| 1996 | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||||||
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| 1997 | Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sep |
10/30/97 - This Saturday, against Auburn, MSU will have to play their best game of the season with a lot of emotion but from what I have heard about this week's practices, Miss State's players are most definitely ready for the task at hand.
10/30/97 - The latest word is Miss State has set 50 official visits. Nope, I don't know their names. That will be up to all of us to find out when they make their visits to our great university.
10/30/97 - Thanks to one of you for this bit of info. Leroy Johnson, of Gulfport HS, also visited Miss State this past weekend. This guy is fast, fast, fast.
10/30/97 - Look for Miss State's coaches to be recruiting in North Alabama, Mississippi, Memphis, Georgia and El Dorado, Kansas. El Dorado, Kansas? OK, Kansas sources (Prairie Dawg, where are you?), find out what good football players are in El Dorado.
Next week, look for Miss State's coaches, including Coach Sherrill, to be out Thursday and Friday night checking out ballgames.
10/30/97 - Gregory Thomas, a senior at Dadeville (Ala.) HS, is a cornerback/kick returner who runs a 4.5 forty. I was told he is very interested in Miss State. If any MSU coach reads my page, you need to check this young man out. He sounds like a good prospect.
10/30/97 - Look for MSU to announce next year's football schedule in 3 to 4 weeks.
10/29/97 - Did you know MSU linebacker Dereck Rush had 21 tackles against UCF this past weekend? Also, J.J. Johnson, after his outstanding game against UCF, is now 2nd in the SEC in rushing yards per game. He is averaging 88 yards per game, second only to the 114.1 per game by Florida's Fred Taylor. Source: The Clarion-Ledger.
10/29/97 - David Wilson strikes again. Not only was Robert Gillespie and Syniker Taylor at this past Saturday's football game, but Pascagoula's outstanding defensive back Reggie Myles was also at the game. I was told he had a great time. BTW, all three of these players are members of The Clarion-Ledger's Dandy Dozen. Not a bad recruiting day if I say so myself. I guess the rumors will really get going now. Goodness, what if we had had four of the Dandy Dozen on campus? Heaven forbid! Wouldn't the $$$$$ $igns be $howing everywhere on the me$$age board$? Sorry, I couldn't resist it. (:
10/29/97 - I don't know who the team is, but Miss State has reached an agreement with an out-of-state school to replace Middle Tennessee State U. on next year's football schedule. Looks like Miss State will not be playing Southern Miss afterall.
10/29/97 - I received this info via email from one of you. Thought it would be of interest to you guys. Take note of the Recruit Walk (they call it Tiger Walk) part of it:
Here is some info pertaining to the Bulldog's arrival in Auburn this week-end for anyone heading over. I posted a message on their BB. The following is an edited reply from several of their folks.
"The visiting team's buses come in on the South side of Jordan-Hare Stadium. That is the same general vicinity as Auburn’s Tiger Walk. Their "athletic dorm" is right down the street on the Southside. The Tiger Walk starts exactly 2 hours before kick off ( 11 AM on Sat.).
"We may also want to visit their "Museum." Ask any Auburn fan where it is, good thing to do after the "Tiger Walk" and may answer any questions you have about Auburn.
"Welcome to our home."
For anyone who wants to make the MSU team walk or recruit walk a success, we need to study Auburn. These folks know how to do it right.
10/28/97 - I'm not sure if Miss State is looking at him, but offensive lineman Brad Davis (6-3, 305), of Belaire (Baton Rouge. La.) HS, looks to be a very good propect. Brad squats 580 pounds, benches 355 and has a 4.9 forty with a 3.6 gpa. One of the reasons Brad is not getting much attention, according to my source, is because he plays for a school that is not having much success on the gridiron (0-8 record).
10/26/97 - Here's a good MSU-UCF football game article by USA Today Online. Click here to read it.
10/26/97 - Click here to read a great column by The Clarion-Ledger's sports columnist Rick Cleveland.
10/26/97 - Gulfport's outstanding running back Syniker Taylor and Hattiesburg's outstanding running back Robert Gillespie were at yesterday's game. This was very significant in my opinion because all three of the D-I schools were playing home games and they chose to attend ours.
10/26/97 - Received this confirmation from one of you. "Roderick Gibson from Ms Delta Community College will most likely be attending MSU in December. He is the outstanding fullback from Greenwood High School."
10/25/97 - Just thought you guys would like to read what a friend of the Luke Tucker family thinks about Miss State's chances of signing Luke: "The Tuckers and my family are family friends. Luke's brother is the #2 QB at Bama, Lance Tucker. Although it may seem that UA has an unfair recruiting advantage here, his Dad and coach, Waldon Tucker, is very unhappy with the playing time Lance, a 5th year Sr, has received in his career. Lance holds many Alabama HS records and Luke, last time I heard, had a decent shot at breaking some of those. We have a shot at this kid since his Dad wants him to go to a big school (i.e., SEC) where he will get playing time."
10/25/97 - The Birmingham News, in Friday's edition, states that two of the top 5 QBs in Alabama have Miss State on their lists of schools they are considering.
10/25/97 - It appears one of the top defensive backs in Texas (Shawn Byrdsong of Longview HS) continues to have Miss State on his list, according to the Unofficial Texas A&M Recruiting Site. Click here to go to the Texas A&M page. It is in the Targets section. You will have to scroll down the page for a few seconds to get to it.
10/23/97 - Recruit Walk will begin at 11:45. Let's show our support by greeting the recruits.
10/23/97 - It appears the rumor going around that Hinds CC outstanding QB T.T. Tolivar has committed to Arkansas is only that, a rumor. There appears to be no substance to it, according to my sources.
10/22/97 - BTW, I failed to mention it earlier, but the five South Panola HS players that visited MSU a couple of weekends ago had a great time at Miss State.
10/22/97 - Found the following Miss State-Central Florida info in The Clarion-Ledger yesterday:
Joe Lee Dunn said there is a chance the same 11 (defensive players) that started the first four games could start again. Joe Lee also said the biggest key against Central Florida's QB Daunte Culpepper will be the return of (Greg) Favors and (Eric) Brown.
The game will start at 1:30 pm with a crowd of 30,000 expected.
MSU is favored by 4 points. UCF, 3-4, has beat Idaho, Kent and Samford. They have lost to Ole Miss 24-23, South Carolina 33-31, Nebraska 38-24 and Auburn 41-14.
10/22/97 - It appears the scholarship info I listed below may be incorrect for several of these teams. If you have the correct info, please email it to me and I will post it to my page.
10/21/97 - Received this info from one of you. Info was found in The Decatur Daily. This is a list of the football players each SEC school has on scholarship:
Team with the least scholarship players - Kentucky (69)
Team with the most scholarship players - South Carolina (85)
Team with most seniors - Ole Miss (23)
Team with most juniors - Tie between Alabama and Miss State (23 each)
Team with most sophomores - Arkansas (25)
Team with most freshmen - LSU (35)
10/18/97 - Rumormill Info: The latest rumor is South Panola's running back Toward Sanford is most interested in Miss State and Alabama.
10/16/97 - Recruiting Tidbits:
D-I college coaches can begin mailing letters to prospective recruits at the beginning of their junior year. The first day a college coach can call a player is July 1st prior to his senior year. A college cannot announce that a player has committed to that college. The prospect himself has to contact the media and let them know of his choice.
10/16/97 - Look for Miss State's coaches to be out evaluating players and seeing games Thursday, Friday and Saturday throughout Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Florida and Memphis. If you see one of our coaches, introduce yourself, and if you know something about a player, tell him what you know. Who knows, you may be the person who finds the next John Bond or Greg Favors.
10/14/97 - Here is a first-hand account of what a student-athlete experiences when he goes on an unofficial football visit to Mississippi State.
10/14/97 - If you have read the above article, you will already know how Coach Sherrill help fulfill a special request by a special young boy. But that wasn't the only special thing he did this past Saturday. At about 2:00 pm he hosted the 7th Annual Area Middle and High School FCA Convention at Humphrey Colisum. He, along with three of his football players, spoke to these boys and girls. Coach Sherrill talked about being responsible fathers and good role models. You may not know this, but when Coach Sherrill became the head coach at Mississippi State, one of the first things he did was begin this convention. This is just another example of what kind of person Jackie Sherrill really is. He may not be the best PR man around, but his heart speaks volumes.
10/13/97 - If everything goes according to plans, Miss State's luxury skyboxes will be two-story condominium type skyboxes. They will be located above the east stands and below the new upper-deck. At this time I don't know how much they will cost.
10/13/97 - Miss State schedule info found in The Clarion-Ledger Friday, October 10th:
Middle Tennessee State is listed for Oct. 17, 1998, but because MTSU won't attain Division I-A status until 1999, State's not interested in playing the Blue Raiders next year. Templeton also is trying to schedule a game for Sept. 5---State currently is scheduled to open Sept. 12---but to do that he said the dates of several other games might be changed. Templeton said he is negotiating with a school to replace MTSU on next year's schedule. He said he "continues to have dialogue" with Southern Mississippi athletic director Bill McLellan about an MSU-USM matchup but wouldn't say if that's the school that might replace MTSU next year.
Nonconference Games through 2004:
1998 - Memphis, Oklahoma State, Open
1999 - Memphis, Oklahoma State, Middle Tennessee State (MTSU) or Northeast Louisiana (NLU)
2000 - Memphis, BYU, MTSU or NLU
2001 - Memphis, BYU, MTSU
2002 - Memphis, Open, Open
2003 - Memphis, Open, Open
2004 - Memphis, Baylor, NLU
10/12/97 - Here are two great high school player evaluations by one of you:
Ivan Billie (heavily leaning to MSU) of Choctaw Central HS:
Conner Stephens (probably going out-of-state) of Ackerman HS:
10/12/97 - With lack of emotion, Miss State beat a tough Northeast Louisiana team Saturday night. The final score was 24-10. Matt Wyatt, in his best performance of the year, was 6 for 6, 120 yards and 2 TDs. James Johnson ran well, especially in the second half. Some of you may not have noticed but true freshman defensive lineman Ellis Wyms played a lot last night. This kid is very quick for a 266 pounder. This kid has a chance to be something special before he leaves Miss State. Punter Jeff Walker had a tremendous game punting tonight, averaging close to 50 yards.
10/12/97 - The Ole Miss fans will be glad to know South Panola's Eddie Strong did not unofficially visit Miss State yesterday. However, all the other South Panola HS players that I listed yesterday did.
10/11/97 - Look for the following players to unofficially visit Miss State today:
There is a possibility Eddie Strong, the outstanding 6-3, 225-lb, LB from South Panola HS, may also visit.
10/10/97 - I just want to compliment Coach Sherrill. Four members of our football team broke a team rule while in Georgia and he did the right thing, he suspended them. It would have been very easy, with all the injuries, to excuse them and let them play this Saturday. He didn't do that, he took the appropriate action. That's the kind of coach I want coaching Miss State.
10/10/97 - As all of you know by now, Eric Dotson and Cornell Manafee got into a fight over something very minor (who was going to get taped first or something like that) and Eric received a badly cut eyelid. The two players, who are friends, both regret the fight and realize they acted very childish. There's really nothing more to it than that. Draw your own conclusion, but those are the facts.
10/10/97 - Info from Jackie Sherrill's Call-in show.
The latest injury info: Eric Brown should play. Kevin Prentiss is still questionable.
Coach Sherrill has decided on the starting QB, but would not say who it is. Wants NLU to wonder who it will be.
Snapper Paul Mooney earned praise from Coach Sherrill because of his determination to play this weekend. He had his knee "scoped" earlier this week and was practicing today. He will play this Saturday.
Even with all the defensive secondary players suspended, Coach Sherrill says we will be OK.
He said we have 25 scholarships to give out this recruiting year and would probably sign several juco players at mid-term. From what he said, we will probably sign a couple of defensive linemen at mid-term. Just my impression.
10/10/97 - Just a thought. If you want MSU football to reach the upper echelon of the SEC, do your part, be at the game Saturday. Also, remember, there will be recruits at the game, so please don't boo at any time. If you really want what is best for the Bulldogs and you are a true Bulldog fan you won't. No matter how you may rationalize it , booing does hurt the program.
10/10/97 - Listen for yours truly during halftime of the South Panola HS - Columbus HS game tonight. I have been invited by Bob Norris, the play-by-play announcer for South Panola HS football, to come by the pressbox for a halftime interview. You can hear the interview and South Panola football on Batesville's FM 101. Sorry, I'm not sure how far the signal carries.
10/09/97 - I had the privilege to attend the Tuesday meeting of the Columbus Exchange Club. Most of you don't know this, but members of the Exchange Club are the people who sell the MSU football and basketball programs at each game. The money they receive from selling these programs go to such worthwhile things as child abuse prevention, the Boy Scouts, youth activities, Lowndes County Spelling Bee, special recognition awards, and 12 partial scholarships to MUW to non-traditional students. They also sell gift-boxed cheddar cheese at the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Help this very worthwhile organization out, buy a program at the game and buy some cheese when they contact you.
10/09/97 - Add Eric Dotson to the list of injured players. Eric will not play Saturday because of an eye injury. Hopefully, he will heal in time for the Central Florida game.
Another player that is injured, but should play Saturday, is Paul Mooney. Paul, who is the deep snapper, had knee surgery Monday to take care of some minor injuries.
Eric Brown, Kevin Prentiss are definitely out for this weekend, according to The Commercial Dispatch (Columbus, MS). Greg Favors is doubtful. It all depends on how his ligament responds to treatment.
10/09/97 - Received this info last night. Here are three quarterbacks Miss State has their eye on:
10/07/97 - Just thought you would like to know what the athletic department budgets are at the SEC schools. Some of these numbers are going to surprise you:
Tennessee - $30M
Florida - $30M
Kentucky - $26M
Vanderbilt - $23M
South Carolina - $22M
LSU - $22M
Alabama - $20M
Auburn - $19.5M
Georgia - $18.7M
Arkansas - $18M
MSU and Ole Miss - $15M each
When you receive your Bulldog Club contribution form, remember these numbers and give a little extra. BTW, I'm assuming Vanderbilt's is so high because they are a private school and the cost of a scholarship is higher than the other schools.
10/07/97 - Just thought you guys would like to know that each year a MSU team coached by Jackie Sherrill won 3 of it's first four game, MSU went to a bowl game. I don't see why this year will be any different.
BTW, don't judge a season by one game. Just consider the Georgia game a REALLY bad day at the office and forget about it.
10/06/97 - Found these MSU player and coach comments in The Clarion-Ledger:
Injuries:
All, but Favors, could be ready for the NLU game.
10/06/97 - Two Juco players MSU is recruiting had outstanding games Saturday:
BTW, Delta defeated Hinds 31 to 15.
10/05/97 - Thanks to a source of mine for letting me know that CBS is, more than likely, not televising the MSU-Central Florida game.
10/04/97 - Does anyone know if CBS is going to televise the MSU-Central Florida game? According to a source of mine, when he called the Holiday Inn Express in West Point, MS., to reserve a room, the last ones had been reserved for CBS. Although the hotel clerk was not positive about this, he assumed it was the CBS network that booked the 30 rooms. There is a possibility that it may have been another organization which just happens to have the same initials as CBS. Anbody know the facts?
10/04/97 - How good is Hinds CC QB/Athlete T. T. Tolivar (a player MSU is recruiting)? Here's what someone who knows the Mississippi Juco ranks said about him: "T.T. is the greatest juco athlete to come out of this state in a very long time. Having seen both Tolivar and Prentiss play in consecutive years, my opinion is that T.T. is bigger, stronger, and ultimately faster. A Randy Moss prototype player with big play potential every down."
10/03/97 - For you Bulldogs that will be making the trip to Athens, if you want to cheer on the MSU Bulldogs when they get off the bus read this bit of info from a Georgia Bulldog fan: "The visiting team usually parks their bus behind the stadium. The walk from the bus to the locker room is only a few feet. The back of the stadium is at the closed endzone."
10/03/97 - According to Dawgs' Bite these Mississippi Juco players are very interested in MSU:
There are several other Juco players that are showing interest in MSU, but these are the ones that are showing the strongest interest. It must be a great year in the Mississippi Juco ranks, because Ole Miss, Fla State, Alabama Auburn, Southern Miss and Tenn are showing up on a lot of players' list.
10/03/97 - According to The Clarion-Ledger, WR Marco Minor (6-4, 200, 4.5) of Natchez HS is considering MSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Florida and Tennessee. According to Minor, MSU, Ole Miss and LSU are showing the most interest. Marco said, "I'm wide open right now." BTW, a source of mine emailed me that Marco had 4 catches for 120+ yards and a TD during last Friday night's game. Oh yeah, he returned a punt for a TD.
10/03/97 - Callaway HS (Jackson, MS) WR Courtney Bryant (6-1, 190) is favoring the Bulldogs over Ole Miss, Arkansas State, LSU and New Mexico State.
10/02/97 - Well it appears a lot of rumors are flying about Dorsett Davis. According to the rumors, MSU forced Davis to go to MS Delta CC, thus causing Dorsett to back out of his commitment to Hutchinson (KS) Juco. Nothing could be farther from the truth. My sources tell me Davis' dad was the one who didn't want Dorsett to go to Kansas. His dad likes MSU and feels that is the best place for Dorsett. As I've learned the past year, you will hear all kind of rumors and only about 1% will turn out to have any substance whatsoever, so don't worry fellow Bulldog fans because this is one of the 99% and will eventually disappear.
10/01/97 - Here's what Tanner Allen (senior TE/LB from New Albany, MS), MSU Bulldog center Eric Allen's younger brother, said when asked if he and is his brother would be playing ball on the same team again: "I sure hope so."
10/01/97 - For all of you MSU Bulldogs that are going to the game this weekend, here is some advice from a fellow Bulldog who lives in Athens, GA.:
Sanford stadium is a great place to watch football. It is a 3/4 bowl and all good seats. Most parking places more than a couple of blocks from the stadium (on campus) are free. Best to park on the south side of the stadium--the north side is all up hill after the game and much more traffic because of the downtown area.
If you like to walk, it is a beautiful campus....particularly north campus. Some of the buildings are more than 200 years old and the architecture is wonderful. Very old south. If you want to eat on campus, go to Snelling Hall before the game....great food and decent prices. If you want to eat off campus, downtown is about a 3/4 of a mile from the stadium and is full of restaurants. I would recommend Tres Compadres (Mexican), Harry Bisset's (Cajun), or The Grill (like it sounds). They will be CROWDED, however. I have never been to a town with a bigger concentration of restaurants.
UGA will have a very late arriving crowd. There will a lot of tailgating and drinking by the students, and the stadium will still be 30% empty at kickoff. It will fill up during the 2nd quarter, and begin to empty out early in the 4th unless it is an unusually exciting game.
UGA fans are fairly friendly, it is a much more gracious crowd than LSU, UT, or Florida. I have been to every stadium in the SEC and dozens more around the country, and can honestly say that Athens and Sanford stadium is one of the most enjoyable places to visit for a football game. Not as nice as us MSU Dogs, of course!
MSUDog, Athens, GA
10/01/97 - A source of mine had the chance to see Hinds CC quarterback T. T. Tolivar (a player MSU is recruiting) play recently and said he is a Deion Sanders clone.
10/01/97 - Like I promised you earlier, here are my observations while sitting in the MSU pressbox during the MSU-South Carolina game:
You walk through the door where there is a person who checks to make sure you have a presspass. You notice quite a few tables to the left where members of the press are having their pre-game snacks. There are several doors to the right leading to the coaches room, the play-by-play radio room, the television room and the radio and newspaper room. As I stepped into this room, I noticed 5 rows where the media sits. There are enough seats to comfortably sit approximately 120 to 150 people. I noticed about 60 to 70 people in the room. The view from where you are sitting is outstanding (we are along the 40 to 50 yard line and the room is open in front). Once you find a place to sit, you notice there is a packet in front of you on the counter. It has info on MSU and South Carolina. After each quarter someone comes by and lays a sheet of paper in front of you that has the stats for each team, including individual stats. You are also given a sheet which has a very detailed account of each play during the quarter. Plus, you receive a sheet showing the scores of games across the country. During halftime you go to the tables I mentioned earlier and have your halftime meal, which consisted of bar-b-que, cole slaw, peach cobbler and a soft drink. I have to say the food was good and the service was excellent. After your meal you go back to your seat and go back to work reporting on the game. Early in the 4th quarter, you are given an interview questionnaire which you fill out and someone comes by later to pick it up.
My impressions after my first full game in MSU's pressbox is MSU has an exceptional pressbox and provides first class service with no exceptions.