Bulldogs looking at high expectations
HOOVER, Ala. — It’s amazing what one year of winning can do for a coach and a program. Just ask Mississippi State’s head man Dan Mullen.
A season after the Bulldogs were picked to finish at the bottom of the list in the SEC West, the opinion on what MSU can accomplish in 2011 has changed dramatically. Fresh off a win in the Gator Bowl and a final ranking on No. 15 in the nation, the expectations for Mullen’s team have greatly improved moving forward. Mullen said he never had a timetable for winning the SEC West, or the SEC overall, but he said that is the goal. (July 21, 2011, Page 6)
League may ditch hoops divisions
DESTIN, Fla. (AP)—Football dominates talk at the SEC meetings, but there is plenty of basketball news on the agenda, too.
Some of it will involve Ole Miss and Mississippi State competing for championships. (more…) (June 2, 2011, Page 2B)
Vandalism at Auburn sheds light on OM-MSU rivalry
COLUMN — Wednesday’s revelation that the 130-year old oak trees that serve as the centerpiece of yearly celebrations at Auburn started me think about where the rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State is really at right now. (more…) (February 18, 2011)
Newberg: Recruiting is a marathon, not a sprint
National Signing Day has been a big part of Jamie Newberg’s life for the past 20 years. The national football recruiting analyst, who lives in Tampa, Fla., is currently working for ESPN and will be a main member of the network’s coverage team on Wednesday. (more…) (January 28, 2011, Page 6A)
ESPN’s Newberg thinks Rebels, Nutt recruiting well
SPORTS EDITOR BLOG —ESPN’s Jamie Newberg, who many remember from his TV show ‘Countdown to Signing Day,’ has been evaluating recruiting classes for close to 20 years. His knowledge on how schools are doing on the recruiting front is well respected and he feels like Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt and his staff have done a great job so far. (more…) (January 27, 2011)
Recruiting Update: LB Johnson makes his pick
SPORTS EDITOR BLOG — Last weekend’s official visit to Oxford for Philadelphia LB C.J. Johnson got Ole Miss another important verbal commitment today. (more…) (January 25, 2011)
Philadelphia’s Johnson in high demand
A change of heart is a common thing for high school players to deal with during the recruiting process leading up to National Signing Day on Feb. 2, but for Philadelphia linebacker C.J. Johnson (6-foot-3, 243-pounds, 4.63 seconds in the 40-yard dash), a recent de-commitment opened the flood gates to some new possibilities and opportunities for schools to sign him.
Johnson broke away from his verbal pledge to Mississippi State for the time being to re-evaluate where he might want to go to school. Although Johnson had been committed to play for the Bulldogs and coach Dan Mullen since the fall of his junior season, the loss of MSU assistant coaches Mark Hudspeth and Manny Diaz in the matter of month made him start to feel like Starkville may not be the best place to go. (January 13, 2011, Page 6)
Introduction into MTA Hall of Fame a big deal for Rebels’ Chadwick
A trip to Jackson on Friday will be especially memorable for Ole Miss men’s tennis coach Billy Chadwick. (more…) (January 6, 2011, Page 6)
Bulldogs maintain control of “Golden Egg”
A season that got off to a bad start and never got on track finally came to an end for the Ole Miss Rebels in the form of a 31-23 loss to the No. 25 Mississippi State Bulldogs Saturday night in front of a crowd of 58,625 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Despite a desire to make amends for last season’s loss to the Bulldogs, the Rebels were thoroughly outplayed again by the visitors from Starkville.
Ole Miss (4-8 overall, 1-7 in the Southeastern Conference) gave up 498 yards to the Bulldogs (8-4, 4-4) in the loss and made several key gaffes on offense that prevented them from ending the season on a high note. (November 29, 2010, Page 1B)
MSU hurts Rebels with screen passes
In Ole Miss’ victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on homecoming, the Ragin Cajuns ran a string of halfback screen passes that hurt the Rebels for short gains until they adapted.
On Saturday, the screen pass wasn’t used as much, but when the Mississippi State Bulldogs did call the screen, they were able to hit home runs twice.
The go-to player for Mississippi State on the screen plays was freshman running back LaDarius Perkins, who finished the game with three receptions for a game-high 140 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 98 yards rushing. (November 29, 2010, Page 1B)
