GLENDALE, AZ – Ole Miss football is playing in what many fans believe is the most important football game in program history in the Fiesta Bowl.
Many fans have made the trip to State Farm Stadium to watch No. 6 Ole Miss (13-1) take on No. 10 Miami (12-2) in the CFP semifinals on Jan. 8 (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN).
Advertisement
Far away from home in Oxford, Mississippi, pregame celebrations looked different for the fans in attendance, but the familiar community atmosphere was still present.
“No matter where you go, if you see someone wearing Ole Miss (gear), they’re family,” said Ole Miss sophomore Mia Huiss. “Oxford is a special place, and it’s really fun being a part of that.”
Although some fans elected to tailgate the more traditional way in the parking lot, many opted for a different experience from what they’re used to at the Grove. Groups of fans made their way to organized tailgates hosted by the Fiesta Bowl, the National Football Foundation and the Ole Miss Alumni Association.
Rather than pulling out their own cookware to prepare a pregame meal, fans were treated to a selection of food such as chicken tenders, French fries, hot dogs and barbecue.
Advertisement
They traded in their tents and lawn chairs for picnic tables, and entertainment included a bounce house for kids, cornhole and performance stages. Although the execution was different, the energy still lived up to Ole Miss standards.
“I think it’s just the spirit of Ole Miss,” Ole Miss Alumni Association CEO Kirk Purdom said. “… Everybody feels like family, and once you start going on these postseason things and you go to one venue to the next venue and hoping to get to the next venue, everybody gets to know everybody better. … It’s a lot of fun to be out here.”
Across the Great Lawn at the NFF Hall of Fame tailgate, Ole Miss fans ate, drank and laughed with others, just as they would on a typical Saturday at the Grove in Oxford.
People with different connections to the program and different reasons why they love Ole Miss convened all in the same spot as they would in Mississippi awaiting kickoff at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Advertisement
Myra Spach, a season-ticket holder whose son Patrick played basketball at Ole Miss from 2005-09, was most excited about sharing the experience with her 11-year-old grandson, who was promised a trip to every CFP game Ole Miss plays in.
It may not have been quite the pregame experience Ole Miss fans are accustomed to, but the buzz in the air was just the same as fans rallied together in the hopes of watching the Rebels claim a spot in the national championship game in Miami on Jan. 19 against Indiana or Oregon.
The family of Ole Miss wide receiver Traylon Ray joined in on the tailgating fun, enjoying the food and the close-knit fan base.
“I think the fan base is what kind of drives the boys,” said Ray’s mother, Kenyetta Ray. “I think it’ll be very important for them to show out and make themselves heard in order to give them that extra boost of confidence.”
Advertisement
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football fans’ Fiesta Bowl tailgating compared to the Grove
