Ole Miss Football and Head Coach Lane Kiffin orchestrated an event rather than a mere football game on Saturday, April 13, with a dunk contest, tug-of-war, a hotdog eating contest –– during which 16-time Nathan’s Hotdog Eating champion Joey Chestnut stole the show –– and a skills competition.
In the first-ever Grove Bowl Games, points were awarded to each team –– either red or blue –– for winning or placing highly in certain events. The final event was a seven-on-seven football game in which kicker Caden Davis almost won it for the blue team with a 65-yard field goal. Davis shanked the kick wide right, though, leaving the red team on top 71-70.
Dunk contest:
In the first contest of the new Grove Bowl Games, the dunk contest, the competitors warmed up the crowd and built up anticipation for what was to come.
New Tennessee transfer Brandon Turnage scored tens across the board in round one with his jaw-dropping athleticism.
Tre Harris and Turnage made it to the finals, giving the red team an early advantage. Harris went for a simple 360-degree dunk after missing his first attempt. Then, Turnage missed the first two but made an electrifying double-clutch dunk to steal the favor of the crowd and the judges. Turnage won the contest with a score of 38.
Seven-on-seven
The next event was a seven-on-seven flag football game. There was a pregame draft during which the players handpicked everyone from teammates to coaches to managers in preparation for this event.
The playing field was much smaller than the normal football field, spanning about 50 yards.
In the game, the corners looked astounding and quarterback Jaxon Dart was successfully utilizing his tight end and running back, picking up right where he left off at the conclusion of the 2023 season.
Austin Simmons, formerly a highly touted high school recruit, got a lot of burn in this game. The young QB was able to showcase his talented arm, slicing and dicing passes through an otherwise stout defense.
At the end of the first quarter, the red team was up 27-0, and yes, you read that right. The scoring system for the game was altered to fit the off-the-wall nature of the Grove Bowl Games themselves.
The second quarter started after a tug-of-war with Howard leading the red team and an instant touchdown from wide receiver Austin Acton.
Dart came back out again and airmailed it to end the second quarter. The third quarter started with the blue team down 46-36.
The blue team started off the second half driving down the field and scored with a laser from Simmons.
The fourth quarter started with blue finally in the lead after all the side competitions were said and done. The blue team had an underdog mentality, and it used it to score another touchdown. The team then picked off Howard’s pass to gain even more momentum.
Just when it looked like the blue team would pull off the comeback, the red team stopped them in their tracks. Red had a final attempt to score and tied the game with a minute and a half to go in the game. Blue tried to win it all with a 65-yard field goal, but alas, Davis could not connect, handing the red team a one point victory at the final buzzer.
Tug-of-war
The red team won the tug-of-war rather handily, led by Texas A&M transfer Walter Nolan. They then switched sides of the rope with blue, who took them down. In the most even competition of the evening, the red team won the third bout against the blue team, but it was a very close game with two red players slipping. The quarterbacks for the red squad stood no chance against some of the skill players on blue.
The staff-versus-staff tug-of-war round came next, with red team staff absolutely dominating the blue team. Lastly, the sorority champions had to face off against future Bachelorette cast member Jonathan Hess. Pi Beta Phi won the sorority tug-of-war championship four-on-one against Hess.
Hot dog eating contest
The hot dog eating contest was an interesting event, to say the least. Things started out normally, as players and fraternity and sorority members paced their ways through a couple of hot dogs. Southern Mississippi transfer offensive lineman Diego Pounds looked like the favorite as the clock wound down.
Suddenly, Joey Chestnut made his appearance, and fans rose to their feet and let out a deafening roar. Most of the competitors were lineman, but even they could not keep up with the man who once downed 76 hotdogs in 10 minutes. Chestnut’s belated entrance to the competition won the event for the blue team as he scarfed down 20 hotdogs in 90 seconds. This contest was not for the faint of heart, and many spectators may not consume another hotdog for the foreseeable future.
Obstacle course
The obstacle course, however lacking in star and celebrity appearances it was, might have been the most entertaining event of the day. This event, taking place right in front of the student section, was the fans’ chance to gauge their latent football ability. Bobbing and weaving through a set of football dummies, diving and army crawling under hurdles, ladder drills and pushing a golf cart made even the most “boring” event entertaining. The blue team wiped the floor with the red team in this one.
Final thoughts:
The festivities of the first Grove Bowl Games successfully captivated the attention of the Ole Miss fanbase. The alterations to this formerly monotonous spring football scrimmage game made for an exhilarating evening that should hold football fans over until the fall when Ole Miss begins its 2024 campaign.
