How Ole Miss football fans brought energy, plenty of red to Fiesta Bowl tailgate
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GLENDALE, AZ – Although State Farm Stadium is 1,553 miles from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Ole Miss football fans still showed up in full force at the Fiesta Bowl to support the Rebels.
No. 6 Ole Miss (13-1) plays No. 10 Miami (12-2) in the Fiesta Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Jan. 8 (6:30 CT, ESPN). With a win, Ole Miss will advance to the national championship game in Miami on Jan. 19 where it would face Indiana or Oregon.
A quick scan of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame tailgate pregame showed a packed crowd that included hordes of Ole Miss fans who made the journey to see the Rebels’ CFP run in person.
“It’s going to be huge. It’s going to be everything,” said Justin McLellan, a fan from Sallis, Mississippi, on the importance of the traveling crowd. “They’re (the players) are going to need all the help they can get. Miami’s a tough team. I’m just hoping it’s a big crowd coming to support (Ole Miss) and helping them win.”
According to Ole Miss Alumni Association CEO Kirk Purdom, the maximum number of people they could allow into the official Ole Miss pregame tailgate was 500, half the number of fans who attended the organization’s party ahead of the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Still, he noted the excitement he’d seen from fans inside the event and others walking around the tailgate.
“Ole Miss people, they like to have a good time, and they want to have a place together and be around other Ole Miss people,” Purdom said. “… For most of the bowls (capacity) is around 500 or so we have a function for. And that’s not because we don’t want more people, it’s just the space is limited, but it’s a great event, great to be out here.”
Fans at the tailgate acknowledged how important their presence was to helping carry the energy over from the Rebels’ home stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.
Ole Miss fans attending the game were instructed to wear red in support of the Rebels. Outfits at the tailgate included an assortment of red shirts, including hoodies, T-shirts, vests, sweaters.
Many also showed up in red jerseys, sporting the numbers of old and new Ole Miss stars, including former quarterbacks Jaxson Dart and Eli Manning, former wide receiver DK Metcalf, current quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and current receiver De’Zhaun Stribling.
“We need to show up for our team because they actually have something to prove,” said Ole Miss sophomore Mia Huiss, who’s attended every game this season. “I think the Ole Miss fans brought the energy, and I think that’ll help our players on the field. … The players will look up and see everyone wearing red. … I think it’s incredible.”
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 bring energy to tailgate before CFP Fiesta Bowl
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