| Monday, December 9, 2019 |
| Mississippi State University hosts annual STEM Day | |
 | Mississippi State University hosted the Junior ROTC STEM Day. Winning teams from Jackson public schools came to Mississippi State to present their research. MSU's Geosciences Department hosted the event. The groups presented on soil, water pollution, volcanoes, and climate change. Teams also kept the audience engaged with interactive quizzes. In addition to the stem presentations, Students worked together in breakout sessions and visited with Mississippi State researchers. |
| New head start program debuts in D'Iberville | |
 | Families in the D'Iberville area have a new choice when it comes to early childhood education. D'Iberville kids now have a head start on education. The Mississippi State University Extension Service just opened their head start location at the Dr. Gilbert Mason Center to provide support to preschoolers and their families when it comes to nutrition, education, and more. Assistant Director of Family Service, Health, and Nutrition Angelica Espinal said, "We have foster families. Families that are very high risk that we provide services for. We do parent meetings to teach our parents. We provide a crazy amount of resources to make sure that our families are where they need to be." Thirty-four students ranging in age from three to five attended on the first day of classes and continued growth for the center is on the way. |
| Last of three MSU Head Start programs opens in D'Iberville | |
 | It may be a little late for the first day of school, but it's a welcomed process. The Gilbert Mason Head Start Center in D'Iberville opened Friday about a month later than anticipated because of renovation delays. It is the last of three Head Start programs in Harrison County operated by Mississippi State University to open. Vanessa Tran has a son in the program for the first time, but she believes in Head Start. "I feel like early learning is very important to a child's early development," she said. "So, it's very important how they're taught at the beginning of their learning stage." She's also sold on the provider. "I know that MSU took over and that MSU is actually a very good college," Tran said. "So, with that being said, I'm very happy that my son is starting at Head Start." |
| 'Awesome' Storm Clouds Move Over Starkville, Mississippi | |
| A shelf cloud was observed in Starkville, Mississippi, as a storm system brought wind and rain to eastern parts of the state on Friday morning, December 6, This timelapse shows the cloud formation over Mississippi State University's Climate Lab Studio, which is central to the Broadcast Meteorology program in Starkville. Ashlyn Jackson, a meteorology student, uploaded the footage to Twitter and wrote, "Took a pretty awesome timelapse of a shelf cloud in the MSU Climate Lab this morning." According to the National Weather Service, "Showers and few thunderstorms will continue to move east" out of the area. "Look for a few thunderstorms with brief downpours and occasional lightning," the weather service said. |
| Future of Starkville rental property debate unclear | |
 | Some Starkville aldermen attempted on Tuesday to expand the ongoing debate over potential restrictions on short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods, saying long-term rentals in the same areas should be considered too. But there is no guarantee that long-term rentals will be discussed or even researched, Mayor Lynn Spruill said. The board will have to vote at a future meeting on whether to direct city staff to conduct the research and draft an ordinance, she said. "It might come up at the next meeting, it might come up in January, or it might not come up at all if nobody wants to do it," Spruill said. The board of aldermen voted 5-2 on Tuesday to postpone the previously scheduled Dec. 17 vote on the short-term rental ordinance for properties like Airbnbs, first proposed in late September and amended 17 times since. Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver asked for the vote, and he told The Dispatch that he hopes the discussion continues. |
| Analysis: New leaders set course for Mississippi Legislature | |
 | Mississippi lawmakers begin their new term Jan. 7, with Republicans maintaining large majorities in the House and Senate. Some leadership jobs will change hands, including chairmanships of important committees. Republican Philip Gunn of Clinton has enough support among current and incoming representatives to gain a third term as speaker of the House. One of his longtime allies, Republican Rep. Jason White of West, is in line to become the new speaker pro tempore -- the second-highest job in the 122-member House. White will succeed Rep. Greg Snowden of Meridian, who has been pro tem two terms and was defeated in the Republican primary in August. |
| Chad McMahan returning to Senate under new leadership | |
 | In the state Senate, Lee County is carved up across three districts, but will only have one incumbent Republican returning to office when a new four-year term begins in January. Chad McMahan, a Republican from Guntown, represents Senate District 6, and will begin a second term in 2020 after running for re-election unopposed. Staring down a fifth year in the legislature, the former Guntown alderman who touts his blue collar roots anticipates that he'll be well positioned to play a larger role in the state capitol. "Now that I've got some experience under my belt I'll be able to do a better job for the people I represent," McMahan said. On the Republican side of the ledger, that's experience the greater Lee County area may need. A rash of retirements ushered in a number of new faces among the ranks of lawmakers. In Senate District 8, which includes Lee County, Bruce attorney Benjamin Suber will take office, replacing the soon-to-be-retired Russell Jolly. Jolly was among the dwindling ranks of white Democrats in the state legislature, and Suber is a Republican. |
| Partisan fireworks as House panel readies Trump impeachment | |
| A House impeachment hearing quickly fell into partisan fighting Monday as lawmakers formally received the investigative findings against President Donald Trump to lay out the case for the charges against him. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler was immediately interrupted by a protester shouting "We voted for Donald Trump!" as the panel was gaveled open. The protester was escorted from the House hearing room by Capitol Police. Nadler pressed ahead with opening remarks saying, "President Trump put himself before country." The committee is to vote soon, possibly this week, on two or more charges of abuse of power, bribery and obstruction against the Republican president. |
| How a closed-door meeting shows farmers are waking up on climate change | |
 | The meeting last June in a wood-beamed barn in Newburg, Md., an hour due south of Washington, had all the makings of a secret conclave. The guest list was confidential. No press accounts were allowed. The topic was how to pivot American agriculture to help combat climate change -- an issue so politically toxic that the current administration routinely shies away from promoting crucial government research on the issue. But this meeting represented a change. It was hosted by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, a group made up of the heavyweights in American agriculture. It brought together three secretaries of agriculture, including the current one, Sonny Perdue, among an A-list of about 100 leaders that included the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation -- a longtime, powerful foe of federal action on climate -- and CEOs of major food companies, green groups and anti-hunger advocates. Even a year ago, such a meeting would have been improbable, if not impossible. |
| FBI Is Investigating Pensacola Shooting As Terrorism | |
 | The FBI is investigating the shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola on Friday as an act of terror. Rachel Rojas, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Jacksonville Field Office, said in a news briefing Sunday that investigators are working with "the presumption that this was an act of terrorism." Doing so, she said, "allows us to take advantage of investigative techniques that can help us more quickly identify and then eliminate any additional threats to the rest of our community." There is currently no evidence of such a threat, she added. On Saturday, the FBI identified the shooter as Mohammed Alshamrani, a 21-year-old second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force. He was a student naval flight officer of Naval Aviation Schools Command. |
| U.S. officials misled the public about the war in Afghanistan, confidential documents reveal | |
 | A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable. The documents were generated by a federal project examining the root failures of the longest armed conflict in U.S. history. They include more than 2,000 pages of previously unpublished notes of interviews with people who played a direct role in the war, from generals and diplomats to aid workers and Afghan officials. The U.S. government tried to shield the identities of the vast majority of those interviewed for the project and conceal nearly all of their remarks. The Post won release of the documents under the Freedom of Information Act after a three-year legal battle. |
| There Is a Right Way to Teach Reading, and Mississippi Knows It | |
 | "Thank God for Mississippi." That's a phrase people would use when national education rankings came out because no matter how poorly your state performed, you could be sure things were worse in Mississippi. Not anymore. New results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a standardized test given every two years to measure fourth- and eighth-grade achievement in reading and math, show that Mississippi made more progress than any other state. The state's performance in reading was especially notable. Mississippi was the only state in the nation to post significant gains on the fourth-grade reading test. Fourth graders in Mississippi are now on par with the national average, reading as well or better than pupils in California, Texas, Michigan and 18 other states. What's up in Mississippi? There's no way to know for sure what causes increases in test scores, but Mississippi has been doing something notable: making sure all of its teachers understand the science of reading. |
| Archives and History approval advances Confederate monument relocation at UM | |
 | The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) approved to university's plans to relocate the Confederate monument on campus to the Confederate cemetery behind the Tad Smith Coliseum. The unanimous approval on Friday leaves one more vote to decide whether the monument will be relocated. The Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees will make the final decision whether or not the monument will be moved. Chancellor Glenn Boyce sent an email updating the university community after the vote on Friday. He added a link to the proposed plans. "With MDAH approval in hand, we will move forward," he said in the email. Just over an hour after Boyce's statement, IHL released a statement saying it had not received a request from the chancellor. In November, the IHL board president announced that there would be no board meeting in December. The next IHL board meeting will be held on Thursday, January 16, 2020. |
| Mississippi Department of Archives and History approves UM's relocation plan for Confederate statue | |
| Another domino has fallen toward relocating a controversial Confederate statue located in the heart of the University of Mississippi's campus. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History approved the University's relocation plan to move the statue from the Lyceum Circle to a location behind the C.M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum, in front of the Confederate cemetery. The Department's Board of Trustees unanimously approved the plans during their meeting in Jackson on Friday. "As mentioned in previous messages to our campus community, the next step involves the submission of an agenda item from the University to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) to request approval to proceed with the relocation," Chancellor Glenn Boyce said in a statement Friday. "MDAH approval was required before the request could be submitted to IHL. With MDAH approval in hand, we will move forward. Our university leadership will keep you informed as the relocation process continues and will provide further updates moving forward." |
| Physicians are promoting COPD prevention in Mississippi | |
 | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Lung Association of Mississippi. It can stifle a person's ability to breathe, lead to long-term disability, and dramatically affect a person's quality of life. Although COPD is treatable, there is no cure for the disease. Dr. Timothy Allen is a pulmonary specialist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He says the best way to treat COPD is by preventing it. "The most important thing to prevent COPD is to not smoke. The second most important thing to prevent COPD is to stop smoking. Sometimes inhaled toxins and people's industry may come into play but for the most part the vast majority of COPD patients are smokers or former smokers," said Allen. Allen says it's important Mississippians are aware of the symptoms so they can get screened sooner than later. He also says it's vital physicians continue improving diagnosis and treatment options. |
| Ellie Dahmer to receive honorary doctorate from Southern Miss | |
 | Civil rights activist and lifelong educator Ellie Dahmer will be awarded a honorary doctor of humane letters during the University of Southern Mississippi's fall commencement ceremony. The presentation will take place at 9 a.m. Dec. 13 at Reed Green Coliseum. Largely recognized for her work alongside her late husband, voting rights icon Vernon Dahmer, Ellie Dahmer will be honored for her contributions to the civil rights movement and her advocacy for literacy and academic achievement. It is truly a special occasion when the university has the opportunity to bestow an honorary doctorate upon an individual whose work has made an impact on countless others and our community as a whole," said University President Rodney Bennett. The honorary doctorate is among the highest forms of recognition at the university. |
| Changes sought to Mississippi law on community college trustees | |
| A college president and supervisors in a northeast Mississippi county want changes to a law that revised how trustees are appointed for community colleges. The Daily Corinthian reports that Alcorn County supervisors are unhappy with a law passed by the 2019 Legislature that attempted to remove county school superintendents from community college boards of trustees. Attorney General Jim Hood's office in a June opinion advised that the law was defective and that no changes were required. The law could be interpreted to say that community colleges with two trustees per county must reduce them to one. Counties that host community colleges typically have more trustees. The law also attempts to remove the requirement that a county superintendent of education automatically serve as a trustee, allowing supervisors instead to choose any qualified resident of a county. |
| In upcoming state budget, Gov. John Bel Edwards promises colleges, universities more money | |
 | After nearly a decade of cuts and standstill budgets, Gov. John Bel Edwards Wednesday promised board members overseeing Louisiana's largest collection of public universities that his upcoming state spending plan will include more money for higher education. "You can rest assured that the executive budget that I present to the Legislature will contain an increase in funding for higher education," Edwards told the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors during a 17-minute address, his first to higher education officials after winning reelection last month. Louisiana led the nation during the past decade as some states governments deeply cut contributions to their public colleges and universities. Previous Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican struggling with a sharp decrease in state revenues, slashed state appropriations to higher education in half rather than raise taxes. |
| UGA to buy 13 more electric buses with Federal Transit Administration grant | |
 | The University of Georgia has been awarded $7.46 million under the Federal Transit Administration's Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program to purchase an additional 13 electric buses. The funding, along with UGA's 30% matching share, will grow the university's fleet to 33 electric buses, representing a tremendous step forward in reducing emissions and increasing opportunities for experiential learning and research. Twenty electric buses were purchased in April 2019 through a competitive grant from the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority and are currently in production at the Proterra Inc. plant in Greenville, South Carolina. These buses will begin arriving on campus later this month and are anticipated to go into service this academic year, giving UGA one of the largest electric bus fleets of any university in North America. "The University of Georgia is continually seeking ways to increase the efficiency and sustainability of our campus operations," said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. |
| UGA study: Virtual reality could boost flu vaccination rates | |
| Using a virtual reality simulation to show how flu spreads and its impact on others could be a way to encourage more people to get a flu vaccination. That was the conclusion of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Georgia and the Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This is the first published study to look at immersive virtual reality as a communication tool for improving flu vaccination rates among "flu vaccine avoidant" 18- to 49-year-old adults. "When it comes to health issues, including flu, virtual reality holds promise because it can help people see the possible effects of their decisions, such as not getting a flu vaccine," said Glen Nowak, the principal investigator and director of the Center for Health and Risk Communication headquartered at Grady College. The research, "Using Immersive Virtual Reality to Improve the Beliefs and Intentions of Influenza Vaccine Avoidant 18- to 49-year-olds," was published this month by the journal Vaccine. |
| Texas A&M: VeoRide bike-share contract may not be renewed | |
 | Texas A&M Transportation Services may not renew its contract with VeoRide bike share next year due to the continued misuse of the bicycles. In an email announcement sent to A&M students on Friday afternoon, Transportation Services said that while the current contract ends on Dec. 31, an "increasing level" of actions including bikes blocking ADA ramps, sidewalks, doors, vandalism and "unsafe antics" have caused the department to reconsider keeping VeoRide. The department has requested a bike share system that allows for bicycles to be locked to a rack and is considering a smaller geofence to "ensure an appropriate number of bikes are available on-campus and to make the program more manageable." However, VeoRide may be unable to meet those requests. |
| U. of Missouri chancellor announces search for new vice chancellor for advancement | |
 | The nationwide search for the University of Missouri's vice chancellor for advancement has begun. "Our record-breaking success in philanthropy the past few years, with even more opportunities on the horizon, gives me great confidence that we will generate a broad, high-quality pool of candidates from a national audience," Chancellor Alexander Cartwright said in a news release announcing the search. In August, Tom Hiles, MU's former vice chancellor for advancement, announced he will be retiring in June 2020. During his seven years in the position, he helped raise more than $1 billion for MU. Cartwright also announced the faculty members who would serve on the search committee. Rhonda Gibler, vice chancellor for finance, and Lyrissa Lidsky, dean of MU School of Law, will serve as co-chairs on the 20-person committee. |
| SMU sued for amending governance documents to separate itself from church authority | |
 | A regional branch of the United Methodist Church filed suit against Southern Methodist University for amending its governance documents to separate itself from control by the church. According to the lawsuit, filed last week in the court of Dallas County, Southern Methodist filed an amendment to its articles of incorporation in November deleting language stating that SMU was "to be forever owned, maintained and controlled by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference of The United Methodist Church." The decision by SMU to amend its article of incorporation and bylaws follows a February vote by the Methodist church's controlling body to strengthen its prohibitions on performing same-sex marriage and ordaining gay and lesbian clergy. SMU's president, R. Gerald Turner, responded to the vote by reaffirming the university's nondiscrimination policies and inclusive values and emphasizing the institution's independence from church governance. |
| New Year's hope for government transparency and efficiency | |
 | Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: Conservatives regularly cite transparency and efficiency as goals to make government smaller and better. Too often, though, said conservatives do not deliver on these goals. New conservative leadership in Mississippi may be about to change that. In an op-ed piece, incoming Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said he is taking steps to deliver on a campaign promise to increase transparency at the state capitol. "In partnership with the Legislative Budget Office and Mississippi Public Broadcasting, we are working on piloting a program on the Senate side to webcast committee meetings in addition to floor debate," Hosemann wrote. Hmmm. ... You see transparency only works to improve government when citizens are able to see government at work, not when all is decided in the backroom in advance. |
| There is reason big buildings in Mississippi are named after House speakers | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: While Delbert Hosemann is learning about his new duties and responsibilities as lieutenant governor and Tate Reeves is moving into the Governor's Mansion, Philip Gunn will be starting his third term as speaker of the Mississippi House. Gunn, a Clinton Republican, is poised to be selected by members for a third term as speaker when the House convenes Jan. 7. The positions of governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House are generally regarded as the three most powerful in state government. The speaker has one distinct advantage over the other two positions. There is no limit on how long the speaker can serve. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State meets Louisville again in Music City Bowl | |
| Mississippi State is headed back to the Music City Bowl and will have a familiar foe waiting on it in Nashville. The Bulldogs will meet Louisville at 3 p.m. on Dec. 30 at Nissan Stadium and televised by ESPN. It is the second time in three years that MSU has met the Cardinals in a bowl game. "The Music City Bowl is the perfect destination for our Bulldog fans and team," said MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen. "Nashville has a strong Mississippi State alumni contingent and is a great city to enjoy. I am thrilled for our football program on earning a bowl berth every season this decade. We look forward to seeing a large amount of Maroon and White in Nashville and sending out our senior class with a positive experience." The Bulldogs defeated Louisville and then quarterback Lamar Jackson 31-27 in the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl. State quarterback Keytaon Thompson rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns in that game while former safety Mark McLaurin was named the game's MVP with three of the Bulldogs' four interceptions. |
| Mississippi State to play Louisville in Music City Bowl Dec. 30 | |
| Mississippi State is heading north for New Year's. The Music City Bowl announced Sunday afternoon that MSU (6-6, 3-5 SEC) will take on Louisville in the annual game at 3 p.m. on Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tennessee. "The Music City Bowl is the perfect destination for our Bulldog fans and team," MSU athletic director John Cohen said in a news release. "Nashville has a strong Mississippi State alumni contingent and is a great city to enjoy. I am thrilled for our football program on earning a bowl berth every season this decade. We look forward to seeing a large amount of Maroon and White in Nashville and sending out our senior class with a positive experience." Riding a 10-year bowl streak, MSU enters the contest having won three of its final four games -- including a 21-20 win over in-state rival Ole Miss on Thanksgiving night. |
| Mississippi State lands in Music City Bowl versus Louisville | |
 | The wait is over. Mississippi State punched its ticket to the postseason with its win in the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving night. Ten days later, the Bulldogs finally learned about the details of the program's 10th-straight bowl game. Mississippi State (6-6) will take on Louisville (7-5) in the 2019 Music City Bowl. On paper, Mississippi State has the edge defensively, while Louisville has been better offensively. MSU head coach Joe Moorhead expects a good game. "This is a great opportunity for our football program against a very quality and well-coached Louisville team," Moorhead said. "I am very excited for our team to accept this bid to the Music City Bowl. We are fired up about the practices ahead. We have built a lot of momentum over the past month and want to ensure our senior class goes out the right way. We can't wait to see our Bulldog fans in Nashville to close the year." |
| Mississippi State, Louisville will play in the Music City Bowl | |
 | Mississippi State and Louisville will play in the 22nd annual Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium. It will be the second time for Louisville (7-5) and Mississippi State (6-6) to play in the Music City Bowl, which is scheduled for Dec. 30 (3 p.m., ESPN). "When we started the (new) process in 2014, the goal was to try to minimize the repeats within a three- or four-year period," Music City Bowl President and CEO Scott Ramsey said. "With this lineup with Kentucky going to the Belk (Bowl), they have not been there; Mississippi State hadn't been here since 2011; Tennessee hadn't been to the Gator since 2014. So within a five-year period (SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey) has a lineup with fresh schools in fresh cities with different matchups." Louisville, the ACC representative in the bowl, beat Texas A&M 27-21 in the 2015 Music City Bowl in front of a crowd of 50,478. Mississippi State beat Wake Forest 23-17 in the 2011 Music City Bowl in front of 55,208 fans. |
| Louisville earns Music City Bowl bid and will play Mississippi State | |
| For the second time in program history, the Louisville football team is heading to the Music City Bowl. After a surprise turnaround, the Cardinals, who won just two games a year ago, finished second in the ACC's Atlantic Division and were rewarded with a bid to the Music City Bowl. Louisville (7-5, 5-3 ACC) will face SEC opponent Mississippi State (6-6, 3-5 SEC) in the Dec. 30 game at Nissan Stadium, in Nashville, Tennessee. The game will kick off at 4 p.m. and air on ESPN. "We are really excited," Louisville coach Scott Satterfield said. "You get 15 extra practices, roughly, to work with our guys again. We are excited to get back to work." Mississippi State leads the series 3-2 overall. The two teams will meet for the second time in the last three years. Mississippi State defeated Louisville 31-27 in the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl. That was the last time Louisville played in a bowl game. It missed out on the postseason last year, for the first time since the 2009 season. |
| No. 10 Mississippi State women fall at home | |
| More than five years had passed since Mississippi State had lost a game at Humphrey Coliseum to a team outside of the SEC. That 45-game winning streak came to a surprising halt on Sunday afternoon. Boosted by a dominant rebounding performance and helped by Mississippi State's rough free throw shooting, West Virginia topped the No. 10 Bulldogs 71-65 in front of more than 7,000 fans in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Bulldogs' last nonconference loss at home came in 2014 when they dropped a game to South Florida in the semifinals of the WNIT. That was two years prior to their run to two Final Fours and consecutive SEC championships. "I thought they were the tougher team today," Bulldogs head coach Vic Schaefer said of the Mountaineers. "That is a hard-nosed, veteran team. We just got taken to the woodshed. It's a great lesson to learn." |
| Ron Polk Ring of Honor class announced | |
| The second class of the Ron Polk Ring of Honor at Dudy Noble Field was announced on Friday. Pitchers Eric DuBose (1995-97), Paul Gregory (1928-30) and Bobby Thigpen (1984-85) will officially be added to the plaques in the Adkerson Plaza in right field when Mississippi State opens SEC play at home against Arkansas on March 13-15. DuBose is the school's all-time strikeout leader with 428 and spent five seasons in the Major Leagues with the Baltimore Orioles. Thigpen was a two-way player for the Diamond Dogs and pitched for nine years in MLB and was later a bullpen coach for the Chicago White Sox. Gregory was a three-sport athlete for MSU and later a two-sport coach. Gregory was State's basketball coach from 1948-55 and baseball coach from 1957-74 and led the Bulldogs to four SEC Championships and the program's first College World Series appearance in 1971. |
| Ole Miss brings Lane Kiffin back to SEC as head coach | |
| The Lane Train is headed back to the SEC. Ole Miss confirmed Lane Kiffin has signed on to become the Rebels' next coach, shortly after he led Florida Atlantic to its second Conference USA championship in his three seasons as coach with a 49-6 win over UAB on Saturday. Kiffin, who informed FAU's team of his move following the game, recorded 10 or more wins in two seasons with the Owls and finished with a 26-13 record. Kiffin also had been a strong candidate for the coaching vacancy at Arkansas, but pivoted to Ole Miss earlier in the week, sources said. It's been a wild ride for Kiffin, known for trolling anybody and everybody on Twitter, including fans and former bosses, and for putting together high-powered and entertaining offenses on the football field. |
| Rebel fans greet Lane Kiffin, Keith Carter at University-Oxford Airport | |
| A group of more than 200 Ole Miss fans showed up at the University-Oxford Airport Sunday evening to greet the arrival of new Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin, along with athletic director Keith Carter, arrived in Oxford around 5:15 p.m. Sunday evening for the first time since being named coach. His first public interactions with Ole Miss fans included numerous "HYDR" chants and a woman literally handing Kiffin her baby for a kiss. The University plane landed, Kiffin waved and shook hands, but didn't speak much at all before getting into a black SUV and taking off. In a way, the event was a strange indication of SEC football culture. No one made the details of his flight pattern public, yet by the time his plane touched down, there were a few hundred people standing on the tarmac waiting for the arrival. Someone had invited a hundred or more people to their hangar at the airport, serving drinks and watching football, just waiting for the plane. When the greeting party decided to move from the hangar toward where Kiffin's plane would land, they simply walked down the tarmac. |
| Ole Miss makes power move with Lane Kiffin hire | |
| Less than a month into his tenure as the athletic director at Ole Miss, Keith Carter has made it clear that he's not afraid of making power moves. For years, the criticism surrounding Ole Miss has been that the Rebels don't think big enough with their hires. Matt Luke was an offensive line coach here before he got promoted to head coach. Glenn Boyce was a consultant on the search committee for Ole Miss' chancellor before he was named chancellor. Even Carter was an internal candidate for his job. But in hiring Lane Kiffin to be the next football coach at Ole Miss, Carter has shown he is willing to compete with the top competition in the SEC. By record, Kiffin hasn't consistently proven to be a top-tier coach; he has a 35-21 record as the leader of Power 5 programs. But by name, Ole Miss is making a splash. Attention follows Kiffin. |
| Ole Miss softball coach Mike Smith resigns | |
| Ole Miss head softball coach Mike Smith has resigned from his position. Ruben Felix will step in to be the interim head coach for the upcoming 2020 season, announced Sunday by athletics director Keith Carter. "We are committed to a healthy culture and overall experience for our student-athletes," said Carter. "Our primary focus is to foster success for everyone involved with our program, on and off the field, while continuing our rise as one of the premier softball programs in the nation. Coach Smith helped establish our softball program as a national contender and we wish him all the best." Smith guided the Rebels for the past five seasons and amassed an overall record of 187-112. His teams earned four NCAA Regional berths and twice advanced to Super Regionals. They captured the program's first SEC Championship in 2017. |
| Southern Miss to play Tulane in Armed Forces Bowl | |
| The Southern Miss football team will play Tulane in the Armed Forces Bowl. The game will take place at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 4 in Fort Worth, Texas. The matchup will be aired on ESPN and played at the Amon G. Carter Stadium on TCU's campus. This will be the first time Southern Miss has played in the Armed Forces Bowl. Southern Miss finished 7-5 overall and 5-3 in Conference USA. Tulane had a 6-6 overall record and was 3-5 in the American Athletic Conference. The Golden Eagles have lost their last two games of the season, while Tulane has dropped three straight games and five of its last six. This will be the first game between the two football programs since the 2010 season. |
| CBS posts their best CFB viewership in 29 years | |
| 2019 has been an incredible college football season so far for CBS. The network announced Sunday that they'd posted the best viewership numbers for their season-long coverage (to date; they still have Army-Navy next week, which will undoubtedly bring in plenty of further viewers) in 29 years, and that Saturday's SEC championship game (which saw then-No. 2 LSU beat then-No.4 Georgia 37-10) averaged 13.703 million viewers. That's the second-highest viewership total for any NCAA game this year, behind only Nov. 10's LSU-Alabama game (which also aired on CBS, and which drew 16.64 million viewers on average). Overall, this perhaps goes to further show the value of the SEC on CBS package, which the network is reportedly already trying to retain. |
| LSU secures No. 1 seed in College Football Playoff, will face Oklahoma | |
| LSU is officially the team to beat in the 2019 College Football Playoff. On Sunday, the selection committee anointed the Tigers the No. 1 seed in its playoff rankings, setting up a matchup against No. 4 Oklahoma in the national semifinals. The game will be played at 3 p.m. CT on Dec. 28 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and will be billed as the Peach Bowl. The biggest question heading into Sunday after championship Saturday was whether LSU (13-0) or Ohio State (13-0) would earn the No. 1 seed. Asked about that topic after the Tigers demolished Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game, LSU coach Ed Orgeron and quarterback Burrow both said they didn't care what seed LSU was awarded, whom it would play or where it would play. "You can take us to Canada, and we'll play on a gravel lot," Burrow said. "It doesn't matter where or who we play." |
| Music City Bowl bowl coveted the Vols but UT wound up in the Gator Bowl | |
| Tennessee's desire on whether it wanted to play in the Gator Bowl versus the Music City Bowl went back and forth in the lead-up to Sunday's bowl announcement. Rick Catlett, president and CEO of the Gator Bowl, never waffled in his preference. He wanted his bowl to land the Vols and made sure Tennessee athletics director Phillip Fulmer knew that. "I think Coach Fulmer and I started talking a couple of weeks ago, and he knew very clearly that he was No. 1 on our list, and we're so excited about having them," Catlett said Sunday after the announcement that Tennessee (7-5) will play Indiana (8-4) on Jan. 2 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Jacksonville, Florida. The Gator Bowl entered the weekend as the front-runner to land Tennessee, but the selection didn't come without some drama. The SEC's bowl assignment process isn't cut and dried. |
| Arkansas chooses Sam Pittman as new football coach | |
| The University of Arkansas football program's slide to the bottom of the SEC began around the time that offensive line coach Sam Pittman left for Georgia after the 2015 regular season to take the same position with the Bulldogs. Now Pittman is coming back to Arkansas, trying to restore to relevancy a Razorbacks program that has lost 19 consecutive conference games. Pittman, 58, was announced as the Razorbacks' new coach on Sunday. His last game at Georgia was a 37-10 loss to LSU on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game. Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek announced the hiring on his Twitter account and included video of him and Pittman holding a Razorback helmet. "Hey, Coach Pittman, you got something to say?" Yurachek said. "Yeah, I do," Pittman replied. "Go Hogs." Then Yurachek and Pittman shared a drawn-out "Yeeeesss sir!" yell. |
| Take a Drink: Eliah Drinkwitz agrees to become Mizzou football coach | |
 | After winning the Sun Belt Conference championship as the head coach of No. 21 Appalachian State, Eliah Drinkwitz is Columbia-bound. Multiple sources confirmed Sunday that Drinkwitz has reached an agreement to become the next head football coach at Missouri after one season at the helm of the Mountaineers, pending approval from the UM Board of Curators. Nothing was signed as of press time Sunday night, but paperwork is expected to be finalized Monday morning and the move publicly announced soon after, with an official introduction anticipated mid-week. Curators Darryl Chatman, David Steelman and Jeff Layman were in North Carolina on Sunday meeting with Drinkwitz to seal the deal, a source close to the negotiations said. Drinkwitz, 36, a Norman, Oklahoma, native, is in the first year of a five-year contract with the Mountaineers that pays him $750,000 annually. His buyout is about $1.7 million. |
| Nearly $1.5M in beer sold at Neyland Stadium this season, arrests & ejections down | |
| With the first season of selling alcohol at Neyland Stadium behind them, University of Tennessee officials said overall, it went very well. After a change in state law and SEC policy, UT started selling beer in general concourses during the second game of the season, against BYU on Sept. 7. $1.46 million dollars worth of beer was sold at Neyland Stadium this season. The profits will be split by UT Athletics and the vendor, Aramark. UT sold an average of more than 18-thousand beers during each game, but according to Reid Sigmon, Deputy Athletic Director, ejections and arrests actually went down. "We think people may not have had the same urgency to drink outside the stadium since they knew it was available in the stadium," Sigmon said. |
| 'It's going to take us more than one day': What it's like to clean up Toomer's Corner after an Iron Bowl win | |
| The kick is up. It tails left, and -- doink -- bangs off the upright. Fans in downtown bars jump and yell and high five each other. Auburn has the ball. Now it's fourth down: illegal substitution, Alabama. Doors downtown burst open like a broken-down dam and fans stream onto the street toward Toomer's Corner. Auburn is in victory formation. The ball is snapped to Nix, and he takes a knee. One fan looks up at the towering oaks, and the first roll of toilet paper is thrown. This was the scene Saturday night in downtown Auburn. Thousands of other fans would heave rolls of toilet paper until early the next morning, maybe more than any other time this season. And Sunday morning, someone had to clean it up. "It's going to take us more than one day to get [all the toilet paper]," said Nevous Gibbs, district manager for Diversified Maintenance, on Sunday afternoon, looking around at all the paper that still had to be picked up. |
| Mike Norvell leaves for Florida State; Memphis football begins search for new coach | |
| Mike Norvell, who guided Memphis football to unparalleled success in his four seasons as coach, has left to become Florida State's next coach. Memphis offensive line coach Ryan Silverfield, Norvell's longest-tenured assistant, was named interim head coach. But athletic director Laird Veatch left the door open for Norvell to coach the No. 15 Tigers in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 28 against No. 12 Penn State. The challenge now begins for Veatch in his first major coaching search since taking over two months ago. Veatch said Sunday that he would like to move quickly on finding a permanent head coach but he did not announce a time frame. "Urgency is important at this time of year but in the end, it can't be sacrificed for making the right decision," Veatch said. Veatch said that he will lead the search process without hiring a search firm. He plans to work with internal and external advisers while wanting to be aligned with the vision established by Memphis president M. David Rudd. |
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