| Friday, August 23, 2019 |
| Grammy-winning artist T-Pain headlines Mississippi State's Bulldog Bash | |
 | As if the start of 2019 football season was not enough excitement for Mississippi State fans, the university announced that Grammy award winning rapper and singer T-Pain will headline the 20th Bulldog Bash. The MSU Student Association announced via Twitter Thursday that the Tallahassee, Florida native will take center stage for a performance along with other artists such as Warner Music Nashville recording artist Cale Dodds and the Beaches, a rock band from Toronto. Aside from the musical performances, the state's largest free outdoor concert will begin at 3 p.m. on Sept. 20 at the intersection of Jackson and Main streets in downtown Starkville. The event will kickoff with Maroon Market, which includes local musicians, boutiques, art and food vendors and a kids zone. After the event on Friday, Mississippi State will host its first Southeastern Conference home football game against the University of Kentucky on Saturday. |
| Jackson County well-represented in the Famous Maroon Band -- the state's largest | |
 | They come from 19 states and two foreign countries. They have a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 and an average ACT score of 27.3. Among them are 16 high school valedictorians and 10 salutatorians. They are Mississippi State University's "Famous Maroon Band" -- at 420 members strong, it is the largest in the band's 117-year history and currently the largest in Mississippi. "It is an exciting time to be a part of the university and the band program," said Famous Maroon Band director Elva Kaye Lance, an MSU alum and only the eighth band director in program history. "Our students represent every college and school on campus and really are a microcosm of the university student enrollment. We are excited to again serve this year as the 'soundtrack' for so many significant university events." Locally, Jackson County students are well-represented in the Famous Maroon Band this year, with 17 members hailing from local schools -- 13 of those, unsurprisingly, from the award-winning Ocean Springs High School Band. |
| Millsaps College partners with Mississippi State on dual degree program | |
 | A new partnership between Millsaps College and the Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University offers students the opportunity to earn degrees from both institutions in a range of academic disciplines. The partnership is outlined in a formal agreement recently signed by Dr. Robert Pearigen, president of Millsaps College, and Dr. Mark Keenum, president of Mississippi State University. As outlined in the agreement, the program offers a new path by which students at Millsaps can complete a degree in math, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, or a related major, and an additional degree in engineering from Mississippi State in the minimum amount of time. Degrees can be earned at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. |
| What Happens When a Drone Crashes Into Your Face? | |
 | The vision of a drone-filled future involves tiny buzzing pieces of plastic and lithium-ion filling the skies above us. But for that vision to be realized, companies need to make sure a plummeting drone won't cause a horrific injury to innocent passersby below. So what actually happens when a drone collides with a human? It's a question that the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) has sought to answer with an 18 month-long study. Led by the University of Alabama, Huntsville along with Mississippi State University, The National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University and several others, ASSURE's Phase II Ground Collision study looked at potential injuries arising from collisions between small unmanned aircraft systems (aka consumer drones) and people. Researchers did everything they could to ensure their testing was controlled, consistent and based on scientific method, ASSURE Executive Director Stephen P. Luxion says. |
| Waters recede as Delta confronts damages | |
| Mississippi is beginning a slow recovery after a punishing flood season that saw record levels of flooding for record-breaking lengths of time. The Mississippi Levee Board said Greenville experienced a record 154 consecutive days above flood stage, breaking the previous record of 97 days set in 1973. The flooding wrecked any hope of a productive farming season in the south Delta. "Backwater was above 95 feet for like 144 days," said Peter Nimrod, chief engineer of the Mississippi Levee Board. "The previous 40 years, it was above elevation of 95 feet for a total of 45 days. This year, it was 144." The upper Delta, including Bolivar County, saw heavy rainfall but was spared the catastrophic flooding experienced in the southern region. Nimrod said he expects President Trump to declare a state of emergency once damage assessments are in. The estimated economic impact is not yet available, but Nimrod expects the dollar amount to be a wake-up call to Mississippi. "It might take a while to get that, but that's going to be a big, big, big, big, big number," said Nimrod. |
| 'Toxic, stagnant, nasty water': Mississippi River Commission hears about flooding concerns from the Delta to Gulf Coast | |
| Warren County resident Lauren Stubblefield, a flood victim and seventh generation Mississippian, stood in front of the Mississippi River Commission and painted a vivid image of her home on Floweree Road. "Imagine your favorite place in the world," Stubblefield said. "Close your eyes and imagine that place filling up with several feet of the most toxic, stagnant, nasty water you can imagine. And imagine that water sitting there for months as everything rots in it. Imagine the animals that starve because you can't feed them. Then imagine going back to that place when the water goes down. Imagine the filth and the mold, the fungus, the smell. If you haven't experienced that, you need to go up just a few miles up the road. And you can see it all. That is the truth that we are living." Other flood victims, local and state leaders joined Stubblefield during the commission's annual low-water inspection on Wednesday to air their feelings about federal flood control policies, mainly focusing on the months of backwater flooding in the Delta and the deaths of marine wildlife in the Gulf. |
| Mississippi Coast will pay steep price in new plan to save Louisiana wetlands, fishermen warn | |
 | Fishermen in South Louisiana have a warning for the Mississippi Coast: If you think the Bonnet Carre Spillway has wreaked havoc in the Mississippi Sound, just wait until Louisiana gets permission for a new diversion of Mississippi River water. The fishermen in St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes say they have watched saltwater marshes, shrimp, oysters and fish disappear over the last decade because of Mississippi River diversions that flow continuously into the Breton Sound estuary. They have been trying to fight the state of Louisiana's plan for new river diversions that would flow into the Barataria Bay and Breton Sound estuaries south of New Orleans. The state is forging ahead with plans, claiming the diversions will build land along Louisiana's coast, where wetlands the size of a football field sink into the water every 100 minutes. But like other plans throughout history to control the mighty Mississippi, past diversions have failed to achieve their intended purposes. As a byproduct, some argue that they have led to land loss, not gain. Two scientific studies of three Mississippi River diversions already in place, the most recent out of Louisiana State University, document land loss. |
| GOP runoff vote set for Tuesday | |
 | There will be a number of races for DeSoto County Republicans to consider when they return to the polls on Tuesday, Aug. 27 for Primary Runoff Election Day. Of most statewide interest will be the runoff race for governor between Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. Also on the ballot will be a runoff for Attorney General between current State Treasurer Lynn Fitch and Andy Taggart. Another runoff will have John Caldwell of Nesbit against Geoffrey Yoste for Northern District Transportation Commissioner, and in state Senate District 1, incumbent state Sen. Chris Massey faces the challenge of Hernando Alderman Michael McLendon for the GOP nomination in November. A number of Republican candidates met with party activists one more time ahead of the election at a recent DeSoto County Republican Women's Club event at the Bank Plus Training Center in Southaven. Caldwell, running against Yoste for the Transportation Commissioner's post, sought to inspire his fellow party supporters to vote on Tuesday. "The Jackson elite wants DeSoto County to stay out of their business in August," Caldwell said. |
| Jim Hood calls for three debates in Mississippi governor's election | |
 | The Democratic nominee for Mississippi governor says no matter who wins the Republican nomination next week, he wants to debate that person three times before the general election. Attorney General Jim Hood says Thursday that he watched the 30-minute Republican debate Wednesday night between Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and retired Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. Hood said the format was too short for in-depth answers. He said he wants longer debates in the north, central and south of the state. |
| Antifa-themed vandalism spray painted on the Capitol Building | |
| CrimeStoppers need the public's help to identify the person who spray-painted the Capitol and surrounding areas. Plastic and tape were hiding the defaced sandstone of the Capitol Building Thursday morning. The red graffiti sprayed over metal plates that said "governor" on them, right in front of the building's entrance. Director of Capitol Facilities Roe Grubbs said they take any damage to the Capitol personally; "because we love this building, this is what we do. But the thing is that, whoever did this will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This is a national landmark now, the State Capitol is, and one of the most beautiful buildings in the South." Blocks away, the culprit also sprayed parts of Smith Park. Antifa symbols and other terms tagged there and across the street on the walls outside of the governor's mansion, which were painted over before noon. |
| Mississippi Part of National Effort to Combat Robocalls | |
 | Consumers have become so outraged with the onslaught of robocalls, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood says phone companies are listening. Hood says he and 50 attorneys generals reached an agreement with 12 phone companies to block robocalls. He says the call-blocking technology will automatically verify calls are coming from a legitimate source. "The originating phone company will put a token on that call and that token will basically verify that it's a legitimate number and it's not spoofed. So this is designed to block the spoofing," said Hood. Spoofing is when the companies use technology to change the phone numbers the customers see to local area codes, in hopes they'll answer. Hood says phone companies will monitor and analyze calls as well. |
| Trump kills plan to cut billions in foreign aid | |
 | President Donald Trump has scrapped a plan to freeze more than $4 billion in foreign aid in a move that would have been another end run around Congress' power of the purse. The president's decision Thursday to forgo a "rescission" comes after another internal tug of war between his budget advisers and Cabinet officials. But the fiscal hawks in Trump's corner, failing again to sell him on spending restraint, blamed Congress for souring him on the idea. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and several GOP lawmakers warned Trump over the last two weeks that the move would be detrimental to national security and to bipartisan negotiations ahead of another shutdown deadline. Leaders at the Office of Management and Budget hatched the initial plan this month to force the expiration of $2.3 billion for USAID and $2 billion for the State Department, including $787 million for U.N. international peacekeeping activities, $522 million in core funding for the U.N. and $364 million for a range of U.N. humanitarian and human rights programs. |
| Billionaire David Koch, Who Used His Wealth to Reshape U.S. Politics, Dies at 79 | |
 | David Koch, the billionaire libertarian who gave more than $1 billion to charitable causes but was better known for using his money to reshape U.S. politics, died Friday. He was 79 years old. His family released a statement Friday saying, "While we mourn the loss of our hero, we remember his iconic laughter, insatiable curiosity, and gentle heart." According to a statement from Koch Industries Inc., Mr. Koch fought various illnesses over many years. Mr. Koch, whose net worth of about $50.5 billion tied him with his brother as the world's 11th-richest person in Forbes magazine rankings, gained most of his wealth from a 42% stake in Wichita, Kan.-based Koch Industries, which has interests ranging from oil to beef to paper and is the second-largest closely held U.S. company. With his surviving older brother, Charles Koch, the chairman and chief executive of Koch Industries, Mr. Koch created a network composed of like-minded wealthy donors brought together to back conservative causes. |
| The alt-right manifesto that has Trumpworld talking | |
| The most important political book of the past year just might be a grammatically challenged manifesto in favor of nude sunbathing written under the pen name Bronze Age Pervert. Where Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" inspired generations of libertarians to enter politics, and Aaron Sorkin's "The West Wing" did the same for idealistic liberals, a cohort of young, right-wing men are today gravitating toward "Bronze Age Mindset." The self-published book urges them to join the armed forces in preparation for the onset of military rule. Since its publication in June 2018, the book has gained a following online, and its author, known to his fans as BAP for short, has come to the attention of notable figures on the Trumpist right. Earlier this month, the book was the subject of a 5,000-word review by Michael Anton, a conservative intellectual who served as a spokesman for Donald Trump's National Security Council. Anton concludes by warning, "In the spiritual war for the hearts and minds of the disaffected youth on the right, conservatism is losing. BAP-ism is winning." |
| Mississippi professor, who went to Georgetown Prep with Brett Kavanaugh, sues HuffPost | |
 | A Mississippi man is suing HuffPost on defamation allegations because of an article the news website published last year accusing the man of helping to supply drugs to fellow students at Georgetown Preparatory School while U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a student there. Derrick Evans, a professor and community advocate, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Gulfport, Miss., against HuffPost and the author of the article, Ashley Feinberg, the Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported. The lawsuit claims Feinberg and HuffPost repeatedly defamed Evans and Douglas Kennedy, a classmate of Evans and Kavanaugh, by stating that they helped purchase and supply cocaine at the elite private school. The article also stated that the drugs may have resulted in the 1984 death of David Kennedy, who was Douglas Kennedy's brother and the son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, according to the Clarion Ledger. The article has since removed any reference to the Kennedy brothers or Evans since it was published in September 2018 in the midst of Kavanaugh's Senate hearing to be confirmed to the Supreme Court. |
| Jimmy Carter making plans to build 21 Habitat houses | |
| Hip surgery in May slowed down former President Jimmy Carter -- just a bit. But a bum hip has nothing to do with the hand he uses to hammer, and that means -- for the 36th consecutive year -- the former president and his wife Rosalynn are scheduled to build houses for Habitat for Humanity. From Oct. 6-11, the Carters will be in Nashville, helping to construct 21 homes. Add that to the more than 4,300 they have helped build in 14 countries since 1984. Carter was not available for comment Thursday, but a spokeswoman for the Carter Center confirmed that the Carters are planning to attend and participate in the build. Carter, 94, broke his hip this spring when he fell at his Plains home while he was on his way to go turkey hunting. The build in Tennessee comes at a time when the Southern city is struggling to find ways to come up with affordable housing to keep up with Nashville's recent growth. |
| Theesfeld to receive psychiatric evaluation, maintains innocence | |
 | Just minutes into Thursday morning's hearing, attorneys for Brandon Theesfeld, the 21-year-old University of Mississippi student charged in the murder of fellow student Ally Kostial, withdrew their request for a bond hearing, saying they had received "new information." They are opting for a psychiatric evaluation. Attorneys for Theesfeld met with District Attorney Ben Creekmore yesterday, informing the state of their intention to withdraw the request and proceed with a psychiatric evaluation, pending approval of Judge Andrew Howorth. Both Howorth and Creekmore referenced the considerable length of time a psychiatric evaluation takes. "I know it's an issue. Everybody is aware of that," Creekmore said. He added that Theesfeld will likely be evaluated at the state hospital in Whitfield, in Rankin County. Family and supporters of Ally Kostial were also in attendance. Friends of Kostial stood outside of the courthouse holding signs reading "Justice for Ally" and "Today is for Ally, not Br*nd*n." |
| USM to preserve oral histories of 21st century Mississippi National Guard soldiers | |
 | A new project in the University of Southern Mississippi School of Humanities will feature oral and written histories of Mississippi National Guard soldiers who've served in conflicts in the 21st century. The initiative is called, "War Stories: Preserving National Guard Voices" and it will archive the individual stories of Guard personnel in the Global War on Terror, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Faculty and graduate students are working on the project through USM's Dale Center for the Study of War and Society. "(National Guard soldiers') memories are fresh, their experiences are extraordinary and now is a chance for us to capture those and share those with Mississippians, to share them with the National Guard, to share them across the academy for those who are into research," said Kevin Greene, director of the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at USM. |
| Gogue Center at Auburn University opens with weekend shows | |
 | After months of planning and construction, the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center opened on Thursday with a free performance for students and faculty by LANY and COIN. The performances were held in the outdoor amphitheater of the performing arts center. Students lined up early in anticipation of the event, excited for the first performance. Though the opening act Thursday, COIN, didn't begin until 7 p.m., and LANY until 8:30 p.m., sophomore student Grace Slewtizke was waiting in line at 11 a.m "I think (The Gogue Performing Arts Center is) beautiful, it's incredible" she said. "I'm going to be excited to see other performances here." The rest of the weekend will include a performance by Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit on Friday, a blacktie grand opening fete featuring Michael Feinstein on Saturday and a family-community event Sunday. "You're always worried that when you open a facility or when you program a season, when you host an event, just not sure how the response, or what the response is going to be," said Jonathan Osborne, the center's director of marketing and communications. "And the response again, I keep saying, it's just been phenomenal." |
| Plainclothes officer who triggered LSU's armed intruder alert was invited for safety event | |
 | An armed law officer at LSU to speak to students about cyber security and staying safe on social media triggered the hours-long lockdown and SWAT response on part of LSU's campus when someone spotted his gun and reported an armed intruder on campus, school officials said Wednesday. The false alarm saw a major police response around Coates Hall where students planned to attend a demonstration on ways to safeguard themselves on social media. But some instead found themselves behind barricaded doors as officers swept the building for nearly two hours. School officials said Wednesday that someone reported the plainclothes officer from the Lousiana Attorney General's Office, who had a visible gun on his belt, as he was entering the building. Student groups are asked to tell campus police whenever they have a law enforcement officer on campus for an event. School officials said they plan to review those procedures following the disruption, saying they encourage visiting officers to check in with campus police who can escort them and avoid raising alarms. |
| Texas A&M elevates forensic nursing program to center status | |
 | The Texas A&M College of Nursing's forensic nursing program has been elevated to center status, allowing for a larger graduate program and the opportunity to make more courses available to allies such as police officers and social workers. Earlier this month, the Texas A&M University System's Board of Regents approved the designation of the Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing. The change will serve as a conduit for state and federal money to be allocated toward forensic nursing education at the university. Kala McCain, spokesperson for the College of Nursing, explained that all nursing students in the state are required to have two hours of forensic education to receive their degree. At Texas A&M, all nursing students enroll in 6.5 hours of forensic nursing courses. In 2017, the first master of science degree in forensic nursing was created, and four of the 10 original students on that degree path will be graduating in December. |
| Brookshire Brothers breaks ground for store near Texas A&M campus | |
| The Lufkin-based grocer Brookshire Brothers will open a location on the west side of the Texas A&M University campus in fall 2020. About 60 people gathered Thursday morning for a formal announcement and ceremonial dirt turning as officials prepare to begin construction on the 40,000-square-foot facility that will include a full-service pharmacy, an outdoor concert venue, online shopping options and a hot deli. Near the intersection of George Bush Drive and Penberthy Boulevard, A&M System Chancellor John Sharp said the forthcoming store -- next to Park West Apartments -- will provide a needed grocery and pharmacy option on the west side of campus. "This is gonna be a great deal for the students here and for fans using the sports complexes here," Sharp said. The store's exterior will be built to resemble Kyle Field. |
| Kansas professor indicted for allegedly failing to disclose appointment at Chinese university | |
 | A professor at the University of Kansas was indicted Wednesday on federal fraud charges for allegedly failing to disclose a full-time employment contract he held with a Chinese university while conducting research at Kansas funded by federal research contracts. Feng (Franklin) Tao, a chemist and associate professor at Kansas's Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, is charged with one count of wire fraud and three counts of program fraud. Douglas A. Girod, the university's chancellor, said in a statement about the fraud charges that Kansas "learned of this potential criminal activity this spring" and reported it to authorities. Tao has been placed on paid administrative leave. In his statement, Girod cited a recent op-ed published in Inside Higher Ed by the presidents of the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities affirming the vital role Chinese and other international scholars play in America's research enterprise. Many if not most major research universities have recently begun revisiting their policies and protocols governing federal research grants and protection of intellectual property in response to the increased attention from federal law enforcement officials to academic espionage-related issues and the threat posed by China in particular. |
| With faculty anger surrounding several presidential searches, some point to search firms as the cause | |
| In recent years one of the greatest points of contention between faculty members and their institutions' governing boards has been over the board's arguably most important function: the search for and the selection of a president to lead the institution. Throughout higher education, campus stakeholders are increasingly disapproving of and speaking publicly about searches conducted by their institution. One of the more frequent complaints is the growing tendency of governing boards to conduct a "secret search." In these cases, those involved in the process keep the names of any potential candidates under wraps until an appointee is announced, or in other, similar cases, boards announce a sole finalist who will meet with campus leaders and get to know the institution before being officially appointed. However, as these instances and the faculty outrage that often comes with them become more frequent, some more recent searches where multiple candidates have been announced before the board votes have not been without significant controversy. |
| Transitioning children to kindergarten | |
 | Angela Farmer, an assistant clinical professor in the Shackouls Honors College at Mississippi State University, writes: While parents throughout the world can identify with the separation anxiety that goes along with sending a child off to school for the first time, rarely are these new students fully vested in what to anticipate in this brave new world they are to encounter. While parents feel the very real separation void, it is, for them, a part of life's continuum and is an anticipated milestone. For the children, however, many of the experiences and overall institutional dynamics are both foreign and unexpected. No longer is the child given directions and encouragement by parents or caregivers he's come to love and trust, he is instantaneously delivered to a classroom of 20 something other students and a teacher who is clearly large and in charge. |
| Gubernatorial runoff offers clear choices | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: I never get tired of seeing true democracy in action and that's what we've got in this year's Mississippi gubernatorial runoff. We have two strong candidates, both with tons of experience, each with a differing viewpoint as to how to approach the pressing issues of the day. Now Mississippi Republicans have a choice. It's great to see an issues-based runoff. Both Tate Reeves and Bill Waller are Republican conservatives, but they differ in their assessment of what constitutes a legitimate function of government. ... I have known both men casually for decades and I can tell you both of them are honest, upright and completely fit for high office. Waller and his extended Jackson family are well loved in the community. Reeves has displayed honesty and integrity during his 16 years in office. Both are super smart. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State to hold fan day on Saturday | |
| Mississippi State will hold its annual football fan day inside the Palmeiro Center on Saturday. Doors will open at 2 p.m. and the autograph session with Bulldog players and coach Joe Moorhead lasting from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Players will only sign free schedule posters handed out at the event while Moorhead will autograph one personal item per fan. The event also features inflatables and free drinks as well as appearances by Bully and the MSU spirit squads. Admission is free as is parking, available in the Palmeiro-Griffis, Humphrey Coliseum and MSU Soccer Field lots. The Seal Football Complex lot will be closed. |
| Mississippi State names Tommy Stevens its starting QB | |
| Penn State graduate transfer Tommy Stevens has won the starting quarterback job at Mississippi State. Stevens beat out junior Keytaon Thompson and will start Aug. 31 in New Orleans when the Bulldogs' meet Louisiana-Lafayette in their season opener. Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead is very familiar with Stevens from their shared history at Penn State. Moorhead was Penn State's offensive coordinator from 2016-17, while Stevens was a reserve quarterback for the Nittany Lions from 2016-18. "It was a great, great competition," Moorhead said Thursday. "Both guys are similar in size and provide equal threats in the run game. We said the decision making was going to come down to who could create explosive plays, who could minimize turnovers and who can throw the ball with the best accuracy on a consistent manner. So we informed the team that Tommy Stevens has earned the right to be the starting quarterback for this year." |
| Tommy Stevens named Mississippi State's starting QB | |
| Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead hoped the Bulldogs' quarterback battle would sort itself out following the third fall scrimmage on Wednesday. And it did. Moorhead announced on Thursday afternoon that graduate transfer Tommy Stevens "has earned the right" to be MSU's starting signal caller for the upcoming season over junior Keytaon Thompson. "For us to take the next step offensively, we need to strike a chord of balance between the run and the pass game," Moorhead said. "I think Tommy's arm strength, ability to read and his accuracy is going to allow us to take that positive step forward in the passing game." Moorhead met with Stevens and Thompson individually on Thursday before letting the team know his decision. Thompson was naturally disappointed he did not win the job. "I wouldn't say he took it well, but he certainly understood what the process was," Moorhead said. |
| Tommy Stevens named Mississippi State starting quarterback | |
 | Mississippi State has a starting quarterback. MSU coach Joe Moorhead announced Thursday that Penn State transfer Tommy Stevens will be the Bulldogs' No. 1 signal caller for the season opener against Louisiana Aug. 31 in New Orleans. "We need to strike a chord of balance in the pass and the run game and Tommy's arm strength, his ability to read and his accuracy is going to allow us to take that positive step forward in the pas game," Moorhead said. Stevens committed to MSU May 17 following four years in Happy Valley. He finished his Penn State career 24-of-41 for 304 yards and four touchdowns passing and notched another 506 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in 23 career games. Having played for two seasons under Moorhead at Penn State and another two years in current Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne's scheme, Moorhead said Stevens walked into the competition with a vast knowledge of MSU's offensive system. |
| Mississippi State names Tommy Stevens starting QB and here's why | |
| As was the case for the last three seasons, a quarterback wearing No. 7 will lead the Mississippi State Bulldogs onto the field on Saturdays. It won't be Nick Fitzgerald, who played his last game in maroon and white in January. It'll be graduate transfer Tommy Stevens. Head coach Joe Moorhead announced Stevens as his starting quarterback Thursday at Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex. Stevens and junior Keytaon Thompson battled from the onset of training camp, which began on Aug. 2. The competition was stiff, according to coaches and players. Ultimately, Stevens separated himself from Thompson in the latter stages of camp. "We said the decision making was going to come down to who could create explosive plays, who could minimize turnovers and who could throw the ball with the best accuracy in a consistent manner," Moorhead said. "Tommy jumped out of the gates strong at the beginning of camp closing into the first scrimmage." |
| What we know about Mississippi State before final preseason scrimmage | |
| Mississippi State went maroon versus white Saturday for one of the final times this summer before fully turning its attention to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns next week. The Bulldogs went at each other at Davis Wade Stadium on Wednesday night, essentially designating the end of training camp. They will go through a "scripted scrimmage" Saturday before Fan Day starts at the Palmeiro Center at 2:30 p.m. Camp opened three weeks ago. Players and coaches have learned a lot about themselves and those they work with during that time. We've all learned that graduate transfer Tommy Stevens will be the team's starting quarterback, too. Here's what else we know about Mississippi State a week and a half before the start of the 2019 season. |
| Vanderbilt, Georgia to wear teal, purple sticker on helmets in opener | |
 | Vanderbilt's season opener against No. 3 Georgia will be the SEC's first "Set the Expectation" game on Aug. 31, the university announced Thursday. Players of both teams will teal and purple stickers on their helmets, and coaches will have a similar patch on their team shirts. A teal and purple ribbon will be painted on the field for the game. Teal represents sexual violence awareness and purple represents relationship violence awareness. "Set the Expectation" is a program started by Brenda Tracy, a registered nurse from Portland, Oregon, who has shared her personal story with the Vanderbilt football team of being a survivor of sexual violence. She serves on the NCAA Commission to Combat Campus Sexual Violence. Tracy will attend the game at Vanderbilt Stadium and receive an on-field recognition, as the Commodores will be the first SEC school to host the nationwide event. |
| Liberty Bowl video board upgrades unveiled ahead of Memphis football opener | |
| Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland felt relief. University of Memphis interim athletic director Allie Prescott came away impressed. After watching a two-minute Tiger football highlight package on the revamped video display of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium's primary scoreboard Thursday, they were hopeful that the city's latest investment into enhancing the gameday experience will pay off. "The video board that was there, even though it wasn't that old, was really breaking down way too frequently for comfort," Strickland said a little more than a week before the Tigers host Ole Miss in the season opener. "We really worried whether it would go out during a game. And the success of Tiger football, that's all the more reason to do it. There's more people coming to games, more of a need for a first-class atmosphere here." "(I was blown away by) the clarity," said Prescott, noting industry leader Daktronics designed, manufactured and installed the product. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
