| Monday, January 7, 2019 |
| Mississippi State provost to retire in June | |
 | Mississippi State University says its provost will retire in June. The university announced Monday that Judy Bonner, a former University of Alabama president, is stepping down as Mississippi State's chief academic officer at the end of the budget year. President Mark Keenum says Mississippi State will launch a national search to replace Bonner. Bonner began work at Mississippi State as its second-in-command in 2016. She was president at the University of Alabama from 2012 until 2015, after previously serving as provost at that school for almost a decade. |
| Mississippi State faculty member commands National Guard battalion in Kuwait | |
 | A Mississippi State University associate professor is taking on a new responsibility in his role as a Mississippi Army National Guard officer. In a ceremony on New Year's Day, Lt. Col. Kenneth V. Anthony, an associate professor in the MSU College of Education, took command of the Mississippi National Guard 2nd Battalion, 198th Armored Regiment based in Senatobia and currently nearing the end of a yearlong deployment to the Middle East. The battalion is currently serving in Kuwait. Anthony assumed command of the battalion from Lt. Col. Christopher Cooksey. Anthony has served in the Army since 1991, and has served in various capacities across three battalions and brigade headquarters. "The National Guard is in many ways a family," Anthony said. "During my time here as the battalion operations officer from 2014 to 2016 and in other roles in the brigade, I have developed a strong bond with the soldiers, NCOs, and officers of this unit and feel that I am taking command of a strong, effective, and resilient unit." |
| Golden Triangle Regional Airport sets passenger record in 2018 | |
| Golden Triangle Regional Airport saw a banner year in 2018, with passenger totals increasing by more than 10 percent -- an all-time record for the airport. The Columbus-based airport said in a press release Friday that nearly 100,000 passengers used the airport in the last year, making it the second record-setting year in a row. Airport Executive Director Mike Hainsey told the Starkville Daily News on Friday that every month except January performed exceptionally well during the past year, with the first month of the year being a predictably slow travel period across the industry following the major travel holidays that cap off the previous year. "That's really indicative of the business travel," Hainsey said. "We're an 80 percent business market and because the reliability is really good, and our on-time rate and cancellation rate is better than the industry average." Hainsey said the lion's share of the roughly 3,600 charter passengers were from MSU athletic teams or competitors traveling to and from the Golden Triangle through GTR -- a notion that Hainsey says underscores the diverse dynamic that makes the airport's success and growth possible. |
| Mississippi GOP says it's ready to win 'arms race' with Dems in 2019 elections | |
 | State GOP Chairman Lucien Smith says his party finished 2018 in its best trim in years and plans to win the "arms race" with Democrats in this year's statewide elections. "(2018) proved to be an historic year in what we were able to bring in with fundraising and what we did to get the vote out (in federal elections)," Smith said. "We had 21 full-time get out the vote field people who made over the course of a four-month period close to 1.7 million voter contacts, 1.1 million calls and knocked 574,000 doors." Smith said the GOP has an historically strong, "data driven" election infrastructure in Mississippi. The party also hauled in $1.4 million as its candidates dominated the federal midterm elections -- no great surprise in one of the reddest states in the country -- retaining all its congressional seat with only one remaining in Democratic control. But state Democrats have declared the 2018 midterms a partial victory. |
| Tate Reeves runs for governor: Will state see a new side of Republican? | |
| What sort of Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves will we see this Mississippi legislative session? It will be Reeves' last chance to leave his mark on the Legislature -- over which he has often exerted strong control -- as he nears the end of his eight-year tenure. It's also a critical opportunity to set the tone for his gubernatorial run in November. "His legislative session will portend the issues at the top of the list when he's running for governor," said Marty Wiseman, a former Mississippi State University political science professor and longtime state politics observer. The three-month session starting Tuesday is an opportunity to strengthen key Republican relationships and bolster his conservative reputation before the election, experts and legislators said. The 44-year-old has been known to clash with other prominent Republican officials in the state, from Gov. Phil Bryant to House Speaker Philip Gunn. But some argue Reeves probably won't change his policy-centric approach too much. |
| On eve of session, bipartisan proposals up for discussion | |
 | For some, it will be their last session, at least in their current jobs. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves has announced a run for governor, and a number of legislators have either unveiled plans to seek higher offices themselves or to retire. Northeast Mississippi state senators and representatives offered a mixed verdict as to how they think 2019 elections will impact the outcome of the annual legislative process. State Rep. Shane Aguirre, a Republican who represents part of Tupelo and is finishing his first term, said he does expect to see a lot of people trying to play things safe. "With it being an election year, no one wants to do anything to upset the electorate," Aguirre said. "We'll usually take up the more controversial issues earlier in the term." State Sen. Chad McMahan, a Republican from Guntown, said he didn't know how the wider legislature would take elections into account but for his own part promised to remain focused on his job. |
| Analysis: Guns and abortion could be election-year issues | |
| Mississippi lawmakers have released few significant policy proposals as they prepare for their three-month session that begins Tuesday. This is an election year, and most of the 122 House members and 52 senators will put their names on the ballot to seek a new four-year term. A few lawmakers are retiring, and a few are pursuing statewide offices. Some of those trying to return to the Capitol are likely to remain relatively quiet in hopes of not attracting an opponent. Candidates' qualifying deadline is March 1, about two-thirds of the way through the session. Some lawmakers, though, could offer bills designed to grab headlines and generate buzz on social media. Guns and abortion are reliable attention-getters in Mississippi. |
| Top priorities for 2019 legislative session include pay raises | |
| Lawmakers on Tuesday will convene the 134th regular session of the Mississippi Legislature -- a statewide election-year session. It is scheduled to run through April 7. For Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, it will be their last session in their current posts, with both term limited after serving two four-year terms. Here are some of the legislative priorities for state leaders and issues the Legislature is expected to consider in 2019: |
| Future Caucus Aims to Pass Bills That Keep Millennials in State | |
 | Lawmakers under age 40, both Democrats and Republicans are working to promote bills that encourage young adults to stay in Mississippi. House Republican Roun McNeal of Greene County co-chairs the Mississippi Future Caucus. The 34-year old attorney is pushing for tax incentives. "We want to encourage them to buy a home in Mississippi and give tax incentives mostly for people who take a job in Mississippi and buy their first home in Mississippi," said McNeal. House Democrat Jeramey Anderson of Jackson County co-chairs the future caucus with McNeal. He says many young people are turned-off by laws such as HB 1523, which allows businesses to recuse themselves from providing services to same sex couples. Anderson says the attitude "if you don't like it leave" is hurting the state. He says that and other issues including low wages are causing people to leave. |
| Teachers, testing focus for 2019 Legislature | |
 | A teacher pay raise is expected to headline discussions over education legislation in Mississippi in 2019 as lawmakers reconvene Tuesday at noon in the state capitol. Debate is also expected on limiting testing, efforts to increase the number of teachers and ways to prevent school shootings. However, little action is expected on rewriting the state's school funding formula or expanding state programs that pay for students to attend nonpublic schools. The 10-member Joint Legislative Budget Committee submitted its Fiscal Year 2020 recommendation of $5.6 billion -- including a 2 percent rainy day fund -- in December, said Sen. Sally Doty, R-Brookhaven, who has served on the committee for three years. "Education is very important to all of us," Doty said. "We recognize that it's important for our future. We are looking for ways, not to just put more money in it, but to get more quality for the money that we have." Doty said she's not directing that at the teachers, however. "Our teachers are working as hard as they can, but I think there are some things that can be done to help our educational institutions," she said. |
| Investors, farmers guessing as shutdown delays crop reports | |
| The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday that it must delay the release of key crop reports due to the partial government shutdown, leaving investors and farmers without vital information during an already tumultuous time for agricultural markets. The USDA had planned to release the closely watched reports Jan. 11 but said that even if the shutdown ended immediately, the agency's staff wouldn't have time to release the reports as scheduled. Congressional leaders met with President Donald Trump on Friday but there were no indications the shutdown would end soon. "The longer it goes on, the more distorted our reference points get," said grain market analyst Todd Hultman, of Omaha, Nebraska-based agriculture market data provider DTN. "It's a lot of guesswork." The reports detail the size of the 2018 harvests of corn, soybean, wheat and other crops and give an early estimate for what farmers will plant in the upcoming season. Depending on the estimates, the price of the commodities can rise or fall as they show the current supply and forecast how many acres will be devoted to different crops in the coming months. |
| Food stamps for millions of Americans become pawn in shutdown fight | |
 | As the partial government shutdown extends into its third week, the Department of Agriculture won't say how long it can keep paying out food stamp benefits for the nearly 39 million people who depend on them each month. The White House and House Democrats, locked in a bitter political struggle over border wall funding, have started raising alarm that the food stamp program, one of the most significant forms of aid for low-income Americans, could run out of funds in coming weeks if Congress doesn't act -- an apparent attempt by both sides to increase pressure on Congress to end the shutdown. Senior administration officials said last week they think the program has enough money for January, but not enough to cover all benefits in February, a scenario that could lead to a major cutback in benefits for millions of recipients, The Washington Post reported on Friday. But the Trump administration may in fact have more leeway to use reserve funds to keep food stamps afloat if Congress and President Donald Trump can't reach an agreement to break the impasse, which has shuttered nine of 15 federal departments, including the Department of Agriculture, for 17 days. |
| Democrats distance themselves from Russian-inspired tactics used in Alabama Senate race | |
 | A secret effort to influence the 2017 Senate election in Alabama used tactics inspired by Russian disinformation teams, including the creation of fake accounts to deliver misleading messages on Facebook to hundreds of thousands of voters to help elect Democrat Doug Jones in the deeply red state, according to a document obtained by The Washington Post. But unlike the 2016 presidential campaign when Russians worked to help elect Donald Trump, the people behind the Alabama effort -- dubbed Project Birmingham -- were Americans. Now Democratic operatives and a research firm known to have had roles in Project Birmingham are distancing themselves from its most controversial tactics. Jones' narrow, upset victory over Republican Roy Moore in all likelihood resulted from other factors, political analysts say. Moore spent much of the special-election campaign battling reports in The Post that he had decades earlier made unwanted sexual advances toward teenage girls. Recent revelations about Project Birmingham, however, have shocked Democrats in Alabama and Washington. |
| Posing as Prohibitionists, 2nd Effort Used Online Fakery in Alabama Race | |
 | The "Dry Alabama" Facebook page, illustrated with stark images of car wrecks and videos of families ruined by drink, had a blunt message: Alcohol is the devil's work, and the state should ban it entirely. Along with a companion Twitter feed, the Facebook page appeared to be the work of Baptist teetotalers who supported the Republican, Roy S. Moore, in the 2017 Alabama Senate race. "Pray for Roy Moore," one tweet exhorted. In fact, the Dry Alabama campaign, not previously reported, was the stealth creation of progressive Democrats who were out to defeat Mr. Moore -- the second such secret effort to be unmasked. In a political bank shot made in the last two weeks of the campaign, they thought associating Mr. Moore with calls for a statewide alcohol ban would hurt him with moderate, business-oriented Republicans and assist the Democrat, Doug Jones, who won the special election by a hair-thin margin. Matt Osborne, a veteran progressive activist who worked on the project, said he hoped that such deceptive tactics would someday be banned from American politics. But in the meantime, he said, he believes that Republicans are using such trickery and that Democrats cannot unilaterally give it up. |
| U.S. Army Tries to Recruit Gen Z to Military With New Strategies, Like E-Sports | |
 | Uncle Sam may want Generation Z, but the feeling doesn't seem to be mutual. That's the conclusion recruiters relayed to General Frank Muth, the head of Army Recruiting Command, last July when he spoke with them to figure out why the Army fell short of its recruiting goal by 6,500 people in the last fiscal year. In an effort to ramp up recruitment, the Army this year is trying something different. As part of a new strategy, the Army is rethinking its approach toward Generation Z -- those born between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s -- by going digital, getting creative about selling itself and expanding efforts in different parts of the country. The Army has shifted its focus from more conservative parts of the U.S. that traditionally fill its ranks -- locations across the South from Virginia to Texas -- towards 22 left-leaning cities across the country, like Boston, Seattle and San Francisco. |
| Police: Shooting at MUW may have been self-inflicted | |
 | Local, state and federal law enforcement swarmed the locked-down Mississippi University for Women campus Friday afternoon investigating a reported shooting authorities now believe may have been self-inflicted. The shooting occurred outside Whitfield Hall, at the intersection of College and 11th streets in south Columbus just before 1 p.m. The victim, a former MUW student according to Executive Director of University Relations Anika Perkins, was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle. Meanwhile officers from MUW Police Department, Columbus Police Department, Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Marshals Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to the university and began conducting a building-by-building sweep of the campus. MUW Police Chief Randy Vibrock said police responded to the scene within two minutes of receiving the report. |
| 'Complete 2 Compete' helps Mississippi's adults finish college degrees | |
| Over the past year, the 'Complete 2 Compete' program has increased the number of adults finishing degrees at Mississippi's public universities and community colleges. The initiative provides students with a $500 grant at the beginning of each semester to help cover tuition, supplies or other enrollment expenses. Students qualify if they are 21 or older, have been out of school for 24 months and have obtained some college credits without graduating. "The C2C is an initiative to get more people over the finish line with a college degree," said Emily Tucker, a recruiter and adviser at Itawamba Community College who oversees the school's C2C program. "On an individual level, the college degree means more opportunities for career advancement. On a broader level, more people with college degrees is healthy for our state." Funding for the C2C program is provided by general funds, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Mississippi Department of Employment Security and the Kellogg Foundation. Eligible students can enroll at any of the state's eight public universities or 15 community colleges. |
| USM ranked as a top college for veterans in 2019 | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi is ranked as one of the top colleges in the nation for veterans, according to a survey done by Military Times. Ranked at number 15 on the list, the school recorded an overall enrollment of 14,415 students in the fall 2017 semester with 671 of those enrollments being military and veteran. The survey was based on a 12-month unduplicated headcount for 2017-18 school year. The survey was also based on number of Defense Department and Veterans Affairs Department benefit users as reported by the schools. |
| U. of Tennessee sorority suspends member over racist comment | |
 | A sorority at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville has suspended one of its members after video surfaced of her making a racial slur. The UT chapter of Alpha Chi Omega tweeted Thursday afternoon that it had suspended the member immediately, citing "outrageous and racist conduct." The sorority's tweet was in reply to another tweet from a Twitter user showing the video of the student. Alpha Chi Omega's national organization called the member's racist behavior "abhorrent and grotesque" in a statement from Erin Witt, director of marketing and communications for the national sorority. The sorority is moving forward with the formal process of membership termination, according to the statement. Tyra Haag, director of media and internal relations at UT, also issued a statement on Friday after the university learned about the video posted on social media of a student making a racial slur late Thursday afternoon. "The racism displayed in this video does not belong on Rocky Top and does not represent our community's values of civility and inclusion," Haag said in the statement. |
| Government shutdown may impede research, victims services | |
 | If the federal government shutdown drags on for months -- which President Trump has said could happen -- South Carolina's top universities and the people who depend on them could take a hit, officials said Friday. That's because the state's three primary research institutions -- the University of South Carolina, Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina -- all depend on federal funding to conduct research into agriculture, medicine and more. For example, USC receives $200 million, or 12 percent of its system-wide revenue, from federal grants and contracts, according to its 2018-2019 budget. The shutdown, sparked by a showdown over funding for a proposed wall on the nation's southern border, has no clear end in sight. Research at USC would also be affected by a shutdown, but only if the impasse drags on to historic levels, a possibility President Donald Trump left open Friday. |
| UGA student finds space to grow | |
 | It all started with a movie many people haven't seen. About 10 years ago, Ruqayah Bhuiyan sat down to watch "Sunshine," a movie about astronauts flying to the sun. Amid all of the high drama, fission bombs and personal conflict aboard the ship, there was a garden. This outer space garden got her thinking, "If you can grow plants in space, couldn't they grow anywhere?" Today Bhuiyan is a senior studying horticulture in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. She's interested in controlled and low-resource farming systems. But her goals for controlled growing systems are more earthbound than the space garden in the movie. She wants to produce more food using less resources for people in environmentally restricted parts of the world. This spring, she was able to meld science with science fiction by interning with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. |
| Organizers preparing for Texas A&M's annual Big Event | |
 | Bryan and College Station residents can now submit job requests online for The Big Event, Texas A&M University's 37th annual student-led day of service, which will be March 30. "The mission of the Big Event is to say 'thank you' to the surrounding community," said Reagan McGinnis, a Texas A&M junior who is on the 10-person executive planning committee. The Big Event began in 1982, when six Aggies volunteered to beautify an area cemetery. In March 2018, more than 20,000 students participated on about 2,400 community projects large and small, according to previous reporting from The Eagle. Last year's Big Event opened with a Zumba-infused celebration, an Aggie yell practice and a short speech from Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher. |
| Trump administration wants flexibility for accreditors and to encourage alternative providers | |
 | In a package of highly detailed proposals set to be released today, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos delivers on a promise to limit the authority and scope of higher education accreditors, the organizations that serve as gatekeepers for federal student aid. The Trump administration wants to clarify that the Education Department -- and not accreditors -- is responsible for enforcing federal student aid rules, and would give the agencies more latitude to approve and encourage innovative programs, particularly ones featuring online or competency-based education. The proposals, which Inside Higher Ed obtained and which are set to be released today, would lower the bar new accrediting agencies would have to clear for federal approval and give colleges more latitude to make changes without their accreditor's permission. However, the department also wants to restrict the scope of regional accreditors and to blur the distinction between those organizations and national accrediting bodies, which historically have tended to attract fewer selective or established colleges. And it would add new requirements that accreditors seek input from employers on their standards. |
| Study: Grades of Greek-affiliated students suffer after joining fraternity, sorority | |
| Greek organizations often tout their members' high grade point averages and potential for career connections (and high salaries). But a report by two researchers at Miami University is questioning whether those assertions are accurate. The study, "Greek Life, Academics and Earnings," was presented Sunday at the American Economic Association's annual meeting. Affiliation with a fraternity or sorority can in fact lower students' grades, particularly around the time recruits are being inducted into a Greek chapter, called rushing, according to the findings by William E. Even, a professor of economics, and Austin C. Smith, an assistant professor of economics. In an interview, Smith stressed that he and his colleague were not wholeheartedly condemning Greek organizations, as some Greek-affiliated students do maintain high GPAs and find social and, later, career success from fraternities or sororities, he said. But Smith said he noticed that chapters would often market a higher-than-average GPA compared to the rest of campus and believed that it was a disingenuous claim. |
| Early college admissions by the numbers | |
 | For many colleges, early applications are becoming the new normal. At the University of Virginia, most applications arrive by Nov. 1 for the first round of freshman admissions. There were about 25,000 early hopefuls for the public flagship university's Class of 2023, up 17 percent from the previous year. They will learn this month whether they got in. Those who applied in the second round, ahead of the regular Jan. 1 deadline, will receive decisions by the end of March. Everyone admitted has until May 1 to decide whether to enroll. As a result, U-Va.'s "admission season" -- from the first essays that high school students write for early applications to the last offer made to a wait-listed student to join the fall class -- now takes virtually the entire academic year. Fall applications account for more than 60 percent of the annual total. Despite the growing early workload, admission officers aim to give each file a thorough evaluation. |
| Prerequisite for brain power is brain development | |
 | Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "Area's with brain power have a competitive advantage over other areas," I researched and wrote in a column 16 years ago. "Brain power is the gold of the 21st Century in America." I recalled this column after reading a recent opinion column by Dr. Cathy Grace, the co-director of the Graduate Center for the Study of Early Learning at Ole Miss. Her piece highlighted Mississippi's continued, stubborn reluctance to invest in early childhood education. "Currently Mississippi invests $6.5 million dollars in pre-kindergarten," she noted, adding that the Education Commission of the States report for 2016-2017 showed neighboring states Arkansas, Alabama, and Tennessee invested $105 million, $64.4 million, and $86.6 million respectively. All experienced higher average annual economic growth over the past decade than Mississippi, with Mississippi one of the lowest three states in the nation. "The numbers speak for themselves," Grace concluded. So, back to my 2003 column on brain power... |
SPORTS
| Anriel Howard Leads No. 7 Mississippi State Past No. 16 Kentucky 86-71 | |
| Mississippi State's the highest-scoring team in the nation and that doesn't happen by being a one-woman show. Teaira McCowan might be the Bulldogs' All-American anchor in the middle, but the Bulldogs proved once again that they can win even when she's not having her best game. Anriel Howard had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Chloe Bibby added 18 points and seventh-ranked Mississippi State beat No. 16 Kentucky 86-71 on Sunday. Flanked by Howard and guards Jordan Danberry and Jazzmun Holmes at the postgame press conference, Bulldogs' coach Vic Schaefer praised the toughness, quickness and savvy his veteran team displayed in an up-tempo, physical game. Mississippi State hosts Georgia on Thursday. |
| Bulldogs claim top 20 clash with Kentucky | |
| Normally, Mississippi State committing 24 turnovers and having All-American Teaira McCowan forced to play limited minutes due to foul trouble would be a recipe for disaster. But the seventh-ranked Bulldogs were able to overcome those obstacles in an 86-71 victory over No. 16 Kentucky in front of 8,830 at Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday. "It's really good to know you can still function and really function at a high level with (McCowan) over there on the bench," said MSU coach Vic Schaefer. "I'm really pleased with that but at the same time, we've got to make sure that doesn't happen with Teaira." The Bulldogs' four other starters stepped up to log 36 or more minutes against the Wildcats. Anriel Howard, a graduate transfer from Texas A&M, led the way with 21 points and 12 rebounds for her 36th career double-double and her second at State. |
| Mississippi State women win despite season-high 24 turnovers | |
| Vic Schaefer has attacked turnovers like an exterminator. Schaefer's nickname "Secretary of Defense" was built partly on his teams' ability to force mistakes with harassing defense that didn't give opponents room to move. When Schaefer arrived at Mississippi State prior to the 2012-13 season, one of his goals was to stress the importance of taking care of the basketball to maximize the scoring potential on each possession. The ability of Schaefer and his coaching staff to affect a change in that area is one of the main reasons the MSU women's basketball team has become one of the nation's top programs. On Sunday, No. 7 MSU had a rare return to one of those high-turnover days, as it committed a season-high 24, but it did enough in other areas to beat No. 16 Kentucky 86-71 in a Southeastern Conference game before a crowd of 8,830 at Humphrey Coliseum. "Disappointed in our turnovers," Schaefer said. "We forced 22, but that's what they're doing. Kentucky is turning people over (at a clip of 24 per game), and we didn't take such good care of the ball, our starting five, but we made big plays when we had to." |
| Bulldogs punch first, get off to good start in win over Wildcats | |
| Throwing the first punch in Southeastern Conference play is often the key between winning and losing and was most certainly the case for Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon. In the year's first conference home game against No. 15 Kentucky, the Bulldogs threw a haymaker in the first 10 minutes leading by as much 19 points. That proved to be a hill too tall to climb for a Wildcat team that scratched and clawed for the next three quarters and the Bulldogs won their 18th-straight conference game with a 86-71 win at Humphrey Coliseum. "It was a heck of a game," MSU head coach Vic Schaefer said. "I'm really proud of my team. We just kept competing. I thought the first quarter was obviously the difference in the game. It was a tremendous win. The sixth-ranked Bulldogs (14-1, 2-0) did it without star center Teaira McCowan's best. McCowan worked through foul trouble for most of the day and had just four points at halftime. She scored six points quickly out of the locker room but picked up a fourth foul that kept her out for most of the third and fourth quarters. |
| Mississippi State powers past Kentucky in SEC women's basketball battle | |
| Vic Schaefer's first words at his post-game press conference perfectly encapsulated the game that took place at Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday afternoon. "I don't know about y'all, but I'm tired," Schaefer said. No. 7 Mississippi State and No. 15 Kentucky engaged in a physical Southeastern Conference tussle. Players constantly hit the floor. Sometimes a foul was called, sometimes it wasn't. They tied each other up for jump-balls more than a handful of times. Schaefer ripped his jacket off in frustration near the end of the first half after receiving a technical foul, and Kentucky head coach Matthew Mitchell had to call a few timeouts throughout the course of the game because of the same emotion. Two of the top teams in the SEC were going at each other all day. When the ball stopped bouncing and the crowd of 8,830 at The Hump filed out of the arena, Mitchell was the one left frustrated. The Bulldogs beat his Wildcats, 86-71, to improve to 2-0 in SEC play. |
| Bulldogs bully Cats as UK women's 5-game win streak ends in Starkville | |
 | In its biggest test since a narrow loss at Louisville in early December, the No. 16 University of Kentucky women's basketball team got pushed around by No. 7 Mississippi State in Starkville on Sunday. The Bulldogs owned the paint, pulling down twice as many rebounds as the Cats on their way to an 86-71 victory. The loss snapped a five-game win streak for Kentucky, which fell to 14-2 on the season and 1-1 in Southeastern Conference play. Mississippi State, the defending regular-season SEC champion, improved to 14-1 overall and 2-0 in the SEC. Kentucky's defense was disruptive once again, forcing 24 turnovers. But the Cats couldn't take advantage as they turned the ball over 22 times themselves. "Mississippi State is a potent and powerful team, no doubt about it," UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said. "You have to give Mississippi State credit ... We fought hard and did so many things that we wanted to do ... So many lessons we can learn and get better from." |
| Howard plays key role on both ends to lead No. 7 Mississippi State | |
| Anriel Howard feels she has a long way to go. Players who have an eye on a much bigger prize typically say things like that in an effort to stay humble, focused, and motivated. Judging from Howard's performance Sunday, the Mississippi State graduate transfer appears to be hungry to get to where she wants to go in as little time as possible. In the process, the 5-foot-11 forward just might help lead the No. 7 MSU women's basketball team to the ultimate goal. Howard posted game highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 7 MSU to an 86-71 victory against No. 16 Kentucky in a Southeastern Conference game before a crowd of 8,830 at Humphrey Coliseum. Howard scored in double digits -- sixth 20-plus point game -- for the 11th time this season. It was her second double-double as a Bulldog and 36th of her career. As much as she led the way offensively, Howard played an integral role defensively on freshman Rhyne Howard and senior Maci Morris, Kentucky's two leading scorers. |
| Mississippi State's Ben Howland excited about early success | |
| A major contributing factor in Mississippi State missing the NCAA Tournament last season was the strength -- or lack thereof -- of its non-conference schedule. Coach Ben Howland set out to remedy that this year, in hopes of it helping the Bulldogs reach the Big Dance for the first time in a decade. Before beginning Southeastern Conference play at South Carolina on Tuesday, No. 17 MSU (12-1) already owns resume-building wins over Dayton, Clemson, Cincinnati, Wofford and BYU. "I'm excited about our team," Howland said. "We've done a good job thus far. We played a much tougher non-conference schedule this year than a year ago. Our guys have really responded well to that challenge." The new NET ranking metric that the NCAA selection committee is using this season also has the Bulldogs as the 17th ranked team in the country. Mississippi State's lone loss this season was against Arizona State 72-67 in a neutral-site game in Las Vegas. |
| Mississippi State's Carly Mauldin prepares for NWSL draft | |
| Carly Mauldin just wants a chance. Like many job seekers, lack of experience can be an obstacle to overcome when you're trying to take the next step in your professional career. That hurdle also is one college students/graduates face when they're plotting their first steps. For Mauldin, that next move could come next week at the National Women's Soccer League draft. The Mississippi State standout hopes to hear her name called at some point in the four-round draft that will kick off at 11 a.m. Thursday in Chicago. The event will be held in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches Convention. The Chicago Red Stars have the No. 1 pick in the draft, which will select 36 players. "I want to always be the best on the field and the desire helped me in the SEC," Mauldin said. "I'm hoping coaches in the NWSL see my desire to win and be my best at all times. It's challenging to get in the league. No doubt about that. I'm just hoping someone gives me a chance." |
| Tom Anagnost resigns as Mississippi State coach to pursue other coaching opportunity | |
| Tom Anagnost resigned Friday as Mississippi State's women's soccer coach to pursue another coaching opportunity, MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen announced. "This personal decision has been the biggest and most difficult of my life," Anagnost said. "Mississippi State is a remarkable place filled with the most wonderful people in the world. I want to personally thank (Director of Athletics) John Cohen, (Deputy Athletic Director) Jared Benko, and (Senior Associate Athletic Director) Jay Logan who have always been there to serve our program. This young team has great kids who are prepared to win in the SEC. I know the next head coach here will be an incredibly fortunate person." Assistant coach Josh Rife will serve as MSU's interim head coach. Rife, who joined the MSU staff in July 2018, owns more than a decade of coaching experience, including most recently as the associate head coach at Liberty. |
| Cowboys Hitch N.F.L. Playoff Wagon to Dak Prescott's Shoulders | |
| With less than three minutes remaining in a tight N.F.L. playoff matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott made the most memorable play of his three-year career. It couldn't have come at a better time for the Cowboys. With his team leading by 3 points and looking to put the game out of reach, Prescott took the snap on third down at the Seattle 16-yard line, 14 yards from a first down. Settling for a field goal would give the Seahawks a chance to win. Dallas needed that first down. Seattle's defense was set up for a pass, so Prescott took a few steps back, then charged forward. He found the seam and scooted past the first-down marker. He was tripped up around the 3-yard line, did a somersault and landed just short of the goal line. Two plays later, he again ran the ball, this time for a touchdown that gave his team a 10-point cushion -- just enough for the Cowboys to hold on for a 24-22 victory. It was the first playoff win for Prescott and the Cowboys' first postseason victory in four years. |
| Bill Hancock doesn't expect College Football Playoff format changes | |
 | College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock said he doesn't expect the four-team playoff to change its format before the current 12-year contract expires, but university presidents and conference commissioners will at least discuss the idea at a joint meeting at their hotel on Monday morning before the national championship game between Alabama and Clemson. "I don't see it," Hancock said of playoff expansion in the near future. "The four-team format is extremely popular." Hancock was quickly surrounded by a handful of reporters on Saturday morning at media day where he was peppered with questions about the status of the playoff, which is concluding its fifth season. Alabama and Clemson will face each other in a playoff game for the fourth straight season. A more comprehensive review of the playoff could come this spring, at the CFP's annual meetings in Dallas. |
| CFP not worried about cheap Alabama-Clemson ticket prices, possible poor attendance | |
| The College Football Playoff's head honcho isn't concerned about attendance at Monday's national championship game, and stands by the decision to put the game in Santa Clara. Monday's Alabama-Clemson title game has received hordes of negative attention this week for plummeting ticket prices and very expensive travel arrangements for most Alabama and Clemson fans trying to make it to the game. Santa Clara, located about 50 miles away from San Francisco, hasn't been the easiest city to get to for the two Southern fanbases 2,500 miles away with only a week's notice. Bill Hancock, the CFP's executive director, isn't worried about it, though. "People have had trouble getting out here, we get that," Hancock told AL.com. "When we started the playoff we wanted to move the championship game around, that was one of our stated goals. We've been successful at that -- the first 10 championship games will each be in a different city. We're proud about that. We want to take college football to different parts of the country, and we've been successful at that including what will be a successful event out here." |
| 4 College Football Teams Taking Video To The Next Level | |
| Early on, college athletic departments bought into social media as a tool for recruiting. Their target? High schoolers who grew up in this digital age and are good at blocking out the noise. This began the quest for digital and creative talent within athletic departments. And, the quest turned into an arm's race for talent so programs could create content that actually captures attention. Today, college football sets the tone for innovation in our industry. Every year programs consistently step up their game. Every season is another season full of inspiration. 2018 was no exception. One area that particularly stands out in college athletics is video content. Whether programs tap into the emotional bond fans have with the school or push the envelope of what it means to create for the platforms, good video content is an area where college football tends to shine. Below are four schools that stood out this season and a little insight into why. |
| Clemson AD says home-and-home series with LSU will be 'awesome,' great trip for fans | |
 | Clemson athletic director and former LSU senior associate athletic director Dan Radakovich said scheduling the first home-and-home series between the schools was keeping in line with Clemson's Power Five-heavy scheduling philosophy. LSU opens the 2025 season at Clemson, and Clemson will visit Tiger Stadium to open the 2026 season. "It's been the philosophy since before I got to Clemson, and Dabo (Swinney, Clemson's coach) and I want to keep it moving," Radakovich said. "We play our in-state rival, South Carolina, every year, and we want to have another Power Five, top-level opponent. The years where the ACC schedule puts Notre Dame into our schedule, that kinds of takes care of that. But those other years, we want to go out and look at schools like LSU. I think it's going to be awesome. It's going to be a great trip for both sets of fans." |
| Is Missouri guard Sophie Cunningham a dirty player? | |
| Missouri's Sophie Cunningham left quite an impression on Tennessee Sunday afternoon, both during the Tigers' 66-64 upset of the Lady Vols and afterward. The senior guard, an SEC player of the year candidate, was the player of the day at Thompson-Boling Arena for a variety of reasons. Her primary impact was scoring a game-high 20 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assists. She also drew the ire of UT's fan after elbowing Lady Vols forward Rennia Davis when starting a drive to the basket. Cunningham scored on the play but later was called for an unsportsmanlike foul following a replay review by the game officials. Afterward, as the teams went through the post-game handshake line, a UT official initially didn't touch hands with Cunningham. She stopped and shook hands with Janet McGee, UT coach Holly Warlick's personal assistant. "I just kind of wanted to make sure she tapped my hand," Cunningham said, "because we're going to meet again and I kind of wanted to end on good terms." |
| ESPN apologizes for using 'Dixie' with Civil War-themed Andrew Luck graphic | |
 | Andrew Luck's Civil War-themed parody account, @CaptAndrewLuck, is among football's most popular Twitter accounts with nearly 500,000 followers thanks in part due to Luck's stellar return from injury this season. But an attempt to play off that Twitter page had ESPN issuing an apology on Sunday. During Saturday's broadcast of Colts-Texans, ESPN presented a graphic that depicted Luck as a Union general with both apparent Confederate and Union soldiers protecting him. The graphic itself was historically flawed, but the music choice ultimately led to an apology. ESPN told Sporting News that the song's usage was an unplanned error by a production staffer. |
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