Mississippi State Things and Other Auburn Connections
Outside of Georgia, Auburn has played Mississippi State more than any other team in football. But it’s been two years since we’ve seen the Maroons, so let’s go back a little bit and remember who they are and what makes them think they are on Auburn’s level.
🐶 Mississippi State Things
👕 1. The Uniforms That Got a Coach Fired. In 1938, Mississippi State coach Spike Nelson secretly ordered cardinal and gold uniforms instead of the school’s traditional maroon and white. Players and fans hated them. Neither Nelson nor the uniforms returned the following season. Imagine changing uniforms and getting yourself fired.
🐄 2. They Used to Be the Aggies. And the Maroons. Mississippi State started as the Aggies, later became the Maroons, and didn’t officially adopt Bulldogs until 1961. Three names, and somehow the one they settled on is also Georgia’s mascot.
⚰️ 3. They Held a Fake Funeral for Ole Miss. After beating Ole Miss 11–0 in 1905, Mississippi State students staged a mock funeral for their rival’s football program. They marched through downtown Jackson carrying a coffin decorated in Ole Miss colors with a live bulldog sitting on top. Apparently, beating Ole Miss wasn’t enough. They needed a funeral procession, too.
🧀 4. They’re Really Proud of Their Cheese. Mississippi State has its own dairy plant and cheese store, where it produces and sells cheese made on campus. Their signature Edam cheese comes covered in red wax and is a popular holiday gift. Some schools are famous for national championships. Others are famous for cheese.
🎨 5. One Guy Picked Their School Colors. Before Mississippi State’s first football game in 1895, the team needed school colors. Rather than holding a vote, they let captain W.M. Matthews decide. He picked maroon and white on the spot. More than 130 years of school tradition because one football player liked two colors.
🐅 Auburn Connections
🔄 1. The Coaching Carousel. Coleman Hutzler was Mississippi State’s defensive coordinator in 2024–25 before joining Auburn in 2026. Former Auburn offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery went to Mississippi State in 2026. Pat Washington, who played quarterback alongside Bo Jackson at Auburn in the 1980s, later coached receivers at Mississippi State. Apparently, the two schools have a shared coaching employment agency.
👔 2. The Athletic Director Swap. John Cohen played baseball at Mississippi State, eventually became its head baseball coach, and then served as athletic director from 2016–22. Auburn hired him as its athletic director in October 2022. He went from running the Bulldogs’ athletic department to running Auburn’s.
🌾 3. Two Agricultural Schools. Auburn became the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama in 1872, while Mississippi State was founded as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi in 1878. Both are land-grant universities with agricultural roots. One grew into Auburn. The other grew into a place where people ring cowbells.
🥴 4. The Greatest 3–2 Game Ever Played. In 2008, No. 9 Auburn defeated Mississippi State 3–2 in Starkville. Wes Byrum kicked a 35-yard field goal, while State’s only points came from an Auburn holding penalty in the end zone. The teams combined for zero touchdowns, one field goal, and one safety. Auburn won a football game with fewer points than a baseball team scores on a decent afternoon.
🏈 5. The Touchdown That Started 2013. Auburn hadn’t won an SEC game in nearly two years when Mississippi State came to Jordan-Hare in September 2013. Trailing 20–17, Nick Marshall led an 88-yard drive and hit C.J. Uzomah for the winning touchdown with 10 seconds left. Auburn won 24–20, snapped its 10-game SEC losing streak, and eventually played for the national championship. Mississippi State helped launch the Prayer at Jordan-Hare and Kick Six season without even knowing it.
