| Tuesday, August 21, 2018 |
| Saving the brain with a new nerve agent antidote | |
 | Jan Chambers, Giles Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Center for Environmental Health Sciences at Mississippi State, writes for The Conversation: Terror on a Tokyo subway, 1995; attacks on Syrian civilians, 2013 and 2017; assassinations in an airport in Kuala Lumpur, 2017; attempted assassination in London, 2018. Tremors, foaming at the mouth, seizures, respiratory shutdown, sometimes death. What do these events have in common? Poisoning via a nerve agent -- a chemical warfare substance that disrupts communication between the nervous system and muscles and organs. ...For the past eight years, my team has been developing antidotes that improve survival rates after nerve agent exposure, and we've shown the potential of our new molecules to enter the brain in tests with animals. |
| Mississippi State student to begin study at Armstrong Middle School | |
 | Two classrooms at Armstrong Middle School will soon be involved in a Mississippi State University graduate student's study. At its meeting Tuesday, Aug. 14, the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved the study presented at the meeting by Katie Spring, a Starkville native and graduate student in exercise psychology. The 14-week study will involve putting elastic bands under desks where students could move them with their feet, or rest their feet on them. One of the classrooms would be used to measure the activity of students at their seats, with students wearing devices around their ankles to measure motion, and results with and without the bands being compared. The bands will be in the classroom for half of the study and absent for the other half. The other classroom would be used to gauge focus of students with and without the bands. Spring will carry out the study under MSU assistant professor of kinesiology Megan Holmes. |
| Future weed scientists test skills | |
 | Agricenter International in Memphis, Tenn., recently hosted the Southern Weed Science Society's 2018 Southern Weed Contest. The event is held to provide an educational experience where undergraduate and graduate students attending Southern universities can broaden their applied weed science skills. Darrin Dodds, Extension and research professor, Mississippi State University, is the 2018 chairman of the Southern Weed Science Society Contest Committee from Mississippi. "Any undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled and pursuing a B.S., M.S, or Ph.D. degree was eligible to participate in this event," explains Dodds. "Mississippi State University submitted two teams and four alternates for the contest this year." |
| Starkville plans to widen Lynn Lane intersections | |
 | The city of Starkville is preparing for work at two intersections along Lynn Lane to help with traffic flow along the road. City Engineer Edward Kemp, in a presentation during a Friday afternoon work session, said preparations are underway to widen Lynn Lane at its intersection with Industrial Park Road and at the intersection with Logan Drive at the Starkville Sportsplex's entrance. Kemp said the projects are being funded under the $7.5 million bond issue aldermen approved last fall for road, sidewalk, drainage and traffic control improvements. Kemp told the Dispatch after the meeting both projects are estimated to cost about $600,000, combined. Work is currently planned to begin later in the fall and to finish in the winter. |
| New EMS district stirs debate among officials | |
| Amid controversy over Starkville's new Emergency Medical Services District, members from Pafford EMS came before the Board of Supervisors Monday night. During the meeting, Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Director Kristen Campanella introduced Pafford EMS Operations Director Freddie Parker and Pafford EMS Oktibbeha County Manager Tony Fabela to the board. "As you know, the city assigned an EMS district back in June, and they chose Pafford EMS as their service provider," Campanella said. "So I asked if they could come to y'all and introduce themselves as a courtesy." Mayor Lynn Spruill and Starkville's Board of Aldermen chose Pafford as the Starkville's EMS provider in May, establishing the city's first EMS district zone. Previously, Starkville used OCH Regional Medical Center as its city and county provider. |
| MDA's Glenn McCullough touts state's economic success | |
 | Mississippi's economy is strong and still has room to grow, said Glenn McCullough Jr., the executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority. The Tupelo native and former mayor, who also was chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority, spoke to the Rotary Club on Monday. The state's unemployment rate is near historic lows, but businesses are still needing qualified people to apply for the tens of thousands of jobs available statewide. As a whole, the state's economy is sound, McCullough said. Last year, the state exported goods worth $11.2 billion, helping to increase the gross domestic product, or GDP, to $95.2 billion. And there's room to grow, he added. |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves signals deal likely on road money | |
 | Mississippi's lieutenant governor said Monday that he's ready to accept most transportation funding proposals championed by leaders of the state House. That makes an agreement more likely during a special session that Gov. Phil Bryant has said he wants to begin on Thursday. Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said there's "general agreement" that any package of legislation should include transferring some taxes on internet sales to cities and counties. He's also ready to use money from sports betting and creating a state lottery to increase spending on the state Department of Transportation. Reeves, who leads the Senate, also said lawmakers are also likely to borrow up to $300 million. |
| Special session might include funds for Mississippi Hardware, port study | |
| When the Legislature goes into special session Thursday, city officials will be seeking money for two projects in Vicksburg. Gov. Phil Bryant called the special session Friday to deal with transportation funding and possibly other capital improvements. Bryant, however, has provided few details about the session's agenda. "We've been in contact with the leaders of the state and to our local delegation, and we'll see how that goes," Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said at a meeting of the Board Mayor and Aldermen Monday. "It's never over till it's over in the Legislature." Flaggs said after the meeting the board is seeking money for the Mississippi Hardware building renovation project and $2 million for a feasibility study for a proposed new Mississippi River port at Vicksburg. |
| $200 million transportation plan emerges, but work remains on the details | |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves indicated Monday there is general agreement between the House and Senate leaders to provide about $200 million annually for the state's infrastructure needs during a special session that Gov. Phil Bryant is expected to call to begin on Thursday. When told that Reeves, who presides over the Senate, said there is a deal, House Speaker Philip Gunn, said, "That is my hope. We passed our bill last January ... That is the bill we are going to pass this Thursday." Bryant, a second term Republican, has yet to issue the official call for the special session, but Monday morning Reeves said he expects it to include enacting a lottery and diverting a portion of use tax revenue from education and other programs to transportation. Use tax is the 7 percent tax levied on retail items purchased out of state. |
| It's prosecutor vs. 'Big Country' in 3rd Congressional District race | |
| The major-party nominees in Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District present sharp contrasts in style, even if their ideological differences are fuzzier. Republican Michael Guest and Democrat Michael Ted Evans both say they oppose abortion and support gun rights and border security. Neither sounds likely to hang out with the House Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi. Guest is in his third term as district attorney for the Jackson suburbs of Madison and Rankin counties, which are the biggest population hub of the district that stretches from Natchez up to Starkville. Evans is a second-term state House member from the Preston community in Kemper County. |
| Sen. Chris McDaniel Blasts 'Snowflake Stalkers' After Lee Poll Backfires | |
| Mississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel derided critics as "snowflake stalkers" Sunday after his tweet about Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and a follow-up poll went awry. Last Wednesday, the Republican who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith posted a screenshot of a tweet he sent in 2017 referring to Lee as "a man of unimpeachable integrity." "And yet to the historically illiterate left, a man who opposed both slavery and secession has come to symbolize both slavery and secession," the screenshot concluded. Lee, a slave holder, expressed a desire for the country to stay together before the Civil War, but ultimately followed his home state of Virginia in seceding and served as the commander of the Confederate Army. McDaniel drew rebukes from historians around the nation for the tweet. |
| Cybersecurity: States ramp up election protections ahead of midterms with $380 million in federal funds | |
 | With three months until the midterms, states are spending an infusion of federal money to hire experts, add layers of security and adopt paper trails to thwart cyberthreats to their election systems. "There is no going back to the way things were," said Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, co-chair of the Elections Committee at the National Association of Secretaries of States. "We have to constantly be wary and face the facts that our elections are under threat at an international level. We have to safeguard our democracy." The federal Election Assistance Commission will release a report Tuesday highlighting what states and territories plan to do with the $380 million Congress approved earlier this year to help them protect against cyberthreats. USA TODAY got an advance copy of the report. |
| Microsoft ties fake websites to Russian hackers ahead of midterm election | |
 | A group affiliated with the Russian government created phony versions of five websites -- including some related to public policy and to the U.S. Senate -- with the apparent goal of hacking into the computers of people who were tricked into visiting, according to Microsoft, which said Monday night that it discovered and disabled the fake sites. The effort by the notorious APT28 hacking group, which has been publicly linked to a Russian intelligence agency and actively interfered in the 2016 presidential election, underscores the aggressive role Russian operatives are playing ahead of the midterm congressional elections in the United States. U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that the November vote is a major focus for interference efforts. Microsoft said the sites were created over the past several months but did not go into more specifics. |
| Opening convocation held at The W | |
 | The students have moved in, now faculty and staff at Mississippi University for Women are getting ready for the fall semester. The university held its opening convocation Monday morning for staff members. They got a warm welcome from school administrators and received updates for the coming semester. The faculty senate also welcomed new members to campus. Classes at The W start Thursday. |
| Pine Belt superintendents take realistic view of state underfunding: 'Every little dime's a good thing' | |
 | Superintendent Brian Freeman is taking an optimistic view of Forrest County School District's budget this fiscal year. His outlook is positive even though the district was underfunded by the state by $1.2 million. This isn't the first year Freeman's district has been underfunded. Over the past 10 years, Forrest County School District has lost out on $11.5 million from the state pool known as the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. Even so, the district's $25.9 million budget is a 9.7 percent increase over last year, and that's in part due to what Freeman said is a slight rise in money from state, federal and local governments. "Every little dime's a good thing," he said. |
| How Do You Get Better Schools? Take the State to Court, More Advocates Say | |
 | A Minnesota case is part of a wave of lawsuits over the quality of schools in more than a half-dozen states. The suits could serve as road maps for advocates in other states amid a nationwide teachers' movement and a push in some state legislatures for more school funding. The legal complaints have different areas of focus -- from school funding to segregation to literacy -- but all of them argue that the states are violating their constitutions by denying children a quality education. Such lawsuits were filed in past decades, but the recent cases show a renewed energy for using the courts to fight for better education, and they may signal an end to a period when many courts, after the last recession, seemed unwilling to require states to spend more money on schools. |
| U. of Alabama students hope to start 'ripple' through community service projects | |
 | While classes at the University of Alabama start Wednesday, hundreds of students began early by doing work in the Tuscaloosa community. On Monday, 440 students took part in different Ripple Effect programs across Tuscaloosa County as part of the university's Center for Service and Leadership. The program, which has been held the Monday before classes start every year for the last 22 years, is designed to allow students to participate in different organizations in the community. "I think it was a great day to start a ripple," said Courtney Thomas, the center's director. "We want them to have their first exposure in the community that will hopefully continue on." |
| LSU expects freshman class to be largest ever | |
 | When all the counts are finalized LSU expects the classes that began Monday will include the largest number of freshmen ever. Preliminary numbers show that LSU is expecting at least 5,800 new freshmen to campus this year, which would break the previous record of 5,725 new freshmen enrolled in 2012. "This is the most academically successful and diverse group of students we've ever brought in," LSU President F. King Alexander said in a press release. "This great freshman class is thanks to the hard work put in by our enrollment management team, along with our college deans, counselors, faculty and staff that all ensured these students knew about the number of opportunities available at LSU." The freshman class had an average grade point average of 3.64 in high school, which is up from last year's mark at this time of a 3.56. The class average ACT also holds steady in comparison to previous classes at about a 26 composite score out of 36. |
| Prosecutors want cellphone passcode of Lafayette man in fatal LSU hazing case | |
| In the latest legal skirmish over password-protected smartphones, prosecutors are asking a Baton Rouge judge to order a former LSU student accused of hazing in the September alcohol-related death of freshman fraternity pledge Max Gruver to turn over his cellphone passcode to them. Sean-Paul Gott's cellphone was seized in November pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant, but investigators have been unable to gain access to its contents because the phone is protected by a passcode. East Baton Rouge Parish Assistant District Attorney Morgan Johnson wrote in a motion filed Friday that Gott was asked Aug. 13 in open court to provide the passcode, but he refused. Johnson's motion asks state District Judge Beau Higginbotham to compel Gott to hand over the passcode to prosecutors. |
| LSU faculty, staff to get 3 percent pay raise for 2018-19 school year | |
 | Louisiana State University is giving its faculty and staff another 3 percent pay raise a year after the flagship school provided a pay increase to each department last September, according to a campus email released Friday by LSU President F. King Alexander. Alexander told LSU the raises for eligible faculty and staff will be effective Sept. 1 for hourly employees. Employees paid on an academic year basis will receive their raise Sept. 15. Classified employees were previously given a market pay adjustment July 15, according to the email. "A successful end to the turbulent and extended legislative sessions of 2018, as well as a robust enrollment picture for 2018-19 and additional student investments, have helped make this a reality," Alexander stated in his email. |
| Dan Silk brings experience to new job as UGA police chief | |
 | Dan Silk recently concluded his first month as chief of the University of Georgia Police Department, taking over for the former longtime chief Jimmy Williamson who retired June 30. Williamson was police chief for 14 years and Silk was chosen as his replacement following a national search by UGA. As with any new job, the first weeks were hectic but they held nothing unexpected for Silk who in his 24-year career as a law enforcement officer held diverse positions here and abroad that prepared him to lead a police force. "I'm just overjoyed that I get to apply my experiences here," Silk said. "There is nowhere else I want to be, and I am honored that I was chosen for this new responsibility." The 45-year-old native of Little Rock, Arkansas, began his law enforcement career in 1994 while an undergraduate at UGA. He graduated in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in religion and remained at the university to earn a master's degree in Islamic studies. He subsequently earned a doctorate in philosophy. |
| U. of Arkansas Engineering Professor Gets $3.4M Grant Electric Grid Research | |
 | Yue Zhao, assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Arkansas, has received $3.4 million to advance power electronics research on the nation's electric grid. The award includes about $2.8 million from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office and nearly $714,000 in matching funds from university and industry partners. UA said the money will enable Zhao's team "to continue developing a high-density, 300-kilowatt, silicon-carbide solar inverter, a critical power electronic device to link solar power arrays to the national power grid." Zhao's team is developing the solar inverter at the UA's National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission, 6-megawatt power electronics testing facility at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park in Fayetteville. |
| U. of Arkansas student rape report is probed | |
| An 18-year-old University of Arkansas student told police she was raped last week by another student in a residence hall on the Fayetteville campus, UA police Capt. Gary Crain said. Crain said the student told police Thursday that she had been raped by a male acquaintance -- also 18, he said -- early Thursday in Humphreys Hall. Police are investigating the report, Crain said. "The completed investigation will be submitted to the prosecuting attorney's office for review," Crain said. The reported rape has also been referred to the university's Title IX office, which reviews campus reports of sexual violence and sexual harassment. |
| On-campus population stays steady at U. of Florida | |
 | Thousands of students descend upon Gainesville this week as fall classes at the University of Florida begin Wednesday. The entire UF student population has grown by at least 1,000 since 2014 as the university bolsters programs like UF Online and PACE, which brings students on campus after they've completed 60 credit hours online. But UF administrators are hoping to keep the residential population, those who take classes on campus in Gainesville, steady. "We intend to hold the undergraduate population on campus to be constant," Provost Joe Glover said. "Our goal is to hold the resident population constant at about 52,000." In 2012 and 2013, there were 50,100 students on the residential campus. In 2014, that number dropped to 49,600 before growing to 50,900 in 2015, 52,600 in 2016 and 53,000 in 2017. |
| Students descend on Texas A&M campus to move, settle in for new semester | |
 | An estimated 5,000 Texas A&M students -- many of them members of the incoming freshman class of 2022 -- said a mixture of howdys and goodbyes Sunday during A&M's largest move-in day of the year. With the help of parents, siblings, grandparents, friends and more, students lugged into campus dorms clothes, accessories, electronics, refrigerators and other items in preparation for the start of the 2018-2019 school year. A&M President Michael K. Young joined about 400 volunteers and other Aggie employees on campus to assist students. Young handed out water bottles and 12th Man towels and took photos with employees and students. The hundreds of volunteers, which included current upperclassmen, graduate students and Bryan-College Station community members, wore pink shirts that read "Move In Assistance Day: Welcome to the Aggie Family. |
| A&M President Michael K. Young releases Title IX policy changes based on review reports | |
| Texas A&M released a list of immediate actions the university is implementing toward its Title IX investigations, headlined by a standardized matrix of sanctions for those found responsible for Title IX offenses, university President Michael K. Young announced Monday. Students accused of Title IX offenses who are involved in extracurricular activities, including athletics, will have interim restrictions such as suspensions during the investigation process, decided by Dean of Student Life Ann Reber, and not coaches or advisers. A student's eligibility to return to an extracurricular group will be determined at the conclusion of the investigation findings. |
| A&M vs. Tech: Two Texas universities compete to add veterinary programs | |
 | Texas needs more large-animal veterinarians. The state is home to over 12 million cattle with fewer than 200 veterinarians to tend to them. Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University have both stepped up, announcing plans to expand existing or develop new veterinary programs in Amarillo, a city in the northwestern part of Texas referred to as the Panhandle. Both universities have trumpeted their commitment to the agriculture industry, but any well-intentioned effort to help Texas farmers has been colored by a political showdown between the two universities. The veterinary arms race began in 2009, when the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board released a report that encouraged Texas A&M to expand enrollment at its highly competitive veterinary school to address the statewide shortage of veterinarians who tend to cattle, pigs, sheep, horses and other large animals. |
| U. of Missouri freshmen numbers show expected increase | |
 | A surge in freshman enrollment at the University of Missouri was not enough to prevent the Columbia campus from posting its lowest total in more than 10 years. Classes began Monday at the university with 4,696 first-time college students, 13.1 percent more than on the first day of 2017, according to an MU news release. That is 544 more than on opening day of 2017 but still almost 2,000 below the record of 6,515 first-time students in 2014. The enrollment matches projections made in May, when MU officials predicted new freshman enrollment at 4,700. Overall, first day enrollment was 29,443, or about 1,100 fewer than on opening day last year. Despite the decline, the increase in new freshmen is a sign that MU is poised to put its past enrollment troubles, which began after protests toppled the top system and campus administrators in 2015. |
| Mindset List reminds you what the new students have and have never experienced | |
| It's the time of year when many campus officials (at least those working with traditional-age students) think about what the new students have experienced or not. And for many educators, it's a time to feel old and worry about the potential for being out of touch. Kieran Healy, associate professor of sociology at Duke University, had many academics on Twitter talking about his list of "things that are older than students starting this fall." And then there is the official Mindset List, released by Beloit College every year. The list will be leaving Beloit after this year for a yet-to-be-determined home. You can find past lists and information about the project here. Here are this year's items, about members of the Class of 2022. |
| Protesters tear down Confederate statue at UNC Chapel Hill | |
| Protesters Monday night toppled Silent Sam, the Confederate statue at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Press accounts in North Carolina said that the protesters used ropes to pull down the statue after first covering it with banners, one of which said that it was time for "a world without white supremacy." When the statue fell, people cheered. Video posted by The News & Observer shows the scene as the statue was pulled down and protesters celebrated: The action came after years of debate. As many other colleges and universities removed Confederate statues and symbols, UNC officials said that they lacked the power to remove the statue, with the campus deferring to the system, and the system board last month saying that any decision needed to come from a state agency, and that the system had no plans to ask that agency to act. |
| West Virginia U. warns students, parents about rogue fraternities | |
| Threats by four West Virginia University fraternities to separate from the institution and operate independently have prompted President E. Gordon Gee to publicly urge students and parents to avoid the chapters. The schism between university officials and the fraternities -- Alpha Sigma Phi, Phi Sigma Kappa, Kappa Alpha and Sigma Chi -- became apparent earlier this month, following the announcement of stricter new rules around Greek life. Most significantly, Gee deferred the first-year student rush process until the spring semester. Sigma Chi officers sent a letter to officials on Aug. 10, informing the university of their plan to "disassociate." Shortly thereafter, the other three chapters followed suit with letters of their own. Gee, one of the country's most prominent and seasoned university presidents, emailed parents on Sunday informing them about the fraternities' intentions. |
| Georgia Tech President Bud Peterson scolded over ethical lapses | |
| Georgia Tech President G.P. "Bud" Peterson accepted blame Monday for what his boss described as "lax management and unethical behavior" by several former top officials at the institute, and vowed, "I'm going to fix this." Peterson, in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, discussed the plans to fix and monitor the flaws and lapses that allowed four high-ranking administrators to do things such as get a school vendor to pay for a football suite they used largely for friends and family. Peterson said he felt "disappointment and anger and embarrassment" about the scandal. "I need to play a stronger role in ensuring that Georgia Tech is fully compliant with the policies and procedures of the institute, its University System and the state of Georgia," said Peterson, his first comments to a news outlet since the revelations broke in July. |
| Critics warn that well-meaning reforms may be lowering the quality of college | |
| At a time when parents, politicians and universities all want more students to go to college and graduate on time, the idea of letting them take college courses while in high school seems a great solution. Dual-credit or dual-enrollment programs let high school students earn college credit, get them used to college-level work, give them a head start toward degrees and save them money on courses they won't need to pay for later. In Ohio, however, lawmakers were surprised to learn that high school kids were earning college credits, at taxpayer expense, by taking gym. That and other loopholes have been closed this summer in response to legislation in Ohio that restricted who can sign up for dual enrollment there and what courses count toward college. But it's among the ways critics warn some well-meaning reforms designed to solve the many challenges in higher education are threatening to water down its quality or benefiting students who don't need help. |
| Trump didn't invent 'public enemy' media label | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: Media folk are rankled because the President of the United States identifies us as "enemies of the American people." In the words of Charlie Brown, "Good grief." Let's get over ourselves. While Donald Trump's descriptions are incessant at least they are inarticulate. "Very dishonest people" is the best Trump can do. Back in his day, Thomas Jefferson was vivid. "I deplore," Jefferson wrote 204 years ago, "the putrid state into which our newspapers have passed and the malignity, the vulgarity and mendacious spirit of those who write for them." Now, that's how to insult a profession. |
SPORTS
| Templeton Athletic Academic Center atrium gets facelift | |
| Student-athletes of Mississippi State will not only benefit from the academic resources of the Templeton Athletic Academic Center in the future, but they will also gain knowledge of the sports history of the Bulldogs. A renovation of the center's atrium has just been completed with an updated modern design and new graphics. "This is one of the great showpieces of our athletic department," MSU Athletic Director John Cohen told the Starkville Rotary Club on Monday. "Every student-athlete when they are on a recruiting visit by NCAA rules has to enter this building and meet with somebody from academics. It's very important when they enter this area that it tells the story of our Mississippi State athletics." |
| Mississippi State's Joe Moorhead likes what he sees in '15-round heavyweight bout' | |
| The Mississippi State football team scrimmaged for the second time during fall training camp Saturday night at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex. Described by head coach Joe Moorhead as a "15-round heavyweight bout," the scrimmage featured plenty of back-and-forth action between the offense and the defense, with each unit having its moments. Special teams worked on all four phases. Moorhead was pleased with his squad's second scrimmage, saying it was consistent and representative of what the preseason camp has been like as a whole. "We got a ton of work done, so I was very pleased," Moorhead said. "It was exactly where we needed to be. Was the precision there? No, but another positive step in the right direction." |
| Bulldogs ranked 18th in preseason AP Poll | |
| Mississippi State arrived at No. 18 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 released on Monday morning. The Bulldogs also ranked 18th in the USA Today preseason coaches' poll released earlier this month. MSU was the fourth-highest rated team from the Southeastern Conference trailing No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia and No. 9 Auburn. LSU was the only other SEC school ranked at 24th. Alabama received 42 first place votes while No. 2 Clemson received 18. |
| Mississippi State's Baker, Shoop have a 'great problem' on their hands | |
 | Brian Baker has a problem. But don't push the panic button, Mississippi State fans. The defensive line coach said it's a "great problem to have." Baker has a plethora of defensive linemen who could make major impacts at just about every university across the nation, but he only has four places he can put them on a football field. Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said Monday he's very conscious of the dilemma. Shoop has a hardline approach to dealing with it. He said not everyone is going to be happy with the distribution of snaps week to week. He had a similar conundrum in 2015 at Penn State: a lot of bodies, four spots to stick them. That defense went on to lead the country in sacks per game. "I think we have a good idea how to utilize the tools that we have," Shoop said. |
| Mississippi State's Khristian Carr stays strong, keeps believing | |
| Penn State was the school that was often on the mind of Khristian Carr when she was a volleyball standout at Starkville High School. Carr dreamed of taking her emerging talents to Penn State, which at the time was and remains one of the nation's top volleyball programs. "It really excited me," Carr said. "I was really interested and I believed I could do it. I believed I could be looked at by them, as well as other schools." As Carr moved closer to college, volleyball remained a priority and her focus shifted. Carr admitted she initially thought she wanted to leave home and go to school somewhere else, but she eventually realized as a junior and as a senior at Starkville High that Mississippi State was a good fit. "I think it was so good as a younger person to have those expectations, to think so big," Carr said. "I think that is really good and everyone should have that same type of mind-set and goal." Looking back, Carr can smile at the road she has traveled to get to her senior year at MSU. |
| MaKayla Waldner leads Mississippi State on her birthday | |
| MaKayla Waldner likes playing on her birthday. For the third-straight year, Waldner scored on her birthday weekend. This time, the junior forward had two goals Sunday to lead the Mississippi State women's soccer team to a 3-0 win at Stephen F. Austin. Waldner first found the net 56 seconds into the match. After senior Brooke McKee's header attempt went off the crossbar, Waldner volleyed the rebound into the back of the net. The goal was the 10th-fastest in program history and would prove to be the seventh game-winner of her career. She is one game-winning goal shy of the school record. |
| South Carolina football adapts to Beyonce and Jay-Z concert | The State | |
 | The past few days, things have been a little scrambled for the South Carolina football team. That will happen when two of the biggest pop stars on the planet take over the home field. The team is closing in on Tuesday's Beyonce and Jay-Z concert at Williams-Brice. It might mean a new field. It's moved practice locations, changed the team's photo day. And Will Muschamp likes it. "This is a huge win for us," Muschamp said. He and his wife will be in attendance on Tuesday night, 11 days before the Gamecocks kick off their season against Coastal Carolina. It's been in the works for a while, and Muschamp was approached early. "Coach Tanner called me, maybe a year ago, a year and half ago," Muschamp said. "Brought up the idea. and I was all for it. I think it's great for our players, I think it's great for Columbia, great for the University of South Carolina." |
| Colleges Mull Pushing for Share of Legal Wagering Proceeds | |
| College athletic departments are hoping to get a piece of the action as sports gambling expands across the United States. A U.S. Supreme Court decision in May allowed states to join Nevada in having legalized sports betting. Since then, sports books have opened in Delaware, Mississippi and New Jersey. A West Virginia casino is set to take bets within two weeks, with other states not far behind. Schools in states where legal wagering has started or soon will are considering joining professional sports leagues in pursuing legislation requiring sports book operators to pay them a cut of the amount wagered on their games. |
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