After suffering a devastating 42-41 loss at Louisville last Friday night, the Starkville Yellow Jackets (3-1) are looking to bounce back in the ‘Little Egg Bowl’ on the road against the Oxford Chargers (1-3) on Friday night.
The rivalry between the two towns is no secret. Just like Ole Miss despises Mississippi State, Oxford has no love lost for Starkville. However, the Yellow Jackets have dominated the majority of the series against the Chargers – holding a record of 19-5 with 697 total points scored in the matchup’s history.
Since 2008, Starkville holds an 8-2 record over Oxford, a run the Yellow Jackets will look to extend come Friday night.
Both squads come into this week’s matchup with a little extra fire after dropping their respective contests last week. But Starkville’s motivation reaches beyond that of an important rivalry game on the road.
The Dispatch reported earlier this week that Starkville head coach Chris Jones was suspended for the game against the Chargers. What better way to play for your coach, than securing a rivalry win at Oxford and picking up the fourth win of the 2024 season?
Filling in for Jones is longtime Starkville assistant William Stewart, who’s worked with Jones since 2017.
“We’ve had a great week of practice, to be honest,” Stewart said. “The standard is the standard, and that’s something that Coach Jones instilled on Day 1. This is the standard, that’s what we do and the kids uphold the standard he’s had since 2017.”
Stewart’s presence has provided some continuity in a week that’s been anything but ordinary. “I’ll make most of the decisions,” Stewart said. “Right now I’m just running practice and I’ve been kind of the assistant head coach since I’ve been here, but it’s going to be a collective effort of all the coaches. If anything major needs to be decided I’ll make that decision.”
The question is, how does Starkville rebound after drama-filled week that began with a heartbreaking loss to Louisville, the top-ranked 3A team in the state?
If the Yellow Jackets aim to knock off the Chargers for the 20th time in the history of the series, they have to come out swinging. In Oxford’s 34-10 loss against Tupelo last week, the Golden Wave never let the foot off the pedal by scoring fast and often – jumping out to a 27-10 lead through three quarters.
Likewise in the 41-34 loss against South Panola, the Chargers fell behind 19-7 heading into the half and were never able to catch up to the Tigers’ fast-paced offense.
The sideline will look different this week with the absence of Jones but talented athletes like senior outside linebacker and free safety Elijah Wofford will play key roles in determining the Yellow Jackets’ success.
With the tall task of replacing current Illinois quarterback Trey Petty this season, Jaylen Rufflin has unleashed on opposing defenses this season for the Yellow Jackets. Rufflin has formed an electric bond on the field with wideout Jaheim Deanes, scoring multiple touchdowns from long-range this season – including a 97-yard score against Noxubee County to open the season.
“I’m not shocked. Nothing Jaylen Ruffin does now or in the future is going to shock me, “ Stewart said. “He’s a really good athlete and a really good quarterback. If not for Trey Petty he’d have been starting the last two years. He’s one of the best-kept secrets in the state and if he went to any other school he’d probably be All-State.”
There are a multitude of things to play for and a lot that will have to be earned on the gridiron when the Little Egg Bowl kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday in Oxford.
Dispatch preps reporter Colin Damms contributed to this report.
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