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January 2001 Unofficial MSU Football Skuttle-Butt

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Football Stadium Expansion Pictures (01/30/01) | 2000/2001 Recruiting Prospects (01/13/01)

01/31/01 - Recruiting News:

I feel Mississippi State is doing very well with their recruitment of Tre Stallings, OL from South Pike HS, and Fred Perkins, athlete from Brookhaven HS. These two young men, both of whom are two of The Clarion-Ledger's top ten players in the state of Mississippi, would be great additions to what appears to be one of the greatest recruiting classes in the history of MSU football.

Recruiting Parties:

Hoover, Alabama
Birmingham Chapter Football Signing Day Party
Wednesday, February 7
Time: 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Damon's on Hwy 31 in Hoover
Featured guests will be Coaches Jim Tompkins and John Hendrick.
Cost is $5 cover charge with $1 off for bringing canned good.
Any one needing information can contact Chris Settle at 205-527-6487.

Hernando
Desoto County Football Signing Day Party
Wednesday, February 7, 6 pm
J.W. Miller's in Hernando
Cost: $5 ~ hors d'oeuvres
Featured guest: Mike Grant, Strength Coach
For more info, call 662-349-9696

Biloxi
MSU Gulf Coast Signing Day Party
(Jackson County Alumni Chapter, Harrison-Stone County Alumni Chapter, & Gulf Coast Booster Club)
Monday, February 12
5:30 pm Social, 6:30 pm Dinner
Biloxi Beach Holiday Inn (next to the coliseum)
Cost: $15 per person
Guest Speakers: Sparky Woods, Offensive Coordinator; Jerry Fremin, Offensive Line Coach; David Wilson, Recruiting Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach
For more info, call Terry Collins, 228-896-6536; or Dee Smelley, 228-871-4991 (h), 228-522-8790 (w).

Cordova, Tenn.
The Memphis Maroon Club is sponsoring it's 3rd Annual Signing Day party Wednesday,February 7, at The Fox and Hound in Cordova just off Germantown Parkway in front of Bogey's.

The social will begin at 6:00 p.m.; the program will begin at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $10 and includes hors d'oeuvres. Drinks can be purchased from the restaurant.

Coach Joe Lee Dunn will be the guest speaker. Other special guests will include the 5 former MSU football players currently playing for the Memphis Maniax: John Jennings, Jesse James, Kevin Prentiss, Paul Lacoste, & Cornell Menafee.

Please RSVP by Monday, Feb.5, to memphismaroonclub@yahoo.com or call (901) 758-7520 (if you are local to the Memphis area, please leave off the 901) and leave your name and the number in your party.

Jackson, Miss.
Hosted by the Greater Jackson Bulldog Boosters
Primos Northgate
Wednesday, February 7th
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Cost $10 for members and $20 for non-members.
Special Guests: MSU Coaches Jackie Sherrill, Glenn Davis and David Wilson and Former MSU Football Players
Contact Bobbi Raines at 601-856-2777 or email her at sms33401@allstate.com.

Tupelo, Miss.
Gloster 205
Wednesday, February 7th
4:30 pm - 7:00 pm
$10 at the door
Hors d'oeuvres and Cash Bar
Special Guests: Coaches Craig Stump and Melvin Smith

Starkville, Miss.
Harvey's Restaurant
Wednesday, February 7th
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Special Guest: Coach Jackie Sherrill

Meridian, Miss.
Princeton's Restaurant
Wednesday, February 7th
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Featured Guests: John Bond and Kurt Woerner

01/30/01 - Here are the latest pictures of the stadium expansion. Click here to view them.

Recruiting News:
Petal High School center Chris McNeil reaffirms his commitment to MSU. Here is a copy of Chris' statement.

"First, I would like to thank all the schools and coaches that recruited me. This process has been one of the most enjoyable yet stressful times in my life. After much prayer and with my parent's guidance I know now without any reservation where I not only belong but most importantly where my heart is. I bleed maroon and I will be a dawg!!!!!!! I will get to be a part of the greatest coaching staff, players, and fans in the nation. Miss. State is a program destined for great things. The only thing left to say is WHO LET THEM DAWGS OUT."

01/29/01 - Recruiting News:

As most of you know, South Pike HS's outstanding offensive lineman Tre Stallings and Brookhaven HS's outstanding wide receiver Fred Perkins officially visited Mississippi State this past weekend. As far as I know, neither one of them committed to MSU. It is rumored that they want to go to the same college and possibly even room together. Tre is considering MSU and UM, while Fred is considering MSU and Tulane.

I've heard no news on the following players, all of whom MSU is recruiting:
Washington HS's (Atlanta, Ga.) offensive lineman James Redmond.
Mize (MS) HS linebacker Derrick Ducksworth.
Crim HS (Atlanta, GA.) defensive lineman Darrell Holmes.

Recruiting parties:

Cordova, Tenn.
The Memphis Maroon Club is sponsoring it's 3rd Annual Signing Day party Wednesday,February 7, at The Fox and Hound in Cordova just off Germantown Parkway in front of Bogey's.

The social will begin at 6:00 p.m.; the program will begin at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $10 and includes hors d'oeuvres. Drinks can be purchased from the restaurant.

Please RSVP by Monday, Feb.5, to memphismaroonclub@yahoo.com or call (901) 758-7520 (if you are local to the Memphis area, please leave off the 901) and leave your name and the number in your party.

Jackson, Miss.
Hosted by the Greater Jackson Bulldog Boosters
Primos Northgate
Wednesday, February 7th
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Special Guests: MSU Coaches and Former MSU Football Players

Tupelo, Miss.
Gloster 205
Wednesday, February 7th
4:30 pm - 7:00 pm
$10 at the door
Hors d'oeuvres and Cash Bar
Special Guests: Coaches Craig Stump and Melvin Smith

Starkville, Miss.
Harvey's Restaurant
Wednesday, February 7th
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Special Guest: Coach Jackie Sherrill

Meridian, Miss.
Princeton's Restaurant
Wednesday, February 7th
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Featured Guests: John Bond and Kurt Woerner

Biloxi, Miss.
Hosted by the MSU Gulf Coast Booster Club and the Jackson & Harrison County Alumni Assoc.
Monday, Feb. 12, 2001
Social starts at 5:30 pm and the dinner starts at 6:30 pm
Holiday Inn Biloxi
Buffet Dinner, Cost $15.00
Guest speakers: Jerry Fremin and other coaches.
Contact: Terry Collins at 228-896-6536

01/28/01 - Recruiting News:

Arizona Western College defensive lineman Michael Oyefesobi has committed to MSU.

Brookhaven HS athlete Fred Perkins and South Pike HS offensive lineman Tre Stallings are officially visiting MSU this weekend. They were seen at yesterday's basketball game.

I am hearing rumors that MSU may be doing very, very well with Northwest Mississippi CC offensive lineman Michael Allen. There is also a rumor that MSU may also be doing very well with Mize HS linebacker Derrick Ducksworth. Before you ask, I have no idea how Petal HS offensive lineman Chris McNeil's unofficial visit to Alabama this weekend went. Stay tuned.

01/26/01 - I think you will find this academic info very interesting.

Did you know that MSU was one of only three SEC schools that has graduated 56% or more of its African-American football players that entered school during the years 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993. The other schools were South Carolina (60%) and Vanderbilt (88%). During the same period, MSU graduated 63 percent of its white football players. Once again MSU was in the top half of the SEC with only four other SEC teams having a higher graduation rate for its white football players during this four-year period. The average African-American / white football players graduation gap among all NCAA schools is 17%. MSU's 7% gap was 10 points better than the average. Source: NCAA Year 2000 Academic Report (the NCAA does not include junior college transfers or other transfer in their report).

Bet you didn't know this: Of the teams that made the final Year 2001 USA TODAY/ESPN coaches' football poll, MSU had the top graduation rate of all public schools (60%). The two schools that were above them were Northwestern (88%) and Notre Dame (82%), both private schools. The other SEC schools that made the poll had graduation rates of 51% (Georgia), 50% (Florida), 43% (Auburn), 41% (Tennessee). The source for the graduation rates of the last four graduating classes was the NCAA Year 2000 Academic Report.

Fifteen of MSU's 17 junior college football signees that were signed in the years 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 have either graduated or are back in school working on their degrees. One transferred but did graduate from San Diego State. The two others that aren't in school lack 6 and 11 hours. One of those is presently playing in the NFL. BTW, three of the 17 made Academic All-SEC. Another aside that has nothing to do with academics: Seven of the 17 earned All-SEC honors. You have to give Coach Sherrill, his coaching staff and the MSU academic staff a great deal of credit for, first, finding very talented juco players and, second, for making sure that they either earn their degree or are working toward them.

Of MSU's 62 football players returning next year, 3 are majoring in Engineering, 1 in Microbiology, 1 in Agriculture Business, 3 in Sociology, 8 in Business, 4 in Educational Psychology, 3 in Industrial Technology, 11 in Physical Education and 28 are undecided on their major.

Other academic info. Source: NCAA Year 2000 Report and Boston Globe article (the NCAA does not include junior college players or transfers in its report):
Derrick Jackson recently wrote an article in the Boston Globe about the academics of the football teams that played in post-season bowls this past football season. He used the NCAA Year 2000 Academic Report as his source for football graduation rates. The report covers athletes who entered college in either 1990, 1991, 1992, or 1993 and graduated within six years of entrance -- the 1993-94 year being the last possible year someone could have entered college and graduated in time for the report.

Of the 50 teams in the bowls, 8 had overall graduation rates of 35% or less. They were Louisville (33%), Texas A&M, Texas El-Paso (29%), Fresno State (29%), Ohio State and Nevada-Las Vegas (28%), Arkansas (23%) and Boise State (20%). Mississippi State's graduation rate was 60% for the 4-year graduation rate average.

He went on to compare the graduation rate of the African-American football players. 20 of the bowl teams graduated 35% or less of their African-American football players (Percent in parentheses): Fresno State (13), Arkansas (16), Ohio State (17), Nevada-Las Vegas (20), Texas A&M (20), Texas El-Paso (22), Texas Tech (23), Boise State and Kansas State (25), Iowa State and Oklahoma (26), Louisiana State (27), Michigan (28), Auburn (30), Georgia Tech (31), Arizona State, Tennessee, Louisville (33), Cincinnati and Texas Christian (34). Mississippi State once again did well with an African-American graduation rate of 56%.

He even took it a step further and compared the graduation gap between African-American and white players. Presently, all African-American football players have an average graduation rate of 42 percent compared to 59 percent for all white football players. Derrick used the 17 percent gap as a yard stick when comparing the bowl teams. He found that 22 (after researching it, I found that it was actually 23) of the bowl teams had a larger margin than the 17 percent gap. They included Auburn, Fresno State, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Georgia, Southern Mississippi, Oregon State, Texas, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Kansas State, Purdue, Texas El-Paso, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Nevada-Las Vegas, Michigan, LSU, Georgia Tech, Arkansas and Ole Miss. Mississippi State once again showed its academic prowess with a gap of just 7%, one of the lowest among all bowl teams.

01/25/01 - Here are the latest pictures of the stadium expansion. The contractor has really done quite a bit of work since I took my last pictures five days ago. Click here to view them.

01/24/01 - Recruiting News:

It is rumored that Mississippi State had several coaches visiting the state of Georgia the past few days. As you know, MSU is recruiting five or six players in Georgia, including Jabari Davis, James Redmond, Darrius Swain, Darrell Holmes and Walter Burdette. Burdette is an MSU commitment while Swain committed to Miami last night. I have also heard that MSU coaches watched Indianola Gentry's Michael Spurlock play basketball last night.

I continue to hear rumors that MSU is doing well with Mize HS LB Derrick Ducksworth.

MSU presently has commitments from several outstanding DL such as Kahlil Nash, Ron Fields and Tommy Kelly. Max Emfinger lists Nash as a Super 25 on his latest juco Top 140. In fact, Max has three other MSU commitments or signee listed among his Super 25. They are Korey Banks, Corey Brown and Demetric Wright. Another MSU commitment, Richard Ball barely missed the group, coming in at number 27. He also lists MSU commitments Tommy Kelly and Kamau Jackson at 33 and 36 respectively. That means that, according to Max Emfinger, MSU has almost 20% (7) of the top 36 juco players in the nation either signed or committed to them.

01/23/01 - Here are the latest pictures of the stadium expansion. Note that the endzone bleachers have been removed. Click here to view them.

Recruiting News:

Chris McNeil - Center from Petal, MS. Just thought you guys would like to know Chris is still as much of a Bulldog as any of you on this page. This past weekend, he took a nice three-day vacation to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is rumored (only a rumor at this point) that he may be in Starkville this Saturday watching our Bulldogs play those Rebel basketballers. BTW, SuperPrep has Chris listed as the 6th best player and 2nd best OL in Mississippi. Excellent student.

Avery House - OL from Springville, AL. The rumor is Avery has committed to the Bulldogs. SuperPrep lists him as the 14 best player and 2nd best OL in the state of Alabama. He is considered one of the top two offensive linemen in the state of Alabama. He chose the Bulldogs over LSU, Central Florida and South Carolina. He also had scholarship offers from Oregon, UAB and Vanderbilt as well. Excellent student.

According to different sources, Mize HS LB Derrick Ducksworth came away very, very impressed with MSU after his official visit this past weekend.

01/19/01 - Recruiting News:

Recruiting Parties:
Jackson, Miss.
Hosted by the Greater Jackson Bulldog Boosters
Primos Northgate
Wednesday, February 7th
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Special Guests: MSU Coaches and Former MSU Football Players

Tupelo, Miss.
Gloster 205
Wednesday, February 7th
4:30 pm - 7:00 pm
$10 at the door
Hors d'oeuvres and Cash Bar
Special Guests: Coaches Craig Stump and Melvin Smith

Starkville, Miss.
Harvey's Restaurant
Wednesday, February 7th
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Special Guest: Coach Jackie Sherrill

Meridian, Miss.
Princeton's Restaurant
Wednesday, February 7th
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Featured Guests: John Bond and Kurt Woerner

Biloxi, Miss.
Hosted by the MSU Gulf Coast Booster Club and the Jackson & Harrison County Alumni Assoc.
Monday, Feb. 12, 2001
Social starts at 5:30 pm and the dinner starts at 6:30 pm
Holiday Inn Biloxi
Buffet Dinner, Cost $15.00
Guest speakers: Jerry Fremin and other coaches to be named later this week.
Contact: Terry Collins at 228-896-6536

01/18/01 - Football News:

Not sure where it is being held but former football player (1994) Torrey Youngblood's wake is in Biloxi today. His funeral will be held Friday.

A Mississippi Press article by THOMAS WARNER
FAIRHOPE, Ala. - Practices for the Senior Bowl have been full-contact and people are coming at Mississippi State's Fred Smoot from all angles.

Even in street clothes, the MSU All-American cornerback was berated with lip service by teammates who were working out for professional scouts at Fairhope High Stadium.

"They're talking at me but I know to expect it here," Smoot said while resting a twisted knee at Tuesday afternoon's rain-splattered hour-and-a-half session. "Honestly, I've been watching lots of these guys and I'm learning a little from each of them. Being here is allowing me to add to my arsenal."

Smoot is expected to practice today and swears he won't miss the game on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. He's one of five Mississippi State players who've made the trip to lower Alabama to audition here for the pros.

"This is the second of a four-part series of evaluations," New Orleans Saints' general manager Rick Mueller said. "You start with the players' fall season, then go to the Senior Bowl week, then it's the scouting combine in Indianapolis, and finally the on-campus workouts in April before the draft. "The Senior Bowl is really the first time for management people to see the players. Prior to this, only the scouts for the different teams have been able to see them play."

MSU's Scott Westerfield endured a late-season slump to become one of only two placekickers here this week. Westerfield will boot for the South team and Kansas State's Jamie Rheem will be the North kicker.

"As a kid I always looked at this game and said I'd like to someday play here," Westerfield said. "This was always "The Game" that players wanted to be in if they had a shot to make it to the pros."

Westerfield said he felt confident from 45 yards in, but said he was capable of 50-53 yards if needed.

"The pro scouts tell me that it's a consistency thing," Westerfield said. "The guys you watch on TV are all about consistency ... not necessarily length. The pro teams want consistency."

State's offensive line was anchored by Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack before a season-long stress fracture leg injury sidelined him. He had surgery and sat out the rest of the season, but made it back to play in the Bulldogs' bowl win over Texas A&M.

"It went from a stress fracture to a crack," Womack said. "I had the surgery but it still bothers me some. I want to play pro ball, though."

After turning in stellar defensive seasons for MSU, Wyms and Blade traded turns in blocking drills against Womack and the other South offensive linemen. Both expect to get lots of snaps on Saturday.

"The scouts and coaches here have emphasized getting in the right stances and getting off blocks to get better pursuit," Wyms said. "It's a learning experience this week, for sure."

Reprinted with the permission of Thomas Warner

SUPER BULLDOG WEEKEND:

The 16th annual Super Bulldog Weekend will be held on the Mississippi State University campus, Friday, March 23, through Sunday, March 25.

A springtime homecoming for MSU alumni and fans alike, this year's weekend will again provide "fun for the entire family." A staple of past Super Bulldog Weekends, this year's edition will again provide a veritable smorgasbord of athletic events for Bulldog enthusiasts.

The highlight of this year's Super Bulldog Weekend festivities will be a spring scrimmage by Mississippi State�s 2001 football team. Coach Jackie Sherrill's Sanford Independence Bowl champion Bulldogs will be in their second week of spring practice and will scrimmage Saturday the 24th at Scott Field.

A regular part of Super Bulldog Weekend through the years is a Southeastern Conference baseball series, and 2001 will be no different. Head coach Pat McMahon will pit his Diamond Dog squad in a weekend series with SEC West foe and defending national champion LSU. The two teams will meet at 6:30 Friday night, 3:15 p.m. Saturday, and 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Dudy Noble Field/Polk-DeMent Stadium.

But baseball and football will not be the only varsity sports being played as part of the big weekend. Softball will entertain Georgia in a single game Friday at 5 p.m. and in a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. Men's tennis will play Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. Friday and Georgia at 1 p.m. Sunday in a pair of SEC showdowns.

Also back for the 16th straight year is MSU's pig-cooking contest, complete with a Friday night gathering of fellowship and Bulldog fun.

But all of the athletic endeavors are just part of the weekend fun. Another Super Saturday Fanfare is planned, which will bring interactive games for the young and old alike. Drawing from the immense popularity of the Southeastern Conference Fanfare, held regularly at the league championship football game and men's basketball tournament, and from three years experience at past Super Bulldog Weekends, the Fanfare will present various games and activities for the enjoyment of those in attendance.

Recruiting News:
Recruiting Parties:

Tupelo, Miss.
Gloster 205
Wednesday, February 7th
4:30 pm - 7:00 pm
$10 at the door
Hors d'oeuvres and Cash Bar
Special Guests: Coaches Craig Stump and Melvin Smith

Starkville, Miss.
Harvey's Restaurant
Wednesday, February 7th
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Special Guest: Coach Jackie Sherrill

Meridian, Miss.
Princeton's Restaurant
Wednesday, February 7th
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Featured Guests: John Bond and Kurt Woerner

Sure hope we are going to have more than this!

01/17/01 - Recruiting parties update:
Harvey's Restaurant in Starkville has tentatively lined up Coach Sherrill for their recruiting party. The party will be on February 7th and will begin at approximately 5 p.m. More details later.

If anyone else is giving a recruiting party, please forward your complete info to me at swindoll@genespage.com

Just thought you guys would enjoy reading this Magnolia Recruiting article about MSU commitment Kyle York. Website maintainer Rob Haralson gave me permission to reprint it. Check out Rob's excellent recruiting site by clicking here...

Kyle York commits
By: Rob Haralson
Date: 1/16/2001

Quarterback Kyle York from Spring, Texas visited Mississippi State this weekend and went home a Bulldog. He stands 6-2, weighs 205-lbs., and runs a 4.7 forty. He also squats 365-lbs., bench presses 265-lbs., and has had his vertical jump measured at 32" at a camp at Oklahoma.

Kyle was hosted at Mississippi State by Jared Cook and rated his visit a 10 on a scale of one to ten. "My reasons for that are that you can go out and find good football programs and you can find good academic reputations, and you can find good coaches and good players.

"What eventually led me to make the commitment and what led me to realize that this is the place for me was being on campus and just having the feeling in my heart that is where God was leading me to be. It was the strongest feeling I have had on a campus.

"Since I have been in high school I have been a lot of places: LSU, Notre Dame, (Texas) A&M, Texas. I've been everywhere. It has never been as strong a feeling as it was Saturday and Sunday. It made more sense than anything has since the recruiting process began. It was just something I couldn't pass up."

York said the Bulldogs' coaching staff also effected his decision. "Truthfully, the entire coaching staff was very impressive," Kyle commented. "They are genuine guys and honest.

"The coach that began recruiting me was Craig Stump. Of course there was Sparky Woods the quarterback coach. I really liked him a lot, and Coach Sherrill, there was a lot to like about him, too. Those were the three that I spent the most time with."

Kyle said his decision is final. "I gave my word and I made the promise to myself and my family that once I gave my word to somebody, that was going to be it. Nothing is going to change my mind. That's the end of it."

Kyle chose Mississippi State over Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Louisiana Tech. He had scholarships from all of his favorites and had visited Oklahoma State and Louisiana Tech . He had a visit scheduled for Kansas, but decided to cancel it after his decision.

As a senior last season York completed 62% of his passes, throwing for 2802 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also rushed the ball for 5 touchdowns while leading Spring High to a 7-3 mark. They started out 6-0 with a top ten 5A ranking (the largest classification in Texas), before suffering some injuries on an already thin offensive line.

York is an excellent student and has already been approved to play college football by the NCAA Clearinghouse. He boasts a 3.75 GPA made an 1160 on the SAT as a sophomore.

Super Bulldog Weekend is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of March 23-25. This will be the weekend of the LSU vs MSU baseball series. The times and dates of events will be announced later. Baseball's Saturday game is scheduled to start at 3:15 p.m. and will be broadcast by FOX/Sports TV.

01/16/01 - Football News:
Just thought you guys would enjoy seeing what one of our football players was doing with his time while on his Christmas vacation. Click here to see a picture of Steele Davis doing his part to help his community.....

Recruiting News:

MSU QB commitment Kyle York - (Info from one of my readers) Kyle transferred to Spring from Conroe near the end of his junior year. At Conroe he started two seasons but failed to excel in a run-oriented offense. Once at Spring, Kyle exploded for 2,800 yards and 36 TDs in 10 games. He's 6-2, 205-lbs. and was timed at Texas A&M's summer camp at 4.6 in the forty yard dash. He was named Houston Area Offensive Player of the Year and made every major Texas paper's top 100 list. He was All-State on the field AND academic All-State. Kyle, who had offers from Oklahoma State, Louisiana Tech, and Kansas, is also a great kid, a sharp student, and a very well spoken young man. I've had the opportunity to have seen him play 3-4 times and he always carries himself well - a great team leader.

01/15/01 - Recruiting News:
Mississippi State had twelve or thirteen official visitors in this past weekend. All were rumored to have attended the football banquet. Of the twelve or thirteen, one was a previous MSU commitment and four committed this weekend.

The one who is already an MSU commitment is Petal HS center Chris McNeil. Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report lists Chris as the twelfth best OL in the six-state area of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky. Chris was also a member of the Clarion-Ledger First-Team All-State Team. Chris, who had an incredible 144 pancake blocks this past season, continued to hear from Mississippi and Alabama after he committed to MSU.

The first of the four that committed this weekend is DE Kahlil Nash. Kahlil, who played for Arizona Western College this past season, was rated by one recruiting publication as the top DE prospect in the junior college ranks. He was also one of the twelve finalists for the NJCAA Player of the Year Award this past football season, one of only two defensive linemen to be among the twelve.

Next up is "Big Daddy" Johnny Wadley. Johnny is a 350 to 360-pound Clarion-Ledger First-Team All-State OL from Hernando, Mississippi. Johnny has been compared to MSU senior OL Pork Chop Womack because, like Pork Chop, he is a huge man with quick feet. MSU, with the commitments of McNeil and Wadley, now has commitments from two of the Clarion-Ledger's First-Team All-State OL.

Third up is Brandon Downing, a Clarion-Ledger First-Team All-State linebacker from talent-rich Clarksdale HS in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Brandon recorded an incredible 153 tackles this past season. Like his former teammate Mario Haggan, Brandon is a big, physical linebacker who weighs in the 245 pound range.

The final commitment this weekend was Spring, Texas QB Kyle York. Kyle is rated as one of the top 100 players in Texas and was rated as the 67th best QB in the country by Rivals.com.

01/14/01 - CBS Sportsline/PrepStar Juco All-American cornerback, Demetric Wright, commits to MSU.

01/14/01 - CBS Sportsline/PrepStar Juco All-American cornerback, Demetric Wright, commits to MSU, according to The Clarion-Ledger.

Basically, his decision came down to two factors: He wanted to play on a team that played his style of defense and he was tired of being pressured to do something that he didn't want to do.

The story also mentions that several MSU coaches, Sparky Woods and Melvin Smith, have been contacted by various programs but have turned down all offers and will continue coaching at MSU. Click here to read the complete article.....

Mary Ann and I attended the Mississippi State football banquet last night. Before I post the goings on, I just thought you guys would like to know that I met former Mississippi State football great Rockey Felker for the first time last night. I introduced myself to him and was very honored to find out that he checks my page quite often. More on Coach Felker later in this article.

The banquet was held in the Colvard Union Ballroom. In attendance were several hundred folks, including all of the MSU football coaches, a large number of football employees, MSU President Dr. Malcolm Portera and MSU Athletic Director Larry Templeton, as well as a large number of football players.

The first thing on the agenda was a great meal and fellowship among the MSU faithful.

At about 7:30 p.m. MSU football assistant coach David Wilson, the Master of Ceremonies, stepped up to the podium, said a few words, then introduced AD Larry Templeton.

Larry Templeton talked about the great ride that this year's group of seniors gave MSU. He mentioned the great accomplishments that they had attained during their time at MSU. Including winning more games than any other group of seniors in the history of MSU football. He proudly mentioned that they had won more SEC games than any other SEC Western Division team during their years at State.

Larry Templeton talked for a few minutes, then introduced the next speaker, Dr. Portera.

Dr. Portera thanked Coach Sherrill and the football team for having a great season. He also mentioned Coach Sherrill's wife, Peggy Sherrill, and how she is about as anxious of a fan of MSU football as he is. He thanked her for her support of MSU football. He said that this year's Independence Bowl was the second most watched Independence Bowl in Independence Bowl history and was the second highest rated bowl among all bowls that ESPN televised this year.

He made a special point of talking about the quality of the athletes that we have at Mississippi. When he started to point this he pulled out a letter written by a woman who has no connections to MSU. The woman and her two sons live in Texarkana. During the same period that the MSU football team was staying in Shreveport, she and her two young sons had to leave their home due to the loss of electricity. They wound up at the same hotel that the MSU football team was staying. During their stay there, she wrote that the team and coaches took them in as if they were a part of the team. Even the youngsters of the coaches became their pals. Coach Sherrill even invited them to football practice. She sent the letter to Dr. Portera because she wanted him to know the quality of the MSU football players and coaches. It's nice to see that folks who have no connection to Mississippi State, and who have a chance to come in contact with our players, are as complimentary of our players as we are proud of them.

After talking about MSU football and the exciting things that are happening with the program, he mentioned a few outstanding accomplishments of Mississippi State in the field of research. He was extremely proud of the fact that MSU is ranked number 58 among 610 public universities for research. He also told the crowd that MSU's engineering school is 37 among 310 accredited engineering schools.

Once Dr. Portera was through, David Wilson introduced Coach Jackie Sherrill.

Coach Sherrill thanked the team, then introduced the seniors and his coaching staff and their wives. He was very complimentary of the seniors and the things that they had done for the MSU football program.

Once Coach Sherrill was through speaking, Dr. David Boles presented the High School Scholar-Athlete Awards to three local football players, Will Prosser of Starkville Academy and brothers Larry and Jimmy Crowell of Starkville High School. He pointed out that all three accomplished great things on the field and in the classroom.

MSU offensive coordinator Sparky Woods was the next speaker. He proudly introduced running back Dicenzo Miller as the Offensive Most Valuable Player.

Next up was MSU defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn. Coach Dunn presented the Defensive Most Valuable Player Award to cornerback Fred Smoot. Coach Dunn told the crowd that in his 33 years of coaching football Fred was the best cornerback he had ever coached. Fred spoke to the crowd and apologized for not taking care of his academic business. He said that he would complete his MSU degree.

MSU coach Jim Tompkins then presented the Most Valuable Player Award for the Special Teams. The winner of that award was WR Larry Huntington. Larry explained something to the crowd that I did not know until last night. As some of you might remember, MSU received both the first half and second half kickoffs during the Florida game. What happened was the Florida player, who was the person who decided what Florida would do on the kickoff, made a mistake in what he wanted to do. The official, realizing that the player had made a mistake, asked the player several times if he was sure that was what he wanted to do. The player continued to say yes. All the time, Larry knew the other player had made the incorrect decision and was looking at the official. When the Florida player got back to the Florida sidelines, Larry said he saw Steve Spurrier throw his visor out onto the field after talking to the player. Funny but true story.

Larry Templeton, after Larry was finished with his story, came back to the podium and introduced the person who was this year's Distinguished American Award winner, none other than the great MSU football player Rockey Felker. Before having Rockey come to the podium, Larry talked about Rockey's great football career at MSU and how he helped lay the foundation for the success MSU now has in signing the top Mississippi high school players. When he asked Rockey come to the podium, all the people in the crowd stood up and gave Rockey the longest standing ovation of the night. This was one of the great moments of the night.

Rockey thanked Larry and Dr. Portera for the award and talked about the great times and memories that he had while at MSU. He reminisced about his playing days and his coaching career. He was very proud of the fact that he helped lay the foundation for the future success of Mississippi State. When Rockey left the podium, he and Coach Sherrill shook hands.

Coach Sherrill then walked to the podium and introduced the team captains, Fred Smoot, Scott Westerfield, Larry Huntington, Michael Fair and Floyd Womack. Eugene Clinton was also a captain but was not in attendance due to a flight delay in Atlanta. Each captain spoke to the crowd.

Each one of them thanked the Bulldog family (family was mentioned a lot last night) and the coaches for giving them a chance to play for Mississippi State. Michael Fair mentioned the fact that no SEC school was willing to give him a chance except for Mississippi State. Michael wound up second-team All-SEC center his senior year.

The next item on the agenda was a very funny highlight film produced by Peggy Sherrill. She even had a few excerpts from the week leading up to the Independence Bowl. Included in those were Mike Grant under hypnosis and the Bonnie Sherrill and backup singers routine.

Next up was the presentation of the Newsom Award to kicker Scott Westerfield. The Newsom Award is given as the Academic Award. Scott made a 3.91 GPA in engineering.

Also mentioned were the players that made the Academic All-SEC Team. They included Steele Davis, Michael Fair, Josh Morgan, Kendall Roberson, Donald Lee, Scott Westerfield, George White, David Marini, Forrest Williams, Matt McRae and Kevin Sijansky. To achieve this honor, each player had to maintain a 3.0 or better this past year.

The next award, presented by Dr. David Boles, was the Contribution to Amateur Football Award. Rev. Bill Beavers, a Southaven resident, was the winner of this award. Dr. Boles was very complimentary of Bill and talked about how great his devotions were prior to the SEC Today meetings back when Bill lived in Starkville. Bill thanked the folks in attendance and talked about how proud he was to be part of the Mississippi State family.

Next up was the presentation of the Bob Hartley Achievement Award, one of the most coveted awards given out. Offensive lineman Michael Fair received this award. He thanked Coaches Smith and Sherrill for giving him a chance to achieve his dream of playing for Mississippi State. Dr. Boles mentioned the fact that Michael graded out at 87% during the year and above 90% in five of his last games as a senior.

The last award was the coveted Keffer McGee Award. Coach Sherrill had Keffer's mother present this award. Eugene Clinton was this year's winner. Linebacker Edward Yeates, accepting the award for Eugene, read two scriptures from the Bible, one for the underclassmen and one for the outgoing seniors. His talk was about winning not only on the playing field but in life. It was a very inspiring talk.

Last up was the featured speaker, former MSU football great Johnny Baker. Johnny gave examples of things accomplished by many individuals that he has come in contact with in one form or another during his life. He talked about the roads you take during your life and how the world gave you nothing. You have to work for whatever you accomplish in life.

At the end of of the banquet, a seven minute highlight film was shown.

The banquet ended at approximately 9:25 p.m.

I took pictures and will post them later today.

01/13/01 - Here are the latest pictures of the stadium expansion. Note that the endzone bleachers have been removed. Click here to view them.

01/12/00 - I have just added a new national advertiser. Instead of a banner ad, this advertiser generates an ad called an Interstitial. Interstitials, which are very quickly growing as the newest form of advertising on the internet, come up in another browser window, then automatically minimize. You will see them at the bottom of your screen where windows go when you minimize them. Just click on it, then close out of it. I've had to add these to offset the advertising money lost due to the loss of Ad Club Network.

Just thought I would give you guys an example an article that is currently on my premium site.

Marco Minor: Learning to live with the Breaks... by Grant Alford

This year for MSU has been a year of breaks. The ups and downs of this season can be characterized by just looking at the last game of the season, the Independence Bowl against Texas A&M. From the beginning the outlook was bleak for MSU with the lose of All-American Fred Smoot; the team then got down 14 points; then fought back and then fell behind once again by 14. MSU's chances looked impossible. That is until Marco Minor intercepted a pass to set up the tying score.

"I just knew that when the quarterback rolled my way the only option he had was to throw it to the sideline," said Marco Minor on his first career interception at MSU. "This game was just my chance, I knew that I had to break on that ball."

Marco came to MSU rated as one of the top wide receivers in Mississippi out of Copiah-Lincoln Community College. But once he got to MSU he and the coaches decided that his services would be better used on defense. During his first spring drills at MSU, Marco showed flashes of brilliance before returning an interception 100 yards during the final spring scrimmage.

But even Marco did not realize that he would have the opportunity to help his team out at cornerback during this season. He started the season behind Smoot and saw action at Dog and Safety but most of his season was on special teams.

"I just wanted to do whatever I could to help out this team," said Marco about his spot on this year's team. "It took me a little while to get adjusted to this position, but I knew that I had to use this opportunity and make the most of it."

Marco has always been helped along by his athletic ability, and during his football career this has been evident. He has been credited with a 4.4 forty yard dash, a 35 inch vertical and has been called an "Eric Moulds clone." These are words that have an coach or fan salivating over this prospect.

"I have played basketball and run track for a long time, and that has contributed to making me a better football player," commented Marco about the rave over his athletic ability. "All of those things are about techniques, and once you get your techniques down you will be better."

But even with his athletic ability, his high rating out of high school and his move from offense to defense, Marco has had to find the strength to get used to playing a back up role. The role has been one that he has never had to play.

"I give all the credit to God and his grace for pulling me through," said Marco about his source of strength. "You can't do anything without God's Grace."

Marco knows, however, that just because he had what could be called a breakout game during the Independence Bowl, he will have some stiff competition for the upcoming spring and next season.

"I am going to do whatever I have to do to get better," said Marco about his plans to improve during the off-season to be able to compete with the newcomers. "I am going to start lifting weights and running hills; whatever I have to do to help this team."

Marco knows that with his contributions, the returning players and the incoming players for next season, there is great potential in Starkville. But he also knows that he is going to be on top of his game to earn the chance to be named as a starter before next season.

"We have a lot of potential. We have a great chance to be very good next year," said Marco about next season. "I just want the opportunity to do whatever I can to help this team. So I am going to have to work my tail off."

01/11/01 (12:10 p.m.) - Recruiting News:
Please remember the recruiting season is in full swing right now. With that comes the nasty recruiting rumors. The best piece of advice that I can give you is that recruiting rumors about Mississippi State are spread every year and every year 99.9% of them turn out to be false. The recruiting process can be a fun thing to follow as long as you don't let the nasty recruiting rumors get to you. We, as Mississippi State fans, need to continue to take the high road and not spread rumors about any other school. I realize when things are being said about Mississippi State that, in some cases, your first reaction is to retaliate but that accomplishes nothing other than making you look foolish.

01/11/01 - Recruiting News:
Here are the names of some -- key word is some -- of the players that are rumored to be visiting this weekend:
Will Prosser - WR/FS, 6-3, 195, 4.7, Starkville Academy.
Jabari Davis - RB, 6-0, 230, 4.5, Stone Mountain (GA) HS. Rated as one of the top running backs in the nation by Tom Lemming, Prep Star and Max Emfinger.
Darrius Swain - TE, 6-4, 260, 4.7, Tucker (GA.) HS.
Chris McNeil - OL, 6-5, 280, 5.0, Petal (MS) HS. Clarion-Ledger First Team All-State. Max Emfinger has him listed as one of the top six offensive centers in the nation. Pigskin Preps has him listed as perhaps the top center prospect in the south. The top true offensive center prospect to come out of Mississippi in years. Committed to MSU.
James Redmond - OL, 6-9, 295, 5.1, Booker T. Washington HS (Atlanta, Ga.).
Johnny Wadley - OL, 6-4, 345, Hernando HS. Clarion-Ledger First Team All-State.
Brandon Downing - 6-2, 220, 4.6, Clarksdale (MS) HS. May be the top linebacker in north Mississippi. Clarion-Ledger First Team All-State.
Kahlil Nash - DL, 6-4, 265, Arizona Western College via Mechanicsburg, PA. He was one of the 12 finalists for NJCAA Player of the Year.
Michael Oyebesobi - DL, 6-4, 282, Arizona Western College via Miramar, Florida. Teammate of Khalil Nash's.

01/09/01 - Recruiting News:

Clarence McDougal - There has been some talk about whether Clarence will qualify. The latest word that I have is he will easily qualify.

Brad Weathers - Brad, an offensive lineman from Amite County HS, has signed with Mississippi State.

If you are interested in the best publication for southern prospects, then Pigskin Preps is an excellent publication you may want to subscribe to. Freddie Kirby, owner/editor, offers two very large magazines for $30 total. The preseason issue lists over 3,000 southern high school and national junior college prospects. The preseason issue, which is 80 pages long, is a great reference magazine. If you are interested in contacting Freddie about a subscription, his phone number is (256) 351-1500. Tell him Gene Swindoll sent you.

01/08/01 - Recruiting News:

Brad Weathers, OL, Amite County HS - Brad visited MSU this past weekend. According to rumors, Brad has committed to MSU. He was fully qualified out of high school and should be attending State during the spring. That means he will be able to go through spring drills.

Avery House, OL, Springville (AL) HS - Avery visited MSU this past weekend. It is rumored that he had a very good visit but did not commit. Avery is a 6-6, 300-pound OL who looks like he weighs 265 pounds.

Darrell Holmes, DE/LB, Crim HS (Atlanta, GA.) - Darrell, who visited MSU this past weekend, is rumored to have had a great visit. Even though he had a great visit, South Carolina and Georgia appear to be the two teams to beat.

Michael Spurlock, QB, Indianola Gentry HS - No news on how his visit to MSU went this past weekend.

Derek Farmer, RB, Lee HS (Tyler, TX.) - Rumored to be visiting MSU the weekend of the 19th, 20th, 21st. One of the top running backs in Texas. Rumored to be leaning to MSU and Alabama.

Jabari Davis, RB, Stone Mountain (GA) HS - The rumor is he is very enthusiastic about his upcoming visit to MSU. Jabari, who is 6-0, 230, 4.5, is considered one of the top running backs in the nation.

Daniel and Josh Bullock - Daniel and Josh are 6-1, 195, DB/WRs from Hixson, Tennessee. They are rumored to be visiting MSU the weekend of the 19th-21st. Other schools showing interest are Tennessee, Nebraska, Georgia and Florida State. According to the Rivals site, they are leaning to Tenn. and Nebraska.

Johnny Wadley - 6-4, 345, Hernando HS. Rumored to be visiting MSU the weekend of the 12th-14th.

01/07/01 - Recruiting News:

Recruits seen at yesterday's basketball game: Co-Lin's linebacker Kamau Jackson, Springville, Alabama offensive lineman Avery House, Amite County HS offensive lineman Brad Weathers, Crim HS (Atlanta, GA.) DE/LB Darrell Holmes. Not sure what Indianola Gentry's Michael Spurlock looks like so I can't say that I saw him at the basketball game.

The Port Arthur News has indicated that Jeff Mayhew of Nederland, TX will be visiting Mississippi State on the weekend of Jan. 12 (I have heard that he is coming in on Jan. 19th). Jeff is a 6-5 or 6-6, 280-pound lineman. He played both ways and made the Port Arthur News Super Team (made up of area players) on defense. He has already visited Texas A&M and Texas Tech. He will visit Rice on the 19th and Northwestern State on Jan. 26. Jeff's brother, Scott, signed with Rice last year.

01/06/01 - Football News:
Mississippi State senior defensive tackle Willie Blade (Warner Robins, Ga.) was selected Friday to play for the South team in the 2001 Delchamps Senior Bowl at Mobile, Ala.

Blade becomes the fifth Bulldog selected to the postseason all-star classic, joining teammates Fred Smoot, Scott Westerfield, Pork Chop Womack, and Ellis Wyms. That foursome was selected to the team in mid-December. This season marks the seventh-straight year that MSU has been represented in the game, and the five Bulldogs are the most ever to represent the school in the nation's premier postseason all-star game. State has had 24 players selected to Senior Bowl rosters during the past seven years.

Blade, a 6-3, 318-pounder, culminated his State career at the 2000 Sanford Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., where he was named the bowl's Most Outstanding Defensive Player. He totaled 16 tackles, including four for loss (minus 7 yards) and blocked two points after touchdown. His final blocked kick came in overtime and provided the margin of victory in the Bulldogs' 43-41 win over Texas A&M.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Other MSU football tidbits:

MSU football, with the addition of Willie Blade to the Senior Bowl, now has seven senior players playing in post-season play. MSU, as stated above, has five in the Senior Bowl and two, Toby Golliday and Eugene Clinton, in the Hula Bowl. All but one of the MSU defensive senior starters are playing in a post-season game.- Gene's comments.

NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper projects MSU's Fred Smoot as the top cornerback (and defensive back) in this year's list of senior prospects going into the draft evaluation period. Link here...

According to a source of mine, MSU tight end Donald Lee is expected to be selected as one of the top five junior-to-be tight ends in the college ranks by an NFL group. Donald has been compared in talent to former MSU football player and current NFL player Reggie Kelly. Reggie was a second-round selection.

Recruiting News:

Here are the names and a little info on the players that I have heard are visiting MSU this weekend:
Brad Weathers - Brad is a 6-6, 300-pound offensive lineman from Amite County (MS) HS.
Avery House - Avery, 6-6, 285, 5.1, is an offensive lineman from Springville, Alabama.
Darrell Holmes - Darrell is a 6-3, 255-pound LB/DE from Crim HS in Atlanta, Georgia.
Michael Spurlock - Michael is a 5-11, 190-pound QB from Indianola Gentry HS.
Kamau Jackson - Kamau is a 6-2, 240-pound linebacker from Co-Lin CC.

01/04/01 - Recruiting News:

Torran Williams, a 6-4, 300-pound defensive lineman from Dodge City (KS) CC, will be officially visiting MSU in the next few weeks. Torran is number 30 on Max Emfinger's Top 117 junior college list.

A hot prospect: Kahlil Nash, a 6-4, 265, defensive lineman from Arizona Western College will also be officially visiting MSU in the next few weeks. Kahlil was one of the 12 finalists for NJCAA Player of the Year. The rumor is he has really looked very impressive on film and would fit perfectly in the MSU defensive scheme.

Brad Weathers, a 6-6, 300-pound high school offensive lineman from Amite County (MS) that MSU showed a lot of interest in two years ago, is rumored to be visiting MSU this coming weekend. Brad, who is a Mormon, has been on his two-year Mormon mission the past two years. He was a full-qualifier out of high school and should be able to attend college in the spring.

Mississippi State seniors Eugene Clinton and Toby Golliday have been selected to play in the 2001 Hula Bowl All-Star Football Classic, to be held Saturday, Jan. 20, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

This will be the first time a Bulldog has appeared in the game since punter/place-kicker Andy Russ was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1997 classic. State has placed 17 players in the all-star game since 1973.

Clinton, a 6-0, 191-pound Dog safety from Jackson, Miss., made 51 tackles during the season, including six for loss (minus 28 yards), of which three were quarterback sacks (minus 25 yards). He finished second on the club with 16 pass deflections and three interceptions.

Golliday, a 6-2, 315-pound nose guard/defensive tackle from Cleveland, Miss., paced State�s down defensive linemen with 57 hits. He totaled five tackles for loss (minus 18 yards), of which one was a QB sack (minus 5 yards).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

01/03/01 - Independence Bowl Pics (not in any kind of order):

The MSU offense on the field (pic 1)...
Close up of offense waiting for a play...
The snow coming down full force...
MSU mascot Humphrey braving the cold in his parka...
MSU QB Wayne Madkin talking strategy with MSU coach...
MSU fans with their signs...
MSU fans braving the I-Bowl blizzard...
Coach Sherrill with the I-Bowl trophy...
The MSU fans celebrating the victory...
Mary Ann Swindoll (my wife) and Chuck Beddingfield (Assoc. AD) braving the snow...
Willie Blade and his sister Toriana Blade...
I-20 Snowman for the Dogs (Danny Alexander took the photo)....

01/01/01 - At the 25th Independence Bowl Sunday night, MSU defeated Texas A&M 43 to 41 in a thrilling overtime game played in almost blizzard conditions as three inches of snow fell on Shreveport.

Click here to go to the official MSU site recap of the game. Below you will find interview sessions with Coach Sherrill and several of the MSU players.

Independence Bowl Post-Game Quotes:

Coach Jackie Sherrill Quotes:
For these guys to never give up and come back and win this game is a very special thing. Marco Minor, number 23, was all of a sudden thrown in Fred's place and did a great, great job. It was a big factor when he intercepted the pass. Willie Blade had a really big night. He played extremely hard. Number nine (Wayne Madkin) made some big, big plays down the stretch.

(Mississippi State) beat some teams that were rated in the top-five, top-ten. (We) have won a lot of games. It was unfortunate that this team lost so many players at the end of the year. Sometimes that happens but they never gave up.

I would like to say to these guys and to the rest of our team that it was a great, great win for our team and our program and it certainly should put us in the top-20. With our whole offense coming back it sends us into next year with a good chance to be really good.

Q and A with Coach Sherrill and the players:

Was it tough to play in this cold?
Coach Sherrill: Believe or not, I wasn't cold. I have been in a lot colder weather than this. The thing that I was concerned about was the footing for our players.

Willie, how did you get through to block the extra point (in overtime)?
Willie Blade: They were down blocking on me and I just got by the guard.

Wayne, for two years in a row, you have ended the season by leading the team to a big victory. How does that feel for you personally?
Wayne Madkin: The biggest thing is for the third straight year we have won at least eight victories. I see Mississippi State as a growing program. The biggest thing for me is I have one more year. I'm thinking how we need to get to that next level.

One thing that I want to say is this coaching staff had us mentally ready to play. This team was ready to play. It may not have seen like I was ready to play early because of the drops but this team was ready to play.

Coach Sherrill jumped in to make a comment: At the beginning Wayne came over and said, "Coach, my hands are frozen."

Wayne, talk about the winning touchdown in overtime?
Wayne Madkin: The defensive line was getting a rush and my guy stopped so I just broke on it as soon as possible. A guy was coming at me and I stretched it as far as I could. I knew when all the guys jumped on me and I couldn't breath, I knew I had gotten into the endzone.

What was the footing like?
Willie Blade: It was bad at first but I slowed down a little bit and readjusted.

Here is an extra treat for those of you who visit my message board. Willie Blade's sister Toriana Blade is a poster on my board. I met her, her father Willie Blade, Sr. and Willie's cousin after the game last night. Toriana was nice enough to allow me to interview her.

Talk about your brother, Willie Blade.
He has been my brother for twenty-two years and he will be my brother forever. I can't even put into words and I'm never at a loss for words (what he means to me). I've had the opportunity to see him grow into a fine young man which has been a great blessing. He has been a great blessing to me. He is five years younger than me and he is the baby. We call him Wi-two because he is named after our father. He plays this game with not only his heart but our heart as well; my father's, my mother's, our families', his girlfriend. We are in this together and that is how my brother sees it as well.

How about talking about the two years that Willie has been at State?
Toriana Blade: First of all I would like to say thank you to all the fans on Gene's Page (message board) and thank you to you. The support of fans on Gene's Page has been so great. In fact, I got the chance to meet the IBBC (Internet Bulldog Boosters Club) fans at one game. The support was overwhelming. That was a game where a lot of our family were able to come out and see my brother play for the first time. I am so overwhelmed with pride it is unexplainable.

Mississippi State has been hanging around since he was a junior in high school. It was a thing about loyalty. I am so glad that he chose Mississippi State over the other schools. And I know that he is glad that he chose Mississippi State over the other schools.

I want to thank the fans again and the coaching staff, Coach Sherrill and Coach Hendrick. Like my brother said, he and Coach Hendrick have been through a lot together. And he highly reveres Coach Hendrick and the coaching staff. It has been a blessing and we have to thank God.

Did you get to see him play much this year?
Toriana Blade: We were here so much that we were putting so many miles on our car that we started renting a vehicle. But it has been worth it.

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