced a record from 1958 to 1962 of 48-5-1. Vaught was 2-3-1 versus LSU and 46-2 versus the rest of the world.
In those years, Ole Miss welcomed a trip to Baton Rouge often in lieu of playing at home. The result was that LSU more than once spoiled great seasons for the Rebels.
History could repeat Saturday night as LSU brings a 6-2 mark at home against 7-0 Ole Miss, which invades Tiger Stadium with a splendid team. Whatever happens, the result will be huge news.
An LSU win proves the Tigers have returned to top-10 status. An Ole Miss win propels the men from Oxford into conference and national contention. Ole Miss has not won an SEC football championship since the 1963 team went 7-1-2. And the Rebels have not been undefeated at the end of a season since 1962.
It is exhilarating to veteran fans to envision the rage of old returning to the ancient rivalry. The LSU campus was once bombarded with inflammatory leaflets on the eve of the annual game. Vaught pleaded ignorance and blamed the stunt on his counterpart on the LSU staff.
“I thought (Paul) Dietzel’s flying days were over,” bellowed Vaught in reference to the WWII bomber pilot heroics of the LSU coach.
The game in its heyday also featured some of the greatest stars in the history of the storied gridiron battle. In 1958, Billy Cannon finished third in balloting for the Heisman Trophy. In 1959, Cannon won the Heisman and Charlie Flowers of Ole Miss finished fifth. In 1960, Jake Gibbs was third in the Heisman competition and Jerry Stovall was a close second in 1962.
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