| Monday, December 2, 2019 |
| Christmas parades set for tonight in Columbus, Starkville | |
 | Christmas music and cowbells will be heard in abundance at both Columbus and Starkville's annual Christmas parades this evening. Starkville's theme is "A Town & Gown Christmas" in honor of the partnerships between MSU and downtown businesses, according to the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, the parade's host organization. MSU President Mark E. Keenum and Mayor Lynn Spruill will serve as grand marshals. The parade will start at 6 p.m. Floats will line up on Russell Street and travel west to Lampkin Street, turn north on Montgomery Street, travel west on Main Street all the way to Washington Street, go back to Lampkin Street and finish the route at First United Methodist Church. WOBV Channel 5 will broadcast Starkville's parade. |
| Chevron, Mississippi State team up to support diversity initiatives in STEM education | |
| Chevron and Mississippi State University's Bagley College of Engineering have partnered in a new educational program designed to help increase the number of minority and female students who pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Math educational opportunities. Known as CREATE, which stands for Chevron's Reaching Excellence, Accelerating diversity & inclusion and Transforming Engineers, the innovative and comprehensive program will also help develop a pathway for a well-educated, diverse student population to ultimately enter the professional engineering workforce. "We are grateful to Chevron for their support of our students, faculty and staff," said Jason Keith, dean of the Bagley College of Engineering. "Increasing both the quality and diversity of the students within our college is extremely important to us and the CREATE program will go a long way towards helping us reach those goals. The program will also support engineers as they transition into the workforce, which will be a tremendous benefit to the state of Mississippi as a whole." |
| FUMC opens doors to college students for 'Exam Slam' | |
 | Students looking for a quiet place to study off-campus during finals week will have some help from a local church. First United Methodist Church of Starkville will host its Exam Slam, an outreach ministry to all college students, during the week of Dec. 5 through Dec. 11. The church has been hosting the event geared toward college students at its Connection since fall 2017. The Connection is located at 101 West Lampkin Street, and is the home of FUMC's contemporary service. During this week, FUMC says the Connection will be transformed into a quiet study area with additional study rooms where students can freely come in and out to study for their exams. Event coordinator Elizabeth Williams said this is the fifth Exam Slam and over those semesters of hosting, FUMC has had students from Mississippi State University, the Mississippi University for Women, East Mississippi Community College and surrounding community colleges. |
| Mr. Fred... and his absolutely awesome day | |
| When Fred Baker awoke on Nov. 16, he didn't know it would be what he'd later describe as one of the best days of his life. The 98-year-old World War II veteran had a full schedule planned. He was to be honored during Mississippi State's home football game against Alabama that day; it would be MSU's designated Military Appreciation game. Baker, who lives in Columbus, wasn't quite sure what to expect, but what he got exceeded all expectation. Some background: Born in Virginia, Baker has lived most of his life in Alabama, much of it in Sumterville and then Cochrane, a few miles south of Aliceville. The widower is the last living of 10 siblings. He is also a dyed-in-the-wool Alabama football fan. "I was a fan back when Harry Gilmer was quarterback (in the 1940s), way back then, and I've been a fan ever since -- all through the Bear Bryant time up until now," he told The Dispatch. So, to be headed to Starkville to be honored for his military service, and to be able to watch The Tide play, was double reason to look forward to the day. Baker was tapped for the veteran salute through contact his nephew, Johnny Baker of Columbus, made with the university. Arrangements were coordinated by MSU Athletics Department Assistant Director of Marketing Matt Meyer. |
| Planting the future: Carnes Farm growing Christmas trees in Pontotoc County | |
 | Ali and Adam Carnes have 250 Christmas trees. But they're not for them to decorate. Instead, two years from now, they'll all be sold. The Carnes planted the trees -- all Leyland Cypress -- so that they can have their own Christmas tree farm open to the public. John Kushla, professor and forestry specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said more growers are getting on board. He expects prices for a 6- to 7-foot, choose-and-cut tree to run in the $80 to $85 range across the state this year. According to data collected from surveys of more than 20 growers across Mississippi in the Southern Christmas Tree Association, 31,500 to 32,000 Christmas trees will be sold in the state this year. "Overall, prices for a real Christmas tree have been rising," he said. |
| MSU Extension reaches out to struggling farmers | |
 | The Mississippi State University Extension Service is doing what it can to make sure everyone in the state's agricultural community knows there is help available when the stress of life seems unrelenting. David Buys, Extension state health specialist, said the stress farmers and rural residents face regularly can cause mental health problems. If unchecked, these issues can lead to unhealthy behaviors and addictions. "Extension believes that the best way we can address farm stress is by helping the ag community be as informed as possible," Buys said. "We are focused on educating producers in best practices, technology, farm policy and more. And for those who fall through the cracks, we want to be there to pick them up." MSU Extension has lined up a variety of resources to serve the needs of this community. At the forefront is the Mental Health First Aid training program that MSU Extension Director Gary Jackson mandated statewide. "We want our agents to be equipped to recognize who is struggling and help connect them to the care they need," Jackson said. |
| Mississippi State expands student access to comprehensive mental health care | |
 | The John C. Longest Student Health Center at Mississippi State University recently partnered with outpatient provider Right Track Medical Group to expand student access to comprehensive mental health care. The partnership gives students better access to psychiatric evaluation, medication management and mental health counseling services, a release from MSU says. Students can make an appointment for free to see any of the health center's six physicians and three family nurse practitioners, who offer general care for common mental health issues such as anxiety, depression or attention deficit disorder. If students need specialized care, MSU health center physicians and nurse practitioners can refer students to Right Track Chief Medical Officer and Psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Pannel and board-certified Advanced Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Ella Williamson, who can both provide assessment and treatment services to students for a small fee at the health center. |
| State's public universities prepare workforce for ag industry | |
| According to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, agriculture remains Mississippi's number one industry, with almost 35,000 farms covering 10.4 million acres in the state. The 7.72 billion-dollar industry employs 29 percent of the state's workforce, either directly or indirectly. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University prepares students to enter the agriculture field through numerous degree programs including agribusiness. Agriculture and agribusiness are a vital part of Mississippi's economy, and veterinarians play an integral role in the success of the Mississippi farmer. Almost 16,000 of the state's farms have cattle, and the greatest threat to their profitability being the loss of animals due to disease. These farmers, as well as others in Mississippi's poultry, catfish, and hog farming businesses rely on the knowledge and expertise provided by food-animal veterinarians, who ensure the health and well-being of their animals---and ultimately, those who consume them. The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine is educating veterinarians, and the veterinary medical technologists who work alongside them, to serve this need. |
| Workshops offered for food-related business owners | |
| Experts from the Mississippi State University Extension Service will offer a workshop designed to help food-related business owners prepare for disasters. "Food as a Business: Disaster Preparedness for Food Businesses" is for anyone who currently operates or is interested in operating an agriculture-based food business, including retail, cottage food or food processing operations. Topics include financial preparedness, risk management, record keeping, crisis communication planning, emergency-action planning and food recall and traceability planning. The one-day workshop costs $15 payable at the door and includes lunch, refreshments and course materials. |
| Local international community shares Thanksgiving experiences | |
| While most people born in the U.S. grow up celebrating Thanksgiving, those who come as immigrants have a different perspective on the uniquely North American holiday. For 35 years now, Armando and Ruth de la Cruz have been celebrating Thanksgiving in Starkville along with a sizable portion of Mississippi State University's international community. The event outgrew their house and was later moved to Starkville First United Methodist Church as one of its ministries. Today, the annual International Thanksgiving Dinner draws between 200 and 300 international students and others in the community. De la Cruz said Thanksgiving was his favorite American holiday. "It is one time that all family decides to get together," de la Cruz said. "It's a very important family holiday in the U.S. That's how Mrs. de la Cruz and I felt about these international students that we've hosted many many years now." |
| Exploring the psychology behind Black Friday shoppers | |
| Video: Shoppers around the country are hitting stores on Black Friday looking for the best deals. While some relish the crowds and chaos, others stay as far away as possible. Michael Breazeale, an associate professor of marketing at Mississippi State University, joined "CBSN AM" to discuss the psychology behind Black Friday and how to cope with stress on one of the biggest shopping days of the year. |
| Latin Dictionary's Journey: A to Zythum in 125 Years (and Counting) | |
 | When German researchers began working on a new Latin dictionary in the 1890s, they thought they might finish in 15 or 20 years. In the 125 years since, the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (T.L.L.) has seen the fall of an empire, two world wars and the division and reunification of Germany. In the meantime, they are up to the letter R. This is not for lack of effort. Most dictionaries focus on the most prominent or recent meaning of a word; this one aims to show every single way anyone ever used it, from the earliest Latin inscriptions in the sixth century B.C. to around A.D. 600. Judging by the accuracy of previous estimates, the 2050 end date may be optimistic. Many of the researchers at the dictionary say they don't expect to live to see it finished. But Christian Flow, a visiting assistant professor at Mississippi State University who wrote a dissertation about the T.L.L., said that its duration is also its strength. "The irony is that the timelessness of the thesaurus," he said, lay "in its inability to finish itself." |
| Delbert Hosemann discusses first priorities as lieutenant governor | |
| As he makes the transition from Secretary of State to president of the Mississippi Senate, Lt. Gov.-elect Delbert Hosemann is laying out an ambitious legislative program that targets raising teacher pay and improving infrastructure. The Legislature's 2020 session begins Jan. 7. Hosemann, a native of Vicksburg, said he has been meeting with individual senators about the session, adding, "We're very pleased about the meetings and the tone of those meetings has been excellent." He plans to focus on four areas of education. "We're going to fund pre-K, raise teacher salaries and provide funding for individuals with special needs; that's an area that's been underfunded," he said. "We will be concentrating on workforce development. I have met with Hinds (officials) and other programs about having workforce development like the River City Early College. You will see us doing this statewide. We're going to raise teachers' salaries every year," he said. Hosemann said money for the raises will come from reductions in other state departments. |
| Analysis: Auditor continues push on non-classroom spending | |
 | State Auditor Shad White is continuing his push to get Mississippi school districts to cut non-classroom spending. A report that the Republican auditor's office released in mid-November finds that Mississippi spends more on such purposes than most other states. He's calling on districts to do more to streamline or cut spending on assistant principals, principals, superintendents and central offices and redirect the money to teachers, learning materials, librarians, counselors and school buses. White has previously told The Associated Press that he considers some administrative spending to be bad or wasteful. It's the second report that White's office has done pushing for changes, following an April report that looked at the increase in administrative spending. |
| The year-end agenda for ag policy | |
 | There are 30 days left in 2019, but the next few weeks could bring significant developments on government funding, agricultural trade, tax extenders and maybe a bipartisan farm labor overhaul. First and foremost, Congress will have to approve final appropriations for fiscal 2020 (or another short-term extension) before the current stopgap expires Dec. 20. Appropriators last week agreed on how to divvy up defense and domestic spending among the 12 individual bills, but there are still major obstacles to a final deal -- including the dispute over funds for Trump's border wall, which triggered the historic government shutdown one year ago. USDA and the FDA were shuttered during that record-long funding lapse, throwing a wrench into food safety efforts, trade aid and other farm programs. This is all happening as the House impeachment process steams ahead, which could threaten any significant bipartisan action in the coming weeks. |
| Trump reimposes steel. aluminum tariffs against Brazil and Argentina, opening new trade war fronts | |
 | President Trump announced plans Monday to resurrect tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports from Brazil and Argentina, stunning political and industry leaders in those countries and extending the White House's adversarial trade tactics to new fronts. Trump took aim at both nations on Twitter, claiming that the devaluation of their currencies was hurting American farmers, though it was unclear what specifically triggered the announcement. He then directed his attention to the Federal Reserve, which he has frequently slammed for not cutting rates. The surprise announcement came after it appeared as though the White House was preparing to dial back its aggressive trade approach in the lead up to next year's election. The administration appeared close to a deal with House Democrats to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement, and tensions with China had eased in recent weeks. Trump's tweets were not accompanied by any announcement from the Commerce Department or the U.S. Trade Representative announcing the change more formally. |
| 1st Supreme Court Gun-Rights Battle In 10 Years May Transform Legal Landscape | |
 | Guns: when and how to regulate them. It's one of the biggest issues across the country. But the U.S. Supreme Court has rarely weighed in on the issue. In modern times, it has ruled decisively just twice. Now it's on the brink of doing so again. With the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, there now are five conservative justices who may be willing to shut down many attempts at regulation, just as the NRA's lock on state legislatures may be waning. For the past decade, the court has been wary of gun cases. On Monday the court hears arguments in a case from New York, a city and a state with some of the toughest gun regulations in the country. Several gun owners and the NRA's New York affiliate challenged the rules for having a handgun at home. They contended the city gun license was so restrictive it was unconstitutional. |
| 'It was chaos': 10 wounded, no arrests made after New Orleans shooting rampage | |
 | More than a day after 10 people were wounded when gunshots lit up a crowded tourist area of New Orleans, police Monday had announced no arrests, no motive and few details. New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said two people were critically injured. Surveillance video from the scene shows revelers scattering, fleeing and ducking for cover as shots rang early Sunday along Canal Street near the city's French Quarter. A heavy police presence was in the area when the rampage began because the annual Bayou Classic football game between Grambling State University and Southern University had been played hours earlier. The game historically draws a huge crowd to the city. Three years ago, one person was killed and nine others injured following a shooting spree on Bourbon Street hours after the game. |
| U. of Southern Mississippi civil rights history class takes to streets | |
| Mississippi streets became classrooms where civil rights activists and local historians were teachers for a university course about the civil rights movement, focusing on Mississippi. "Mississippi was ground zero for the movement" Rebecca Tuuri, an associate professor at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, said Wednesday. She said the real teachers in the combined graduate and undergraduate course titled "Topics in African American History" were the people who lived through the era and are preserving its memories. "These people are very nice to let our students prod and pick and ask questions. They're really the ones who deserve credit for being willing to talk about traumatic events," she said in a telephone interview. |
| Southern accent meets Harvard: How Mississippi scholarship winner navigates culture shock | |
 | As she weaves her way through the 209-acre campus, filled with red-brick buildings, iron fences and the 25 historic gates that rim Harvard Yard, Shakira Hall walks up two small sets of stairs. With a sign to the left above her head that reads "Ask What You Can Do," Hall enters through the double doors of the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Through those doors lie a world of possibility and new opportunities. "Harvard is out of the ordinary, it's diverse and you never know what you are going to get, which is amazing," says the 19-year-old, who earned a full-ride Bill Gates Scholarship to Harvard. In this building, Hall -- who grew up in the small Mississippi town of Bassfield -- answers the question on the sign. "I want to impact low-socioeconomic communities, like those where I am from that lack jobs, lack good education systems and solid infrastructure." |
| East Central Community College board opens search for next president | |
 | The East Central Community College Board of Trustees Sunday opened its search for the ninth president of the Decatur college. Billy Stewart, the college's president since February 2012, recently announced his retirement effective July 1, 2020. Application packets are being accepted through Jan. 31, 2020. More information on the search, including a Presidential Profile and Job Description, can be found at www.eccc.edu/presidential-search. In February 2020, the ECCC Board of Trustees Presidential Search Committee will review completed applications and conducts initial interview(s) with preferred candidate(s), compile a list of finalist(s) for the position of President of ECCC, and conduct background checks on each finalist. In March, the full board will conduct interviews with finalist(s) during the regular monthly meeting on campus. East Central's ninth president will be announced at the conclusion of the Board meeting contingent upon successful contract negotiation. |
| LSU seeks to be dismissed from Max Gruver wrongful death suit; several others have settled | |
 | A lawsuit that Max Gruver's parents filed last year against the LSU Board of Supervisors, Phi Delta Theta and current and former members of the fraternity has detoured into a fight over whether the university can be sued as a result of his 2017 alcohol-related hazing death. LSU argues the university should be dismissed from the wrongful death suit because the U.S. Constitution bars private suits against a state in federal court. The school argues that, as an arm of the state, it is shielded by 11th Amendment sovereign immunity. In opposing the request, attorneys for Stephen and Rae Ann Gruver cite a 2000 ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found LSU was not shielded by sovereign immunity for Title IX claims. |
| UGA enrollment growth slowed in 2019 | |
 | University of Georgia enrollment growth slowed this fall, according to University System of Georgia enrollment statistics. Enrollment was at an all-time high of 38,920 at UGA this fall, up just 268 students over its fall 2018 enrollment. The university's enrollment has grown by about 4,000 students since 2009, when the University System of Georgia counted 34,885 UGA students, with most of that growth coming over the past three years. UGA recently announced plans to build another high-rise freshman residence hall for future growth. UGA enrollment continues to gradually diversify, mostly because of growth in Hispanic enrollment, now at 5.6 percent, and Asian students, now 10.4 percent of the UGA student body. The percent of students self-declared as African American enrollment was unchanged at 8.3 percent. For 4.9 percent of UGA students, racial or ethnic affiliation is unknown or undeclared. |
| Texas A&M: Retention, graduation rates for first-generation students on the rise | |
 | Four-year graduation rates for first-generation students and first-year retention rates are climbing at Texas A&M University. Retention and graduation rates at the university are increasing across the board, but rates are higher for first-generation students and students from families making less than $60,000 a year, according to Texas A&M Today. Four-year graduation rates for first-generation students rose to 54.5% from 50.3%, while first-year retention increased to 88.1% from 86.6%. Additionally, first-year retention rates for students in families paid less than $60,000 a year went up to 89.1% from 86.6%, and the four-year graduation rate went up from 50.2% to 54.4%. Overall, A&M's first-year retention rate is now up to 93.2% from 92.1%, while four-year graduation rates rose to 59% from 56.2%. |
| Film Noir classroom: U. of Memphis professor Steve Ross signs off | |
| Steve Ross is not a gumshoe. He doesn't pack a gat. He has not, as far as we know, planted dynamite in the apartment of a murder suspect, dragged a corpse onto a train track or shoved a knife up the nostril of a "nosy fella." In fact, Ross is chatty and upbeat. He exudes a Memphis-via-Brooklyn energy and enthusiasm that provides a contrast to the suspicious behavior of the doomed antiheroes, shifty-eyed double crossers and conniving femmes fatales who populate the "Special Topics: Film Noir" class Ross taught this past semester at the University of Memphis. The packed class will be Ross' last. After 38 years on the U of M campus, Ross -- a professor, writer and award-winning filmmaker -- is retiring from teaching. According to Ross, the noir style provides rich source material for the exploration of contemporary as well as historic American attitudes. |
| UNC gives away Confederate statue | |
 | The University of North Carolina Board of Governors approved a settlement Wednesday to the controversy over Silent Sam, a monument to Confederate soldiers that stood on the Chapel Hill campus from 1913 until last year, when protesters pulled it down. Since August 2018, when protesters toppled the monument, what to do with it has been a major political issue in North Carolina. Largely, those at Chapel Hill have favored a solution that would leave Silent Sam off the Chapel Hill campus. Those with ties to Confederate memorial groups have demanded that the statue be returned to the campus at Chapel Hill and protected from demonstrators. The North Carolina Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans sued Chapel Hill for failing the restore the statue, setting up the settlement. The settlement was announced the day before Thanksgiving, making it hard to survey student opinion. |
| Some 250 People Arrested in ICE's 'U. of Farmington' Sting Operation | |
 | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested 90 people in recent months as part of a sting operation involving a fake university the agency set up in suburban Michigan to snare undocumented immigrants. That brings the total number arrested in the operation to about 250 people, the Detroit Free Press reported on Wednesday. The Chronicle first reported on the fake "University of Farmington" in January. Nearly 80 percent of those arrested were granted voluntary departure, the Detroit office of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations told the Free Press in a statement. The remaining students have either received a final order of removal or filed for relief, the newspaper reported. |
| Student leaders critical of U. of Virginia's 'additional review' | |
| The University of Virginia's Student Council is reinvigorating the debate around "additional review" for certain well-connected applicants to the university, a practice that originally came under fire in 2017. A September report by The Cavalier Daily, Virginia's student newspaper, prompted Council President Ellie Brasacchio to propose a resolution urging the university to abolish this aspect of the admissions process, she said. Additional review -- referred to by students as an admissions "watch list" -- offers a second look at applicants with certain qualities and connections, such as legacy students, the children of faculty members, donor or staff recommendations, first-generation college students, athletic recruits, candidates for the Reserve Officer Training Corps, and students selected for Virginia's various scholar programs. The practice was originally uncovered in an April 2017 report by The Washington Post that revealed the Office of Institutional Advancement shared the names of applicants who had ties to wealthy donors or alumni with the Office of Undergraduate Admission. |
| Will the light of Christmas reveal our leaders to be naughty or nice? | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: As we adults bumble into this Christmas season (Advent started December 1st), some of our attention should turn toward our behavior and that of our favorite leaders. When "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," written in 1934 by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie, gets to "Oh, he's making a list and checking it twice; He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice" that's not just a funny message for children. Think St. Peter at the Pearly gates looking up names in God's book to determine who may enter heaven, a story derived from Revelation 21:21, Matthew 16:18-19, Exodus 32:33, et al. ... Yes, behavior matters. For better or worse, we tend to model our behavior after that of our favorite leaders. So, leaders' behavior matters. |
| Mississippians have opportunity to change Jim Crow-era law without being forced by federal judge | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan of the Southern District of Mississippi at some point will either throw out the lawsuit challenging the legality of provisions of the Mississippi Constitution requiring the state House in some instances to decide statewide elections or he will hold a trial. ... Secretary of State-elect Michael Watson, a Jackson County Republican, has said it is long past time to remove the provisions from the Constitution. He has said that he wants to work with the Legislature to do that. ... Most, but not all the other discriminatory provisions of the state's Constitution have been removed. ... It is not easy to change the Constitution. It takes a two-thirds majority of both chambers and passage by the voters to change the state Constitution or it requires a citizen-sponsored initiative. |
SPORTS
| Analysis: With bowl eligibility secured, where could Mississippi State find itself playing? | |
| Mississippi State is headed to the postseason. Following Saturday's 21-20 over in-state rival Ole Miss, the Bulldogs (6-6, 3-5 SEC) reached bowl-eligibility for a record 10th-straight season. It also marks the third time over that streak a senior class has been to a bowl game every year it's been at MSU. And while the Bulldogs have extended their season for one more month, where they'll head and who they'll play remain a mystery. For context, bowl-eligible schools send three preferred destinations to the SEC, while the bowl games themselves do the same for potential schools. From there, the conference matches teams to bowl games as best it can. At present, nine of the 14 SEC teams are bowl eligible -- Missouri has the required six wins but will not be allowed to participate due to the NCAA's ruling on its academic misconduct scandal last week. MSU will learn its official fate Sunday during the Selection Day Special on ESPN from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Mississippi State bowl projections: See where the football team is predicted to play | |
| Two words made Mississippi State running back Nick Gibson's face light up after his team's victory over Ole Miss last week. They weren't Egg Bowl. They weren't Golden Egg either. They were bowl game. Gibson has been a part of the program since the 2015 season. Beating the Rebels gave the Bulldogs their 10th straight trip to a bowl game. Gibson has been around for half of those now. "Ahhhh," Gibson said when asked how it feels to be headed to the postseason again. "It just feels amazing. I get to continue to play the game I love for an extra game. Honestly it just feels surreal." Back in his redshirt freshman season, Gibson and the Bulldogs went to the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina. It appears they could be headed to Bank of America Stadium once again. College Football News has Mississippi State projected to play Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl. However, that's not the only location State could land. |
| Mississippi State's Darryl Williams tabbed SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week | |
| Mississippi State center Darryl Williams was selected as the Southeastern Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week on Monday. Williams received the highest grade among the Bulldogs' offensive linemen (77.3) and did not allow a pressure in a win over Ole Miss last week. It is the second weekly SEC award the 6-foot-3, 310-pound senior has won this season and the third of his career. |
| Bang for the buck: As a smaller-budget SEC school, Bulldogs must do 'more with less' | |
| While Thursday's Egg Bowl should offer Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead and the Bulldogs a chance to silence their doubters, MSU has already come out on top of Ole Miss in the state's football spending battle. Based on records obtained by The Dispatch, in the past three years, football revenue and expenses at Ole Miss have far outpaced those at Mississippi State despite having a far worse win-loss record. The Bulldogs' 23-16 record is nearly opposite their Oxford counterpart's 16 wins and 20 losses. Yet Ole Miss has consistently pulled in nearly double the revenue MSU has over the past three years. Ole Miss reported $171.72 million in total revenue from 2016 to 2018 compared to MSU's $100.91 million. "We're in the best division in the best league in the entire country -- that's the good news," MSU athletic director John Cohen told The Dispatch earlier this week. "The challenging news is those are some of the wealthiest athletic departments in the entire country and we still have to find a way to not just be competitive but fight for championships. And we have to do it in a situation where we are fiscally responsible in everything we do. That's not an easy needle to thread, but it's a challenge we enjoy and it's something I think we've been successful at." |
| Bulldogs headed to 2020 Cancun Challenge | |
| Mississippi State's men's basketball team will be heading south of the border next November to play in the Cancun Challenge. The Cancun Challenge will take place during the week of Thanksgiving at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya with specific dates and opponents to be announced. Clemson, Illinois State and Purdue are the other three teams participating at the event. The Bulldogs are 1-3 all-time against Clemson, 0-1 against Purdue and have never played Illinois State. It will mark the first the MSU's men have taken part in the Cancun Challenge. The Bulldogs' women's basketball team won the event in 2017. |
| Ole Miss AD: Lack of support around program led to Matt Luke's firing | |
| Ole Miss is looking toward the future after the departure of head football coach Matt Luke. The school announced Luke's firing on Sunday following a 4-8 season that was topped off with an Egg Bowl loss to rival Mississsippi State. Newly-appointed Athletic Director Keith Carter announced the school has launched a search for a new coach following a 15-21 record under Luke. Carter held a press conference Monday morning to discuss the future of the program. Ultimately, Carter cites apathy and a lack of support around the program as part of the head coaching change. He hopes a new coach can "inject a new energy" into the program. Carter was asked about hiring a coach with Mississippi ties, something the program has historically valued. He said having a coach with Mississippi ties would be a positive, but he simply wants the best coach. |
| John Rhys Plumlee: 'I love Coach Luke' | |
| Simply put, Ole Miss players were not happy with administration's decision to fire head football coach Matt Luke. The team held a meeting at 8 p.m. Sunday, with athletic director Keith Carter officially confirming to the team the decision to move on from Luke and Carter's subsequent vision for the future and direction of the Rebel football program. Exiting the team meeting, some players said things that can't be printed and many were visibly upset. Arriving from Hattiesburg later Sunday night to receive the news and meet with Carter was freshman quarterback John Rhys Plumlee. Plumlee spoke to media outside the Manning Center following his conversation with Carter. "It's emotional. You love Coach Luke. I love Coach Luke. We all loved Coach Luke," Plumlee said. "It's relationship side for us. From (Keith Carter's) side, it's more of a business side. They have a relationship, he's good friends with Coach Luke. But it's more business. He's got to make sure that the program runs well." |
| Ole Miss needs a new football coach. Here are 7 trendy names who might fit in Oxford | |
| The Matt Luke era is over. It's time for Ole Miss to begin its search for the program's next head football coach. Ole Miss dismissed Luke on Sunday night after three years in charge of the team and a 15-21 record. The Rebels now have one of the three head coaching vacancies in the SEC along with Arkansas and Missouri. The university will try to move fast to hire a new coach, potentially before the early signing period for recruiting begins on Dec. 18. In his statement explaining Luke's dismissal, Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter said the search is underway to find a candidate who "can build a complete program that attracts top talent, develops them as young men and sustains a winning mentality." With that in mind, here are seven potential names to replace Luke. |
| Southern Miss bowl projections: See where the Golden Eagles might play | |
 | The Southern Miss Golden Eagles are bowl eligible again, but where are they projected to play? Southern Miss and head coach Jay Hopson missed out on a bowl game last season with a 6-5 record but played in three straight from 2015-17. The Golden Eagles (7-5) played at three different places during that stretch: the Heart of Dallas Bowl in 2015, the New Orleans Bowl in 2016 and the Independence Bowl in 2017. The predictions for 2019 are all over the map – quite literally. Here's a compilation of where different prognosticators have Southern Miss headed later this month. |
| Sensing Mizzou 'lost momentum,' AD Jim Sterk makes change | |
 | Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk says he knows Barry Odom bleeds black and gold. That made his decision even harder Saturday morning to fire the head coach after four seasons leading Tigers football. "I understand that, which made it not an easy decision. I did not make this move lightly," Sterk said at a news conference Saturday afternoon at Mizzou Arena. "And I made this move to move our program forward to build on this success of our past, of our current players and those yet to come." Sterk's removal of Odom, a former MU linebacker, came after a 6-6 season -- one that started with great promise at 5-1. Missouri's only victory over the second half of the season came Friday in its season finale against Arkansas. The Tigers won 24-14 but only led by three points at halftime against the Razorbacks, who now have a 19-game Southeastern Conference losing streak. Sterk said Saturday that the final decision of Odom's firing, which UM System President Mun Choi and MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright supported, was reached around kickoff Friday. |
| Vandy baseball didn't skip Trump's White House visit because of politics, coach Tim Corbin says | |
 | Vanderbilt baseball's 2019 national championship team declined an invitation to the White House because of a scheduling conflict and not politics, coach Tim Corbin said. He said a "Trump" Vanderbilt jersey was even created for such a visit. "It had nothing to do with politics," Corbin said. "It was just tough to turn around. No one is shunning anything. That's for sure." Vanderbilt is the latest championship team to decline an invitation to the White House during Trump's presidency. But Corbin said the date conflicted with long-standing holiday travel plans by players. Corbin said the invitation was to join other NCAA title teams at the White House's "College Champions Event" on Nov. 22, the date when players routinely travel to their homes for Thanksgiving break. Vanderbilt students are off for one full week for Thanksgiving, so baseball players leave Nashville no later than Nov. 22, depending on their class schedules in the preceding week. |
| LSU offering an unusual Tiger football souvenir: free Tiger Stadium sod | |
| Now that the LSU football team's home games are done for the season, the athletic department is offering up "a piece of Tiger Stadium history" for fans. No, it's not a Joe "Burreaux" jersey. It's not a game ball either. It's a free slab of Tiger Stadium sod. "LSU Athletics is making free slabs of sod from Tiger Stadium available to fans as contractors begin removing sod in a months-long project to replace the field and improve drainage in Tiger Stadium," LSU athletics posted to lsusports.net on Sunday. There will be 3,500 square feet of the sod, totaling more than 3,300 slabs. Fans are asked to take no more than four each. |
| Auburn University fined $250,000 after fans rush field following Iron Bowl victory | |
 | Auburn University is facing a heavy fine after fans ran onto the field following the team's dramatic victory in the Iron Bowl. A statement from the SEC states the university will be assessed a $250,000 fine for its fourth violation of the Southeastern Conference policy prohibiting postgame fan access to the competition area. The statement says fines levied against schools for violation of the access to competition area policy are deposited into the SEC Post-Graduate Scholarship Fund. Financial penalties, which were increased by action taken during the 2015 SEC Spring Meetings, are imposed for violations in all sports sponsored by the Conference. Institutional penalties range from $50,000 for a first offense to fines of up to $100,000 for a second offense and up to $250,000 for a third and subsequent offenses. |
| Heisman trophy winner Pat Sullivan passes away | |
| Former Auburn quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Pat Sullivan has passed away at the age of 69. Sullivan's family, in a statement Sunday, said he died at home, surrounded by loved ones. Sullivan played three seasons at Auburn, leading the Tigers to a collective 26-7 record. In his senior season, Sullivan completed 162-of-281 passes for 2,012 yards and 20 touchdowns, resulting in him winning the Heisman trophy. Sullivan returned to Auburn in 1986 as the quarterbacks coach under Pat Dye. Sullivan worked at Auburn until leaving to become the head coach at Texas Christian University. His last coaching job was at Samford, where he was the head coach for eight years before retiring in 2014. |
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