Press Release 1) Mississippi State's football game with Alabama, Saturday, Nov. 11, has been selected by Jefferson Pilot Sports for a split telecast in the southeast region, the Southeastern Conference announced Monday. Kickoff at Scott Field is slated for 11:30 a.m. (CT).

The MSU-Alabama contest will be the Bulldogs' seventh network television game of the 2000 season, Statešs 27th live network telecast in the last 34 games.

The split telecast will be seen in the western segment of the SEC, primarily in the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Press Release 2) Mississippi State defensive backs Pig Prather and Fred Smoot have been named semifinalists for the Football News National Defensive Player of the Year award, the magazine announced Monday.

Prather, a junior from Falkner, Miss., and Smoot, a senior from Jackson, Miss., were among the 15 defensive semifinalists named. Mississippi State was the only school in the country with two defensive semifinalists.

The list of semifinalists will be trimmed to five finalists on both offense and defense on Monday, Nov. 20. The announcement of Football News' offensive and defensive winners will be announced Wednesday, Dec. 6.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/29/00 - Recruits unofficially visiting yesterday's Middle Tennessee State / Mississippi State football game.

Coach Jackie Sherrill comments:

Question was asked if there was any one thing that was causing the defense to struggle right now?
Coach Sherrill: We just didn't make the plays. The people that were supposed to make the plays didn't. I don't know if Mario Haggan made a play. Normally he makes a lot of plays. He didn't play very well. In the secondary we turned the receiver loose on the touchdown. They had a good scheme going to the corner and we didn't contain very well. Those are the things that happened to us last week as well.

Question was asked about the officials?
Coach Sherrill: This crew called a good game. The league is taking a beating, official-wise. They are probably going to call a much tighter game. This game crew was good.

Question asked about how good Middle Tennessee State was?
Coach Sherrill: They played well. They have played well against a lot of people. Defensively, they were only allowing about 159 yards per game. Offensively, they were the number one independent team in rushing.

Free Safety Josh Morgan:
Do you have questions about the defense right now?
Josh Morgan: We have a lot of questions right now. I think that this game gets us ready for Kentucky because they are going to throw the ball a lot.

What do you think is the problem with the defense right now?
Josh Morgan: We aren't playing as a team. We aren't playing up to our capability. We expect a lot more of ourselves.

Quarterback Wayne Madkin:
Question was asked about the offense scoring 61 points in the game?
Wayne Madkin: We are progressing and it is showing. We get Dicenzo and Dontae to run the ball and then we show that we can pass.

Question was asked about the play of the offensive line?
Wayne Madkin: I think that was a big plus for us. Donald Tucker was call upon and came out there with a power play and knocked the guy on the ground.

Defensive End Mario Haggan:
Are you concerned about the defense?
Mario Haggan: We have a lot of work to do. There are a lot of things that I'm concerned about on the defense but we are going to go back and talk about it and, hopefully, we will have it together by Kentucky.

Center Michael Fair:
Question was asked about Middle Tenn. State?
Michael Fair: They did what we expected. Our scouting reports were right on the money. The coaches did a great job for this game.

Talk about the play of redshirt freshman offensive lineman Donald Tucker's play?
Michael Fair: I think that Donald Tucker did a great job coming off the bench. Coming into this game, he didn't even know if he was going to play. Then, in the first quarter, he was stuck in at the right tackle position, a position that he had never played before until this week in practice. I think that he did a great job and showed his athletic ability by playing that position.

Running Back Dontae Walker:
You and Dicenzo Miller have became a double terror?
Dontae Walker: Whenever Dicenzo and I get in a game we compete against each other. We try and see who can get the most yards each game. We do that in practice and the same thing in a game.

Offensive Lineman Donald Tucker:
Talk about coming in and playing so quickly in the game?
Donald Tucker: It was an unexpected call. My friend Derrick Thompson was ejected for fighting the referee said and I had to go in. All week I had been practicing at right tackle. The coaches told me I would after the injury to Floyd Womack. I felt pretty good when I got in there but I was nervous. The nervousness turned into readiness because I had prepared myself all week. This is something that I had been waiting for for the past two years.

10/27/00 - Mississippi State has announced that its football game at Kentucky, next Saturday, Nov. 4, will be televised on a pay-per-view basis in the state of Mississippi. The game telecast will begin at 12:20 p.m. (CT), with kickoff slated for 12:30 p.m. (CT).

Cable systems across the state are scheduled to carry the telecast from the VideoSeat pay-per-view service. Fans interested in the telecast should contact their local cable system for pricing information and to order the telecast.

Home satellite dish owners (large C-band dishes) located outside the service areas of the participating cable systems may order the game by calling (800) 887-8277, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 1.

Interested alumni groups outside the state of Mississippi may also view the broadcast with approval from the university. Official alumni groups should contact the Mississippi State alumni office at 662-325-2434 to receive approval. Cost per alumni group is $225.

Jim Ellis will call the play-by-play for the telecast, with Dennis Hudson providing color analysis.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/25/00 - MSU football news:

Question was asked about Pork Chop's injury and surgery.
Coach Sherrill: The biggest thing is the rod in Pork Chop's leg will give him added strength, and it will give him the ability to come back faster. He could come back when the stitches come out. He will be out until probably the Thanksgiving game against Mississippi. If you don't do this, he would be in a cast for six weeks, and when you take the cast off it could be another six weeks. You also have to look at the fact that he will have a chance to play on Sunday also. You have to applaud his ability to play with the pain and his willingness to play.

We didn't x-ray it until yesterday (Monday). That was when (Doctor) Rusty (Linton) wanted to x-ray it because he wanted him to calm down from Saturday. There is a hairline fracture in his leg.

Comment about the MSU medical doctors.
Coach Sherrill: We are very, very fortunate to have the medical attention that we have. I don't know of any D-I football team that has the orthopedic surgeon come to every practice. That has the internist come to each practice. What is really good about this is our players get to know our doctors and the doctors get to know our players. I have been in some outstanding programs where they (doctors) show up once a week.

Offensive line changes.
Coach Sherrill: With Pork Chop out we will put Kenric Fairchild at the left tackle, and Derrick Thompson will get the start at right tackle. We will also work Kyle Wallace at both guard positions. We will take Donald Tucker and put him behind Derrick Thompson and let them play the right tackle position. Tucker could come back and play guard if he had to.

Asked about Kevin Fant getting playing time this week.
Coach Sherrill: There is really no way to know that. Whatever I say, usually the game goes the opposite. We are going to try is the best way to answer that question.

Asked about Wayne Madkin's play.
Coach Sherrill: He has improved. He played very, very well most of the night. There were about three plays that we would have liked to have changed. With about a minute to go on the clock, we came out to put the ball in play to, hopefully, put the ball in position to kick a fieldgoal, on the very first play he took a sack. We tried to take a timeout but it took longer than we wanted. We then made a decision at that time to not give it up. We were going into overtime and regroup and, hopefully, our defense would generate some muster there and stop them.

Question asked about the defense.
Coach Sherrill: We were consistent last year because we had a lot of depth. We have not been consistent this year, especially, in the pass defense. We have been pretty consistent up front until Saturday night. We did not contain well, we did not contain the quarterback, we did not attack, we did not go after the receivers. In South Carolina we were kind of passive and you can't play our style defense if you are going to be passive.

MSU Public Football Commitments to Date:

All of the returned tickets are reserved seats, located in the lower level of the west side at Scott Field, and are available for $22 apiece. The MSU-Middle Tennessee game will kick off at 1:30 p.m. (CT) and there is no live network television scheduled.

The returned tickets may be purchased over the counter at the Bryan Athletic Administration Building ticket office on the campus or ordered with an approved credit card via the telephone beginning Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. (888-GO-DAWGS or 662-325-2600).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/23/00 - MSU is 20th and 21st in the latest polls. They dropped from 13th and 14th.

10/22/00 - Postgame Q and A with MSU players and coaches.

Backup Quarterback Kevin Fant Interview:

GS: What did LSU's offense do against the MSU defense that no other team has done this year?
Kevin Fant: They just came out playing ball. They came out hot and had a good gameplan. They had two or three plays that they did real well. They kept banging and banging them in. They have two workhorses in their running backs. Our defense just got wore down.

GS: What do you think the reaction of the team will be after they get this game behind them?
Kevin Fant: This is the SEC and anything can happen. LSU came to play ball. I think we will bounce back. I still think that we have a great chance to win the West.

GS: Did you ever think that any team could score 45 points against our defense?
Eugene Clinton: They were just coming out running basic plays. We practiced all week on the sweep but we couldn't stop it tonight. Then, they ran the bootleg passes which we worked on all this week and we couldn't stop that either. It was like we couldn't stop anything that they were throwing at us. They just ran the same basic plays over and over again and it worked for them.

GS: What did LSU's offensive line do that no other offensive line has been able to do this year against the MSU defensive line?
John Hendrick: It was a old fashioned kicking our butts. We got whupped.

GS: Did it surprised you that they did so well against your line?
John Hendrick: Yes, it surprised me. They just came right on us and kicked our butts. I give them all the credit in the world. They blocked us and whupped us. We didn't get off the blocks and didn't make the tackles. We make the tackles, we win the game.

GS: What was the LSU offensive line doing so well against the MSU defensive line?
Toby Golliday: They just came out and played smashmouth football. They went right at out strength. Sometimes that's what you have to do to beat a good team, come right at their strength.

GS: How much do you think the crowd affected you guys?
Toby Golliday: It didn't affect us at all.

GS: Talk about the great play you made tonight?
Larry Huntington: The play was called a 99 sweep. They played me man to man and, luckily, I got deep on them and Wayne made a great throw to me. I made the grab and tried to stay up but I fail down. The offense still put it in.

GS: Even with the loss, MSU can still win the SEC West.
Larry Huntington: We knew that Alabama had lost earlier in the day and knew that if we won this game, we would have a game lead over Alabama and the rest of the West. We just came up short so the West is really open now. We win out the rest of the SEC games, we can still win the West.

GS: Did it surprise you how well their offensive line played against the MSU defensive line?
Dorsett Davis: It was a big surprise. We underestimated them. They gave us something that no one else has this year and that was a (butt)-whipping.

GS: Did it surprise you how physical they were?
Dorsett Davis: Everybody starts out physical but nobody stays physical the entire four quarters. They did.

GS: Do you feel that the crowd helped LSU in the fourth quarter and the overtime?
Dorsett Davis: What happened was we didn't do our part to take the crowd out of it. We could have easily taken the crowd out of the game by shutting them down 3 and out, 3 and out, but we could not stop them.

GS: Did the crowd noise affect the offense at all tonight?
Courtney Lee: It was really, really loud but I felt that we communicated real well.

10/20/00 (2:45 p.m.) - MSU Baton Rouge Alumni Association MSU at LSU tailgate party.

Who: Baton Rouge Alumni Chapter
What: Tailgate Party
When: Saturday, October 21, 2000 at 4:00 p.m.
Where: North end of Tiger Stadium between the Maravich Assembly Center and the track.

10/19/00 (2:45 p.m.) - I just received a call from an MSU Athletic Department official in regard to the message board rumor that MSU running back Dicenzo Miller had an emergency appendectomy last night. This rumor is not correct.

Last night Dicenzo complained of a pain in an area around the lower part of his stomach. MSU Athletic Trainer Paul Mock took him to the hospital for tests. Nothing was found at that time. Dicenzo, as of now, is still in the hospital undergoing additional tests. My source told me he would contact me when he had another update.

I have one request. Please do not post unconfirmed rumors about a player's health or personal life. Recruiting rumors are one thing, but unconfirmed personal health rumors and rumors about a player's personal life should be left off of the message board.

10/19/00 - Below is a request from one of you.

Is it possible for you to ask on tomorrow's football skuttle butt for everyone to keep in their prayers the family of Raymond Faulkner? He died unexpectedly Tuesday morning. For the past 35 years until his death, he was the Assistant Principal and Athletic Director of Greenville (MS) St. Joe. Two years ago, he resigned as the St. Joe Football Defensive Coordinator and Head Baseball Coach due to health reasons. He won over 300 games as the head baseball coach. He was also a dedicated Mississippi State fan. His brother Charles will be inducted into the Mississippi High School Hall of Fame this year. I have included an article from the Greenville Newspaper for everyone to read. It talks about how dedicated he truly was to his students and to high school athletics.

Raymond Faulkner was a man of giant stature, not just physically, but in the eyes of his friends, family and the community that was proud to count him as one of its members.

Faulkner, assistant principal and athletic director at St. Joseph High School, died unexpectedly on Tuesday at the King's Daughters Hospital Treatment Room after collapsing at home.

Faulkner has undergone surgery recently and was home recuperating.

"It's not only a great personal loss, but an enormous loss to the school and community as well," said Sister Marie Alspaugh, principal at Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School.

"Raymond was a very special man." A member of the high school faculty since 1972, Alspaugh said Faulkner knew more about St. Joe, the building, the programs and the children, than anyone. "This is a great loss to the school. Raymond will be very, very hard to replace, not just in a physical sense but in the hearts and minds of all the students and faculty."

Alspaugh said she had worked with Faulkner for 10 years, since coming to Greenville, but didn't get to know him until this past year. "This past year, when I served as interim principal at St. Joe, I really got to know and depend on Raymond," she said. "His door was always open and I could talk to him about anything. I never had to worry about our conversations going any further than his office and he had such good advice."

Sister said he had helped her more than anyone would ever know. "He was a gruff man, but very gentle," she said. "You had to get to know him to really understand all of his gifts." One of her last conversations with Faulkner, who was in his mid-50's, and his wife, Brenda, had included an explanation that the doctor has told Faulkner that the surgery would keep him out of school for six weeks. "But Brenda said Raymond was telling everyone he would be back in three," Alspaugh said. "He just wanted to be back with the children, the job and the school he loved."

A disciplinarian who was loved and respected by his peers, and the children, Faulkner was a friend to all the students at St. Joe, according to Ann Giachelli, whose three children all attended the Catholic high school. "Raymond was a monument of a man," she said. "He offered friendship and support to every child and they loved him." Her sons played soccer with Faulkner's son, Doug, and Faulkner was always on the sidelines, ready to lend his support and advice, but never interfering with the boys' play.

Shock was the emotion most people were working through Tuesday afternoon, and the overwhelming grief that followed. "We have taken the necessary steps, within the framework of our Catholic Christian mission, to provide our students with the support and help they need at this time," said Anthony Durso, principal at St. Joe. "We have already had a special assembly to offer prayers for the Faulkner family and, as we get more information, we will take appropriate measures to make sure students get the help they need."

Durso is not only concerned about the students, but is also making every effort to see that faculty and staff get the counseling and support they need to get through this time. "Everyone always thinks about the children first, which is right and good," he explained. "But many of our faculty and staff have known Raymond for years and it has been very shocking and upsetting to them, too. We will make sure they also get the help they need at this time."

After word got to the school of Faulkner's death, many children called home and were picked up by their parents to go home and grieve. "The school is not closed, but any parent who wants to may come sign out their child," said the school secretary Tuesday afternoon.

A loving family man who was devoted to his wife and daughters, Brenda, Rhonda and Kim, Faulkner was also a devoutly religious man. "I told the children today that I really believe that my faith is his faith and Raymond is now walking with the angels," Durso said. "He is now with his son Doug, hunting."

Doug Faulkner died in 1991 of cancer. Since that time, Faulkner, and his wife Brenda, have devoted a lot of time to raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. "Raymond was an absolutely wonderful man, dedicated to his family and the memory of his son," said Brenda Webber, who had worked with the Faulkners for years on the Doug Faulkner Memorial Golf Tournament held each July to benefit St. Jude.

"The tournament is always held on the Saturday after July 4th at the Greenville Municipal Golf Course," Webber explained. "Raymond and Brenda put such effort into the tournament to make sure everyone who participated got something back and had a good time. The family always came together to make the tournament a success," she said. " A lot of people came from out of town and out of state to take part in the tournament."

Faulkner's reach went past the local community and stretched out as far as his heart could take him, Webber said. "And that was a long, long ways."

Faulkner was on his second generation of St. Joe students, including Evelyn Brown of Belzoni, whose daughter, Katherine, attends St. Joe now. "When I went to St. Joe, Coach Faulkner was the football coach and taught Algebra," Brown said. "Then, he taught my daughter Algebra. She said she loved it and it was the first time she really understood what she was doing."

With a barrel deep voice that could be intimidating, yet surprisingly soft and gentle, Faulkner ran his classes and his football teams, with a velvet fist, always putting the children first. "Whatever the school and the students needed, Coach Faulkner was there for them," Brown said. "When a bus driver was sick, or unavailable and the students needed to go somewhere, he'd drive the bus, just so the kids could get their trip."

And, even during his recent illness, Coach Faulkner wasn't far away. "During the last home game, against Weir, Coach Faulkner was there," Brown said. "He was sitting in his pickup truck with Brenda, watching the game and cheering for our boys."

"He knew and was a friend to everyone he met," Giachelli said. "He was easy going, quiet. He was not going to be in the center of anything, but he was always there if you needed him."

Faulkner is survived by his wife, Brenda, daughters Rhonda and Kim, and grandchildren Kayley, Cade and Will. Funeral arrangements are pending with Mortimer Funeral Home in Greenville.

10/18/00 - Press Conference player interviews (complete interviews on the premium site):

Defensive lineman Willie Blade:
GS: Do you feel the team is focused for the upcoming game?
Willie Blade: We are going to be focused. We are just looking forward to the game.

GS: Has the team looked at the LSU game film?
Willie Blade: Yes, they look like a big-play offense. The defense may not have covered a man, or something like that, and they capitalize on it.

GS: Does their offensive line compare to any other team that you have played so far?
Toby Golliday: No, not really.

GS: What do you think about the LSU team?
Rob Knight: I think that they are a great team. They have so many weapons. They have two tailbacks who can run the ball well, they have two good receivers and they have two good quarterbacks. The line is good to. You will have to play your hardest to defeat them.

Mr. and Mrs. Cullis Wade of Bogalusa, La., have made a substantial gift to the $28 million dollar Scott Field enlargement and enhancement project. The stadium will be known as Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field when the project is completed in 2001.

"Cullis and Gladys Wade's gift is a tremendous addition to the expansion plans," Templeton said. "Their generous donation will enable us to provide our football program with a first-class playing facility and enable us to complete the total project, which includes 7,628 seats in the upper deck."

Cullis Wade, a 1940 MSU graduate in electrical engineering, is the first cousin of Davis Wade of Meridian, Miss. It was the latter's initial contribution that spearheaded the stadium expansion project which began construction this past June.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/17/00 - Football Practice Update:

10/16/00 - MSU Public Football Commitments to Date:

10/13/00 - Click here to read a Tuscaloosa News article about MSU commitment Spencer Pennington.

BTW, I just want to say Spencer's commitment to MSU is special for me because I believe I was the first person to mention him on the internet. This is what I posted about Spencer back in my September, 1998, football skuttle-butt.

"This has nothing to do with Miss State but Friday night I went with Mary Ann to the South Lamar vs. Lamar County (AL) HS (where Mary Ann teaches) game and came away extremely impressed with LCHS's quarterback Spencer Pennington (6-4, 165). What did Spencer do that impressed me so much? It really wasn't what he did statistically (stats sometimes don't tell the tale) but the talent level he showed.

"During pre-game practice, Spencer was throwing the ball, with a perfect spiral most of the time, 45 to 50 yards in the air. Now, most of you will say, that's OK but most great quarterbacks can throw the ball 60 to 70 yards. Keep reading, folks. During the game, Spencer showed very quick feet and good enough moves to fake defensive linemen and linebackers off. He ran around the corner several times and showed he is fast enough to outrun linemen and linebackers (reminds me of former Bulldog quarterback John Bond). He also showed he can take vicious hits (another Bond trait). In fact, after one tremendous hit, he got up clapping, running back to the huddle. Another impressive thing about him is his ability to understand his offense well enough to run around in the pocket and look for his secondary receivers. He also showed leadership ability when he led LCHS on a very impressive drive which ended in a touchdown at the end of the first half (this reminded me of the leadership ability of former Bulldog quarterback Rockey Felker). The only thing I saw that he definitely needs to work on is his tendancy to throw in a crowd. He obviously knows he has a good arm and believes he can throw it between defenders. Eventually, he will have that kind of arm strength, but, as of now, he doesn't.

"BTW, he is an A and B student and a good kid whose brother is former Crimson Tider offensive lineman Jeremy Pennington (I was told his family are big Alabama fans but are even bigger fans of their kids, so that could leave the door open for other college programs that show a sincere interest in Spencer.). One other thing: He has been the starting shortstop on LCHS's varsity baseball team since he was an 8th grader.

"This is the part that is going to knock your socks off about Spencer and the reason I believe he will get much stronger and better: He is a 15 year old sophomore who was starting his third high school football game."

10/12/00 - Click here to check out the latest football stadium expansion pictures. Note the steel walkway being put up behind the concrete.

BTW, the Junior Bulldog Club is now over 700 members.

10/10/00 - Looks like the rumor about Fayette (AL) High School standout quarterback Spencer Pennington committing to the Bulldogs this past weekend is true. Pigskin Preps Recruiting analyst Freddie Kirby called me last night asking me if I knew that Spencer had committed to the Bulldogs. He told me that he talked to Spencer and Spencer confirmed that he committed to MSU this past Saturday after the Auburn game. Channel 33/40 in Birmingham, Alabama talked to Spencer's head football coach and he also confirmed that he has committed to MSU.

The MSU-LSU contest will be the sixth-straight televised game for the Bulldogs to start the 2000 season, its 13th-straight TV game overall. Earlier games this season with Memphis (Fox Sports Net), Brigham Young (ESPN), Florida and Auburn (CBS) were also telecast nationally. State's game at South Carolina was televised regionally by Jefferson Pilot Sports.

(2) Mississippi State junior tailback Dicenzo Miller (Weir, Miss.) was named the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Bulldogs' 17-10 win over Auburn this past Saturday, the league announced Monday.

Miller rushed 20 times for 136 yards, a 6.8-yard per carry average, and caught three passes for 36 yards, in the SEC West victory over the Tigers. It was his second consecutive 100-yard rushing performance in league competition. He picked up a career-high 172 yards on 19 carries one week earlier in State's win over Florida.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/09/00 (12:00 noon)

Coming to Baton Rouge in your RV for the Mississippi State game? Spend the weekend at the Farr Park RV Campground, owned and operated by the Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission (BREC), and save money! Ample parking is available at the campground, located just two miles from LSU's Tiger Stadium.

Park your RV at BREC's Farr Park RV Campground for just $12 per night. Then, on game day, a shuttle bus will transport you and your guests to Tiger Stadium for pre-game activities. After the game, the shuttle bus will conveniently bring you back to your RV and you will avoid all the traffic and parking hassles. One round-trip shuttle bus ticket is $10.

In comparison, the LSU ticket office charges $40 per weekend to park an RV next to the LSU golf course. By spending the weekend at BREC's Farr Park, an RV owner will pay just $34 (for a two-night stay, plus shuttle bus fare), while also receiving the benefits of power hookups. That's a $6 savings, not to mention saving a battery-powered generator.

BREC's Farr Park RV Campground can accommodate single campers or caravans, offering guests power hookups, water, restrooms, plus shower and laundry facilities. A recreation center is also on site for social gatherings.

BREC's Farr Park Campground is easily accessible from Interstate 10 and is an ideal place to stay when in town for an LSU game. Situated only a few hundred yards from the Mississippi River levee, RV owners will also enjoy a country environment. Since BREC's Farr Park is also home to a fine equestrian facility, football fans can often catch a rodeo or other horse show on the campgrounds. BREC's Farr Park RV Campground serves as a convenient headquarters for all types of sports fans.

To get to the campground from Interstate 10, take the College Drive exit and go south. Travel approximately five miles on College Drive and turn left onto River Road. Travel one-half mile and BREC's Farr Park RV Campground will be on the left.

To make your reservations, contact BREC's Farr Park RV Campground at (225) 769-7805. All reservations must be made no later than Wednesday, October 18. For more information, contact Gretchen Morgan, director of BREC's Farr Park RV Campground at (225) 769-7805 or (225) 769-7806. You may also visit BREC on-line at http://www.brec.org.

10/09/00 (10:00 a.m.) - Here are the names of a few players who I know unofficially visited MSU this past Saturday. There were many others there but you guys will have to help me out on who they were.

If you know of other players who unofficially visited MSU this past weekend, please email me who they were.

10/09/00 - MSU moved up from 20th in both polls to 15th (AP) and 14th (ESPN) after their impressive victory over Auburn.

10/08/00 - Auburn vs MSU Football Game Postgame Quotes and Notes (October 7, 2000)

MSU Coach Jackie Sherrill:

Comments:

Questions and Answers:
Question was asked by a reporter if he felt MSU is one of the top 15 teams in the country.
Coach Sherrill: I think that we are one of the best in the country. We are playing some really good teams. Auburn, personnel-wise, is a really great football team.

Wayne did a great job. Kevin did a great job of checking at the line of scrimmage. We controlled a lot of what happened to us at the line of scrimmage. They are getting better and better at that each week.

How much was the wind a factor in the game?
Coach Sherrill: The wind was a very big factor in the game. (Prentiss Cole) took his eyes off of the ball. You have to catch the ball with your fingers and (Cole) caught the ball on the palms of his hands. That is how (Cole) fumbled the ball on the punt.

I felt going into the game that I would have to kick (Jared Cook) into the wind because Prentiss gets a lot of height on the ball. Unless you can really drive it, the wind is going to affect the ball.

A question was asked about why he did not attempt to score at the end of the game when he was near the end zone.
Coach Sherrill: There is no place in football to do that. If I was I would have probably done some things. I am an old guy. The players won the game and the people around the nation saw it on tv. It doesn't help to try and score at the end. You just run the clock out and try to enjoy it.

A question was asked about how MSU defensed Rudi Johnson.
Coach Sherrill: You have to make him go east and west and you have to play physical. Our players did that. They got off of their blocks. We made him have to go east and west. He is a great back going north and south.

He was asked about the crowd.
Coach Sherrill: It is becoming better and better. This stadium is becoming a hard place to play in. Our students and fans are becoming true football fans. Meaning that they know how to help. It is a great feeling. A few years ago about three quarters of those students would have been going home.

This is as bad as it gets. We looked intimidated early. It looked like we were in slow motion most of the game. I wonder if the weather had anything to do with that. I was worried about the weather. With the weather change we had some people that were probably not feeling too good.

Sometimes it looked like they had 14 men on the field. They took the run away from us. We did not block anyone. They got a lot of penetration.

I thought our performance today was more of a result of how we played, not them. We had guys open, we just didn't see them. We are much better than we showed today.

10/06/00 - MSU Campus Weekend Sports Calendar

Friday, October 6
4:00 p.m. - Maroon-White Baseball Game (Dudy Noble Field)
7:00 p.m. - MSU-Auburn volleyball match (Newell-Grissom Building)

Saturday, October 7
9:30 a.m. - Maroon-White Baseball Game II (Dudy Noble Field)
2:30 p.m. - MSU-Auburn football game (Scott Field)

Sunday, October 8
2:00 p.m. - MSU-Auburn volleyball match (Newell-Grissom Building)

Actions such as these reflect very badly on Mississippi State University and its fans. Please help the MSU athletic department and Dr. Portera by watching the stands for folks who are behaving badly and let the security personnel nearest you know about them. If the person who is acting badly has been drinking, please do not confront that person. A drunk can be very dangerous and you put yourself in danger by confronting them. Let the people who are hired to handle security do their job.

10/05/00 - Click here to check out the latest football stadium expansion pictures.

10/04/00 (12:30 p.m.)

"We have become aware that improper and illegal tickets were being sold in the vicinity of the football stadium on game day," MSU Director of Athletics Larry Templeton said Tuesday. "We are investigating the situation at this time and we will pursue the apprehension of those individuals in this illegal, money-making scheme.

"I would urge all fans attending this weekend's game between Mississippi State University and Auburn University to use extreme caution in the second-hand purchase of game tickets," Templeton said. "There are no tickets available through the ticket office."

The additional support will primarily focus on the throwing of objects within the seating area and onto the playing field during the game, and the conduct of the crowd following the game.

"Our intent is to have no one on the game field following the football game," MSU Director of Athletics Larry Templeton said. "We are thrilled with the excitement and enthusiasm of our crowd this past Saturday, but we will not condone the activities of some of the individuals at the game. That enthusiasm and excitement has to be channeled in the right way.

"We have apologized to the University of Florida for several unfortunate incidents surrounding their bench at the end of the game," Templeton said."

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

10/04/00 MSU press conference quotes and interviews:

Coach Sherrill:
We had a lot of players that really played well last week. Defensively, early in the game, the whole first team made a lot of things happen.

Offensively, we had a lot of players up front who played well. One player who played extremely well was (fullback) Kenny Williamson. He made some outstanding blocks. On one sweep he knocked five players down. Tight end Donald Lee played very well also.

We lost four players that are very questionable to doubtful. The first one is Kendall Roberson. He left during the game with an MCL. It is very questionable to doubtful that he will play. Dorsett Davis had a calf injury that turned into a bruise that turned into bleeding that turned into emergency surgery to relieve the pressure. He is very questionable to doubtful. Kenric Fairchild has a kidney injury and Pork Chop Womack has a stress fracture that will be a week to week thing. Pork Chop is more sore this week than he was the previous two weeks. We really need a week off to rest these guys. The likelihood of these players playing would be in this order: Womack, Fairchild, Roberson and Davis.

In this league the ones that stay healthy are the ones who have the greatest chance to win.

If you look at Auburn's offense their offensive personnel has been there for awhile. Ten of their eleven starters have either started before or played last year. The addition of Rudi has added a great dimension to their offense. Their receivers are really outstanding.

Defensively, they have two corners that are all-conference. The rest of the players seem like they have been there forever. They put eight players on the line of scrimmage and force you to throw. With the two corners, they feel that they can hold you up. They have a player up front, DeMarco McNeil, who is as good as we have played.

Their kicker and punter are very good.

Most of their team is back and they are playing that way.

The good thing is we get to play them at home.

GS: Have you seen much game film of the Auburn team, especially of the cornerbacks?
Larry Huntington: Yes sir. I just came from watching game film a few minutes ago. To me, they are just like the Florida DBs, just more aggressive. They play off and when the ball is thrown they come up hard and try and make the tackle or knock the ball away.

GS: The Florida game was a very emotional game. It is often difficult to get up, emotionally, two games in a row. What is your feel about the players so far this week?
Larry Huntington: Everybody is still talking about the Florida game. We are trying to get our minds off of it, but walking across campus everybody is still talking about it. We just tell them that game is over with and we have to move on to Auburn. They are undefeated and coming in here with emotions high and high expectations. From what I have heard from the coaches, this is the game for the SEC West. Whoever wins this is going to win the SEC West. Practices are going to be hard and physical and we just have to go out there and do what we have to do. We just have to come out in front of our fans and give them another great show.

GS: What can you tell me about the Auburn defensive line?
Michael Fair: They are young and good. One of their best players, DeMarco McNeil, is only a redshirt freshman. When you watch him on film you wouldn't think that he is that young. He works hard. His feet don't stop. Anytime you play an SEC defense you can't expect anything else but a good defensive front. It is certainly no different this week. We feel if we come off the ball and do our assignments, we have a good shot at running the ball on them.

GS: The Florida game had to be a huge confidence builder for the entire offensive team. Michael Fair: It makes the people know what we can do when we play together. When you do that, you are going to rush for a lot of yards. When you have running backs breaking tackles like ours were doing last week, it is just going to come natural. I think we set a standard last week and we are going to work each week to live up to it.

GS: It could be easy to become overconfident because of the Florida game. The fans and students are talking about the Florida game. To help you keep from getting overconfident, would going back and thinking about the South Carolina game bring you back down to earth?
Michael Fair: I think the South Carolina game helped us win the Florida game. We came in at halftime during the South Carolina game with the lead. I don't think that we tried to sit on the lead but we weren't as aggressive and didn't come off the ball. We came out in the Florida game and said that we didn't want to feel like that again. We knew that we had to put up all the points that we could because we knew Florida was going to score.

GS: Tommy mentioned that the starting offensive line went out to Applebee's last week to eat supper. Talk a little about that and how it might have affected the outcome of the Florida game?
Michael Fair: It helps us a lot. We try to do it at least once a week. We go to different places. These restaurants hate to see us coming. (Laugh). So far, it has worked out real well. We talk about our goals and just try to hang out together. The thing about a team is you aren't just a team when you are playing on the field. You are a team everywhere.

10/03/00 (11:35 a.m.) - According to my sources, MSU defensive lineman Dorsett Davis had surgery yesterday to relieve pressure that was building in his leg due to a bruise that he received from a hit during the Florida game. It will be determined later this week if he will play in the Auburn game.

BTW, I am starting to get feedback about what the high school and junior college players who were at the game this past Saturday thought of the game and the game atmosphere. Basically, according to my sources, some of them thought it was absolutely incredible and sent chills down their spine. I am hearing rumors that some of the players are saying it was the best time that they had ever had at a game. What is great about this is we are about to do it again this Saturday. I expect a lot of the same players will be back this weekend, plus I suspect other players have heard about what the game and game atmosphere was like and they will also come to the game this weekend out of curiosity.

I'm starting to believe that this past Saturday's game will do for this year's recruiting what the Arkansas game of two years ago did for that year's recruiting.

10/03/00
Mississippi State senior defensive tackle Willie Blade has been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the 20th-ranked Bulldogs' 47-35 win over then No. 3 Florida Saturday.

The Warner Robins, Ga., native recorded five tackles as the State defense held the Gators to -78 yards rushing, a school record and the third lowest mark in SEC history. Blade notched two sacks Saturday, including one for a safety that put MSU on top 5-0 in the first quarter.

Blade's two sacks against UF tie him for the team lead with four on the year. Blade also has 13 tackles to his credit, with five coming for losses.

The Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1 SEC) take the field in a 2:30 p.m. CST contest against the SEC Western Division-leading Auburn Tigers (5-0, 3-0 SEC) at Scott Field. Saturday's game will be televised by CBS Sports.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

I have one correction. South Pike HS lineman Trey Stallings did not attend the game.

If you know of other players that attended the game, please email the info to me at swindoll@genespage.com.

10/02/00
CBS has picked up the MSU vs Auburn game for their national television game this coming Saturday. To say the least, this will be tremendous exposure for MSU. We need to absolutely pack the stadium and be as loud as last week. Our team deserves no less. I also expect there will be just as many recruits at the game as there were this past Saturday. Click here for the full story.

MSU will be facing an Auburn team that is ranked 15th in total defense and 29th in total offense.

Keep sending names in if you know of any other high school or junior college players who unofficially visited State this weekend and I haven't listed their names on my page.

10/01/00 - MSU's offense and defense put on a show for 43,816 predominately MSU fans, dominating the Florida Gators 47-35 (the game was not as close as the score indicated). Among those were many potential football Bulldogs including (just to name a few):

There were many, many other recruits that I could not identify. If you know of any that attended the MSU/Florida football game, please let me know who they were.