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05/22/01 - Here are the latest stadium expansion pictures. They were taken Saturday, May 19th. Thanks to Thomas Flynt for taking them and David Johnson for taking him up in his airplane. Click here to view them.

05/18/01 (3:15 p.m.) - Good academic news for MSU football signees....

According to various sources, including what the coaches are saying at the Bulldog Family Celebrations, all of MSU's signees are getting closer to becoming eligible. It even appears that several of the junior college players will either attend MSU summer school, at their own expense, or work at summer jobs in and around Starkville.

05/17/01 (3:00 p.m.) - Here are the latest stadium expansion pictures. They were taken Thursday, May 17th at noon. Click here to view them.

05/17/01 - Here is an excerpt from my premium site interview with assistant coach Terry Lewis.

Coach Lewis: The big thing, Gene, is that I can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is one of the most exciting springs that I have been a part of. I say that simply because Coach Sherrill to me is a throwback to what he demands and requires of his football players and coaches. I have heard about how physical Mississippi State is and I knew what type coach Coach Sherrill is because I have followed him and even competed against him when he was at Texas A&M.

We can start at the tight end position. (Junior-to-be) Donald Lee, probably, has as much ability as anyone that I have ever been around. In fact, I just had the good fortune to coach a couple of guys at North Carolina who were drafted just a few days ago in the NFL draft. One, Alge Crumpler, was drafted pretty high, the 35th choice, and the other young man was drafted as the 252nd pick. I can say this, because I said this to Alge when he was down here visiting, that at the same point and time in his career, Donald Lee is, definitely, a much better athlete. Donald Lee, barring an injury, should really be a guy that everybody in this dadgum country should know about starting this fall. He is the complete package. A lot of tight ends can either catch or block; very few can do both. This guy has the ability to be a dominant force in both areas. I don't think that he dropped a pass this spring. I know that his blocking speaks for itself. All you have to do is watch our nutcracker drill. I mean the guy is a dominant doggone blocker. He is really going to be one of the key cogs in our offensive machine. He is unselfish; he is an absolute joy to work with. I can't wait to get down to serious business. Spring is for show; fall is for dough. I can hardly wait until we get out there in August.

Behind Donald is (sophomore-to-be) Aaron Lumpkin. I had heard that he had the physical capabilities but had not shown that tenacity that anybody who plays for us has to have because Coach Sherrill demands it. I can now say that Aaron has shown that he is ready to step up to the plate and be a big-time contributor. He got banged up at the end of spring but I was very pleased with what he had done up to that point in terms of effort and aggressiveness. I think that he needs to concentrate a little more on catching the football. I am really excited about him.

The interesting player is (sophomore-to-be) Tommy Ferrill. Even though he was a walk-on, to my surprise and to the surprise of a lot of other coaches here, the guy has a chance to be a guy who can contribute for us. The thing about football is if you stay and work hard, you will get an opportunity to play. He will have an opportunity, during the course of the season, to make some plays for us. He is a guy that I feel very comfortable with when he goes out there and plays. Tommy is a starter on some of our special teams.

We have another young man, (senior-to-be) Nick Brett, who is a backup on some of our special teams. Nick is a walk-on who is a hard-working guy but a little undersized. He will have a chance to do some things for us in a special teams role.

All of these guys are quality people who are exciting to be around. It is a joy to coach them. I am really looking forward to watching all of them better themselves as football players and as people.

05/16/01 - Here is an excerpt from my premium site interview with assistant coach Carroll McCray.

Coach McCray: I thought that (senior-to-be) Tommy Watson gained ground at center everyday. He had never played center before. We tried a lot of different things but I really thought that he had a good last scrimmage and got a lot of things done. I was very pleased with him. I thought he grew as a leader as well. We had several talks with him about being a leader.

(Sophomore-to-be) Donald Tucker played right guard the entire spring. I felt that the last week, especially after the second scrimmage, he really improved. He improved a lot effort wise. I think that it took some time for him to adjust to getting a lot of snaps and what he had to do. I saw more improvement in him, especially the last week, than the entire spring prior to that week.

(Freshman) Brad Weathers was our new guy. He played right guard. Every single thing you do with Brad is new because it has been two years since he has played football. He got here in December. Every single day he got better. I am very excited about him. At the end of spring his favorite drill was the inside drill. If he can get the defensive player in a restricted area, he does pretty good blocking. He doesn't back down from anyone. He is a very quiet young man. I am excited about his improvement and his mental ability to learn. Mentally, as far as understanding the game and where we are and what we are doing, that is where he is behind. Physically, he is ready to go. Because he is so physical, that is why he gained ground every day.

Is there a possibility that he might play some next season, even though he will only be a freshman?
Coach McCray: Yes, there is a possibility. He could come in and give us depth. I think if we see as much improvement this summer as we saw this spring, then I think that he is going to gain a lot of ground in a hurry. The first week or so he was feeling himself around, then, the last week of spring, you could see the improvement everyday. The big thing for him is how he trains during the summer.

05/15/01 - The Memphis Maroon Club is sponsoring buses for the Memphis and South Carolina football games next fall. The fare is $20.00 per person if received by June 1 and $25.00 after June 1. There will be early sign ups at their Spring Gathering on May 23rd and the Desoto County Spring Gathering on May 24th. If you live in the area and are interested in the bus trips, you can contact them by email at memphismaroonclub@yahoo.com and they be glad to contact you with details.

05/11/01 - Here are a few excerpts from my premium site interview with MSU Athletic Director Larry Templeton.

I've had a lot of MSU people email me asking how they can get radio stations in their area to broadcast MSU sporting events, mainly football. I know that we have some kind of deal with TeleSouth Communications. How about talking about how the process works between MSU, radio stations and TeleSouth?
Larry Templeton: The problem is not just with Mississippi State. I was driving from Jacksonville, Florida to Gainesville, Florida two Friday nights ago to watch our baseball game and I was late getting there. I did not pick it up until I got within ten miles of Gainesville. The second night, Saturday night, I was at a meeting of the Southeastern Conference Athletic Directors in Orlando and could not even pick it up, AM or FM. What is happening to MSU is happening everywhere.

It seems that the radio industry is going through a major change of their philosophy and how they can make money. Local programming is not on the agenda. For instance, in the Starkville, Columbus and West Point area, there are probably fifteen radio stations. Twelve of those radio stations are owned by the same company (Charisma) and they have no desire to do any local programming. We do not have a Starkville or Columbus radio station that is carrying Mississippi State athletics. I have talked to Charisma about Mississippi State buying the time but they had no interest in selling it to us.

Is that the reason TeleSouth has had trouble getting stations to air the games?
Larry Templeton: TeleSouth has had to change their philosophy in the fact that they are trying to buy the radio stations. They are not trying to deliver programming; they are in the business of trying to buy stations to protect their product. The radio market is changing dramatically and it is primarily due to the internet, satellite and so much television.

Is there anything that individuals can do to help in this process?
Larry Templeton: The only way that it is going to work is if they can get to the local businesses that advertise locally in the various markets. Then these advertisers have to tell the radio station that as part of their advertising deal they want Mississippi State athletics. Until we get a lot of that local pressure, we will continue to struggle. There are very few radio stations in Mississippi that are locally owned. In the past we always had the mom and pop radio stations that we could deal with. Now it's like Columbus and Starkville; they are all owned by a company in Minneapolis that really doesn't care. In my opinion, the only thing that is saving us on broadcast is the ability to pick it up over the internet.

You mentioned season tickets; how are season ticket sales going?
Larry Templeton: We really won't know until the June 1st deadline because we protect everybody's priority until that date. The last week of May we will get more than 50% of the orders.

The main thing that I wanted to talk about is the football stadium expansion. At the Lowndes County Chapter Bulldog Family Celebration you mentioned that the project would be completed by the first game of the season. Weren't you only talking about the club level and skyboxes?
Larry Templeton: Yes, I was talking about the club level and skyboxes. The upper deck, if we use it this season, will be used for the Ole Miss game. That is an issue that we are not pushing with the contractor. There are some decisions that we have to make quickly to keep this project on track to get the skyboxes and club level ready. It is going to be tight.

You mentioned the club level and skyboxes should be ready for the first game. I've heard that they will be ready but will still have a few things that will need to be done before they are 100% complete. Is that correct?
Larry Templeton: That is correct. We have an opportunity to have the club level completely finished and, probably, 70% of the skyboxes will be completely finished. To say we will have 100% punch list and checked out, no, that will not be the case. It is a unique project that is being built on top of the football stadium and it requires time to complete.

(Before you ask, all skyboxes will be functional and ready to be occupied by the first game. The 70% refers to all things being completed in them. - Gene)

What we are actually building is a club that has 17,000 square feet, which means we are building a building on the club level that is as big as the M-Club building. On top of that we are building 50 rooms that are bigger than most peoples' offices. And they have private restrooms and a serving area. To have done this in this short of time is an amazing feat.

Then you have the upper deck. People who see the upper deck tell me that it looks like it is going to be ready within a month.
Larry Templeton: We are going to be through in a month putting in the pre-cast, but that is only the pre-cast. We have to anchor the pre-cast down, close the seams, build restrooms and concessions stands and install the seating. There are two sets of men's and two sets of women's restrooms. Another thing about that upper deck is it will be fully enclosed, glassed in, air-conditioned and fully heated. When you walk out of the upper deck you are going to walk through a door into an air-conditioned concourse. There are probably very few stadiums in the country that has that in an upper deck concourse. We did that for a specific reason; we are going to use that area for the university during the entire year. At that height, above the center of campus, it is going to be a great facility for the university.

Someone mentioned on the internet that if you want to purchase a club level seat, you have to pay $500 down and the balance later. Is that correct?
Larry Templeton: No, it is $1,000 now. At one point we were asking for a $500 deposit, but on May 1st everybody had to put their money in because we had to mail them their ticket orders at that time. It is $1,000 a seat and that has to be sent in so that we can send their ticket application to them. The Bulldog Club is who they need to send their club level seat money to.

The last time that we talked you mentioned that MSU had on the agenda a indoor facility that all teams would use. Have you gotten any closer to finding a donor for that facility?
Larry Templeton: We don't have the donor yet. With this budget preparation and what has happened to us with the cost of tuition increase and the increase in housing of student-athletes, we have to step back and re-evaluate a number of issues. Those increases will cost us an additional $300,000 more than it cost last year. In addition to that, because the university is going through a very difficult time due to the $14 million budget cut, we are going to provide the academic area a half a million dollars. Those two items together are an additional $800,000 that we didn't have last year. We have got to help keep the academic quality high and the ability to keep enough professors to teach the classes that we need our students in.

05/10/01 - If you live in the Starkville, Columbus, and West Point areas, andd would like to have an MSU football player work for you this summer, please contact MSU Coordinator of Football Operations David Wilson at 662-325-2534. The players work out and go to school during the summer so their hours will have to be fairly flexible. If you have yard work that needs to be done or anything that would just take a few hours a day, give Coach Wilson a call.

05/09/01 - The Lowndes County Chapter of the MSU Alumni Association had their Bulldog Family Celebration last night at the Trotter Convention Center. Approximately 225 to 250 enthusiastic Bulldog fans were in attendance for Lowndes County's first ever Bulldog Family Celebration. MSU officials such as Athletic Director Larry Templeton, Head Football Coach Jackie Sherrill, Bulldog Club Executive Director Chuck Beddingfield, Bulldog Club official Straton Karatassos, and Alumni Association officials John Correro, Michael Richardson, Janet Downey and Richard Armstrong were in attendance as were Bully Lane Etheridge and Pom Squad member Katie West.

Lowndes County Chapter official Burk Huskison was the first person to speak to the crowd. He recognized the sponsors, then gave out the scholarship awards to New Hope's Alina Butler and Heritage Academy's Erin McGee. Both are excellent students as evidenced by the fact that Alena is 2nd in her class of 186 while Eric is 6th in her class of 50. After introducing the scholarship winners, he then awarded the Distinguished Service award to Jerry Lavender and the Alumnus of the Year award to Dr. Rusty Linton, one of MSU's team physicians.

Huskison then handed it over to John Correro who introduced all of the MSU officials who were in attendance and also told a few jokes to the delight of the crowd. He also talked about the new state-of-the-art alumni building, the Hunter Henry Center. He told the crowd that the MSU Alumni Association has agreed to aid in the funding of the center by allocating $600,000 to match contributions from its alumni. He also talked about how all the athletic facilities have been built exclusively by private funds.

After speaking for a few minutes, Correro turned the program over to Templeton who mentioned how important Dr. Rusty Linton is to MSU's Athletic Department. He also congratulated the scholarship award winners and then spoke of the many accomplishments of the MSU athletic program.

Included in those accomplishments were things such as the academics of the MSU student-athletes. MSU's athletes, all 265 of them, had an overall grade point average of 2.84 during the fall of 2000. 9 of 16 sports had a gpa of 3.0 or better. The women's tennis team, for the second year in a row, had all eligible athletes make the SEC All-Academic Honor Roll. During the last three years, 84% of MSU's student athletes have graduated. Three weeks from this weekend MSU's own Scott Westerfield will be MSU's 6th SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year. MSU has had a total of six male and female SEC Scholar Athlete's of the Year. Only Georgia has had as many as MSU.

He also mentioned the fact that MSU is one of only two schools in the SEC that in the 1990's sent a team to the Final Four in basketball, a College World Series in baseball and to the SEC Championship Game in football.

He proudly proclaimed that MSU's Athletic Department, for the last 15 years, has kept its budget in the black. He also talked about how MSU has spent over 50 million dollars on facility additions and improvements during the last 10 years.

Another thing that he discussed was the 28.9 million dollar football stadium expansion. The stadium, when complete, will hold 53,593 (this includes the bleachers). The expansion includes 50 skyboxes, 7,628 upper deck seats and 1,744 club level seats. There will be four sets of restrooms in the 17,000 square foot climate controlled club level lounge and four elevators which will carry fans up to the club level lounge and skyboxes. Templeton said if you don't buy your club level seats soon you will probably be out of luck if you want one.

Next up on the agenda was a discussion of the various season ticket plans, including the regular season ticket package which covers all seven home games. Those 17,000 tickets will cost $172 each. Next was the 2,000 $138 Family Plan tickets which also includes all seven home games. He also mentioned that there were a couple of mini-packs available including the Maroon Mini-Pack ($104, 1,000 tickets) which includes BYU, Troy State, LSU and USC and the Economy Mini-Pack ($48, 500 tickets) which includes the Memphis, Kentucky and Troy State games. According to Templeton, ticket sales are going very, very well and that he hoped and believed that all tickets will be sold prior to the first game of the season.

He proudly talked about the 6 bowl games that Coach Sherrill has taken MSU to during his 10 years at the helm of the football program. Before he introduced Coach Sherrill, he stated that he "believes he is the coach who can bring a SEC Championship to Mississippi State University."

Next up was Coach Sherrill.

Coach Sherrill also congratulated the scholarship winners and Dr. Linton and Jerry Lavender for their awards. He mentioned the fact that MSU is probably the only university in the country that has an orthopedic surgeon, a general practitioner and a physical therapist at each football practice.

He talked about the significance of the Bulldog Family Celebrations and why MSU Athletics went to them. According to Coach Sherrill they "are an opportunity for us to say thank you."

He also commented on how he didn't want MSU people to put negative things about MSU on the internet. Related to the internet was the fact that he was happy that fans of other schools were obsessed with MSU.

He mentioned spring football and a couple of players who had outstanding springs. One offensive player that had a very special spring was junior-to-be fullback Justin Griffith. On the defensive side, Milas Randle was said to have had the best spring of any defensive player. He also mentioned that the young receivers were going to help the team. Receivers Justin Jenkins, Ray Ray Bivines and Antonio Hargro will play somewhere. He noted that this will be the first year that MSU has had the speed and depth that they want at wide receiver. The defensive line, because of the newcomers coming in, should have as much depth as the 1999 team. Dorsett Davis, Pig Prather, Mario Haggan, Josh Morgan, Conner Stephens and Korey Banks are as good as any players in the nation. Seventeen youngsters were redshirted last year. At one time he wanted to play some of them during the season but he is now happy that he didn't. The special teams will be very good because of those young players. One walk-on that will play a lot on special teams is Scott Goldberg. He has great speed and a knack of getting to the ball when rushing the punter or kicker.

Coach Sherrill talked about the upcoming report dates for fall practices. The newcomers will report August 4 while the veterans will report August 7th. Fan Day is set for August 26th.

A fact that he is very proud of is 11,000 of the 14,000+ MSU students purchased season tickets last year.

Once Coach Sherrill was finished with his talk, Lowndes County Chapter official Johnny Baker presented a large number of door prizes to many lucky MSU fans.

All in all it was a great time of fellowship for a lot of very faithful Bulldog fans.

05/08/01 (8:40 a.m.) - Here are the names of a couple of players that MSU might look at as possible recruits this coming season according to recruiting analyst Kevin Henderson.

Jared Parten, a noseguard/fullback from West Lauderdale High School, has made the Mississippi high school highly thought of prospect list because he is one of the strongest players in the state. Although he is only 246 pounds, he can bench 325 pounds and squat 625 pounds. As a junior, he lifted a whopping 1,305 pounds in the state power lifting meet. He runs the forty in 4.9 seconds. Parten has not made a final decision as to what summer football camps he will attend. Parten's uncle played college football at USM.

6-2, 230-pound Dominique Walker of Meridian High School looks to be a tweener right now but projects to get much bigger in college. Walker plays defensive line for Meridian but because of his quickness and strength, some scouts tell me that Walker could play tight end, linebacker or defensive end on the next level.

05/04/01 - Don't forget to visit at least one of my local advertisers each day. They are all Bulldog fans who help keep Gene's Page running.

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When: Monday, May 7, 6:30 p.m., New Albany.
Union County Chapter: Bulldog Family Celebration will be at the First Methodist Church, CLC building, 207 Bankhead Street in New Albany. Special University guest will be Head Football Coach Jackie Sherrill. BBQ dinner at 6:30, cost for adults is $10.00 and $5.00 for students and children. Tickets may be purchased from Walt Harrison at 534-4701, Carla Stanford at 534-1917, Leroy McMillin at 534-6363, Allen Maxwell at 534-2015, Dickson Simmons at 534-9046 and Jody Steverson at 837-8101.

When: Tuesday, May 8, 6:00 p.m. social, 6:40 program, Columbus.
The Lowndes County Bulldog Family Celebration will be Tuesday, May 8th with social starting at 6:00 pm and dinner at 6:40 pm at the Trotter Convention Center in Columbus, MS. Special guests will be Larry Templeton and Jackie Sherrill and other MSU Athletic Department officials. Bring the kids to meet Coach Sherrill and enjoy MSU festivities. There will be a lots of door prizes. Cost $10.00 per person, $5.00 for kids under 12. BBQ for dinner. Tickets must be purchased by May 7th at the following locations: NBC Bank (downtown and Hwy 45 North), Trustmark Bank (downtown and Gateway branch), For more information contact Johnny Baker 328-4911 or Berk Huskison 328-2316.

When: Wednesday, May 9th, 6:30 p.m., Birmingham.
Hey Bulldog fans, the Birmingham Chapter of the MSU Alumni Association will have its big Chapter get-together when the Bulldogs play UAB at UAB, May 9th, 6:30. There are grills for everyone, however we will have Hotdogs for everyone who wants one (free). Please bring your own beverages. We also extend a very special invitation to the parents and other family members of Bulldogs baseball players. Come and eat the BIGGEST AND BEST HOTDOGS IN BAMA with the Bama Bulldogs. If you have any questions, please contact Terry Clem at 205-631-2536

When: Thursday, May 10th, 6:30 p.m., Amory.
Monroe County Chapter: Amory, Miss.The Monroe County Chapter of the Mississippi State University Alumni Association will host a Bulldog Family Celebration at the River Birch Country Club on Highway 278 West in Amory, Mississippi on Thursday, May 10. The Monroe County Chapter celebration for Mississippi State alumni and friends will begin with a social at 6:30 p.m., the dinner and program to follow at 7:00 p.m. University guest will be Malcolm Portera, President of Mississippi State University and Jackie Sherrill, Mississippi State University head football coach. Tickets for the celebration are $15.00 per person and must be purchased in advance. R.S.V.P. by Thursday, May 3 by contacting Dunlap Carledge at 369-4340, Debbie Palmer at 256-4935, Barry Thompson at 343-5577, Joel Davis at 651-4788, Rick Stevenson at 256-3737 or Phil Faulkner at 369-5870 or 256-8547.

When: Friday, May 11th, 6:30 p.m., Mobile.
he Mobile, Alabama Bulldog Family Celebration will be Friday, May 11th at The Conference Center, 100 South Beltline Hwy, Mobile, AL. The event starts at 6:30 pm with hamburgers and hotdogs. Tickets are $5.00 adults, $1.00 kids 10 & under. Special guest will be Jackie Sherrill. RSVP no later than May 8th to Stephanie Williford 661-9849 or Ed Collum 342-1732. You may also email them at MobileAlumni@bulldogs.com

When: Friday, May 11th, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., Oxford.
Join the Lafayette Chapter for a Bulldog Social before the baseball game on Friday, May 11th from 4-6 pm at the Downtown Inn, 400 North Lanar Blvd, Oxford, MS. Appetizers are $5.00 For more info contact Tim Alford 238-7000, email tim.alford@bxs.com or Kim Gaines 236-2533 email gaines.kp@hotmail.com.

On to football recruiting. This week I would like to talk about several linemen that really stand out. First up is Timmy Ducksworth.

Timmy is an offensive/defensive line prospect from Taylorsville HS. Timmy, who as far as I know is not related to Derrick Ducksworth, Mize's prized linebacker from last year, will be one of the top five linemen coming out of the state next season. Pencil him in as a true offensive line prospect even though he plays both ways. Timmy is good friends with former Taylorsville HS and current Auburn redshirt quarterback Jason Campbell. There is no doubt that Timmy can play. He attended the Auburn camp last summer and is expected to do the same this summer. My scout John Lindsey indicates to me that Timmy is very much wide open as far as schools are concerned. Timmy plans on attending other camps. MSU, Miss., Tenn. and LSU are possibilities.

Another offensive lineman who already has deep MSU ties is 6-3, 300-lb, Ben Weathers of Amite School Center. Ben is the baby brother of current MSU freshman offensive lineman Brad Weathers. Brad was one of the top offensive linemen in the state of Mississippi a couple of years ago but went on his mission for the Church of Latter Day Saints prior to signing with MSU this past December.

While Brad is an outstanding run blocker who has brute strength, Ben has a little work to do to become the player his vast potential projects him to be. Like his brother, he has great strength but must work on his footwork and fighting off blockers. With his work ethic, I have no doubt that he will be ready come signing day. I have a few friends in that area due to the fact that I am also a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints. They tell me not only is Ben a good player but a great person as well. Look for Ben to be a true center prospect due to his height.

The last lineman on our list this week is 6-5, 330-pound offensive/defensive lineman Jason Wilson of Bay Springs High School. Jason can also play tight end if need be due to his quickness and his big mitt size hands. However, several coaches tell me that they see him ending up in the trenches at the college level. Knowing Coach Sherrill likes his tight ends big, I wouldn't exclude Jason from getting a chance at tight end at MSU if he should decide to go there. Wilson's camp information was unavailable at print time but I will let you know as soon as he decides.

Switching over to the defensive ends and linebackers, you will read almost everywhere that 6-2, 230-pound Parys Haralson, a defensive end from Madison Central HS, will be the top-rated prospect in the state of Mississippi this coming season. Let me give you some advice, don't be taken in by this because the state of Mississippi is absolutely loaded this year. Several players in Mississippi will be national recruits. Haralson is included in that list.

Another player included in that group is Clarksdale High School's Darren Williams. Williams is listed as a defensive end on most college recruiters wish list but some, including myself, believe that he will be a devastating safety unless he gets bigger in weight. Darren, according to my sources in Clarksdale, has a chance to be as good as current MSU stud Mario Haggan who just might be the best MSU defender since Johnie Cooks. Williams is a terror on the field with his combination of size, 4.61 speed and hitting ability. If he gets bigger, look out, because he could play almost anywhere on the field in Coach Dunn's system. I believe that Darren is one of the top three prospects in the state of Mississippi.

This week's profile on the skill position includes the all-important running back position. Super slasher Jerious Norwood, a 6-1, 195-pound, 4.5 speedster from Brandon High School, is at the top of the list. Norwood zoomed to the head of the class last season as a junior due to his amazing production, his uncanny style of running straight up, his looking for the correct hole, and his ability to turn it up the field with his speed. Norwood attended several MSU home games last season and would be a great replacement for senior-to-be Dicenzo Miller and a great backup for future pro Dontae Walker. Norwood has been compared in running style to former SMU and pro running back Eric Dickerson. I'm not saying he is that good now but they run similar. Norwood camped at MSU last summer and plans to do so again this summer, along with his teammate 6-7, 310-pound lineman Richard Burch.

Switching over to Richard for a few words, Richard was discovered by his coach while playing in the band. Burch plans on finding a school that first and foremost fits his college education needs just in case he doesn't reach his goal of playing in the NFL. Richard is a very bright young man who will probably play offensive tackle in college due to the fact that he doesn't yet have that mean streak to play as a trench hawg. To give you an idea of just how highly thought of Burch is, he is already receiving mail from MSU, Miss, Tenn, Fla, Vandy, LSU, Ala, Aub, and Arizona State. Burch is a player any program would love to have because of his character, his maturity and his talent.

05/03/01 - Here are the latest stadium expansion pictures. They were taken Wednesday, May 2nd between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. There are quite a few pictures from inside the club level seat lounge, the skyboxes - 1st and 2nd floors - and the upper deck walkway. I didn't go out on the upper deck because you have to wear a strap while walking or working on it. Maybe next time.... Click here to view them.

05/01/01 - Here are excerpts from my premium site post-spring interview with Coach Melvin Smith, MSU's defensive back coach.

Coach Smith, talk about how each of your players did this spring.
The guys I wanted to see were the young guys such as (dog safety) Milas Randle. I think that Milas was probably the most productive defensive back among the entire group.

I think that Milas, along with (redshirt freshman dog safety) Gabe Wallace, looked like bookends. They are kind of like Eric Brown and Ashley Cooper and Tim Nelson. I was very pleased with those two guys. They are both big, athletic guys.

I was also pleased with (redshirt freshman free safety) Jonathan Bell. He was a safety in high school. We tried to play him at corner during the fall but Jonathan is better suited to safety. When I say he is better suited to free safety, I mean he looks and acts like a free safety. He made a lot of plays. I feel like he can play in a game. I would have to say that he is our number two free safety right now.

I think that Slovakia Griffith will be a cornerback. If you can play corner for (Mississippi State), you are really special. And I think Slovakia is going to be special. He has everything you would want in a cornerback. I'm not saying that he can go out and play cornerback for us every down next year.

Korey Banks is learning how to play man coverage and how to play off his man. He has talent. He is extremely fast.He has a lot of God-given talent. He is going to be special. He has a ways to go to be better than Fred or Robert Bean or Kendall Roberson.