Thursday, November 1, 2018   
 
Mississippi State's Hillel hosts vigil for Pittsburgh synagogue victims
The community at Mississippi State University gathered together for an emotional Wednesday night in remembrance of the eleven victims killed in last week's synagogue shooting. Twelve white flowers represented the eleven victims shot and killed in Pittsburgh, the 12th flower for other lives taken too soon to senseless violence. "One of the initial feelings was, you know, what if it were someone I knew, what if it was someone I had a connection with that was there," shared Tyler Daniel, who is president of Hillel, the campus' Jewish Student Association. "The next feeling was what if it were me? What if it was my synagogue?" Daniels says there was an outpouring of support of condolences from across the country and state following last Saturday. Students, campus groups and other religious leaders from the Muslim Student Association and the University Baptist Church also filed in to pay respects.
 
Mississippi State's Hillel organization holds vigil honoring lives lost in synagogue attack
Three more victims in Pittsburgh's deadly Tree of Life Synagogue shooting were laid to rest Wednesday. Here at home, Mississippi State's Hillel, the Jewish Student Association held a vigil at the Chapel of Memories to honor the 11 people killed in Saturday's attack. Jason Stein, program chairman of Hillel, says the only thing that's eased his mind is he believes the shooter, didn't know what many say is a powerful thing: Love. "Love didn't really reach this man. He had no understanding of the value of human life. The Jewish faith, we're taught to love and spread love," said Stein. That love shined brightly in the Chapel of Memories on Mississippi State's Campus. It was standing room only as people of all faiths remembered the lives of those lost and to show their support for their friends.
 
A vaccine to stop lung cancer? It's made from tobacco taxes and legislation
Robert McMillen, a professor of psychology at Mississippi State and associate director of the Social Science Research Center, writes for The Conversation: Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the country, and almost 90 percent of deaths from this disease are directly attributable to cigarette smoking. Many cancers, such as breast cancer, that were once a death sentence are now treatable, yet lung cancer survival rates remain below 20 percent. A cure may be elusive, but the medical community can stop this disease and eliminate most future lung cancer deaths. Most lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking, and smoking is a socially influenced behavior. People tend to catch it from tobacco marketing and by modeling smokers. Tobacco companies spend more than a million dollars an hour to market their products in order to recruit new smokers.
 
MSU-Meridian scholarships awarded through Scotts' planned gift
Ten Mississippi State University-Meridian students have been selected as 2018 scholarship recipients through the Jerry and Ruth Scott Foundation. Established by the Scotts in March 2016 and managed by Citizens National Bank's Wealth Management Division in Meridian, the foundation was designed to benefit working adult students who are completing their degrees at MSU-Meridian and who have maintained high academic achievement. In only its second year, over $42,000 in scholarship assistance has been awarded. Candidates for the scholarship must have a minimum 3.5 grade-point average from their two most recent semesters of coursework at MSU-Meridian or another institution, and must be employed. Students who are recipients one year may be eligible for consideration in any other year, given they maintain selection criteria. The planned gift upholds the late couple's commitment to the betterment of their hometown through continued investments in the education of hard-working students.
 
U.S. DOE, General Motors and MathWorks Launch EcoCAR Mobility Challenge
The U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors and MathWorks have launched the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge, the latest DOE-sponsored Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition revealing the 12 competing universities, including Mississippi State University, and the Chevrolet Blazer as the vehicle platform selected for the competition. EcoCAR is a collegiate automotive competition aimed at developing a highly skilled, domestic workforce by providing hands-on experience designing and building next-generation mobility solutions to meet future energy and mobility challenges. Participating teams will apply advanced propulsion systems, electrification, SAE Level 2 automation, and vehicle connectivity to improve the energy efficiency of a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer -- all while balancing factors such as emissions, safety, utility, and consumer acceptability.
 
Area counties show strong absentee voting leading up to Election Day
Early signs are pointing toward strong turnout for next week's elections, according to local circuit clerks. On Tuesday, voters across Mississippi will cast ballots for the state's two U.S. Senate seats. Locally, voters will select candidates in the First or Third congressional districts, depending on location, as well as in the 14th Chancery District for three new judges. Several other elections are on the ballot, such as for the 16th Circuit judge seats and various school board positions in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties. Those races are uncontested. In Oktibbeha County, absentee ballots have already surged well beyond the total for the same elections in 2014. Oktibbeha County Deputy Elections Clerk Sheryl Elmore said she's fielded 916 requests for absentee ballots, both by mail and in-person. As of Tuesday afternoon, 733 absentee ballots had been returned. The 2014 mid-term election saw 393 total absentee ballots, she said.
 
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann predicts strong voter turnout
Mississippi's top elections official is predicting strong voter turnout as people statewide choose two U.S. senators. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said Wednesday that nearly twice as many people have requested absentee ballots this year than during the last federal midterm election in November 2014. "It looks like we're going to have a record turnout for a (midterm) election," Hosemann said. He said 50,571 absentee ballots have been requested this year, compared with 25,395 four years ago. Absentees usually account for 4 percent to 5 percent of the overall number of ballots cast in Mississippi, he said. Regular in-person voting is 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, and voters will need to show a driver's license or another type of government-issued photo identification at the polls.
 
Record voter turnout expected based on midterm absentee ballots
The high number of absentee ballots requested and returned completed through Wednesday morning point to "a record turnout for a midterm election," Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said. Hosemann, who met with the media in his Jackson office Wednesday to stress the importance of voting, said requests for absentee ballots are up across the state. "Harrison and Jackson (counties) are up. The Delta is up. There doesn't seem to be a geographic restriction to it," said the Republican Hosemann, whose office oversees state elections. He cited numbers showing that in the last mid-term in 2014 the number of absentee ballots requested totaled 25,395 compared to 50,571 during the same time period this year. The requests still fall far below a presidential year. In 2016, for example, voters requested 111,967 absentee ballots during the same time period.
 
Who's Behind the 'VOTE' Billboards Spotted in Key States
Driving down the streets of Phoenix, odds are that you will see a red billboard with the word "VOTE" splashed across in giant white letters. Underneath that simple message is a reminder, in English and Spanish, that Election Day is Nov. 6. "We market voting itself," said Debra Cleaver, the founder and CEO of the nonpartisan Vote.org. The billboards can be seen in nine states: Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, Ohio, Michigan and North Carolina. She noted that the only state without competitive races was Mississippi, but that Vote.org wanted to focus part of its effort there because African-American voters, who tend to be more Democratic, make up more than a third of the electorate. "If you just look at the demographics, how is Mississippi not considered a competitive state? And we were like, 'Oh, because no one ever invests any money in it,'" Cleaver said. "Every race you ignore is not competitive because you're ignoring it."
 
Expect a knock on your door: Campaigns ramp up ground game, GOTV
Get ready for a knock on your door in the next few days -- if you haven't received one already. With its firmly conservative politics, Mississippi rarely is the focus of a large get-out-the-vote push, unlike Florida and other states where political races frequently flip for either party. But the lead-up to Tuesday's midterm election has been different. Several campaigns including those of Democrats have launched formidable ground games in recent weeks -- door-knocking, phone banks and events -- especially in the competitive U.S. Senate special election between Democrat Mike Espy and Republicans Cindy Hyde-Smith and Chris McDaniel. If you don't have a robust ground game, "you're not playing," said Marty Wiseman, a former Mississippi State University political science professor. He said he knows one couple in the Starkville area who have already been visited by Hyde-Smith volunteers three times. This is following a GOP playbook in Mississippi of identifying the base of support and returning to knock on their door or call multiple times.
 
Chris McDaniel, with ground to make up, is sticking to a familiar blueprint
On a recent Wednesday, with guns holstered to their hips, three men wearing sunglasses and "Citizens Militia of Mississippi" T-shirts walked up a hill toward Mississippi's only abortion clinic, in Jackson. Among them was Chris McDaniel, who made his way toward a podium set up during a pro-life rally of about three dozen people taking place outside the clinic. As Election Day approaches, McDaniel is doing at least one event a day to hammer home the coming ruin if he is unsuccessful in his latest bid for U.S. Senate. This year, he's running in an officially nonpartisan special election against fellow Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrats Mike Espy, a former congressman and Clinton cabinet member, and Tobey Bartee of Gautier. While onlookers held large photographs of fetuses and "Chris McDaniel for Senate" signs, McDaniel, 47, took the podium.
 
A region at the crossroads: A black candidate's historic Senate run begins in the Mississippi Delta
Deep in the Mississippi Delta lies the birthplace of the blues, a colorful and intimate region that exudes the music's rough, soulful charm that launched the careers of Ike Turner, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters -- and now could help elect a native son to the U.S. Senate. Control of the Senate could hinge on a special election in Mississippi to replace retired U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, who resigned due to health issues earlier this year. Mike Espy, an African-American Democrat, is in a tight, four-way contest for the vacant Senate seat against the President Donald Trump-endorsed Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, appointed after Cochran resigned, as well as conservative insurgent Chris McDaniel and Democrat Tobey Bartee. A path to victory for Espy starts in Mississippi's majority African-American communities, like those in the Mississippi Delta. The region's fertile land turned it into the heart of cotton production and slavery, but now, the Delta stands as a political stronghold for blacks.
 
Cindy Hyde-Smith dodges climate change question, touts jobs at Copiah plant
At Tuesday's groundbreaking for Alternative Energy Development-Copiah, the speakers, including U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, touted the new company's impact on jobs and the state's timber industry. "You know it is such a testament to opportunity, to leadership to vision. We have to tell it all day long, every day we can never miss an opportunity to talk about our great state and how wonderful it is to bring a business here ... We have a forest product inventory. We've got a lot of trees out there. You've got to capitalize on what God gave us," Hyde-Smith told the crowd. One topic each speaker avoided though was climate change -- one of the very reasons alternative energy sources like the wood pellets from this plant have a market in the first place. Despite debate over the question of whether wood fuel is carbon neutral, some industries see timber as a lower cost solution to the effects that fossil fuels like coal and oil have on increasing the earth's temperature. When asked if she believes alternative energy is important, Hyde-Smith said, "Absolutely. It's very important."
 
AED breaks ground on Mississippi wood pellet plant
Alternative Energy Development broke ground this week on a wood pellet manufacturing plant in Copiah County, Miss., that is projected to process 1 million tons of pulp wood a year and ship 500,000 tons overseas. AED Principal Gary Ogle anticipates that the facility will provide a big economic boost for the community, employing 62 people with an annual payroll of $2.7 million. In addition, AED estimates there will be four people working in the woods for each employee at the plant, adding up to 300 jobs for the southwest Mississippi county. The county has over 330,000 acres of timber according to Mississippi State University.
 
President Trump's attack on Speaker Ryan seen as advance scapegoating
President Trump's stunning attack on Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday is being interpreted by many on Capitol Hill as an attempt to deflect blame and throw the retiring Speaker under the bus should the GOP lose its House majority next week. The commander-in-chief took to Twitter, just six days before the midterm elections, to publicly slam Ryan for rejecting his calls to end birthright citizenship via executive order. "Paul Ryan should be focusing on holding the Majority rather than giving his opinions on Birthright Citizenship, something he knows nothing about! Our new Republican Majority will work on this, Closing the Immigration Loopholes and Securing our Border!" Trump tweeted Wednesday. Trump has long been frustrated that he hasn't been able to implement his top immigration priorities, including securing full funding for his proposed border wall, under the GOP-led Congress.
 
2018 midterms: Farmers love Trump but not his tariffs
She's a Democrat who hates President Trump's tariffs. He's a Republican who hates the tariffs, too, but believes Trump needs more time in office. Pat Peterson and Shannon Dowell are tied together by the 550 acres of the land they farm together in Central Missouri and their financial co-dependency on Trump's ability to win an ugly trade war with China. Many of those feeling the greatest pain from tariffs the United States and China have put on $50 billion of goods are rural Trump voters who helped him win Missouri by nearly 20 points in 2016. Family farmers have lost billions in profits as a whole. They hate the tariffs, but supporters like Dowell don't appear to be jumping ship. At least not yet. In farm and factory states such as Missouri, where the fog of soybean dust fills the air as harvest season kicks into high gear, tariffs are the pocketbook-clutching issue that has tested the patience of rural Americans as uncertainty rages about future earnings a week before the midterm elections.
 
Poll: Nearly 4-In-5 Voters Concerned Incivility Will Lead To Violence
Roughly 80 percent of voters say they are concerned that the negative tone and lack of civility in Washington will lead to violence or acts of terror, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll conducted after the recent deadly shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. But they are divided on who is the most to blame. More say President Trump is the most to blame than say the same thing about Democrats, the media or Republicans in Congress. Specifically, 42 percent say the president is the most to blame, while about a quarter to a third say the media is the most to blame. That finding, of course, is sharply divided along party lines. It is notable, however, that one thing does cross party lines -- the belief that the overall tone and level of civility in Washington, D.C., between Republicans and Democrats has gotten worse since Trump was elected.
 
'God Is Going to Have to Forgive Me': Young Evangelicals Speak Out
The role of evangelical Christianity in American politics has been a hotly discussed topic this year, intersecting with front-burner issues like immigration, the Supreme Court and social justice. Often the loudest evangelical voices are white, male and ... not young. With just days left before the midterm elections -- two years after President Trump won the White House with a record share of white, evangelical support -- we asked young evangelicals to tell The Times about the relationship between their faith and their politics. Nearly 1,500 readers replied, from every state but Alaska and Vermont. Hundreds wrote long essays about their families and communities. They go to prominent megachurches as well as small Southern Baptist, nondenominational and even mainline Protestant congregations. Some said they have left evangelicalism altogether. We read every submission and spent many hours interviewing respondents. Here's what we learned.
 
Ole Miss students, faculty enthusiastic about midterm elections
About half of the 101 Ole Miss students and faculty who were surveyed on Tuesday said they plan to vote in next week's midterm election. In a random survey of 101 students and faculty, 76 people said they are registered to vote. Of those 76 registered respondents, 51 people reported that they intend to vote in the upcoming election. Of the full sample, 25 students said they were not registered to vote. The results generally reflect national trends regarding the upcoming midterm elections, which predict a 40 percent turnout among young voters, according to a survey conducted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Students and staff offered varied reasons for why they did not register to vote, with the most cited being that they didn't have time, or they simply did not find registering to be a priority. John Lobur, associate professor of classics, said it is essential to make sure the average person can vote to ensure that elections represent the needs of average Americans.
 
CEO of University Hospital is out
Liz Youngblood is out as chief executive officer of the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Jackson-area adult hospitals and clinics, UMMC officials said Wednesday. Kevin Cook, CEO of the larger UMMC Health System, planned to take over Youngblood's position temporarily, a statement to the Clarion Ledger said. It added Youngblood will "remain on staff with the Medical Center for a period necessary to complete some defined projects already underway." Citing personnel matters, UMMC spokesman Marc Rolph said he could not comment on the circumstances of Youngblood's departure, only that it occurred Wednesday. The 51-year-old was hired just over two years ago and had previously worked for more than a decade in various leadership positions at Baylor Scott & White Health hospital system in Dallas. One hospital executive poll said the average tenure for CEOs was 3.5 years.
 
Alcorn State student dies as car hits downed tree
A college student has died in a wreck that the Mississippi Highway Patrol said was the result of a line of storms moving across the Deep South. Kervin Stewart with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said in an email that the wreck happened around 3 a.m. Thursday about 2 miles north of Port Gibson in Claiborne County. Stewart said a car hit a tree that had fallen across a highway. The driver and rear passenger escaped injury. But Stewart says the front seat passenger, 19-year-oold Jayla A. Gray of Jackson, died from her injuries. She was a student at Alcorn State University in Lorman. Stewart says investigators think weather was a factor in the crash.
 
118 CMSD students taking free college courses
Maya Rush, a Columbus High School senior, will be considered a junior college transfer when she starts classes at the University of Mississippi next fall. Though only 17, Rush has spent her junior and senior years taking college courses and is on track to earn her associate's degree in liberal arts, something she will have in-hand before she receives her high school diploma. By completing her first two years of college in high school for free, Rush said she not only has she saved money, she has also opened herself up to more scholarship opportunities. Columbus Municipal School District offers its high school students dozens of college courses, with all fees and tuition paid by the district at no cost to the student, through partnerships with East Mississippi Community College and Mississippi University for Women. Starkville High School Principal Sean McDonnall said nearly 300 juniors and seniors are taking college courses at Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.
 
Following harassment report, Stephen Black no longer employed at U. of Alabama
Stephen Black, after admitting to exchanging inappropriate text messages with an employee at Impact America, is no longer employed at The University of Alabama. A UA spokesperson confirmed his employment to AL.com today. Black was head of the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility and taught three honors courses. The university would not confirm whether a replacement has been made. Black, the grandson of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo and former president of Impact America, an AmeriCorps program, allegedly sent inappropriate messages to an AmeriCorps member. And told CBS News Radio, it was the "worst professional mistake I've ever made," but denied the messages were sexual harassment. The AmeriCorps member subsequently resigned after she says her requests for Black to stop pursuing her continued.
 
Auburn expert tapped for national security role on cyberspace commission
Auburn University's newly hired leader for cybersecurity research is one of 13 top experts and government officials named to a special commission to help guide future U.S. defense and policy direction on cyberspace issues. The Cyberspace Solarium Commission, fashioned after a highly successful similar program launched during the term of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower to address Cold War strategy, is expected to play an influential role in finding solutions and plans for the nation's defense against cyber threats. Frank Cilluffo began his duties in September as Auburn's new director of its Charles D. McCrary Institute, which under the research-promoted initiatives of university President Steven Leath is seeking to bolster its reputation in cyberspace research and innovation. That effort got a major boost when Leath was successful in recruiting retired Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and a presidential adviser as the nation's top military intelligence officer, to accept the role of university chief operating officer.
 
No easy solutions for U. of Florida parking crunch
As a biology lecturer at the University of Florida, Norman Douglas needs to park in the heart of campus to teach his morning classes at Frazier Rogers Hall. On days when Douglas drops his daughter off at middle school at 9:15 a.m., he's resigned to the fact that he'll need to park a mile away and walk across campus. "If you are not here by 8:15 at the latest, you are not going to be able to park close to the building," Douglas said. Douglas is aware the days of expecting to park close to his building for work are gone. But Douglas and several of his colleagues were upset about a proposed price hike for select spots that will take up more than half the spaces at Frazier Rogers Hall. The rate hike boosted yearly permit costs for 92 of the 162 spaces on the lot to $1,212 per year, nearly four times the amount of $378 annually at the orange permit lot. More than 100 faculty and staff members, including Douglas, signed a letter to UF's Parking and Transportation Committee protesting the change and how it was made. It was originally set to go into effect last week, but amid the faculty protests, was pushed back to May 2019.
 
U. of Tennessee study: TVA needs to be flexible to survive
Tennessee Valley Authority provides electricity to 9.7 million people in seven states, but it's not immune to market changes -- and the power industry is changing. A new policy brief has five recommendations for TVA's future, emphasizing rates and service tailored to individual customers and driven by big data. It's from the University of Tennessee's Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, written by J. Scott Holladay, a Baker Center Fellow and associate professor of economics. Demand for power is flat or declining, natural gas is as cheap – and more efficient -- as coal, and new technology lets small, local producers make their own power or even sell it back to the grid, the report says. The report "underscores why TVA has focused so heavily on improving and evolving to better serve the people the Tennessee Valley," according to Jim Hopson, TVA public information officer.
 
Arkansas higher-ed aid programs seen in need of publicity
State lawmakers on Wednesday asked the state Department of Higher Education to develop a proposed budget to market the department's scholarship and grant programs, other than those financed by the state lottery. During their hearing on the department's budget request for the next two fiscal years, the Legislative Council and Joint Budget Committee approved a motion by Sen. Will Bond, D-Little Rock, asking the department to present a marketing budget for these scholarship and grant programs, including for Arkansas Future Grants. The action came after Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, initially questioned why the department spent only about $452,000 out of a $9 million budget on grants for students through the Arkansas Future Grant program in fiscal 2018. The program authorized by the 2017 Legislature is aimed at helping students pursuing associate degrees and certificates in high-demand fields.
 
Spotlight on the Arts at UGA features concerts, exhibitions, more
The University of Georgia will celebrate the visual, literary and performing arts on campus starting Thursday during the seventh annual Spotlight on the Arts festival. The festival begins Thursday with Student Spotlight performances from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tate Plaza. "Kaleidoscope: Spotlight on the Arts Opening Celebration," a free showcase of performances in dance, music, theater and creative writing, follows at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. An after-party will be held at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, where student art exhibitions will be on display. The opening day of the festival also includes the first day of the national conference of the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru), which is exploring the theme "Arts Environments: Design, Resilience, and Sustainability."
 
With E.U. slow to enforce new data-privacy rules, colleges told not to panic about lack of compliance
American colleges and universities that have yet to figure out a plan to comply with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation still have time to act, attendees at Educause's annual conference heard Wednesday. Speaking at a conference session called GDPR: Where Are We Now? Esteban Morin, a lawyer at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, told university IT leaders to "not panic" if they are just starting to develop a plan to ensure their institution is compliant with the E.U. data protection and privacy rules. The GDPR went into effect on May 25 this year, but many higher ed institutions (and companies) are still at the beginning of their compliance journeys, said Morin. "There's been a lot of confusion," he said. "We know the GDPR has been incredibly overwhelming." Organizations in the U.S., including colleges and universities, are subject to GDPR if they handle data relating to people in Europe. Failure to comply with the rules can result in deep fines. But so far enforcement of the rules by data protection authorities in E.U. member states is yet to ramp up, said Morin.
 
High-speed, high-capacity computers at UTC's SimCenter crunch numbers for faculty, business research
Hope Klug has a question: What drives the astounding diversity of life found across the planet? It's the kind of question that fascinates a biologist like Klug. So she and her colleagues at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga opened that scientific can of worms and peered in "to answer really big-picture questions related to ecology, evolution, and climate change," says Klug. First, though, they had to tackle another major issue. A gigantic amount of research already is out there, so it must be sifted through. But there's so much information the project could slow to a snail's pace simply by the amount of necessary reading. They turned to UTC's SimCenter, whose high-speed, high-capacity computers can bore quickly through mountains of data. The Sim Center was started at Mississippi State University and relocated to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2003.


SPORTS
 
Balance from Texas A&M victory makes Mississippi State coaches happy
Mississippi State's return to the precipice of a 400-yard game was met with much acclaim with more than just the win that came with it. It was MSU (5-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) running for 4.6 yards per carry while throwing for 241 yards, the first time going for more than 200 since Week 3. Even if a few weeks later than desired, this was the representation of what head coach Joe Moorhead wanted: immediate success while laying the foundation for more of the same long term. Moorhead delivered that message in the midst of MSU's midseason struggles, to some criticism, but the win over Texas A&M showed what Moorhead had in mind. In establishing that vision, Moorhead had to start by doing it himself. Moorhead said he evaluated his own playcalling before the Texas A&M game and saw playcalling that didn't look like his. In advising quarterback Nick Fitzgerald to avoid overthinking and play the game more instinctually, he made himself do the same.
 
Mississippi State's Jeffery Simmons, Montez Sweat semifinalists for Bednarik Award
The Mississippi State defensive line duo of Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat were each selected as semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented annually to the top defensive player in the country. Simmons was also a semifinalist for the honor last year. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound junior nose guard from Macon has totaled 9.5 tackles for loss this season and has 25 for his career in 33 games. Sweat, a 6-foot-6, 245-pound senior defensive end from Stone Mountain, Georgia, has recorded 8.5 sacks this season and has 19 in 21 career games with the Bulldogs. He has also notched 26.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage over that span. Of the 20 semifinalists, three finalists will be selected on Nov. 19.
 
Mississippi State following plan for redshirts
The plans for college football's new redshirt rule -- allowing players to play in four games and still receive a redshirt -- have been varied. Some have elected to divide the season into thirds, allowing one group of redshirt candidates to play in the first third, some in the second third and some in the final third. Some have held all freshmen back until they were needed for depth due to injury, using their four games only when absolutely needed. Joe Moorhead's plan was simple. To date, it's working as planned. Moorhead's plan was to identify four games in which freshmen could get an opportunity to play -- Stephen F. Austin, UL Lafayette, Louisiana Tech and the bowl game -- and hope the game situation gave them an opportunity to enter. With another one of those opportunities coming up 6:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network), MSU is right on pace with the plan.
 
Mississippi State announces major renovations for Humphrey Coliseum
Mississippi State announced Wednesday major renovation plans for the 43-year-old Humphrey Coliseum. MSU has joined with Dale Partners Architects and AECOM Sports to design a plan that will revamp the Hump with modern amenities and the arena's first premium ticket options. "Since 1975, Humphrey Coliseum has been the site of thrilling moments in the history of our men's and women's basketball programs, but after 43 years, it is time for an upgrade," MSU President Dr. Mark Keenum said. "When completed, the new and improved Hump will be one of the most impressive venues in all of college basketball. I commend Dale Partners for its visionary plan to bring new energy to this historic arena. This investment will enhance the experience for Bulldog basketball fans of all ages."
 
Why Mississippi State's Lamar Peters is ready for the reins in Year 3
Junior point guard Lamar Peters arrived on Mississippi State's campus two years ago a little "hot headed," by his own admission. Peters missed a game during his freshman season because he overslept. He was still sleeping an hour before tip-off, an act head coach Ben Howland called "embarrassing." Howland also suspended Peters at the beginning of his sophomore season for three games for "getting in trouble with coach," as Peters put it. Something had to change. Howland sat Peters down as often as he could to tell the young player the importance of accepting tough coaching and holding himself accountable for his actions. Howland's pep talks, combined with a plethora of phone calls from Peters mother who told her son he wasn't letting his true colors shine by being too standoffish, flipped a switch.
 
Aric Holman looks to take bigger leadership role for Bulldogs
Abdul Ado was working his way through what for most would be yet another mundane summer conditioning session when he noticed something. He saw Aric Holman slowly but surely taking over the Mississippi State men's basketball team. Ado looked up and saw Holman ahead of the pack, in that moment in the most literal form possible, in a sprint. He's spent a summer taking that mantle in the abstract sense. If No. 18 MSU is going to live up to its preseason expectations, Holman believes it will need a strong leader to do so and the senior forward is positioning himself to be just that. The tam hits the floor for the first time in a 2 p.m. Sunday exhibition (SEC Network+) against Georgia Southwestern State. "Over the past years I feel like that's what we lacked, a leader," Holman said. "I took that into my own hands and became more vocal, lead by example, and this happened even before they talked about rankings. Every great team needs someone like that on the team."
 
SEC coaches pick Mississippi State first in preseason poll
The Southeastern Conference women's basketball coaches picked Vic Schaefer's Mississippi State Bulldogs first in the annual preseason poll released Tuesday. The selection comes two weeks after SEC and national media members picked MSU first in preseason voting in conjunction with SEC Media Days. The league coaches also overwhelmingly named senior center Teaira McCowan the Preseason Player of the Year, while graduate transfer Anriel Howard was named preseason first-team All-SEC. McCowan and Howard are the SEC's active career rebounders. McCowan's 1,015 rebounds are just ahead of Howard's 1,002. McCowan is coming off an All-America season that saw her earn the inaugural Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Award and average 18.2 points and a SEC-leading 13.9 rebounds per game. Howard, who played last season at Texas A&M, had 20 double-doubles last season to give her 32 for her career.
 
Bulldogs begin the season at No. 6
Mississippi State, which finished as the women's basketball national runner-up the past two seasons, will begin this year at No. 6. The Associated Press media panel voted Vic Schaefer's Bulldogs at that spot in its preseason poll. MSU received 563 points, 212 behind defending national champion Notre Dame in the top spot, a unanimous selection. Connecticut (2), Oregon (3), Baylor (4) and Louisville (5) round out the top five. It's the highest AP preseason showing for the Bulldogs, who were No 7 last season after losing to South Carolina in the title game. South Carolina (10), Tennessee (11), Georgia (14), Missouri (16) and Texas A&M (20) were the other five SEC programs in the top 25.
 
Xaria Wiggins, Jessika Carter look for transformation on court
Judging from the smile that lights up Jessika Carter's face, it's hard to imagine her when she is mad. The same can be said for freshman guard Xaria Wiggins, Carter's classmate on the 2018-19 Mississippi State women's basketball team. Both players have great personalities and wonderful smiles that draw you in and make you want to learn more about them. The same could be said of former MSU standouts like Ketara Chapel and Breanna Richardson. When those two players started their careers in Starkville, MSU coach Vic Schaefer sometimes said they were too nice and that they needed to get mean. This season, Schaefer hopes to see Wiggins and Carter transform themselves into impactful personalities players on the court. "Those two kids probably have the biggest chance to impact our team this year if we can get them ready and they can get acclimated," Schaefer said last month at SEC Media Day.
 
As Another Head Rolls at U. of Maryland, an Athletics Scandal Turns Morality Play
Wallace D. Loh's announcement on Tuesday that he plans to resign as president of the University of Maryland at College Park was met with outrage and consternation from alumni, lawmakers, students, and some athletes, who lamented that Loh was the only major figure to lose his job in the wake of a far-reaching athletics scandal. Amid building anger and public pressure, that story shifted sharply on Wednesday evening, when the university announced that DJ Durkin, the head football coach, had been fired. The unfolding crisis at Maryland combines elements of a college-governance case study and a morality play, raising tough questions about possible overreach by the system's Board of Regents, and deeper concerns about whether the board failed to exert principled leadership for an emotionally raw campus still grieving the death of Jordan McNair, a 19-year-old offensive lineman who suffered a heat stroke after an exhausting workout and died two weeks later.
 
One day after reinstatement, Maryland's head football coach fired
The University of Maryland at College Park has fired its embattled head football coach, DJ Durkin, a central figure in an athletics saga that has roiled the state flagship institution. As of Tuesday, Durkin was to remain at the university at the urging of the state's higher education governing body, the University System of Maryland's Board of Regents. This was despite a pair of regents-led investigations that revealed the institution was at fault for the death of redshirt freshman Jordan McNair in June, and that there was rampant abuse of players by the coaching staff. President Wallace D. Loh, who also announced his retirement on Tuesday in wake of the scandal, wrote to the campus on Wednesday saying he had met with students and administrators who were deeply concerned about Durkin's return. Reportedly, Loh told the regents he wanted to dismiss Durkin, but they informed Loh that they would simply fire him instead and replace him with someone who would keep Durkin.



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