Wednesday, October 17, 2018   
 
Community Garden to rely on Mississippi State staff, students and 'farmbots'
Mississippi State University kicked off Green Week on Monday with a grand opening of its community garden. The garden, located off Stone Boulevard behind the MAFES sales store and the Newell-Grissom Building, is home to 19 large planters and eight accessible planters. University students, faculty and staff can use the garden to grow produce, and all of the beds have been reserved for the garden's first season. Two of the beds boast robotic "Farmbot" caretakers that are operated by the Students for a Sustainable Campus organization. The farmbots, which water plants in five-foot by 10-foot beds, can be operated remotely from a computer or phone app. MSU President Mark Keenum recalled growing up in a family that grew a garden every year. He said that taught him lessons that he's carried through to today, including to respect the -- literal -- fruits of the earth. "Things like this are going to make a difference, in small ways, but every little bit helps to address challenges we all are facing in the future," Keenum said. "...This is something that's really a showpiece for us and something for us all to take great pride in."
 
Mississippi State's NSPARC to help fight opioid epidemic
Mississippi State University's National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center, NSPARC, will be receiving a $200,000 grant to help fight against the opioid crisis. The grant is coming from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration, HRSA, and will be used to help NSPARC compile and analyze data in efforts to prevent opioid abuse, treat addiction, and help law enforcement combat this crisis across the state. The project will serve 67 HRSA-designated rural counties in Mississippi and two counties that contain eligible census tracts. "The data we collect, align, and analyze will play a significant role in responding to the opioid crisis in Mississippi," said Domenico "Mimmo" Parisi, executive director of NSPARC.
 
Starkville approves Pleasant Acres bid
The city of Starkville is gearing up to begin work on a major infrastructure project in the Pleasant Acres neighborhood after aldermen accepted a bid on the project during Tuesday's board meeting. The board accepted a bid for about $980,188 from Louisville-based 4-D Construction. The item was approved as part of Tuesday's consent agenda, which means it was accepted at the beginning of the meeting without an individual vote with a range of other items. The Pleasant Acres project is the first of several Starkville is planning to repair aging water and sewage infrastructure in neighborhoods throughout the city. The first three neighborhoods the city has selected, in order of greatest need based on the volume of repair calls, are Pleasant Acres, Green Oaks and Rolling Hills.
 
Oktibbeha County to pave all of Longview Road
Oktibbeha County will soon pave Longview Road in its entirety, thanks to permission the county received from the Office of State Aid to expand the scope of the planned project. County Engineer Clyde Pritchard told supervisors during Monday's meeting that an engineer with the Office of State Aid Road Construction has reclassified the road, which will allow the county to stretch its $1.8 million for the project into paving the full road, rather than just a portion at each end. "They reclassified the road to what they call a 3R design, which relaxes some of the design requirements," Pritchard said. "That lets us extend our dollars further so that we can do the entire 3.77 miles." Prior to Monday's meeting, the county's plan to partially pave the road, which connects highways 12 and 25, included about two total miles, working in from each end with an unpaved stretch remaining in the center.
 
An Oktoc tradition: Brunswick stew is just one highlight of this day in the country
Today most of us take "instant access" for granted -- to people, places and information. There was a time, however, when those living in rural areas were more secluded, when poor roads and slow transportation kept families closer to the homestead. ...for the past 48 years, the Community Club and Oktoc Garden Club, which was formed in 1923, have hosted the Oktoc Country Store -- an autumn day in the country, with a bake sale, silent auction, quilt raffle, kids' games and a Brunswick stew. This year's event was Saturday. Jason Honnoll chairs the team that makes the stew annually. Honnoll grew up in Columbus and married into the Oktoc community in 2006 when he wed Courtney Kennard. "The stew begins with 85 pounds of venison," said Honnoll, explaining that he's the "woods-to-table guy." The venison is from his freezer, harvested during the last hunting season for the purpose. One person on hand to enjoy the stew was one of, if not the, oldest Community Club member, 100-year-old Boswell Kennard. He's Courtney Kennard Honnoll's grandfather. They weren't the only multi-generational family Saturday, by any means. There are often third, fourth, fifth and even sixth generations of Oktoc families represented.
 
Tornadoes Are Spinning Up Farther East in US, Study Finds
Over the past few decades tornadoes have been shifting -- decreasing in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas but spinning up more in states along the Mississippi River and farther east, a new study shows. Scientists aren't quite certain why. Tornado activity is increasing most in Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa and parts of Ohio and Michigan, according to a study in Wednesday's journal Climate and Atmospheric Science. There has been a slight decrease in the Great Plains, with the biggest drop in central and eastern Texas. Even with the decline, Texas still gets the most tornadoes of any state. The study looked at changes since 1979. Everywhere east of the Mississippi, except the west coast of Florida, is seeing some increase in tornado activity. The biggest increase occurred in states bordering the Mississippi River.
 
Mississippi's hybrid, electric car tax a 'mistake,' says Republican lawmaker
A Mississippi lawmaker announced Monday he's drafting a bill to repeal the state's new hybrid and electric car tax. Sen. Billy Hudson, R-Hattiesburg, who voted for House Bill 1, is now calling the tax "a mistake." HB 1, also known as the Mississippi Infrastructure Modernization Act, passed the Senate 48-3 during the special session in August. Mississippians who drive a hybrid vehicle will pay a $75 tax when they register their car or renew their car tag while electric car owners will pay $150. All monies will go to the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Approximately 15,000 Mississippians are impacted, with 1,000 of those driving electric vehicles. "I hardly looked at it, it was a big, big bill. I'm not making excuses, I messed up. I should have seen this," said Hudson, who earlier this month said he wouldn't be seeking reelection following the next legislation session.
 
GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Democrat Mike Espy each top $1M in 3 months
A Republican appointed to the U.S. Senate in Mississippi and one of her Democratic challengers both report raising more than $1 million from July through September. Under Monday's campaign finance reporting deadline, Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith said she collected just over $1 million during the three months and Democrat Mike Espy said he raised nearly $1.2 million. "If anyone doubts that an African-American can win in Mississippi, that a Democrat can win in Mississippi, then they need to look at these fundraising numbers," Espy campaign manager Oleta Fitzgerald said in a news release Monday. Hyde-Smith received a fundraising boost when President Donald Trump endorsed her on Twitter in August and spoke for her at a rally this month in northern Mississippi's DeSoto County, said her campaign spokeswoman, Melissa Scallan.
 
Cindy Hyde-Smith: Bus tour 'more beneficial' than debate against Chris McDaniel, Mike Espy
Despite mounting pressure to debate her opponents before Election Day, Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith believes there is a better way to get up close and personal with voters. "We are doing a bus tour ... through the state. We're taking our message to (voters) and they can come ask me any question that they want to ask me. I just think that's more beneficial (than debating)," Hyde-Smith told Mississippi Today when asked about the possibility of a debate on Tuesday. Although her two main rivals in the Nov. 6 special election -- state Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, and former Democratic Congressman Mike Espy -- have both said they would be willing to debate her at a moment's notice, Hyde-Smith has never committed to participating in one, citing a busy Capitol Hill schedule.
 
Public Service Commission Summit Seeks to Advance Hiring More African Americans
Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Cecil Brown is spearheading an effort to attract African American students to careers with utility companies. "We've got accountants, we've got lawyers, we've human resource people, we've people who drive forklifts, we've got diesel mechanics. All those jobs are available in industry but kids don't know about that," said Brown. Some 200 people are in Jackson, for a summit to focus on outreach. Representatives are here from the U.S. Department of Energy, utility companies such as Atmos Energy and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Brown says African Americans make-up 40 percent of Mississippi's population, but the number hired by companies doesn't reflect that. James Campos with the U.S. Department of Energy says its critical companies diversify because the nation's demographics are shifting to minorities as the majority. Beverly Hogan is President of Tougaloo College in Jackson. "I think it's in their best interest as well as ours that we look at this and begin to share and partner and look at the opportunities," said Hogan.
 
US, South African farmers cry fowl over Trump metal tariffs
Which came first, the chicken or the trade war? Well before President Donald Trump began slapping tariffs on steel, aluminum and other imported goods, there was a deal with South Africa that gave U.S. chicken producers duty-free access to a market that had effectively been shut to them for years. But that trade deal, worth tens of millions of dollars to American businesses, now is being threatened by Trump's metal tariffs. A group of senators from chicken-producing states -- Democrat Chris Coons of Delaware and Republicans Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Roger Wicker of Mississippi -- have detailed their concerns in a recent letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. They cite a lawsuit in South Africa that aims to end duty-free imports of American chicken unless South Africa is exempted from Trump's metal tariffs.
 
Chief Justice John Roberts vows independence following Kavanaugh nomination fight
Chief Justice John Roberts is vowing to keep the Supreme Court out of the political fray despite the intense and divisive fight over the nomination of the court's newest member, Justice Brett Kavanaugh. At the outset of an appearance at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday, Roberts said he wanted to make some comments prompted by what he euphemistically called "the contentious events in Washington in recent weeks." "I will not criticize the political branches. We do that often enough in our opinions," the chief justice said. "What I would like to do is emphasize how the judicial branch is and must be very different." Roberts professed "great respect" for public officials, presumably including the senators who conducted the two rounds of hearings for Kavanaugh. "After all, they speak for the people," the chief justice said. "We do not speak for the people, but we speak for the Constitution. Our role is very clear."
 
Poll: Rural Americans Rattled By Opioid Epidemic; Many Want Government Help
Rural Americans are profoundly worried about the opioid crisis and their local economies and many are hoping government can help, according to a new poll from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. One-quarter of rural Americans say opioid and other drug abuse is the biggest problem that faces their local communities. A similar share, 21 percent, say economic concerns are the biggest problems in their areas. No other topic even comes close after that. "People" and "government" are the next biggest problems, both registering at 5 percent. "In a country that has just been focusing for a number of years now on the economic problems facing people living in rural America, the fact that the opioid drug abuse epidemic literally is either the same or even, for many people, more serious than economic issues is an extraordinary finding," said Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
 
Annual MUW career fair draws 21 employers
Alexis Smith walked with a purpose Tuesday through Hogarth Student Union at the Mississippi University for Women. With copies of her resume in-hand, the senior communication major visited all 21 employer booths at the university's annual career fair, hoping to cast a wide net for job opportunities after her scheduled May graduation. "I'm really interested in public relations or marketing," Smith said. "Also I'm interested in going into broadcasting, so I don't want to block out broadcasting. It just really depends, but as far as right now I've been doing internships in public relations to see if it's exactly what I want to go in. I'm just trying to sell myself and stand out." Business representatives at the career fair ranged from police departments, military branches, media, food industries, local manufactures and job placement offices. Towanda Williams, MUW career specialist, said the goal is to help facilitate graduating students' relationships with potential employers.
 
Greg Brock named senior fellow at the Overby Center at UM
Greg Brock, a University of Mississippi alum and veteran journalist, has been named a senior fellow at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics at the University of Mississippi. Brock's 43-year-career includes 20 years at The New York Times in various leadership positions including news editor on the international desk, news editor of The Times Washington bureau and deputy political editor during the 1996 Presidential campaign. Before his tenure at The Times, Brock spent nearly 10 years working for the Washington Post in several editing positions, including news editor for the front page. Brock is a native of Crystal Springs, Miss. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Mississippi in 1975. While a student at Ole Miss, he worked for the campus' student newspaper, The Daily Mississippian, as a reporter, news editor and managing editor.
 
Gloria Peterson is Grand Marshall of Southern Miss homecoming parade
Gloria Peterson -- a favorite among students, faculty, staff and visitors who frequent the University of Southern Mississippi's dining hall -- will help the school's homecoming parade "percolate" down Hardy Street to its destination. Peterson, a server and associate with Aramark's Eagle Dining and Fresh Food Co., has been chosen to serve as grand marshal of this year's homecoming parade, which is set to roll Saturday. Peterson is famous for her, "How are you percolating today?" greeting to hungry patrons who line up for meals at the "Fresh." She is a longtime employee at the university, who was overcome with emotion when informed she was the popular choice among Student Government Association leaders to be the star of the parade. "Oh, my gosh, this means so much to me. It's more than an honor," Peterson said. "I cry whenever I think about it. I love our students and the university."
 
Millsaps College receives $1 million grant for new ministry program
Millsaps College's Center for Ministry received a grant of $1 million to create a new ecumenical program to support clergywomen. Lilly Endowment Inc.'s Thriving in Ministry gave the grant to the college to support religious organizations across the country that establish programs to help pastors build relationships with experienced clergy who can serve as mentors and guide them through key leadership challenges in congregational ministry, according to a news release. The Rev. Paige Swaim-Presley, director of the Center for Ministry at Millsaps College, said the new program is designed for southern clergywomen who serve in their first solo pastor or senior pastor role and associate ministers who feel called to solo or senior pastor leadership in the future, according to the news release. "This is huge for us; the Center for Ministry has had such a great relationship with Millsaps and this further strengthens our relationship with the City Conference of the United Methodist Church, John Sewell, director of Millsaps' communications and marketing, said.
 
New grant will help East Mississippi Community College launch Plan2Postpone campaign
East Mississippi Community College has been awarded a grant to educate students on ways to postpone pregnancy until they receive a college degree. The grant totals $20,000 and was awarded by the Women's Foundation of Mississippi. The money will be used to launch the P2P, or Plan2Postpone, campaign. Besides educating students, the funds will also be used to provide resources to expectant mothers and those with children. This includes items such as gas cards, diapers, wipes and food. "Research shows that students who become pregnant while they are in school are much less likely to complete their degree," said EMMC counselor Kimberly Rush.
 
ACT results stagnant In Alabama, at national level
Alabama high school students who graduated in 2018 and took the ACT college entrance exam, on the whole, had pretty much the same results as students who took the exam four years earlier, according to The Condition of College and Career Readiness 2018, released Wednesday by ACT. State officials are digging in to determine what more should be done to support students in math, science and reading, so they can do their best on the ACT. Test results include all students who graduated in 2018, whether public, private or homeschooled. Historical estimates show that around 90 percent of all graduates attend public schools. Statewide, the composite score for the class of 2018 was 19.1, the same as it was in 2015 and 2016 and down one-tenth of a point from 2017's 19.2. The ACT report includes to which schools students choose to send their scores. The top three out-of-state schools where students sent scores were Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi, and University Southern Mississippi.
 
Panel sought for U. of Alabama's racial history
The University of Alabama Faculty Senate is proposing the creation of a commission on race, slavery and civil rights to research and share the campus' history from slavery to its growth to a more diverse and inclusive institution. The faculty senate approved the proposal on Tuesday during its regular meeting. The recommendation will be sent from the senate to the university administration. The administration will review the recommendation once it receives it, according to a university spokesperson Tuesday. The proposal broadly lays out the philosophy and rationale for forming commission, said faculty senate member Amy Dayton, an associate English professor who co-chairs the Community and Legislative Affairs Committee that introduced the measure. The commission would investigate the history of race, slavery and civil rights on the campus, publicize its findings and make recommendations for a plan to curate the history for teaching and promoting a dialog.
 
Louisiana falls in latest ACT score snapshot, stays ahead of Alabama, Mississippi, 4 others
Louisiana slipped from 43rd to 45th nationally on a test of college readiness when the average composite score on the ACT dipped slightly, according to results released Wednesday. The exam, which measures college readiness, is a key benchmark in gauging academic achievement. Students are tested on English, reading, math and science. Results are based on a 1-36 scale and are administered by a nonprofit group in Iowa City, Iowa. Last year, the composite average for Louisiana was 19.5, good for 43rd in the U. S. This time the average is 19.2, which put the state in a tie with Arizona. The results include both public and private school students and are based on a student's last score. In Louisiana students had the most success with English, where 53 percent of test takers met or exceeded the benchmarks. However, just 35 percent of students met the standard for reading; 24 percent for math and 25 percent for science.
 
ACT scores flat for Arkansas' 2018 class; average trails national composite
Arkansas' high school Class of 2018 earned an average score of 19.4 on the ACT college entrance exam, unchanged from the composite score earned by the previous class. As in the past, the state's composite score in 2018 trailed the nation's composite score. The national score dropped to 20.8 from 21 in 2017, triggering alarm among test-makers about the lackluster math performance in the nation's most recent graduating class. Arkansas' 2018 class scored an average of 19.1 on the English subject-area test, up from 18.9 in 2017. But the class dipped in math, earning an 18.9 compared with 19 for the 2017 class. The average reading score stayed at 19.7 for the 2018 class, and the science average dropped to 19.4 from 19.5. In Arkansas, all public high school students have the opportunity to take the college entrance exam at least once at no charge, typically when they are juniors, or 11th-graders. Arkansas is among 18 states -- including Missouri, Nebraska and North Carolina -- to provide universal free access to the test.
 
Peace Corps launches program for undergraduate students at U. of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has become the most recent university to offer Peace Corps Prep, a program designed for students who want to join the Peace Corps or work internationally after graduation. Jody Olsen, director of the Peace Corps, was at UT on Tuesday to launch the new program. Students who participate in the program will "map out courses" within their chosen major while also taking courses preparing them to work internationally, Olsen said. Students are also required to take a foreign language and complete 50 hours of volunteer work. When students complete the program, they're given a Peace Corps Prep certificate. While it does not guarantee acceptance into the Peace Corps, Olsen said she feels it gives applicants, both to the Peace Corps and other types of work, an advantage.
 
Dallas fire chief named sole finalist in search for next Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service director
Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief David Coatney has been named the sole finalist for the position of director of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. Coatney has been chief of Dallas Fire-Rescue since July 2016, and before that was chief of the Round Rock Fire Department. He will replace Gary Sera, who retired as agency director of TEEX earlier this year. "The work of Texas A&M Extension Service, which oversees Texas Task Force 1, is the best-kept secret of The Texas A&M University System, from workforce training to rescuing thousands from disasters and teaching the rest of the nation how to rescue people," Chancellor John Sharp said in a press release following the announcement. Also during Tuesday's meeting, the regents named Mark Hussey as the sole finalist to replace Steve Tallant as president of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Hussey served as vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences from 2008 to 2018, and as director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research from 2004 to 2008.
 
ACT scores drop; only Asian Americans saw gains
The average composite score on the ACT for high school seniors who graduated in 2018 was 20.8, down from 21.0 the prior year. All four of the subject tests showed declines. More than 1.9 million students in this cohort took the ACT, down a bit from the previous year, and back to the level of two years prior. The decrease is notable because testing groups generally say that surges in test takers are likely to result in declines in average scores, as a wider cross-section of students is tested. That was not the case this year. ACT's annual report on college readiness notes that, judging by courses completed as well as test scores, most high school graduates are not prepared for college. Generally, students who have completed recommended college preparatory courses do better than others on the ACT. Data released by ACT also show a widening gap between the average scores of Asian Americans and everyone else. All racial and ethnic groups saw declines in their scores compared to the previous year, except for Asian Americans, who were already the top scoring group.
 
Student affairs administrators even more liberal than professors, survey shows
A new survey shows that administrators are overwhelmingly progressive -- is more ideological diversity needed in the field?While the liberal leanings of professors have been well documented, the political affiliations of administrators have not been explored so thoroughly -- at least until now. And perhaps unsurprisingly, this new research suggests that student affairs officials wing even further to the left than do faculty members. The analysis comes from a moderate-conservative professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College, Samuel J. Abrams, who wrote in an essay in The New York Times on Tuesday that he was taken aback at "politically lopsided" programming at his institution that he said seemed to only capture a liberal viewpoint. He decided to survey student affairs professionals -- 900 "student-facing" administrators across the country, at public and private colleges and universities both large and small, and two- and-four year institutions, to identify political affiliation. Abrams found that liberal student affairs leaders outnumbered conservatives 12 to one, with only 6 percent of administrators indicating they were conservative versus 71 percent identifying as liberal or very liberal.
 
Betsy DeVos Calls Democratic Senator's Public Criticism of Draft Title IX Rules 'Unbecoming and Irresponsible'
Sen. Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, has been a frequent and vocal critic of the education secretary, Betsy DeVos, since her confirmation hearing, in 2017. Murray, the ranking minority member of the Senate's Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, has chided DeVos for the Education Department's efforts to undo a wide range of federal guidance and regulations issued under President Barack Obama. DeVos has largely taken that criticism without a direct response -- until now. On Tuesday afternoon the secretary pushed back on Twitter, writing that Murray's latest criticism was "unbecoming and irresponsible." The confrontation concerns DeVos's attempts to write new rules for Title IX, the federal law meant to ensure gender equity on campuses.
 
More than a year later, Obama student loan rule takes effect
A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a challenge from a for-profit college group to an Obama administration rule governing loan forgiveness for defrauded borrowers, clearing the way for the rule to take effect. The ruling on the regulation, known as borrower defense, is seen as a major win for students by consumer groups. The rule would ban colleges from enforcing arbitration provisions of enrollment agreements. And it could make it easier for many student borrowers to receive loan forgiveness. But those benefits will also depend on how the Education Department, which has sought for the past two years to roll back the regulations, carries out provisions of the rule. Tens of thousands of borrowers -- most of them former for-profit college students -- are waiting for rulings from the department on loan-forgiveness claims under the rule, which also encompasses actions of institutions far beyond student loan forgiveness.
 
State voters may face different kind of marijuana legalization effort in 2020
Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: As of this year, nine states and the District of Columbia -- including Alaska, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington -- have legalized the possession and recreational use of marijuana. Those same nine states plus 22 more have legalized the use of medical marijuana -- including Arkansas, Florida, and Louisiana -- in variable amounts under variable conditions. Other states, like Alabama and Mississippi, have laws on the books permitting the use of medical marijuana for severe epileptic conditions, but the drug remains practically and legally unobtainable due to red tape, conflicting state and federal laws, and an abundance of caution from healthcare professionals and law enforcement agencies.


SPORTS
 
No. 22 Mississippi State playing to its strength: Running
Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead knows that senior Nick Fitzgerald can "throw a ball over a mountain." And like most quarterbacks, Fitzgerald loves to show off that arm strength. The problem is the 22nd-ranked Bulldogs (4-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) aren't particularly good at connecting on his throws. Fitzgerald is completing just 49.6 percent of his passes for about 140 yards per game and he's thrown nearly as many interceptions (three) as touchdown passes (four). That means more often than not, Mississippi State has turned to running the ball. And it's Fitzgerald -- now fifth in the SEC with 513 yards rushing -- who is often using his bruising 6-foot-5, 230-pound body to do that running. "Whatever the team needs is what I'm going to do to win the game," Fitzgerald said.
 
No. 22 Bulldogs know what to expect from No. 5 Tigers
Joe Moorhead has never coached against LSU's defensive coordinator, but he's seen the essence of Dave Aranda. That's how he knows what he's up against. Mississippi State's head coach and primary playcaller battles wits with Aranda 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) and Moorhead knows the task won't be easy: the No. 5 Tigers rank 17th in the nation in scoring defense while allowing all of 3.45 yards per carry, good for fourth in the Southeastern Conference. It's easy for Moorhead to respect Aranda's work: he saw the remnants of it when he was Penn State's offensive coordinator for the 2016 Big 10 championship game, the year after Aranda left Wisconsin for LSU (6-1, 3-1 SEC). Moorhead's Nittany Lions ran for 1.8 yards per carry but threw for 384 yards in a win. "I think a thing a lot of top-notch defensive coordinators across the country like Dave Aranda, in a scheme like his, they understand how the offense is trying to attack them and why and works to take those things away," Moorhead said.
 
Why Mississippi State will continue to add wrinkles to its offense
Football isn't as simple as X's and O's in 2018. Mississippi State offensive coordinator Luke Getsy tried to explain that Tuesday night. "When you're playing really good defenses, you can't just line up and play ball. It's not realistic," Getsy said. "It's the same way in the National Football League, and this is the closest it gets to the National Football League playing in this division." The SEC has long been regarded as the college football conference that most closely resembles the NFL. The players are bigger than in many other conferences, and there's a general idea that games are won and lost in the trenches. But that appears to be changing -- both in college and the pros.
 
Mississippi State's Montez Sweat selected as a Midseason All-American
Mississippi State senior defensive end Montez Sweat was selected as a Midseason All-American by the Sporting News. Sweat led the Southeastern Conference in sacks last season and is currently tied for the league lead with 7.5 this year. He also tops the country averaging 1.25 sacks per game. The 6-foot-6, 245-pounder from Stone Mountain, Georgia also ranks second in the SEC with 10 tackles for loss to go along with 24 tackles and one forced fumble this fall. Sweat has 18 total sacks in 19 career games at MSU which ranks eighth all-time in school history.
 
No. 5 LSU has score to settle vs. No. 22 Mississippi State
No. 5 LSU is coming off an exhilarating 36-16 victory over previously No. 2-ranked Georgia last Saturday, but now the Tigers must maintain their focus as they prepare to host No. 22 Mississippi State on Saturday in Baton Rouge, La. Not only has Mississippi State (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) seemingly found its stride, pounding Auburn 23-9 on Oct. 6, but coach Joe Moorhead's run-oriented team also has had the luxury of a week off while getting ready for the Tigers (6-1, 3-1). Last year, Mississippi State routed LSU 37-7 in Starkville, and that's not something the Tigers will soon forget. "We still have that taste in our mouth from last year," coach Ed Orgeron said. "They out-physicaled us on both sides of the football." In their dominant performance against Auburn, the Bulldogs went back to their strength -- a pounding running attack.
 
Facing Mississippi State: What you need to know about the Bulldogs
For the fifth time in eight games, LSU is about to face a Top-25 foe. The LSU schedule with seemingly no let-up games brings No. 22 Mississippi State to Tiger Stadium on Saturday. The Bulldogs (4-2, 1-2) are coming off a much needed bye week after consecutive games against Kentucky, Florida and Auburn. It's a Mississippi State team still trying to figure itself out with a first-year head coach in Joe Moorhead working with a talented roster built for his predecessor Dan Mullen's offensive style. Still, it's a group of players well-familiar with this LSU team, and it's another physical matchup for a Tiger team coming off its own long slate of tough, grueling games. Here's what you need to know about Mississippi State.
 
Mississippi State still a mystery at midway point
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Logan Lowery writes: Mississippi State has reached the midway point of the regular season. Even with six games already in the books, I still truly don't know what to make of this team. Defensively, the Bulldogs are as good -- and possibly even better -- than advertised. MSU currently leads the country only allowing 12.7 points per game and tops the Southeastern Conference in total defense. Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons have been disruptive along the defensive line. Erroll Thompson, Willie Gay and Leo Lewis are solid linebackers and even without Jamal Peters for the last three games, this secondary has been strong thanks to the play of Johnathan Abram and Mark McLaurin among others. What remains a mystery is the inconsistency of the offense and special teams.
 
Mississippi State picked to win SEC women's basketball title
Mississippi State is the favorite to repeat as Southeastern Conference women's basketball champions this season. The Bulldogs made it to the national championship game last season. Mississippi State 6-foot-7 center Teaira McCowan is the lopsided favorite to win SEC player of the year honors. A panel of SEC and national media members voted on the predictions, released on Tuesday. Mississippi State is followed by South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Missouri, Texas A&M and Kentucky. Auburn, LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Vanderbilt and Mississippi round out the bottom half.
 
Mississippi State women picked to finish first in SEC preseason poll
Members of the national media picked the Mississippi State women's basketball team, senior Teaira McCowan, and graduate transfer Anriel Howard to lead the charge this season in the Southeastern Conference. On Tuesday, MSU was picked first in the SEC preseason poll, while McCowan, a 6-foot-7 center, was named the league's preseason player of the year and Howard, a 5-11 forward who transferred from Texas A&M, was named to the seven-player preseason All-SEC team. MSU is coming off a program-record 37-win season and its second-consecutive appearance in the national title game. The Bulldogs went 16-0 in the league last season to secure the program's first regular-season title. It was the first undefeated run through the regular season in the league in 20 years. MSU will play host to NCAA Division II national champion Central Missouri in an exhibition game at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, at Humphrey Coliseum. It will open the 2018-19 season against Southeast Missouri State at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, in Starkville.
 
Bulldogs predicted to repeat as SEC champs
Last year, Mississippi State won its first conference championship in women's basketball. The media has predicted the Bulldogs to repeat that feat, selecting Vic Schaefer's squad to finish atop the Southeastern Conference against this season. MSU senior center Teaira McCowan was the overwhelming favorite to be the SEC's Player of the Year with Missouri's Sophie Cunningham and Texas A&M's Chennedy Carter also receiving votes. The news comes as the SEC welcomes its teams to Birmingham basketball media days, a two-day event with men's teams conducting interviews on Wednesday and women's teams on Thursday. McCowan was also selected to the Preaseason All-SEC team along with teammate Anriel Howard, who transferred to the Bulldogs from Texas A&M during the offseason.
 
Mississippi State picked fourth in SEC media preseason hoops poll
Mississippi State has been picked fourth in the SEC by a panel of national media and media who regularly cover the conference. Kentucky is the preseason No. 1, the 14th time the Wildcats begin at the top since the 1998-1999 season. Tennessee's Grant Williams has been named the preseason player of the year, and MSU guard Quindarry Weatherspoon has been named to the preseason all-SEC second team. Rebuilding under new coach Kermit Davis after a 12-win season Ole Miss has been picked last. MSU coach Ben Howland led the Bulldogs to the NIT semifinals last season in the Bulldogs' first postseason appearance since 2012.
 
Full-time load pushes Mississippi State's Spencer Price closer to return
The reminder could be tailored to Spencer Price, but he behaves like someone following an edict just for him. The message on the whiteboard, tucked in the corner of the Shira Complex's weight room, reads: "You don't get strong with weak decisions. Part-time athletes get part-time results." The prospect of being a full-time athlete isn't easy when the desired activity is almost a year away, which was the case for Price when he worked to return from Tommy John surgery. After going through rehabilitation, the next step in Price's recovery was moving from flat-ground throwing and long tossing to throwing off a mound in the fall. Price took that step earlier this month when he threw in the bullpen while the rest of the Mississippi State baseball team participated in fall practice, which ended last weekend with the intrasquad World Series.
 
Lauderdale County schools tentatively agree to upgrades for girls sports following Title IX lawsuit
Two parents who claim the Lauderdale County School District discriminated against their daughters by providing female athletes with fewer resources than male athletes have tentatively submitted a consent decree with the district before the Southern District of Mississippi federal court. In an April 2017 complaint, Jeremy and Stacey Shields, of Collinsville, said their daughters, both student athletes, were not given access to the same funding, equipment, scholarship opportunities and travel expenses and/or per diem allowances as male athletes. The Shields claimed their older daughter, who has since graduated from West Lauderdale, was required to purchase essential athletic equipment and supplies as a softball player and that she didn't have access to the school district's athletic bus while West Lauderdale's baseball team does. In a proposed consent decree filed on Oct. 10, 2018, the district denied the allegations but agreed that "affording equal opportunities to participate in athletics along with equal treatment and benefits to the Plaintiffs' daughters, and other female students, is essential to Title IX compliance."
 
SEC Network adds Andy Kennedy as basketball analyst for 2018-19 season
After a tryout of sorts in March, Andy Kennedy has earned a full-time job talking about basketball. The SEC Network added the former Ole Miss men's coach as a studio analyst for the 2018-19 season. Kennedy was a member of the studio team at the 2018 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament after stepping down after 12 seasons as the Rebels' coach in February. "Having been a part of college basketball for over 28 years as both a player and a coach, including the last 12 seasons as a head coach in the SEC, I'm very excited to join the team at the SEC Network," Kennedy said in a statement put out by the SEC on Tuesday. "Coming off an unprecedented season with eight SEC teams earning NCAA Tournament bids, this league has never been better."
 
Game day: Alabama taking steps offset trend of falling attendance
Alabama's rise to dynasty status in college football, with five national championships in the last nine years, coincides with a trend in the opposite direction. Fewer fans are traveling to games. Data obtained through open records requests shows UA has received 10,500 fewer tickets to away games against its regular home-and-home SEC opponents -- Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas A&M -- in the last two-year cycle than it did in 2013-14, and distributed 11,000 fewer to those teams for their visits to Bryant-Denny Stadium. In short, the decrease from 2013-14 to 2017-18 for road games against those teams for Alabama has dropped 20.2 percent, and the decrease in tickets allotted to the same opponents for games at UA over the same period is down 20.75 percent. The reduction in ticket allotments reflects a lessened interest on the part of fans to travel. "There's something of a softening of the demand," said Greg Byrne, Alabama's athletics director.
 
Will Wade's name surfaces amid college basketball corruption trial; coach, LSU decline comment
The name of LSU basketball coach Will Wade surfaced Tuesday morning in a New York courtroom before the final day of testimony in the federal conspiracy trial against two former Adidas employees and a would-be agent. According to at least two outlets covering the trial, including Yahoo! Sports, attorneys for former Adidas executive Jim Gatto, who is on trial along with then-Adidas consultant Merl Code and player liaison Christian Dawkins, tried to enter into evidence a taped conversation between Wade and Dawkins concerning 2019 recruit Balsa Koprivica. According to a story by SI.com, defense attorney Casey Donnelly told the court -- without jurors present -- that the government had recorded a conversation in which Dawkins talks to Wade about a recruit "you would have funded." SI.com reported the conversation was not admitted by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan on grounds of relevance, ruling that none of the defendants had been charged in relation to any activity connected to Wade, LSU or Koprivica.



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