| Tuesday, September 17, 2019 |
| Is it even possible to connect '13 Reasons Why' to teen suicide? | |
 | Mississippi State University Associate Professor Michael Nadorff and University of Alabama Assistant Professor Emily Lund write for The Conversation: Netflix recently released the third season of "13 Reasons Why," and the Salt Lake City school district has already sent home a letter to parents imploring them to discourage their children from watching the show. In season one, which was released in 2017, the protagonist died by suicide. Since then, studies have emerged about the effects of the show, and media has tended to cover the findings with alarmist headlines. In response to public anxiety, Netflix edited out the original suicide scene this past July. Many parents across the country fear that, in watching the show, kids might be inspired, consciously or subconsciously, to mimic the characters -- what's called a "copycat effect." Is their concern founded? We know more teens have been dying by suicide over the past decade. But as suicide researchers, we also know how difficult it is to investigate the causes. Determining whether a fictional TV show has any effect on suicide is that much more challenging, and many of the studies that have come out on "13 Reasons Why" leave room for interpretation. |
| Farmers Markets Bring Together Communities in Mississippi Delta | |
 | It's a Saturday morning in Mound Bayou, and LeBroderick Woods is making sure everything is in order for the day for the weekly mobile market put on by Delta Fresh Foods Initiative. "These are some sweet potatoes that are about 89 cents per pound that were picked out at the Alcorn [State University] farm this morning," Woods, who is the market manager, points out as he walks around the market. "Here is okra that's about a dollar and 25 cents per pound." Shopper Angela Henderson eyes boxes of red and green tomatoes, potatoes and okra. She's here because her small town does not have a grocery store. "It helps us a lot to get everything we need in one place," Henderson said. Price and transportation concerns went into how the market runs. Before starting the market, Delta Fresh Foods Initiative surveyed community members to see what they wanted. Rachael Carter of Mississippi State University said community engagement offers more to rural markets. "In rural communities when they don't have those options of grocery stores, a market can come in and set up wherever they want to have it in the community," Carter said. |
| Volunteers, materials needed for Yazoo Backwater Area flood victims | |
| South Mississippi Delta residents are in recovery mode after returning to homes that have been underwater for nearly six months, but they need materials and assistance as they try to resume their normal lives. The Mississippi State University Extension Service in Warren County is one of more than a dozen community partners working to assist those affected by flooding in the Yazoo Backwater Area. The Warren County Long-Term Recovery Committee has been established to direct flood victims to the disaster recovery resources they need and to collect donations from those who can help. Sandy Havard, MSU Extension agent in Warren County, said there is also a need for on-site aid. Volunteers are needed to clean property, pressure wash, cut trees, remove debris and tear down rotting buildings. Havard is part of a team of Extension agents in the Mississippi Delta that has been holding workshops for residents to provide research-based information and training on storm clean-up. |
| Starkville resident named new Director of Community Development for Mississippi Main Street Association | |
 | A Starkville resident will become the new Director of Community Development for a state-wide organization. Jennifer Prather will begin her new position with the Mississippi Main Street Association on October 1. Prather has served as the Director of Main Street and Tourism for the Greater Starkville Development Partnership since 2017 and has also served as the interim Chief Executive Officer for the past year. In her new role with MMSA, Prather will serve as the liaison between the organization and 53 member communities. Prather also serves on the board of directors for the Mississippi Tourism Association. |
| Rare, melon-headed whale shows signs of improvement at Institute for Marine Mammal Studies | |
 | The melon-headed whale that was found Thursday stranded on Cat Island is showing signs of improvement. Staff members at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport are with the whale around the clock to monitor his progress. While the whale is still in critical condition, veterinarians say he is making significant improvements. There are several milestones they are looking for him to meet. "One milestone is going to be him eating on his own. One is going to be him more consistently swimming on his own and being able to steer a little bit better" said Dr. Christa Barrett, Institute For Marine Mammal Studies veterinarian. "And then there are other things we have to do before he's eligible for release." arrett said they may never know why the whale, that would normally be much further south in the Gulf of Mexico, was stranded. But she was encouraged the live stranding would give them a great opportunity to study and learn. |
| $2B waterway through Deep South yet to yield promised boom | |
 | More than a century in the making, the 234-mile Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway was supposed to fulfill a dream of "orderly growth and prosperity" when it opened in 1985, snaking its way through the poor, rural Deep South. It hasn't worked out that way. Delayed for decades by environmental concerns and detractors who called the project a boondoggle, the $2 billion shipping shortcut to the Gulf of Mexico -- best known as the Tenn-Tom, or more derisively, the "big ditch" -- has never come close to traffic projections used to sell it to the public, and poverty rates have increased in most of the counties it flows through in Mississippi and Alabama. There are pockets of relative prosperity where the manmade waterway connecting the Tennessee River from Pickwick Lake to the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River system near Demopolis has helped lure industry. Yet these days, someone fishing along its banks is about as likely to see retirees headed to the Florida Keys on their cabin cruiser as they are a tugboat pushing a string of barges. |
| Mississippi governor candidates agree on one debate date | |
| The two major-party candidates for Mississippi governor are debating about debating. Second-term Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and fourth-term Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood say they have accepted multiple invitations for televised debates before the Nov. 5 election. But, so far, they have agreed on only one date -- Oct. 10 in front of a live audience at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. The debate would be carried on statewide TV. Reeves said last week that he had accepted invitations for debates Sept. 25 in Jackson and Oct. 10 in Hattiesburg. Hood said Monday that he had accepted three invitations -- Oct. 10 in Hattiesburg, Oct. 17 in Tupelo and Oct. 29 in Jackson. |
| Jim Hood, Tate Reeves wrangle over debate dates | |
 | Tate Reeves and Jim Hood both say they want to debate multiple times but it remains unclear whether the two gubernatorial candidates will share a stage more than once. As of Monday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Reeves has accepted two debate invitations. Democrat gubernatorial candidate Hood has accepted three debate invitations. Both men have agreed to an Oct. 10 debate hosted by Jackson-based television station WJTV on the University of Southern Mississippi campus in Hattiesburg with a live audience. Reeves also also agreed to a Sept. 25 debate in Jackson, also hosted by WJTV. Hood has agreed to a Tupelo debate hosted by WTVA on Oct. 17 and a Jackson debate on Oct. 29 hosted by WLBT. Since the campaigns have announced their debate preferences, the issue has quickly become a point of contention. |
| Farm bailout likely to be included in stopgap spending bill amid pressure from moderate Dems | |
 | House Democrats, amid a backlash from moderates, are backing away from a plan to block President Trump from extending new farm bailout funds, people briefed on the discussions said. The shift comes days after Democrats had sought to prevent the White House from expanding a major component of their farm bailout plan, which the White House has estimated could cost close to $30 billion. Trump had authorized the bailout funds in response to an outcry from farmers who claimed they were caught in the middle of his trade war with China. Democrats are likely to include legislation that would expedite payment of these funds as part of a must-pass spending bill as soon as this week. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss internal deliberations. The provision in question would now ensure the continuation of a multibillion-dollar White House farm bailout program that was at risk of running short of money. |
| With 5G in mind, senators plan big boost for Pentagon cybersecurity | |
 | Lawmakers are proposing to add more than half a billion dollars to the Pentagon's 2020 budget for cybersecurity measures, in particular asking the department to include security features enabling its weapons and information systems to safely operate on future 5G worldwide wireless networks. Much of that future infrastructure is being developed by China and could become the global standard. Specifically, the Senate Appropriations Committee last week recommended adding $436 million to the Defense Department's research and development budget for its "5G-XG" program that is intended to develop cybersecurity and other safeguards for future 5G communications. The committee proposed adding another $100 million for varied other cybersecurity efforts. |
| For the first time, most of the UM law school's incoming class is female | |
 | Nearly 165 years after the University of Mississippi School of Law first opened its doors, the school will have a female majority in the incoming class -- for the first time in school history. According to the law school admissions department, women make up 53% of the incoming class, an 11% increase from the 2018 class. Stacey Lantagne, associate dean for faculty development, said this new majority has profound impacts on all students. "The law is applicable to all of us, so we need to have all voices included in that conversation," Lantagne said. "The more women that are in a classroom, the more likely female students are to speak up." Additionally, this female majority isn't exclusive to students. In 2017, Susan Duncan was selected as the first female dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law, and 10 of the 13 positions in the law school administration are held by women, including the assistant dean of student affairs and associate dean for faculty development. |
| Delta State hosts Constitution Week lecture | |
| Delta State University will host Dr. Adam Pratt, associate professor of history at the University of Scranton, as this year's Constitution Week speaker. The event will be at Jobe Auditorium and is scheduled to run from 7-8:30 p.m. Pratt's lecture is titled "Andrew Jackson, the Constitution, and the Presidency." Pratt received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in 2012. His research focuses are on 19th century American history. He is currently working on a manuscript titled "The White Man's Chance: Politics and Violence in Jacksonian Georgia." Constitution Week is an annual celebration of the document that officially established the United States. The document was formally signed on Sept. 17, 1787, and has endured ever since. It will turn 232 years old. |
| MDAH program will bring more students to Two Mississippi Museums | |
| The Mississippi Department of Archives and History is working to ensure that more students get a chance to visit the Two Mississippi Museums. The MDAH will begin offering scholarships to offset costs for Title I schools to visit the Two Mississippi Museums---the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. "Our goal is to make sure that every student in this state has an opportunity to see these world-class museums," said Katie Blount, MDAH director. "We are thankful to our partners, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Cline Tours, Inc., for helping make this vision a reality." Students who attend the Biloxi Public School District, Jackson Public School District, or Sunflower Consolidated School District are eligible for free admission to the museums. MDAH is also partnering with Cline Tours to provide free transportation for students in Mississippi school districts that are located within a 50-mile radius of Cline Tours' bus hubs, including Starkville. |
| U. of South Carolina president clarifies comments about 'radical, extremist ideas' of some critics | |
 | Just as University of South Carolina President Robert Caslen was starting to build bridges with his critics, messages surfaced that might complicate that. In a text to a USC board of trustees member after some students and faculty protested his candidacy, Caslen said, "My character is being assassinated through all this. All my life I have tried to live a life of character, and to see it destroyed through manipulation is about all I can take. I only wish there was a counter-narrative out there, as the press is fully on board with these radical, extremist ideas." Now, Caslen is clarifying those remarks, saying his critics were not necessarily "radical" nor "extremist." Rather, he was referring to those who attacked him personally for things that weren't true. "I fought for 43 years for people's right to protest and express themselves, but there were some comments that were directed at me, my service" that were not accurate, Caslen said Monday. "Certainly, my comments were not on those who opposed my candidacy or that opposed me personally or (that) there was opposition to the process." |
| For a father and son, pride in the U. of Tennessee band never wavers | |
 | Even though he is a fourth-year snare drummer in the University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland Band, John McKay does not follow the beat of a different drummer. A chip off the old block might be a better way to describe him, as his father, Doug McKay, was also a drummer in the iconic UT marching band in the 1980s. This Nov. 2, the two will be connecting time as well as similar experiences when they march side by side for the fourth year in a row during the homecoming football game against Alabama-Birmingham. That is when the UT alumni band members will join up with the current band for a halftime show. "Being able to march right beside my son at homecoming, I don't know if I can describe what that means," said an emotional Doug McKay. UT is currently trying to get as many former band members as it can to join them due to the fact that the UT band is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. |
| LSU student put on life support after skateboarding accident | |
 | An LSU student who used to attend New Orleans' Lusher Charter School is on life support and expected to die after an injury he suffered when he fell off his skateboard, his father said Monday. Gilgamesh "Gil" Homan, 18, fractured the back of his skull during the accident, which occurred Sunday, his dad, Michael Homan, wrote in a public Facebook post. Michael Homan said his son is an organ donor, and the plan was to find recipients for the teen's organs between Monday and Wednesday. There haven't been many details about exactly how Gil Homan fell from his skateboard. A source with knowledge of the situation said East Baton Rouge Parish Emergency Medical Services picked him up from the LSU infirmary and brought him to a local emergency room with a traumatic injury. An LSU spokesman said the school was in touch with Homan's family and offering support. The spokesman described Homan as a student. |
| Peace Corps holding application workshop at UGA | |
 | On Tuesday, Peace Corps recruiters will hold more than 70 application workshops nationwide as part of the agency's largest recruitment drive in recent memory. The workshop at the University of Georgia will take place in the Miller Learning Center, Room 245, from 6-8 p.m. Students interested in applying to serve after graduation will have an opportunity to ask questions about service, learn which programs best match their skills and gain valuable tips to guide them through the application process. There are 48 University of Georgia alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers, and more than 661 alumni have served since the Peace Corps was founded in 1961. The University of Georgia ranked No. 13 among large schools on the agency's list of top volunteer-producing colleges and universities in 2019. Peace Corps volunteers live and work for 27-month terms of service in more than 60 nations, and receive a living stipend, extensive language and technical training and financial benefits including eligibility for student loan forgiveness and graduate school fellowships after service. |
| U. of Florida student arrested in Walmart parking lot shooting | |
 | Gainesville police say an attempted drug deal led to a shooting near a busy Walmart location Sunday evening. Khalil K. Reed, 24, of Hawthorne, was arrested after police say he met with four men outside the Butler North Walmart, 2900 SW 42nd St., to sell about 2 pounds of marijuana, according to a Gainesville Police Department press release. During the encounter, the release said, Reed pulled out a handgun and fired several shots into a vehicle, wounding a man. Police arrived at Jersey Mike's, 2803 SW 42nd St., at about 8:45 p.m., where officers made contact with a 20-year-old man who sustained several gunshot wounds, the report said. Officers also found several bullet holes in the driver's side of the vehicle he arrived in, the release said. He was taken to UF Health Shands Hospital for treatment, the release said, where two others who were also wounded later showed up on their own. Reed is a University of Florida senior in family, youth and community sciences, UF spokesman Steve Orlando confirmed. |
| Former Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater gives insight on Desert Storm, Bush era in new book | |
 | It was his decade in the White House and closeness to the Bush family that inspired former Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater to write Calm Before the Storm: Desert Storm Diaries and Other Stories. Fitzwater -- who served as press secretary to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush -- spoke to a crowd of hundreds in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center about his book on Monday night. The book, dedicated to George H.W. and Barbara Bush, centers around Desert Storm, but focuses heavily on how Bush approached the situation, not solely the military operations. It also contains writings from some of Bush's National Security staff and senior officers. As one of the longest-serving White House press secretaries, Fitzwater is the only one to serve under two presidents. "[I tell] the fun parts of being in the presidency as well as the war and other very serious parts," Fitzwater said. "It's mostly about the presidency rather than the military, operational side. I believe it was one of the most successful and most well managed conflicts in American history." |
| 3D art pops up on U. of Missouri campus to promote new program | |
 | A tiger that looks like it's charging out of the pavement near Jesse Hall appeared Monday as a temporary art installation to promote an upcoming University of Missouri arts showcase. Artists Chris Carlson of Denver and Nate Baranowski, who is based in Chicago, were commissioned to create three chalk drawings this week to call attention to the Artist in Residence program. "The program celebrates artists already on campus and in our community and provides students new experiential learning opportunities," Chancellor Alexander Cartwright is quoted as saying on the site. Beginning in January, the program will present a variety of artists in a concert and arts series, including actor and singer Taye Diggs, documentary filmmaker Alix Lambert and the Cab Calloway Orchestra. Artist in Residence is a collaboration between the MU Museum of Art and Archaeology, the School of Music, the Department of Theatre and the School of Visual Studies. |
| New statement from Title IX Association draws controversy | |
 | Investigators of campus sexual assaults usually avoid bluntly asking victims to recall their attacks in vivid detail. This "trauma-informed" approach is used widely in investigations and is based on the belief that officials should not subject rape survivors to reliving such disturbing experiences without an empathetic ear. The theory of trauma-informed care also offers an explanation as to why survivors might behave oddly in an interview, such as remembering only vivid details or describing them out of order when discussing their assault. Campus administrators say using this investigative practice is the best way to gather information and figure out the timeline of an incident without greatly upsetting a victim. The association representing college administrators who investigate and adjudicate sexual violence cases on campuses has suggested some officials have taken this approach too far. |
| House to vote on HBCU funding as deadline looms | |
 | The House will vote today on hundreds of millions in funding for historically black colleges and other minority-serving institutions that expires at the end of the month. The legislation being considered would extend, for two years, hundreds of millions in funding for historically black colleges and other minority-serving institutions that will otherwise expire on Sept. 30. The funding goes directly to institutions that serve large shares of minority students, including historically black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions. It can be used for a wide range of purposes, including constructing and maintaining buildings as well as improving facilities and academic programs. A wide range of college groups are calling on Congress to act on the bill. The American Council on Education, which represents dozens of higher education groups, as well as the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities urged Congress on Monday to pass the funding extension. |
| Trump's top scientist outlines plan to reduce foreign influence on US research | |
| After months of outcry over whether the United States government is unfairly targeting foreign-born researchers over purported security breaches, President Donald Trump's science adviser is launching an effort to strengthen national policies on research security. The National Science and Technology Council is working to establish government-wide requirements for what information researchers need to disclose to receive federal research grants. Presidential science adviser Kelvin Droegemeier, who chairs the NSTC, outlined details in an open letter to US scientists on 16 September. Recent tensions between the US and Chinese governments have spilled over into the research community. The National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies have been investigating foreign-born scientists, many of Chinese origin, for allegedly violating rules such as those requiring the disclosure of payments from other governments. The leaders of many US scientific organizations have pushed back against the crackdown. They argue that the government must balance national security against the free exchange of information, to help ensure that the United States can continue to attract top-flight scientific talent from abroad. |
| Justice Department alleges visa fraud scheme targeting American research | |
| A Chinese government employee was arrested Monday after the Justice Department linked him to a visa fraud scheme intended to help others enter the United States to recruit research talent. Zhongsan Liu, 57, was charged in federal court in Manhattan with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Prosecutors say Liu conspired to get visas for Chinese government employees under the pretense that they were research scholars, when their actual goal was to search for U.S. scientific talent that could be used to China's benefit. "We welcome foreign students and researchers, including from China, but we do not welcome visa fraud -- especially on behalf of a government," Assistant Attorney General John Demers, the Justice Department's top national security official, said in a statement. "We will continue to confront Chinese government attempts to subvert American law to advance its own interests in diverting U.S. research and know-how to China." |
| Cornell's Medical School Offers Full Rides in Battle Over Student Debt | |
 | Doctors can be among the highest-earning professionals in the country, but they are also among those saddled with the most student loans. The average medical student who graduates with debt owes $200,000, with several years of modest pay ahead as a resident or fellow, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Concerned that young doctors were being driven by financial pressures to become specialists rather than practice pediatrics or family medicine, some prominent universities have begun using major gifts from donors to relieve students from having to borrow to pay tuition. On Monday, Cornell University went even further. Its medical school, Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, announced that all students who qualify for financial aid will get a full ride. Discussions over student debt have intensified in recent months as Democratic presidential candidates and prominent citizens have floated ambitious plans to make higher education debt-free. Many have welcomed these plans, but others have pushed back, citing high costs or what they see as bitter unfairness to those who have diligently paid down their student loans. |
| Education Department Probes Duke-UNC Middle East Studies Program | |
| The Department of Education accused the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies of inappropriate use of Title VI program funds in a letter scheduled to be published today in the Federal Register. The letter argues that many of the programs run by the consortium, a joint project of Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "have little or no relevance to Title VI," a federal grant program that funds international studies and foreign language programs at U.S. universities. The Raleigh News and Observer previously reported, in June, that the Department of Education had opened an investigation into the use of Title VI funds at the UNC-Duke center after complaints of anti-Semitic rhetoric at a March conference it hosted about Gaza. Duke declined comment, referring questions to UNC, where the center is based. |
| Emory probes two new cases of faculty using racial slur in class | |
| Emory University is investigating two instances this month of faculty members using a term in their classes that's often used to disparage African Americans. The utterances of the n-word, both by adjunct law professors, occurred on Sept. 9, in different classes, Emory officials said. In one situation, a student confronted the professor during the class about the word and the faculty member apologized, the university said. The ongoing investigations come as the school considers whether to dismiss Paul Zwier, a tenured professor who used the same word, twice, last year. The professors said they used the word to describe discrimination against African Americans or Native Americans, not to disrespect anyone. "These events have raised questions and concerns for our community," Emory's law school dean, Mary Anne Bobinski, who started in August, said in a message to faculty hours after the second Sept. 9 incident. |
| Arizona students criticize university police response to alleged assault | |
| University of Arizona police charged two students with misdemeanor assault on Sept. 13, nearly three days after the white students allegedly beat and yelled racial slurs at a black Arizona student outside a residence hall. The accused students, Matthew Frazier, 20, and Matthew Rawlings, 19, were identified in university police records that described the incident as having "possible bias," but they were not charged with a hate crime, according to Pima County Justice Court records. The victim and witnesses said Frazier and Rawlings used the N-word several times and tackled, punched and kicked the victim, who is unnamed in police records. The arrests were made after a protest on campus organized by students, enraged that the university's police department initially referred Frazier and Rawlings to the dean of students' office, rather than charging them with assault. |
| Growing number of colleges let students pick their names | |
| Dartmouth College's new Chosen Name and Identity policy allows students to select what name they wish to go by on official documents and what pronouns they prefer. This can also apply to Dartmouth students who prefer to use shortened versions of their full names or their middle names. Policies like this, while primarily existing to be more inclusive of transgender and nonbinary students, can also serve international students who choose to assume an Americanized name while studying in the States, Dartmouth notes. However, international students may need to consult with visa and immigration services prior to making this change to their records. Dartmouth joins 20 other universities nationwide that give students the option to select their chosen name and pronouns; more than 50 allow for students to change their gender on campus documents without medical intervention; and over 180 permit students to use a name other than their first name on campus records. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Tommy Stevens 'day to day' with shoulder issue | |
| Mississippi State starting quarterback Tommy Stevens' status for its Southeastern Conference opener Saturday with Kentucky remains uncertain after a shoulder injury knocked him out of each of the Bulldogs' last two games. Bulldogs coach Joe Moorhead described Stevens' situation Monday as "day to day." "It was way better (Sunday) and again today than it was at this point last week," Moorhead said. Moorhead added that Stevens felt "way better" Sunday than at this point a week ago. Stevens played the first half of a 31-24 loss to Kansas State last week but left early in the third quarter after throwing his second interception of the game. Stevens went 7 of 15 for 100 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown pass. |
| Tommy Stevens still day-to-day with shoulder injury | |
| Tommy Stevens' right shoulder is still a hot topic of conversation for Mississippi State this week. Stevens sustained the injury after being sacked on back-to-back plays in the second quarter of the Southern Miss game two weeks ago. The graduate transfer quarterback was questionable leading up to the Kansas State game but did start against the Wildcats, only to leave following the first drive of the third quarter. "It was not (affecting him) much in the first half," said MSU coach Joe Moorhead. "He was 7 of 13 and moving the ball around pretty good and had a couple of drops. It just got a little bit weak on him at halftime. "He wanted to try it out and see how it went. It just got to the point where we didn't want to leave him in the game if he wasn't going to be able to perform at 100 percent. We had to move on." |
| Mississippi State quarterback Tommy Stevens feels 'way better' than last week, coach says | |
 | Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead issued an update on quarterback Tommy Stevens that many people probably weren't expecting. Moorhead said Stevens' ailing throwing shoulder has improved greatly in spite of him leaving Mississippi State's game against Kansas State early in the second half. "It was way better yesterday and today heading into tomorrow than it was at this point last week," Moorhead said during his weekly Monday press conference. Stevens is still day-to-day with what MSU calls an "upper-body injury." His status for Saturday's game against Kentucky isn't solidified. Mississippi State finds itself in a similar spot as last week: preparing for a game against a quality Power 5 opponent without knowing who will take the first snap from senior center Darryl Williams. Stevens has been replaced mid-game by true freshman Garrett Shrader each of the last two weeks. Moorhead has said before that he is not a proponent of two-quarterback systems, which is inadvertently what Mississippi State has employed in back-to-back games. |
| NOTEBOOK: Injuries thinning Bulldogs' backfield | |
| Kylin Hill has been dominant through the first three games this season. The Mississippi State junior running back leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks third nationally with 431 rushing yards and is averaging 143.7 yards per game. But the depth behind Hill in the Bulldogs' backfield is a bit murky. Nick Gibson has missed the past 1 1/2 games with a lower body injury and fellow senior Alec Murphy is lost for the season leaving true freshman Lee Witherspoon as MSU's No. 2 tailback last week. "We'd like to get Nick back as quick as we can," said MSU coach Joe Moorhead. "Ideally, (the depth chart) would be like it was the first game and a half with Kylin as the starter, Nick as the backup and use Lee as necessary." Wide receiver Malik Dear served as the Bulldogs third-team tailback last weekend due to Gibson's injury. |
| Can UK's Mark Stoops pass a big coaching test vs. Mississippi State? | |
 | Mark Stoops will earn some $4.35 million for coaching Kentucky Wildcats football in 2019. The current week offers the UK head man an opportunity to prove worthy of the big paycheck. On Saturday, Kentucky (2-1, 0-1 SEC) travels to Mississippi State (2-1, 0-0 SEC) for the kind of "swing game" whose outcome shapes the arc of a team's season. The Wildcats will enter Starkville off an excruciating, come-from-ahead loss to Florida in which a 21-10 Kentucky fourth-quarter lead turned into a 29-21 defeat. "I was very disappointed in the outcome of the (Florida) game," Stoops said Monday at his weekly news conference at Kroger Field. "But (I was) so pleased with so many aspects of it and the good things that we did. There were a lot of positives that come from this past game. As I mentioned before, there's so many plays in a game. We played an awful lot of those plays in (the Florida) game very good." Now, the task facing Stoops this week is how to get his team to avoid a post-Florida hangover. As recent UK history shows, that is not an easy assignment after such a stinging defeat. In each of the past two seasons, Kentucky has followed up an especially difficult loss with a clunker of a performance the following week. |
| Mississippi State's first night game is at Auburn | |
| Mississippi State's first true road game of the season will also be its first evening game as well. The Bulldogs' game at Auburn on Sept. 28 has been designated for a 6 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. MSU has had two 11 a.m. kickoffs as well as 2:30 p.m. and a 3 p.m. games leading up to their clash with the Tigers. It is the Bulldogs' second appearance on ESPN this year. State beat Auburn 23-9 in Starkville last season but are just 7-29 all-time in games played on The Plains. The Tigers lead the overall series 63-27-2. |
| Teaira McCowan named to WNBA All-Rookie team | |
 | Teaira McCowan is no stranger to success. A first-team All-American and 2019 SEC Player of the Year, McCowan earned the first of her major professional honors when she was unanimously selected to the WNBA's 2019 All-Rookie Team per a news release. McCowan, the No. 3 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in this past April's draft, finished her inaugural campaign averaging 10 points, nine rebounds and 1.29 blocks per game. The Bryan, Texas native also set a Fever record with five-straight double-doubles this season. Joining McCowan on the All-Rookie team were Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, Phoenix Mercury forward Brianna Turner, Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale and Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young. Ogunbowale, Young and Turner all played collegiately at Notre Dame and were a part of the 2018 team that defeated MSU in the national championship game. Ogunbowale notably nailed a game-winning 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds remaining to deliver the Fighting Irish the title. |
| Sanderson Farms Championship tees off this Thursday in Jackson | |
| The stage is set for the 52nd annual Sanderson Farms Championship as some of the PGA Tour's best will tee it up at the Country Club of Jackson this Thursday. The full 156-player field, which was finalized on Friday, is headlined by two-time major winner and five-time Ryder Cup team member Zach Johnson, 2016 PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker, 2013 PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner, 2009 US Open winner Lucas Glover, 2012 FedExCup Champion Brandt Snedeker and 2011 FedExCup Champion Bill Haas. This year, the Sanderson Farms Championship was moved up on the PGA calendar, making it the only PGA Tour event taking place this week. With the stand-alone date, the tournament increased its purse from $4.4 to $6.6 with the winner taking home just under $1.2 million. In addition to the prize money, this year's winner will also punch their ticket to the Masters. The tournament has been played in Mississippi since 1968, and since 1994, when Century Club Charities became the host organization, the tournament has raised $14.75 million dollars for Mississippi charities. |
| Snedeker, Johnson, Choi, Reavie highlight Mississippi PGA Tour tournament's best-ever field | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: The PGA Tour's Sanderson Farms Championship field -- the best in the tournament's 51-year history -- does not include megastar golfer Tiger Woods. But it does include Tennessean Brandt Snedeker, who has won 13 times as a professional and shot a 59 in last year's Wyndham Championship. The Sanderson Farms field does not include long-hitting Brooks Koepka, the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world. But it does include Cameron Champ, who actually hits the ball further and who won this tournament last year. Rory McIlroy, the best player from Europe, will not play at the Country Club of Jackson this week, but K.J. Choi, who has won more than 20 times around the world and eight times on the PGA Tour, will play here. Choi has long been considered the best golfer Asia has ever produced. We could go on. We should. ... "It's easily the best field in the history of our tournament," said Steve Jent, the tournament's executive director. |
| Vandy coach Derek Mason to match $25K when fans give to Turner Cockrell foundation at LSU game | |
 | It's the tear-jerking story that helped inspire Vanderbilt football players to remember their fallen teammate through a fundraising campaign this weekend and coach Derek Mason to pledge up to $25,000. In April, Vanderbilt players sat down in a jam-packed movie theater to watch the grand finale of a superhero franchise, but they left one seat open. It had been five months since teammate Turner Cockrell had died of cancer on Nov. 29, 2018, at age 21, and this was the best way they knew to honor him. Cockrell, a sophomore tight end, was a superhero junkie, and the Avengers movies were can't-miss events in his life. He talked incessantly about every character's traits, critiqued story lines to teammates who barely knew the genre and got giddy when the release date of a new movie approached. Sadly, Cockrell died months before "Avengers: Endgame," the final part of his beloved franchise, hit theaters. So, when it did, his grieving teammates bought him a ticket, left a seat open and remembered their friend while watching a three-hour epic that struck them in ways they couldn't have expected. |
| SEC considering most revolutionary change to college sports since Title IX, how it could impact Pac-12 | |
 | The concept of the most revolutionary change to college sports since Title IX was mentioned over 23 minutes into Greg Sankey's opening remarks at SEC Media Days, right about the time the captive audience of reporters in attendance have succumbed to the meat-locker-like temperatures inside the main ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala. or are quibbling about said conditions on Twitter. "And in another area, that of equivalency scholarships," Sankey said, "our athletics directors and senior women administrators, in a rule that affects baseball, softball, track and field and any number of sports, started a deep exploration as to the whys and the history and what new options may be available for us in the future in providing scholarships to student-athletes. We expect to provide information and a perspective to the NCAA during the next academic year." Though Sankey's remarks didn't raise any follow-up questions from a football-focused audience that day, they registered to many in power in college sports, particularly in the Pac-12, where the self-named "Conference of Champions" features many schools that sponsor significant numbers of equivalency sports. |
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