Mississippi State, Mississippi Valley to kick off 2013 in Starkville

Itta Bena, Mississippi -- By 2013, Mississippi State will have paid more than $1 million to the state's three historically black universities for football games against them.

The Bulldogs will play Mississippi Valley State to open the 2013 season and will pay the Delta Devils $350,000 for the one-year deal, MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin said Tuesday.

Mississippi Valley, currently on a 14-game losing streak, will be the third Mississippi-based historically black university from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to travel to Scott Field over a five-year span.

Mississippi State played Jackson State in 2009, the first meeting between the schools that are about two hours apart. The Bulldogs played Alcorn State for the first time last year.

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Alcorn State plays to full capability in falling to Mississippi State 49-16

The ASU Braves, led by multi-talented freshman QB Brandon Bridge compiled 314 yards of total offense against quality SEC defense.

Dogs think they should have played better

STARKVILLE, MS -- The scoreboard at Davis Wade Stadium showed Mississippi State beat Alcorn State 49-16 Saturday, but coaches and players feel like they should have performed better.

MSU (3-2) turned the ball over twice and didn't force any from Alcorn State. And after entering Saturday's game as the least penalized team in the Southeastern Conference, the Bulldogs committed a season-high nine penalties for 75 yards.

The Bulldogs also got a scare from the Braves, who pulled to within eight points near the end of the second quarter. But for every big play quarterback Brandon Bridge and Alcorn State made, Mississippi State was there to answer with a score.

Wake-up call for Bulldogs

STARKVILLE — Even with a win, Dan Mullen was frustrated with the way his team performed and his coaches prepared.

Mississippi State (3-2) made its fair share of mistakes at Scott Field on Saturday morning but also had more than enough big plays on offense and defense for a 49-16 win over Alcorn State.

"We came out a little flat," Mullen said. "We didn't play with the emotion and the passion we played with last week.

MSU Notebook

Alcorn State quarterback Brandon Bridge shocked the Mississippi State faithful with one quick move to the sideline. The true freshman from Canada, who Braves coach Earnest Collins calls "the young fella," burned State's defense for a 78-yard run to cut MSU's lead to 14-7 early in the second quarter. It was the longest run the Bulldogs have allowed this season.

"We'd like to not be out-athleted that badly, to be honest with you, but that's the way it looked," MSU defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. "He made a heck of a play. In a game where playmakers decide things, he made a play and we couldn't stop him."

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Attendance: 50,439

Mississippi State Bulldogs Host Alcorn State Saturday In SEC-SWAC Showdown

STARKVILLE, Miss. - After last week’s 24-12 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, Mississippi State seeks to carry its momentum into this Saturday’s game against the Alcorn State Braves. Kick time between the instate opponents is set for 11 a.m. CT at Davis Wade Stadium . The game will be televised by Fox Sports Net.

Last week, MSU quarterback Chris Relf had a career high 257 total offensive yards and two touchdowns through the air. The Bulldogs were able to compile 314 yards of total offense while Vick Ballard rushed for 65 yards and crossed the goal line for his fifth touchdown of the season.

Avoiding Ole Miss-type trap, Dawgs prep for Alcorn

Mississippi State will face Alcorn State this week in an in-state showdown that features the first ever pairing of these two schools but the second matchup between an SEC and a SWAC team - the first being MSU and Jackson State last season.

That contest ended in a 45-7 dismantling of the Tigers of Jackson State, and fans should expect some of the same out of this game. However, the Bulldogs feel they must stay focused and avoid a letdown like ...

Bulldogs know not to overlook unsung Braves

STARKVILLE — Coach Dan Mullen and Mississippi State are not underestimating or overlooking Alcorn State.

The warning shots have been fired and not necessarily from Lorman, the home of the Braves. Mullen and the players at MSU (2-2) have seen all the upsets inside and outside the state this year and realize nothing can be taken for granted.

TV: 11 AM CT/12:00 ET, Fox Sports Net

Internet: ESPN3.com

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JSU Tigers make some history, deal more misery to Mississippi State Bulldogs‎

PEARL, MS — Quintavious Drains pumped his fist, walked toward the Jackson State dugout and then met the mob of players pouring out in ecstatic celebration. There were chest bumps, bear hugs, high-fives and even a bit of dancing. Yep, David had beaten Golliath. Jackson State beat Mississippi State 3-1 Tuesday night at Trustmark Park, knocking off the tradition-rich program for the first time in 18 years. The Tigers (29-14), in position to win their first SWAC title in a decade, won their 10th straight game and won for just the eighth time in 58 meetings with Mississippi Sate (20-24).

"We were ready. We were ready," said Drains, a sophomore pitcher who got the save. Said JSU coach Omar Johnson: "It means a lot to the people at the university." Meanwhile, the Bulldogs dropped their seventh straight and lost to JSU for the first time since an 8-4 defeat in Jackson in 1992. State, which was swept in the past two SEC weekend series, beat Jackson State 18-2 on April 6 in Starkville to make it 23 in a row over the Tigers. This time around the Bulldogs failed to handle Drains and JSU starter Cortney Nelson. They had a season-low three hits and hit into three double plays. Their only run came in the sixth on Connor Powers' homer.

PHOTO GALLERIES: JSU - MSU

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NIT: JSU Issues Final Decision On Phillip Williams Incident at Mississippi State

Jackson State head men’s basketball coach Tevester Anderson has announced that sophomore guard Phillip Williams will not receive an athletic scholarship for the 2010-11 season. Williams’ athletics aid will not be renewed because of his actions during Jackson State’s NIT opening round game against Mississippi State. Anderson stated that Williams will have an opportunity to work his way back onto the Tigers team, but he will have to pay his own way.

“Phillip is a good young man who did a bad thing. He has not been a problem since being a member of our team,“ said Anderson. “However, I run a quality program and we will not tolerate any action that will tarnish the reputation of the University or the athletics department.

"Earlier this season I told everyone on the team that if you do anything that will negatively affect the program, then I will take your scholarship."

The Southwestern Athletic Conference has already suspended Williams for the opening game next season. Jackson State finished the season with a 19-13 overall record and a 17-1 SWAC mark. The Tigers won the SWAC regular season title. JSU’s 13 game winning streak was tied for fifth place, the longest streak under Anderson.



JSU Athletics Media Relations

JSU Tigers' Williams to be punished, Anderson vows

The day after one of his players was ejected from Tuesday's game for punching a Mississippi State player in the groin, Jackson State basketball coach Tevester Anderson called the action "uncharacteristic" and said Phillip Williams will be punished in some fashion. "It's uncharacteristic of him, it's uncharacteristic of our team and I'm really disappointed in what took place," said Anderson, whose team lost 81-67 to MSU in a first-round game of the National Invitation Tournament at Starkville. "There will be some repercussions from me down the road. ... Nothing should happen to cause a guy to do something like that.

"I will get to the bottom of it. I don't run that kind of program. I don't condone that at all." SWAC policy mandates a one-game suspension for a player ejected from a game. Although Williams became an instant YouTube hit and was fodder for radio and TV talk show hosts around the country, Anderson said he had not seen a replay of the punch by Wednesday afternoon. He said he will make Williams' punishment public after making a decision.



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JSU Coach Tevester Anderson

STARKVILLE, MS — Even in the moments leading up to the NIT opener at Mississippi State on Tuesday, no one was talking about Jackson State. The conversations inside Humphrey Coliseum still centered on Kentucky, a perceived NCAA Tournament snub, poor officiating and even an expected tiny crowd. JSU was the least of anyone's concern. Mississippi State won 81-67, as expected, but JSU caused a little more concern than any of the announced 4,433 inside Humphrey Coliseum thought it would. And that's been the story for this Tiger team - going against conventional thought.

Jackson State trailed by just five points with 14:15 remaining, but a flagrant foul and two technicals on Phillip Williams started the downward spiral. "Our guys have really overachieved," said JSU coach Tevester Anderson. "To win the regular season (SWAC ) championship is big for our program. We have to build off of this.

Game Photo Gallery: MSU - JSU

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Jackson State Takes On Mississippi State In NIT 1st Round

Jackson, MS -- It's not the tournament either team had planned to play in, but Jackson State University and Mississippi State University will face off Tuesday night in Starkville in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament. Both the Tigers and Bulldogs had hopes of playing in the NCAA Tournament this year. JSU went 17-1 in the SWAC regular season, and MSU lived on the bubble for two weeks leading up to selection Sunday.

State had a chance to beat Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Championship Sunday, but the Wildcats forced overtime when Demarcus Cousins scored as time ran out. Kentucky eventually won the game 75-74 in overtime. JSU won the SWAC regular season title, but lost to Grambling in the first round of the conference tournament. The two Mississippi teams will tip-off Tuesday at 9 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN-U.

MSU to host JSU in NIT on Tuesday

Mississippi State and Jackson State will face each other in a first-round game of the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday night at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. A few hours after State lost 75-74 to No. 2-ranked Kentucky in the SEC Tournament final in Nashville, the Bulldogs received one of the four No. 1 seeds in the 32-team NIT. The MSU-JSU game will start at 9 p.m. (CDT) and be televised on ESPNU. The MSU-JSU winner will face either William & Mary or North Carolina, the reigning NCAA champion, in a second-round game.

By virtue of getting a No. 1 seed, Mississippi State (23-11) can host games up until the NIT semifinals, which are played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. State advanced to the NIT semifinals in 2007, where it lost to West Virginia. Jackson State (19-12) received its spot in the NIT by result of it winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season title. JSU blew through the SWAC with a 17-1 record, winning its first regular-season championship since sharing the title with Mississippi Valley State in 1996. It was the Tigers’ first outright championship since 1993. JSU went into the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed, but was knocked out in the first round with a 65-57 loss to No. 8 Grambling State.

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Mississippi State 45, Jackson State 7

Dogs deliver

Hungry Mississippi State fans waited nine long months for Dan Mullen's coaching debut. Then, they had to wait about 30 extra minutes because of lightning that accompanied a pre-game rainstorm. That's not all. They then had to wait another two sluggish quarters before Mullen's Bulldogs carried through on his preseason vow: "THIS is going to be exciting." Finally, it was. Here's some of what we can take from State's 45-7 victory over Jackson State in the first-ever meeting between a Southeastern Conference team and one from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Great idea. All tickets were sold. Tail-gating fans jammed this lovely, old campus. State got what it wanted, a capacity crowd and a relatively easy victory. Jackson State earned the biggest payday in school history. This was a no-brainer. Let's do it again. Next time, JSU, bring a long snapper.

JSU was over-matched with SEC foe Mississippi State Bulldogs. Coach Comegy had no answers for Bulldog attack before full house of 54,232 fans.

QB Rutland struggles but keeps job

The saga surrounding Tray Rutland continued Saturday as Jackson State lost 45-7 to Mississippi State at Scott Field. The JSU quarterback was named the starter last week despite coach Rick Comegy having named redshirt freshman Dedric McDonald the No. 1 the previous two weeks. Rutland's performance was fairly consistent with what fans have seen over the past few years. There were flashes of brilliance, like his 52-yard pass to Keenan Tillman and a 32-yarder to Carlos Everett. Then there was the interception to Corey Broomfield, who returned it 43 yards for a touchdown. Rutland threw a touch pass down the middle of the field when he should have put more arm into the pass.

He completed 8 of 19 passes for 132 yards with two interceptions and zero touchdowns. Rutland led JSU with 46 rushing yards on 14 carries. "I thought (he) was spotty," JSU coach Rick Comegy said. "He made some good calls and some good checks ... but I know Tray Rutland has a better football game in him than what he displayed today. There's a lot we got to talk about from an offensive point of view."

Kareem Copeland's Talking Points

Special teams meltdown. There's a sure-fire way to take yourself out of a game when playing up a division - poor special teams play. That's exactly what Jackson State put on the field on Saturday. JSU found out only this week that long snapper LaDarius Kimp, who was a late addition to camp, was not eligible. So, receiver Cedric Dixon was forced into action with just two days practice, coach Rick Comegy said.

Dixon, who just returned from an injury to practice this week, had three snaps on punts that never got six inches off the ground. Punter Brett Bennett had to dive on two, giving MSU the ball inside JSU's 25-yard line both times. Fortunately for JSU, the Bulldogs only came away with seven points after missing a field goal on the second miscue. The question is: Why hadn't another long snapper been prepared if Kimp's paperwork wasn't submitted and his status was in doubt?What happened to the GP?

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