College Football 20150831

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2015

FOOTBALL JOURNAL

| SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015 |

INDEX

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Alcorn State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 AP preseason Top 25 . . . . . . . . . .14 Belhaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Chris Jones (MSU) . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Delta State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Itawamba CC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Jackson State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Logan Lowery column . . . . . . . . . .5 Mississippi State . . . . . . . . . . 5, 7, 9 Memphis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Millsaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Mississippi College . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Miss. Valley State . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Northeast Miss. CC . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Ole Miss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 6, 8 Parrish Alford column . . . . . . . . . . .4 Position breakdowns . . . . . . . . .8, 9 Robert Nkemdiche (OM) . . . . . . . . .6 Schedule analysis . . . . . . . . . . . .10 SEC East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 SEC schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 SEC standings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 SEC West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Small-college schedules . . . . . . .19 Southern Miss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 SWAC preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

DAILY JOURNAL

TV will dictate move to nine SEC games TUPELO s tough as it is, competing week-in and week-out in the SEC, I think it’s time to make it even tougher.

The league needs to move to a nine-game conference schedule.

I know, the league rejected that idea a year ago. I don’t care.

Instead of adding another league game, the SEC decided to mandate games against teams from the “Power Five” conferences, but that might just mean a steady diet of gimmes against Wake Forest and Indiana.

The idea of the upgrade is to improve “strength of schedule” and make the league’s best teams more appealing for the playoffs.

Yet SEC teams still routinely play the likes of UT Martin, Idaho and Vanderbilt.

Oh, wait, Vanderbilt is an SEC school. Make it Austin Peay, then.

A

In the meantime, a whole class of Mississippi State recruits will come and go without ever being between the hedges at GeorJOHN L. gia, where MSU last played in PITTS 2011. The same thing with Ole Miss players who’ve never set foot on that Big Orange checkerboard at Tennessee – where the Rebels last played in 2010.

Look, I understand why SEC coaches wouldn’t want to add another league game. It’s another chance for them to get beat, when a quick call to the AD at a second-tier school can help pad the ol’ victory total.

If the current system had me making $4 million a year even if I went 2-6 in league play – looking at you, Bret Bielema and Arkansas – I’d surely keep Southeast Missouri or Tennessee Tech on speed dial.

But in the end, I don’t think it’ll be up to the coaches – not even Alabama’s Nick Saban, who’s been happy to pile it on against such heavyweights as Western Carolina and Georgia State.

No, I think the key play in the drive to nine league games will come when the SEC Network folks pick up the phone and say, “Hey, forget playing Presbyterian.

We want better games.”

It’s the new Golden Rule – the one with the TV gold rules.

John L. Pitts (john.pitts@journalinc.com) is starting his 10th college football season as sports editor of the Daily Journal.

UMMER Honda SCE EVENT N CLEARA William Rice, M.D. Stephen R. Southworth, M.D., F.A.C.S Nels Thorderson, M.D.

THERE’S MORE ONLINE!

At our website, djournal.com, you can find links to blogs from Parrish Alford (Ole Miss) and Logan Lowery (Mississippi State) – updated daily.

You can also follow us on Twitter: @parrishalford, @loganlowery, @johnlpitts and @djournalnow.

IT’S ALMOST GAMEDAY!

Look for our first weekly GameDay section on Saturday, Sept. 5.

FOOTBALL JOURNAL 2015

Sports editor: John L. Pitts Cover photo: Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen, left, and Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze chat before the start of last season’s Battle for the Golden Egg in Oxford. Ole Miss won, 31-17.

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2G

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SEC SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

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TEXAS A&M

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N7 N14 N21 N28

ALABAMA Wisconsin (at Arlington), 7 p.m.

Middle Tennessee, 3 p.m.

Ole Miss*, 8:15 p.m.

Louisiana-Monroe Georgia* Arkansas* (HC) at Texas A&M* Tennessee* Open LSU* at Mississippi State* Charleston Southern at Auburn*

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N7 N14 N21 N28

FLORIDA New Mexico State, 6:30 p.m.

East Carolina, 6 p.m. at Kentucky*, 6:30 p.m.

Tennessee* Ole Miss* at Missouri* at LSU* Open Georgia* (at J’ville), 2:30 p.m.

Vanderbilt* (HC) at South Carolina* Florida Atlantic Florida State

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N7 N14 N21 N28

LSU McNeese State, 6:30 p.m. at Miss. State*, 8:15 p.m.

Auburn*, 2:30 p.m. at Syracuse Eastern Michigan at South Carolina* Florida* Western Kentucky (HC) Open at Alabama* Arkansas* at Ole Miss* Texas A&M*

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N7 N14 N21 N28

OLE MISS UT Martin, 11 a.m.

Fresno State, 2:30 p.m. at Alabama*, 8:15 p.m.

Vanderbilt* at Florida* New Mexico State (HC) at Memphis Texas A&M* at Auburn* Arkansas* Open LSU* at Mississippi State*

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N7 N14 N21 N28

Arizona St. (at Houston), 6 p.m.

Ball State, 6 p.m.

Nevada, 11 a.m.

Arkansas* (at Arlington) Mississippi State* Open Alabama* at Ole Miss* South Carolina* Auburn* Western Carolina at Vanderbilt* at LSU*

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N7 N14 N21 N27

ARKANSAS UTEP, 2:30 p.m.

Toledo (at Little Rock), 3 p.m.

Texas Tech, 6 p.m.

Texas A&M* (at Arlington) at Tennessee* at Alabama* Open Auburn* UT Martin (HC) at Ole Miss* at LSU* Mississippi State* Missouri*, 1:30 p.m.

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N7 N14 N21 N28

GEORGIA Louisiana-Monroe, 11 a.m. at Vanderbilt*, 2:30 p.m.

South Carolina*, 5 p.m.

Southern Alabama* at Tennessee* Missouri* (HC) Open Florida* (at J’ville)2:30 p.m.

Kentucky* at Auburn* Georgia Southern at Georgia Tech

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N5 N14 N21 N28

MISSISSIPPI STATE at Southern Miss, 9 p.m.

LSU*, 8:15 p.m.

Northwestern State, 3 p.m. at Auburn* at Texas A&M* Troy Louisiana Tech (HC) Kentucky* Open at Missouri*, 8 p.m.

Alabama* at Arkansas* Ole Miss*

S3 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N7 N14 N21 N28

SOUTH CAROLINA N. Carolina (at Charlotte), 5 p.m.

Kentucky*, 6:30 p.m. at Georgia*, 5 p.m.

Central Florida at Missouri* LSU* Vanderbilt* (HC) Open at Texas A&M* at Tennessee* Florida* The Citadel Clemson

S3 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N7 N14 N21 N28

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O15 O24 O31 N7 N14 N21 N28

AUBURN Louisville (at Atlanta), 2:30 p.m.

Jacksonville State, 11 a.m. at LSU*, 2:30 p.m.

Mississippi State* San Jose State (HC) Open at Kentucky*, 6 p.m. at Arkansas* Ole Miss* at Texas A&M* Georgia* Idaho Alabama*

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O15 O24 O31 N7 N14 N21 N28

KENTUCKY Louisiana-Lafayette, 6 p.m. at South Carolina*, 6:30 p.m.

Florida*, 6:30 p.m.

Missouri* Eastern Kentucky (HC) Open Auburn*, 6 p.m. at Mississippi State* Tennessee* at Georgia* at Vanderbilt* Charlotte Louisville

Western Kentucky, 7 p.m.

Georgia*, 2:30 p.m.

Austin Peay, 3 p.m. at Ole Miss* at Middle Tennessee, 6 p.m.

Open at South Carolina* Missouri* at Houston at Florida* Kentucky* Texas A&M* at Tennessee* *-SEC games

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O31 N5 N14 N21 N27

Southeast Missouri, 3 p.m. at Arkansas State, 6 p.m.

Connecticut, 11 a.m. at Kentucky* South Carolina* Florida* (HC) at Georgia* at Vanderbilt* Open Mississippi State*, 7 p.m.

BYU (at Kansas City) Tennessee* at Arkansas*, 1:30 p.m.

S5 S12 S19 S26 O3 O10 O17 O24 O1 N7 N14 N21 N28

Bowl.Green (at Nashville), 3 p.m.

Oklahoma, 5 p.m.

Western Carolina, 6 p.m. at Florida* Arkansas* Georgia* Open at Alabama* at Kentucky* South Carolina* North Texas (HC) at Missouri* Vanderbilt*

MISSOURI

TENNESSEE

VANDERBILT

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

(From Phil Steele) National rank in parentheses Alabama (1) LSU (27) Arkansas (3) Ole Miss (29) Auburn (6) Vanderbilt (30) Texas A&M (13) Tennessee (32) So.Carolina (15) Georgia (37) Miss. State (19) Kentucky (42) Florida (23) Missouri (50)

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PRESEASON PICKS

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SEC MEDIA

Western 1, Alabama 2, Auburn 3, LSU 4, Arkansas 5, Ole Miss 6, Texas A&M 7, MSU

Western 1, Auburn 2, Alabama 3, Ole Miss 4, LSU 5, Arkansas 6, Texas A&M 7, MSU

Eastern 1, Georgia 2, Tennessee 3, Missouri 4, So. Carolina 5, Florida 6, Kentucky 7, Vanderbilt

AP

Eastern 1, Georgia 2, Tennessee 3, Missouri 4, So. Carolina 5, Florida 6, Kentucky 7, Vanderbilt

PHIL STEELE

Western 1, Alabama 2, LSU 3, Auburn 4, Ole Miss 5, Arkansas 6, Texas A&M 7, Miss. State

Eastern 1, Georgia 2, Tennessee 3, Missouri 4, Florida 5, So. Carolina 6, Kentucky 7, Vanderbilt

ATHLON

Western 1, Alabama 2, Auburn 3, Ole Miss 4, LSU 5, Arkansas 6, Texas A&M 7, MSU

Eastern 1, Georgia 2, Tennessee 3, Florida 4, Missouri 5, So. Carolina 6, Kentucky 7, Vanderbilt

but I’m a “My Audiology degree is from at heart when it comes to taking care of my patients.”

WE WILL SAVE YOU

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FOOTBALL JOURNAL

DAILY JOURNAL

FOOTBALL JOURNAL

| SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

DAILY JOURNAL

Rebels have look of a team poised for success OXFORD t the outset of the 2015 season, Ole Miss has the look of a team poised for big things.

For starters, there’s been no real camp surprise, no big injury, no transfer in need of an NCAA waiver, no waiting on a test score.

The only drama has been the offensive line injury of Rod Taylor, disappointing, but not something that can’t be absorbed.

What the Rebels have right now is the stability of a team that expects to win.

There was the matter of a stress fracture for freshman running back Eric Swinney. It was thought he could play a role this season.

The fact that the nature of that role was undefined is a testament to what this team has in so many areas: experience, ability and

depth. game’s most important Ole Miss has NFL-level position is still unknown. talent at multiple posiChances are fair to midtions. That’s not coming dling that it won’t be from me, it’s coming from known until after the secthe draft projections of ond game, Sept. 12 those who cover the against Fresno State, but it league. will become known The most noteworthy in shortly after that game. that discussion are offenHugh Freeze will not PARRISH sive tackle Laremy Tunsil, send Ole Miss into AlALFORD defensive tackle Robert abama’s Bryant-Denny Nkemdiche and wide reStadium hamstrung by ceiver Laquon Treadwell. uncertainty.

There’s a second tier that inIt’s unfortunate that the new cludes Huskie Tony Conner and quarterback, likely Ryan tight end Evan Engram.

Buchanan or Chad Kelly, will not Ole Miss has gone through have had more time absorb the many August camps trying to find feel of being “the man.” It’s one starters. This one has been about thing to try and exhibit leadership trying to determine the backups. skills in a multi-layered competiThe glaring exception there is tion. It’s another to know your quarterback. teammates are looking to you for Who will be the starter at the answers.

A

LAUREN WOOD | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

WR Laquon Treadwell is healthy after a seasonending leg injury last fall.

It’s because of the talent and depth that Ole Miss can break in a new quarterback yet carry the hope and anticipation that it does.

DeVante Kincade is a part of this competition too, but the offense moves most smoothly with a pocket passer.

Whoever Ole Miss sends out to receive the shotgun snaps will not be a stiff. The guy will have some talent.

Quarterback is a key position, and poor play there could derail a season.

But it’s the sum total of the parts that make this look like a season that will stay on track.

Parrish Alford (parrish.alford@ journalinc.com) covers Ole Miss for the Daily Journal. He blogs daily at InsideOleMissSports.com.

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2014: 9-4 (5-3 SEC)

A28 Boise State (at Atlanta) S6 Vanderbilt S13 La.-Lafayette S27 Memphis O4 Alabama O11 at Texas A&M O18 Tennessee O25 at LSU N1 Auburn N8 Presbyterian N22 at Arkansas N29 Mississippi State Peach Bowl D31 TCU

W, 35-13 W, 41-3 W, 56-15 W, 24-3 W, 23-17 W, 35-20 W, 34-3 L, 10-7 L, 35-31 W, 48-0 L, 30-0 W, 31-17 L, 42-3

RETURNING LEADERS

Passing: DeVante Kincaid, 127 yards 80.0%, 1 TD, 0 INTs Rushing: Jaylen Walton 106-586-5 Jordan Wilkins 52-361-1 Receiving: Evan Engram 38-662-2 Laquon Treadwell 48-632-5 Cody Core 41-558-6 Tackles: Mike Hilton 71 (48 solo) Tony Conner 69 (38 solo) Trae Elston 59 (35 solo)

LAST 10 SEASONS 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005

SEC 5-3 3-5 3-5 0-8 1-7 4-4 5-3 0-8 2-6 1-7

All 9-4 8-5 7-6 2-10 4-8 9-4 9-4 3-9 4-8 3-8

All-time: 645-501-35 (.561 winning percentage)

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4G

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

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5G

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walked out the door. But pionship this year so that with the amount of playshould tell you that preers that saw significant season polls and predicsnaps last year, the drop tions are just something to off should be minimal if write and talk about durat all. ing a slow summer and Chris Jones, Richie should be taken with a Brown and Will Redmond grain of salt. were all named to preseaDonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect the Bullson watch lists at their redogs to begin the season LOGAN spective positions on with the depth across the LOWERY defense yet none among board that they had a year that trio started a game ago but there is an awful for the Bulldogs in 2014. lot of young talent that Mississippi State also returns will be stepping onto the field for the top signal caller in the confer- the first time this fall. Once those ence in Dak Prescott. To my players get some playing time knowledge, a first-team All-SEC under their belts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; then and only quarterback has never finished then â&#x20AC;&#x201C; people will begin to see last in a division before so somewhat the 2015 edition of Dan thing about that pick just doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Mullenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bulldogs are all about. add up.

But then again, the media also Logan Lowery covers Mississippi State voted Alabama to win the West for the Daily Journal. He blogs daily at and Auburn to win the SEC Cham- www.insideMSUsports.com.

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STARKVILLE ississippi State enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history last year.

The Bulldogs won 10 regular season games for the first time, went to the Orange Bowl and, oh yeah â&#x20AC;&#x201C; were the No. 1 team in the country for five straight weeks.

But youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d hardly know it from lack of preseason hype entering the fall.

MSU was picked to finish last in the SEC West by the media and were not ranked in either preseason Top 25 poll.

Then again, the Bulldogs were predicted to finish last in the SEC West and were not ranked in the preseason polls last year either and things seemed to work out all right.

Sure, State did lose a lot of experience when a dozen starters

ADAM ROBISON | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

Beniquez Brown is the top returning tackler for a MSU defense thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in transition.

2014: 10-3 (6-2 SEC)

A30 Southern Miss S6 UAB S13 at South Alabama S20 at LSU O4 Texas A&M O11 Auburn O25 at Kentucky N1 Arkansas N8 UT Martin N15 at Alabama N22 Vanderbilt N29 at Ole Miss Orange Bowl D31 Georgia Tech

W, 49-0 W, 47-34 W, 35-3 W, 34-29 W, 48-31 W, 38-23 W, 45-31 W, 17-10 W, 45-16 L, 25-20 W, 51-0 L, 49-34 L, 49-34

RETURNING LEADERS

Passing: Dak Prescott, 3,449 yards 61.6%, 27 TDs, 11 INTs Rushing: Dak Prescott 210-986-14 Brandon Holloway 45-294-1 Ashton Shumpert 47-274-2 Receiving: Deâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Runnya Wilson 47-680-9 Fred Ross 30-489-5 Gabe Myles 22-178-0 Tackles: Beniquez Brown 62 (30 solo) Taveze Calhoun 53 (35 solo)

LAST 10 SEASONS 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005

SEC 6-2 3-5 4-4 2-6 4-4 2-5 2-6 4-4 1-7 1-7

All 10-3 7-6 8-5 7-6 9-4 5-7 4-8 8-5 3-9 3-8

All-time: 531-558-39 (.488 winning percentage)

A division of BBQ by Jim

L E T U S C AT E R Y O U R TA I L G AT E PA RT Y 662-840-8800 â&#x20AC;˘ Tupelo, Mississippi â&#x20AC;˘ bbqbyjim.com

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FOOTBALL JOURNAL

DAILY JOURNAL

FOOTBALL JOURNAL

| SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

DAILY JOURNAL

Robert Nkemdiche

All-American sets tone for his junior season: ‘Focus and finish’

BY PARRISH ALFORD DAILY JOURNAL

OXFORD – Named an AllAmerican by the Associated Press and three other media outlets last year, the whispers are deafening for Robert Nkemdiche.

He hears them.

He could blow them off. He could point to what so many knowledgeable football observers say about his play. He could point to projections that have him off next spring’s NFL draft board in the first 10 picks.

He could, but he doesn’t.

“Criticism is there for a reason.

It’s what you do when you get criticized that matters. How do you channel it?” he says. “Some people don’t understand anything about football. They need to see stats to know that anybody’s doing anything in the sport. Football is so much more than that.”

Indeed it is.

A defensive tackle like Nkemdiche, the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit when he signed as a defensive end in the Class of 2013, can impact the game by how many times teams run away from him or by how many players to commit to block him.

At some point the measurables do matter as ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. and others have noted.

It’s what the whispers are all about.

For all the attention he received from opposing offensive lines, all the accolades, Nkemdiche managed just four tackles for loss last season, half the number he had as a freshman playing mostly defensive end. He had only two sacks.

“People say I don’t penetrate

LAUREN WOOD | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

Defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, projected as a high NFL draft pick if he leaves after this year, is focused on being more productive. easy. I’m going to keep elevating my craft no matter what else is going on,” said Nkemdiche, the Loganville, Ga., native and brother of Ole Miss senior linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche.

Rarely do coaches tell football players at any position to slow down, but that’s the message for Robert Nkemdiche right now.

Elevating his stats may be a simple as slowing his rush – or at least controlling it better.

“I need to slow down, focus on the quarterback, focus on the running back, grab them and throw them down and actually

finish. That’s my key this year, focus and finish. Everything goes with the flow. The aggression’s there, the motor’s there. I want to focus and finish. And win a ring.”

VERSATILE THREAT

The depth chart lists Robert Nkemdiche as the four-technique tackle, lining up over a guard with two hands in the dirt.

He’s as likely to line up over center or back at end, his original position, as he moves up and down the line in search of a matchup advantage.

Regardless of the depth chart

he calls himself both a tackle and an end – the Ole Miss “slash” on the defensive front.

He longs for the matchup that has him against one blocker, not two. They don’t come around often enough, and sometimes when they do he’s caught by surprise.

“Sometimes my mind is going crazy, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I really just have one on me right now,’ and it will be a little late,” he said.

With all that is riding on this season for Ole Miss, most likely the last with Nkemdiche, offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil,

wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and perhaps others, Nkemdiche feels that increasing his production is non-negotiable.

“It’s understood. I understand the plays I missed and have to improve on. I do have to make more plays because I missed so many. To have a big impact I need to make more plays. That’s going to help our team do better things. I just want to focus and finish plays and keep going from there.” parrish.alford@journalinc.com Twitter: @parrishalford

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6G

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

|

7G

Chris Jones

Standout from Houston determined to deliver on his potential

BY LOGAN LOWERY DAILY JOURNAL

STARKVILLE – In many ways, 2014 was a monumental year for Mississippi State.

Although the Bulldogs enjoyed success as a team, defensive tackle Chris Jones was unhappy with his individual performance during his sophomore year.

Jones was unable to follow up on his Freshman All-American campaign and saw his tackle totals drop by six and recorded 31⁄2 fewer tackles for loss.

The 6-foot-6, 308-pounder from Houston enters this fall as a Preseason All-American and All-SEC selection but is unfazed by the extra accolades.

“That doesn’t mean anything because last year I was named all that and I didn’t get it (at the end of the season),” Jones said.

“I just want to leave a mark and play with a chip on my shoulder.

I wanted to achieve so many things last year but I feel like I let myself down.”

Even though Jones describes himself as his own worst critic, defensive line coach David Turner has had high praise for Jones’ work ethic during fall camp and stated that he is working harder now than ever.

“I think he’s a little more mature and a little more focused,” Turner said. “I think he knows what he wants and was kind of embarrassed by his sophomore year last year and that what we saw last year was not the real Chris. I think all of those things have played a factor in his development, push and desire this fall. It’s his time now.”

Jones’ improvements have been a welcomed sign for the

ADAM ROBISON | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

Chris Jones, a former Daily Journal player of the year from Houston, has been challenged to deliver as a “big-time player” this fall.

Bulldogs along the defensive line. MSU lost three starters, including both of its defensive tackles. Despite a lack of starting experience, Jones is quite confident the Bulldogs will be able to excel in the trenches this fall.

“We are going to be tough up front,” Jones said. “Ryan Brown and A.J. Jefferson are some guys that you can count on plus Nelson Adams and the big monster

Nick James. He will create havoc in there. I believe we are going to be pretty good, probably better than last year if we put our minds to it and do everything coach Turner tell us.”

To further signify a change entering his junior year, Jones has switched jersey numbers back to No. 98, the same digits he wore during his standout senior season at Houston High School.

That year, Jones elevated himself to five-star status and the No. 2 overall prospect in the country by recording 160 tackles, 14 sacks, 10 pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a 74yard interception return for a touchdown. He also excelled in both the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic and the Under Armor All-American game.

Head coach Dan Mullen

wants to see Jones make that same type of impact as a fulltime starter for the Bulldogs this year.

“We need him to play like a big-time player,” Mullen said.

“We need him to play with a sense of urgency to try and dominate games.” logan.lowery@journalinc.com Twitter: @loganlowery

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FOOTBALL JOURNAL

DAILY JOURNAL

| SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

FOOTBALL JOURNAL

DAILY JOURNAL

Rebels: Position by position breakdown OFFENSE QUARTERBACKS

The three-way competition has been behind the scenes and cloaked in secrecy.

Inquiries into who’s doing what are met with carefully distributed praise for all three candidates, Ryan Buchanan, Chad Kelly and DeVante Kincade.

Buchanan and Kincade are third-year sophomores, Kelly a junior college transfer.

There are differences in the three, but some are slight. Kincade is the more mobile of the three, but Buchanan and Kelly stand taller in the pocket.

Kelly runs better than Buchanan, but Buchanan isn’t a stiff and in the spring showed he could be elusive.

Kelly has been praised for his accuracy with the deep ball.

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze says the competition could linger into the season, but expect it to be finished no later than after the second game. The third is the SEC opener and a road trip to Alabama.

The third week of camp Freeze said AP | FILE he had a leader but wasn’t ready to Laremy Tunsil is the anchor of an Ole Miss offensive line that returns all five starters from a year ago. publicly name one.

WIDE RECEIVERS AND TIGHT ENDS

Freshmen DaMarkus Lodge and Van Jefferson could redshirt dependThe word coming out of camp partic- ing on how the group plays out. ipants is that Laquon Treadwell is not Tight end Evan Engram is a big taronly healed from the broken fibula and get and has the speed and size to credislocated ankle sustained against ate mismatches.

Auburn but that he’s also handling full Junior Jeremy Liggins and post-grad contact football. transfer Dillon Barrett provide depth, Freeze at the end of spring and bebut not in the same manner as Engram. ginning of fall camp challenged the collective group to be more productive OFFENSIVE LINE saying he believes there to be quite a Five starters return. bit of talent beyond Treadwell that is caThe summer legal drama surroundpable of more consistency. ing Laremy Tunsil, a projected top five Washington transfer Damore’ea draft pick next spring, will not keep him Stringfellow seemed to respond to the off the field. Charges against both Tunsil challenge and has had a good camp, and his stepfather were dismissed earFreeze said. lier this month.

Cody Core – with five touchdown Robert Conyers, it appears, has uncatches – and Quincy Adeboyejo bring seated incumbent Ben Still at center. game experience from last year, as Sophomore guard Rod Taylor was does sophomore Markell Pack. running with the first team when he The wild card in the group could be sustained a torn labrum the second junior Derrick Jones, who was moved week of camp. He's expected back in to the position early last year but now about a week or so. has had a spring and camp to build on.

In the meantime, senior Justin Bell, Freeze said Jones had a good spring who was a part of the competition at but has been sketchy in camp. center, has returned to right guard

where he started last year.

Late in camp freshman Javon Patterson moved ahead of senior Aaron Morris at left guard. Freeze praised Morris for his weight loss and conditioning in the off-season but didn't see enough in camp to make him think Morris, coming off a second ACL (knee) surgery, was ready to carry a starter's load.

Senior Fahn Cooper will start at right tackle.

There are higher numbers on the line. Redshirt freshman guard Jordan Sims is a reserve to keep an eye on.

school history with a touchdown pass in the Egg Bowl, and junior college transfer Akeem Judd, who redshirted last year.

Wilkins (214 pounds) and Judd (222) are bigger backs than Freeze has had during his time as Ole Miss coach, and that could help the Rebels improve in yards after contact.

An off-season injury to four-star signee Eric Swinney likely means a redshirt year.

RUNNING BACKS

Tackle Robert Nkemdiche could be off the board in the first 10 picks next spring. This fall his challenge is go from being very good to being great.

He says slowing down and playing under control once he penetrates the line of scrimmage will help him achieve more sacks and tackles for loss, the big plays that his resume lacked last year.

Nkemdiche will slide along the line as coaches try to place him in matchup advantages.

As the Rebels try to revive the run game, Jaylen Walton, all 5-8, 172 pounds, is the unquestioned starter.

Shiftiness, vision and savvy are his assets.

Two experienced backs, I’Tavius Mathers and Mark Dodson, transferred out in the off-season.

That opens a door for Jordan Wilkins, who came on at the end of last year and bookmarked his page in

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE

That’s good news for the guys behind him, redshirt freshman Breeland Speaks and junior college transfer D.J. Jones. They’re talented in their own right, but coaches won’t often be inclined to take Nkemdiche off the field.

Sophomore end Marquise Haynes (7.5 sacks last year) says he wants to improve as a run-stopper and everydown player. Junior Fadol Brown (38 tackles, half a sack) wants to be a better pass rusher.

LINEBACKERS

Freeze was confident enough in his depth at end to move senior C.J. Johnson to middle linebacker back in the spring.

Johnson and Christian Russell, a junior college transfer last season, have both gotten first team reps this month.

Look for Johnson to be the starter, but Russell, more comfortable in his second season, could play a bigger role than he did in 2014.

Johnson will play some at end too.

Senior Denzel Nkemdiche and sophomore Demarquis Gates are the outside linebackers.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

There are big shoes to fill with the departure of All-Americans Senquez Golson at corner and Cody Prewitt at free safety.

Coaches showed their confidence in new cornerbacks Tee Shepard and Tony Bridges by moving senior jackof-all-trades Mike Hilton to rover at the beginning of spring drills. That was so returning rover Trae Elston could move to free safety to replace Prewitt.

Shepard, two years ago, and Bridges, last year, were both rated No. 1 corners coming out of junior college.

Sophomore Kendarius Webster will be the first corner off the bench.

Sophomore C.J. Hampton, currently running second to Elston at free safety, is a name to keep an eye on.

SPECIAL TEAMS Now a sophomore, Gary Wunderlich will have a stronger hold at placekicker than he did much of last year. He was 6-for-8 on field goals last year.

Rugby style punter Will Gleeson, also a sophomore, is back as well.

Compiled by Parrish Alford

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Bulldogs: Position by position breakdown OFFENSE QUARTERBACKS

Mississippi State returns one of the best college football players in the country in Dak Prescott. The Heisman Trophy candidate broke a dozen school records last year and had a chance to leave early for the NFL but opted to return for his final year.

Prescott possesses true dual-threat abilities, throwing for 3,449 yards and 27 touchdowns and rushing for 986 yards and 14 more scores.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder carried the ball a team-high 210 times and it will be imperative to reduce that workload so that he doesn’t wear down like he did down the stretch last year.

Damian Williams has served as Prescott’s back-up the last two seasons but a pectoral injury could cause the junior to redshirt this season. Nick Fitzgerald appears to be next in line and took all of the second team reps during spring practice. Fitzgerald may be the most experienced redshirt freshman in the country having gone through two bowl preps, two springs and two fall camps.

Fellow redshirt freshman Elijah Staley is returning from knee surgery in December and Nick Tiano joined the fold this fall. The five signal callers are the most Dan Mullen has ever had at one time in his career.

RUNNING BACKS

The Bulldogs lost two tailbacks last year when Nick Griffin graduated and 1,000-yard back Josh Robinson left early for the NFL. Junior Ashton Shumpert takes over as the starter.

Shumpert carried 47 times for 274 yards and two TDs last year and is a former Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year and Daily Journal Offensive Player of the Year at Itawamba AHS. Redshirt freshmen Aeris Williams and Dontavian Lee join the mix as highly acclaimed high school tailbacks.

The duo combined for 537 yards of offense and eight touchdowns during the three spring scrimmages.

Brandon Holloway is the scat back option at 5-foot-8, 160-pounds and is one of the fastest players on the roster.

MSU also signed a pair of talented backs to replenish the depth in Nick Gibson and Alec Murphy.

Juniors Jamaal Clayborn and Jocquell Johnson converted to center during bowl prep with Clayborn holding the edge entering the season. Senior Rufus Warren shifts from back-up right tackle to be the starting bookend on the opposite side and junior Devon Desper takes over at right guard.

Senior Justin Malone is back at left guard while junior Justin Senior returns at right tackle. Senior is trying to fend off sixth-year senior Damien Robinson and junior college All-American Martinas Rankin to maintain his starting job.

Cole Carter and Jake Thomas return to provide depth along the line while Deion Calhoun, Ronald Cochran and Elgton Jenkins are added to the mix after a redshirt year.

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE

MSU lost three starters from its defensive front that accounted for 113 tackles, 19 for loss and 13 sacks.

Defensive end Ryan Brown is the lone starter coming back having contributed 39 stops, seven for loss and 3.5 sacks as a junior in 2014. Junior A.J. Jefferson has big shoes to fill replacing Preston Smith at the other defensive end spot but put up solid stats as a backup.

Junior Chris Jones moves up at defensive tackle and was a Preseason AllSEC pick despite not starting a game ADAM ROBISON | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM last season. Jones is the complete Mississippi State senior Dak Prescott, regarded as the top quarter- package at 6-foot-6, 308-pounds and back in the SEC this fall, is expected to again be a Heisman Trophy could be bound for the NFL after this candidate after finishing eighth in the voting last year. season. Fellow juniors Nelson Adams and Nick James are battling for the RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS experience in the wake. Junior Gus other spot alongside Jones.

The Bulldogs have a deep and talWalley is the only tight end returning Torrey Dale will take on a more sigented crop of receivers, including that has caught a pass at the Division I nificant role as a backup while the BullDe’Runnya Wilson, who led the team level making four catches for 49 yards dogs will rely on redshirt players to help with 47 catches for 680 yards and nine and a touchdown a year ago. provide more depth along the D-line. touchdowns last fall. Wilson, at 6-footSenior Darrion Hutcherson has NFL Juco transfer Johnathan Calvin 5, 215-pounds is a big target with insize at 6-foot-7, 260-pounds and procame to campus in January. credible leaping ability and raw talent. vides a large target in the red zone. B.J. Returnees Fred Brown, Fred Ross, Hammond is back for his second year. LINEBACKERS Joe Morrow and Gabe Myles are also New defensive coordinator Manny back combining for 87 grabs, 1,310 OFFENSIVE LINE Diaz inherits a unit that lost two players yards and 11 scores in 2014. State will MSU must replace three starters – Bendardrick McKinney and Matthew add redshirt freshman Jesse Jackson along its offensive line at left tackle, Wells – to the NFL but may have the and junior college All-American Donald right guard and center. Center could be deepest crop of young talent on the Gray to that mix as well. the most difficult job to fill as the Bullteam.

The Bulldogs suffered three losses at dogs lost all three players on the depth Beniquez Brown is back as the the tight end position leaving a lot of in- chart at the position. leading returning tackler after making

62 stops as a sophomore. Richie Brown moves into a starter’s role in the middle having tied for the team lead with three interceptions in 2014. Zach Jackson is the lone senior, taking over for Wells on the outside.

A bevy of young talent will backup the trio including Gerri Green, J.T. Gray, Dezmond Harris and DeAndre Ward. Juco transfer Trevor Jung joined the team in the summer.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Taveze Calhoun is the only returning starter back in the secondary but missed all of spring practice with a foot injury. Fellow senior Will Redmond will start opposite Calhoun at the other cornerback spot and is considered one of the nation’s best despite not starting last season. Redmond picked off three passes in 2014 – two of which were on the goal line to preserve wins against LSU and Arkansas.

Kendrick Market took over a starter’s role when Justin Cox was dismissed from the team but is returning from a ruptured Achilles. Market missed all of spring but impressively made it back for the start of fall camp. Kivon Coman and Deontay Evans are vying for the other starting safety spot.

Tolando Cleveland will serve as a backup corner along with Cedric Jiles and Jamoral Graham. Jiles missed last season with a hamstring injury while Graham made the move from receiver.

Brandon Bryant has bulked up to 205 and is the fastest player on the team from his safety position following a redshirt. State is high on true freshmen Jamal Peters and Mark McLaurin, both of whom could play this fall.

SPECIAL TEAMS Kicker Evan Sobiesk elected to leave the team to attend dental school, forcing punter Devon Bell back to placekicking duties competing with walk-ons Westin Graves and Bryce Brown.

Bell made 20-of-35 field goals during his freshman and sophomore seasons but did not have an attempt in 2014. Graves missed his only try.

Bell averaged 43.2 yards punting, but a groin injury midway through the season forced the redshirt off Logan Cooke, who averaged 41.4 yards.

Compiled by Logan Lowery

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THOMAS WELLS | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

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THOMAS WELLS | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

The Rebels will try to hang on to the Golden Egg when they visit Starkville this fall.

After beating Auburn, MSU was ranked No. 1. The Tigers will be seeking revenge.

Ole Miss schedule analysis

MSU schedule analysis

SEPT. 5, TENNESSEE-MARTIN: In a long season with a single open date that won’t come until November, the Rebels could use this game deeper down the schedule. No Jacksonville State-style worries from the Skyhawks. With a quarterback race possibly still unsettled Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze stays vanilla, and the Rebels win big. Likely winner: Ole Miss.

SEPT. 12, FRESNO STATE: The Bulldogs will provide a stiffer challenge. They were fairly prolific on offense last year but will be breaking in a new quarterback meaning Ole Miss will have a huge advantage with an experienced defense.

It’s possible Freeze still has not named a starting QB here, but that will change soon. Ole Miss.

SEPT. 19, AT ALABAMA: This will be a one-possession game and an early test for a new Ole Miss quarterback. The Rebels will be better in the run game and will continue to improve but won’t be good enough at this time to carry the offense. Alabama.

SEPT. 26, VANDERBILT: Commodores coach Derek Mason is running his own defense this year and promises more fire and intensity after a dismal debut.

Maybe there’s marginal improvement for Vanderbilt in Year II, but there was too much distance between these programs last year to think the Commodores steal a win in Oxford. Ole Miss OCT. 3, AT FLORIDA: Some have called this a trap game for the Rebels. The Gators do have some talent but not the level they had when they were competing for SEC titles on an annual basis.

There’s a lot of work to be done with Jim McElwaine’s rebuilding plan, and Ole Miss typically plays well in Gainesville.

Ole Miss.

OCT. 10, NEW MEXICO STATE: The Aggies have won two games in each of the last two seasons. This should turn quickly into a game where the Rebels rest starters and key players. Ole Miss.

OCT. 17, AT MEMPHIS: The game came at a difficult time last year, one week before Alabama visited Oxford. This time the Rebels are more focused against an opponent they’ll respect more than they did a year ago, and a methodical run game will help them. Ole Miss.

OCT. 24: TEXAS A&M: The Aggies will be improved defensively under John Chavis, but the home team will win for the first time in this series since Texas A&M joined the SEC. Ole Miss.

OCT. 31: AT AUBURN: While the Rebels do play well in Gainesville they rarely play well at Auburn. Tigers quarterback Jeremy Johnson has two-thirds of a season under his belt as the starter by now, and Ole Miss falls on the road. Auburn.

NOV. 7, ARKANSAS: The Hogs control the ball and the clock and pull off a win on the road. Arkansas.

NOV. 21, LSU: With two weeks to prepare the Rebels regroup from the Arkansas game and turn the tables from last year’s disappointing first loss of the season. Ole Miss.

NOV. 28, AT MISSISSIPPI STATE: Intent on showing they can play well in Starkville the Rebels pull off a rare road win against the in-state rivals. Ole Miss.

Parrish Alford

SEPT. 5 AT SOUTHERN MISS: Mississippi State takes its first trip to Hattiesburg since 1989 with a late 9 p.m. kickoff. The Bulldogs blanked USM 49-0 in Starkville last year. The Golden Eagles are getting better and have the benefit of playing at home but it won’t be enough. Likely winner: MSU SEPT. 12, LSU: MSU’s win in Baton Rouge opened some eyes nationally last year and will be what the Bulldogs need to make a statement again this year.

State was able to snap a 14-game skid to LSU in 2014 and will win back-to-back over the Tigers for the first time since 1990-91. MSU. SEPT. 19, NORTHWESTERN STATE: The Demons have former LSU and Vanderbilt quarterback Stephen Rivers at the helm of their offense. But one former SEC player doesn’t compare to a field full of them. MSU. SEPT. 26 AT AUBURN: It is rumored to be a resurgent year for the Tigers and there is plenty of returning talent on roster.

Mississippi State has had some tight battles inside Jordan-Hare Stadium under Dan Mullen and will be in another one this fall. Auburn.

OCT. 3 AT TEXAS A&M: Kyle Field is one of the toughest venues for opposing teams to play in. This one will be an offensive shootout and the team with the ball last could be the one come out victorious. Texas A&M. OCT. 10, TROY: The Bulldogs will be glad to get back home following a two-game road trek. The Trojans have won at Davis Wade Stadium before but history will not repeat itself this year. MSU.

OCT. 17, LOUISIANA TECH: Louisiana Tech beat MSU in 2008 and took them into overtime in the last meeting in 2011.

Don’t expect this year’s outing to be as close. MSU. OCT. 24, KENTUCKY: Wildcats quarterback Patrick Towles accounted for 477 yards of offense and four touchdowns against the Bulldogs last year. State’s new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz will have a scheme in place to stop that.

MSU. NOV. 5 AT MISSOURI: The Bulldogs will get a bye before traveling to Missouri for a Thursday night game. It will be Mississippi State’s first gridiron meeting with the Tigers since joining the SEC. Missouri has won the SEC East in its first two years and has an experienced signal caller in Maty Mauk. Missouri.

NOV. 14, ALABAMA: The Crimson Tide ended the Bulldogs’ perfect season and run at the CFB Playoff last year in Tuscaloosa. MSU pulls the upset and gets revenge at home this time around.

MSU. NOV. 21 AT ARKANSAS: The Bulldogs have not played in Fayetteville since 2003. Three of the last five games between the two have come down to the final play including State wins the last two years. Now it’s the Razorbacks’ turn.

Arkansas.

NOV. 28, OLE MISS: Both teams will enter trying to better their bowl chances. The Bulldogs are always up for this game and Mullen has never lost an Egg Bowl at home. He won’t this year either. MSU. Logan Lowery

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EASTERN SEC Missouri 7-1 Georgia 6-2 Florida 4-4 Tennessee 3-5 South Carolina 3-5 Kentucky 2-6 Vanderbilt 0-8 WESTERN SEC Alabama 7-1 Mississippi State 6-2 Ole Miss 5-3 Auburn 4-4 LSU 4-4 Texas A&M 3-5 Arkansas 2-6

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T25 3-2 4-2 1-2 0-4 1-3 0-3 0-4 T25 5-2 3-2 3-3 3-4 2-2 2-3 2-6

Str. W1 W1 W1 W2 W1 L6 L3 Str. L1 L2 L1 L2 L1 W1 W1

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SEC 2014 STANDINGS

PF 191 310 199 204 272 183 102 PF 266 270 202 275 153 223 165

PA 153 195 206 217 294 300 283 PA 154 180 135 262 166 293 177

All 11-3 10-3 7-5 7-6 7-6 5-7 3-9 All 12-2 10-3 9-4 8-5 8-5 8-5 7-6

PF 389 537 363 376 424 350 206 PF 517 480 368 461 359 458 415

PA 295 269 253 315 395 375 399 PA 258 282 208 347 228 365 250

2013 12-2 8-5 4-8 5-7 11-2 2-10 9-4 2013 11-2 7-6 8-5 12-2 10-3 9-4 3-9

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Home 5-2 6-1 3-3 4-3 4-3 5-2 3-5 Home 7-0 7-0 6-1 6-1 5-2 3-3 5-2

Div. 5-1 4-2 4-2 3-3 3-3 2-4 0-6 Div. 5-1 4-2 3-3 3-3 2-4 2-4 2-4

T25 = Games against teams in Top 25 (AP, USA Today) at time of matchup

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

AP

Georgia coach Mark Richt takes the stage at SEC Media Days on July 16 in Hoover, Ala.

SOLID REPUTATION.

Alabama 28, Florida 21 Florida 28, Alabama 13 Florida 24, Alabama 23 Florida 34, Arkansas 3 Florida 45, Alabama 30 Tennessee 30, Auburn 29 Tennessee 24, Miss. State 14 Alabama 34, Florida 7 Florida 28, Auburn 6

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

LSU 31, Tennessee 20 Georgia 30, Arkansas 3 LSU 34, Georgia 13 Auburn 38, Tennessee 29 Georgia 34, LSU 14 Florida 38, Arkansas 28 LSU 21, Tennessee 14 Florida 31, Alabama 20 Alabama 32, Florida 13

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2010 2011 2012 2013 2014:

Auburn 56, South Carolina 17 LSU 42, Georgia 10 Alabama 32, Georgia 28 Auburn 59, Missouri 42 Alabama 42, Missouri 13

NOTABLE: Western Division teams, which lost 6 of the first 7 title games, now hold a 12-11 series edge.

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Alabama’s Nick Saban, left, and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn have represented the SEC Western Division in the last three league title games, winning all of them

AP | FILE

SEC Western Division: Nation’s toughest ... again?

ALABAMA

LAST SEASON: 12-2, 7-1 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 2, Defense 7, Special Teams 2 KEY PLAYERS: RB Derrick Henry, TE O.J. Howard, NT A’Shawn Robinson KEY QUESTION: Jake Coker is battling to be the Crimson Tide starting quarterback for the second straight year. Can the former Florida State transfer take over the job as a senior?

BEST CASE: 11-1. WORST CASE: 6-6 QUOTABLE: “Even though this team has its challenges, it also has a lot of very good returning players that can provide leadership and example for a lot of other young players so that we can have a very competitive team.” – Coach Nick Saban

ARKANSAS

LAST SEASON: 7-6, 2-6 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 8, Defense 6, Special Teams 1 KEY PLAYERS: RB Alex Collins, TE Hunter Henry, DE JaMichael Winston KEY QUESTION: The Razorbacks were set to have the league’s top tandem at running back.

Can Arkansas overcome the loss of Jonathan

Williams for the season with a knee injury?

BEST CASE: 9-3. WORST CASE: 5-7 QUOTABLE: “We’ve got a bunch of no name guys that could be very successful together and excited to see them work. I think our biggest asset that we have going right now is we were a 3-9 team and became a 7-6 team. 7-6 by no means is a landing point. It’s more of a launching point.”

– Coach Bret Bielema

AUBURN

LAST SEASON: 8-5, 4-4 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 5, Defense 7, Special Teams 2 KEY PLAYERS: WR Duke Williams, LT Shon Coleman, LB Cassanova McKinzy KEY QUESTION: WR Duke Williams was suspended for last year’s Outback Bowl and missed six straight practices during fall camp due to disciplinary reason. Will Williams continue to be a distraction?

BEST CASE: 12-0. WORST CASE: 6-6 QUOTABLE: “Even though we’re inexperienced, we’ll have a chance to improve each game. We’re hoping to repeat the same performance offensively as we did in 2013.” – Coach Gus Malzahn

LSU

LAST SEASON: 8-5, 4-4 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 7, Defense 7, Special Teams 2 KEY PLAYERS: RB Leonard Fournette, LB Kendell Beckwith, S Jalen Mills KEY QUESTION: There was a quarterback controversy for the Tigers all last season between Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris. Will LSU be able to settle on a signal caller this fall?

BEST CASE: 9-3. WORST CASE: 6-6 QUOTABLE: “I like my team. I like how they work. I think they’ll compete like hell. If they stay healthy and improve, I don’t care who we play.” – Coach Les Miles

TEXAS A&M

LAST SEASON: 8-5, 3-5 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 6, Defense 6, Special Teams 1 KEY PLAYERS: WR Speedy Noil, C Mike Matthews, DE Myles Garrett KEY QUESTION: Defense has been the Achilles heel for the Aggies during the Kevin Sumlin era.

John Chavis was hired to be the new defensive coordinator in the offseason. Will the new defensive scheme be an upgrade?

BEST CASE: 8-4. WORST CASE: 6-6 QUOTABLE: “I think there’s been a lot of change in our program. I think the expectation levels are high. I think that’s a good thing.” – Coach Kevin Sumlin Compiled by Logan Lowery

MISSISSIPPI STATE

BEST CASE: 10-2, which will require beating a least two SEC Western Division foes on the road and defending the homefield against LSU and/or Alabama. Enough to get to Atlanta?.

WORST CASE: 5-7, which doesn’t assume a Dak Prescott injury, but rather the overall toughness of the league as a whole.

OLE MISS

BEST CASE: 11-1, which would include a road win at either Alabama or Auburn and an Egg Bowl victory on the road. Do all of that, and the Rebels should be headed to their first SEC title game, with a ticket to the national semifinals at stake.

WORST CASE: 6-6, with the Rebels going winless on the road (hello, Memphis!) and losing back-to-back games at home to Arkansas and LSU. John L. Pitts

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SEC Eastern Division:

Who can hold those Tigers?

FLORIDA

LAST SEASON: 7-5, 4-4 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 4, Defense 7, Special Teams 1 KEY PLAYERS: WR Demarcus Robinson, DE Jonathan Bullard, CB Vernon Hargreaves III KEY QUESTION: The Gators made a head coaching change following the 2014 season, firing Will Muschamp and hiring Jim McElwain. Can the changes help restore Florida’s once proud program?

BEST CASE: 7-5. WORST CASE: 5-7 QUOTABLE: “Our guys have done one heck of a job in the transition. They’ve really embraced the new guys coming in. A lot of the things that we tried to implement, they were open arms, and I think did a really good job with it.” – Coach Jim McElwain

GEORGIA

LAST SEASON: 10-3, 6-2 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 6, Defense 6, Special Teams 2 KEY PLAYERS: RB Nick Chubb, WR Malcolm Mitchell, LB Jordan Jenkins KEY QUESTION: Georgia has been in contention for the SEC East title the past two seasons only to watch newcomer Missouri compete in the Bulldogs backyard in the SEC Championship game. Can Georgia dethrone the two-time defending division champs?

BEST CASE: 10-2. WORST CASE: 7-5 QUOTABLE: “I’m very excited about this team, this program. Our guys have been working extremely hard.” – Coach Mark Richt

KENTUCKY

LAST SEASON: 5-7, 2-6 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 6, Defense 9, Special Teams 2 KEY PLAYERS: QB Patrick Towles, RB Stanley “Boom” Williams, S A.J. Stamps KEY QUESTION: Mark Stoops has been able to recruit fairly well considering the Wildcats have had two losing seasons during his tenure. Is this the year Kentucky finally breaks through to a bowl game under Stoops’ watch?

BEST CASE: 6-6. WORST CASE: 4-8 QUOTABLE: “I feel like we learned a lot of valuable lessons. The team learned a lot of lessons. I did. And as we move forward, we’ve worked extremely hard to make Kentucky relevant in the SEC East.” – Coach Mark Stoops

MISSOURI

LAST SEASON: 11-3, 7-1 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 6, Defense 6, Special Teams 1 KEY PLAYERS: QB Maty Mauk, RB Russell Hansbrough, LB Kentrell Brothers KEY QUESTION: Missouri has made winning the

SEC East look easy, winning back-to-back division titles after just one season in the league. Can the Tigers go for a three-peat?

BEST CASE: 10-2. WORST CASE: 6-6 QUOTABLE: “We’re not going to change a lot of things because what we do works, but we always try to stay on the cutting edge to improve as a football program.” – Coach Gary Pinkel

SOUTH CAROLINA

LAST SEASON: 7-6, 3-5 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 4, Defense 8, Special Teams 1 KEY PLAYERS: WR Pharoh Cooper, OT Brandon Shell, LB Skai Moore KEY QUESTION: Many believe the Gamecocks underachieved in 2014. Does Steve Spurrier still have enough left in the tank to turn things around this fall?

BEST CASE: 9-3. WORST CASE: 5-7 QUOTABLE: “We’ve got a lot of new players across the board. But we’re hoping to return to where we were the prior three years, a top ten team. We believe we have a fighting chance to do that.” – Coach Steve Spurrier

TENNESSEE

LAST SEASON: 7-6, 3-5 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 9, Defense 8, Special Teams 1 KEY PLAYERS: QB Josh Dobbs, RB Jalen Hurd, LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin KEY QUESTION: Butch Jones is in his third year in Knoxville and has not had the Volunteers contending for an Eastern Division title yet. Will this finally be the year?

BEST CASE: 9-3. WORST CASE: 5-7 QUOTABLE: “We’re not just building a team, we’re building a program. We all want success immediately.

But over a long period of time, that’s not really how sustained success works. The struggles, the adversities, the triumphs, the victories – all the things that go into it, that’s part of the building process.” – Coach Butch Jones

VANDERBILT

LAST SEASON: 3-9, 0-8 SEC RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 8, Defense 9, Special Teams 2 KEY PLAYERS: RB Ralph Webb, TE Steven Scheu, DE Caleb Azubike KEY QUESTION: Derek Mason was winless in the SEC during his rookie season. Will a wealth of returning starters lead the Commodores to their first league victory under Mason?

BEST CASE: 4-8. WORST CASE: 1-11 QUOTABLE: “Our culture has changed. We’re a much different football team than we were a year ago.”

– Coach Derek Mason Compiled by Logan Lowery

AP | FILE

Coach Gary Pinkel and Missouri celebrate a 33-17 Citrus Bowl victory over Minnesota. Success in the SEC title game has been more elusive, as they Tigers have lost badly in back-to-back appearances.

BOWL SEASON SURPRISE

The SEC Eastern Division teams delivered a surprising effort in last season’s bowls, taking advantage of some lesser matchups to help offset the Western Division’s flops: Team Bowl game Opponent Result Buzz Georgia Belk No. 20 Louisville W, 37-14 Bulldogs 2-3 in last five bowls Tennessee Taxslayer Iowa W, 45-28 Vols’ first bowl win since 2007 Missouri Citrus Minnesota W, 33-17 Three straight bowl wins Florida Birmingham East Carolina W, 28-20 Gators (7-5) avoid .500 finish So. Carolina Independence Miami W, 24-21 Four bowl wins in a row x

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AP

Nick Mullens, the incumbent quarterback at Southern Miss, has been in a preseason battle to keep the starting job this fall.

Golden Eagles ready to take big step forward boost to a program that lost 49-0 to the Bulldogs in Starkville last season.

NEW DEFENSIVE LOOK: Southern Miss lost five of its top six tacklers from last season but does bring back quite a bit of depth. Senior middle linebacker Brian Anderson, who had 65 tackles last season, will be one of the leaders.

ROUGH ROAD: Southern Miss has been so bad during the past three seasons it’s easy to forget how good the program was as recently as 2011. That was the season senior quarterback Austin Davis and coach Larry Fedora led the Golden Eagles to a 12-2 record and the Conference USA championship over Houston. Now Fedora is at North Carolina, Davis is in the NFL and Southern Miss is still trying to find its way back to relevance in C-USA.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Southern Miss coaches believe the Golden Eagles have enough talent to end a threeyear postseason drought.

Coach Todd Monken is entering his third season at Southern Miss after taking over a program that had a winless 2012 season.

They’ve slowly improved during his tenure, with one win in 2013 and three last season.

Now Monken believes Southern Miss is ready to be competitive in Conference USA after a 2-22 record in league play over the past three years.

Quarterback Nick Mullens, who threw for 2,470 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season, has been pressed by TCU transfer Tyler Matthews for the starting job.

Monken said during the first few days of practice that this is the “best I have felt in the three years that I’ve been here” because the team has 10 returning starters on offense and more options on the roster.

“We have depth, which means you have competition,” Monken said. “Our guys will have to com-

SOUTHERN MISS SCHEDULE

AP

Todd Monken is headed into his third season at Southern Miss after tough 1-10 and 3-9 campaigns. pete every day to play. We have the guys who understand that.”

WHAT TO WATCH

EXPERIENCED OFFENSE: Southern Miss has 10 returning starters on offense, including quarterback Nick Mullens and the entire offensive line. This might be the year that coach Todd

Monken’s spread offense finally produces after two seasons of inconsistent results.

CROWDED BACKFIELD: Another reason why the Southern Miss offense could be poised for a breakout season is all of team’s options in the backfield.

Ito Smith returns after running for 536 yards last season and Michigan transfer

Justice Hayes will also fight for playing time.

INTERESTING OPENER: The Golden Eagles have an interesting game during the season’s opening weekend, hosting Southeastern Conference opponent Mississippi State in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss would obviously love to get a win, but even a close game could be a

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Mississippi State, 9 p.m.

Austin Peay, 2:30 p.m. at Texas St., 6 p.m. at Nebraska, 11 a.m.

North Texas, 6 p.m. at Marshall, 6 p.m.

UTSA, 6 p.m. at Charlotte, 11 a.m.

UTEP, 1:30 p.m. at Rice, 2:30 p.m.

Old Dominion, 2:30 p.m. at Louisiana Tech

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FOOTBALL JOURNAL

DAILY JOURNAL

FOOTBALL JOURNAL

| SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

DAILY JOURNAL

Alcorn State, Grambling seen as SWAC’s top teams

BY DAVID BRANDT ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alcorn State, the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion, is the preseason favorite to win the league’s Eastern Division while Grambling has been picked to win the West.

Alcorn State quarterback John Gibbs Jr. is the preseason offensive player of the year. Gibbs threw for 2,482 yards and 21 touchdowns last season while also running for 1,006 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Gibbs came to Alcorn State at the same time as fourth-year coach Jay Hopson. Together, they’ve helped the Braves rise from the bottom of the league to the program everyone is chasing. Alcorn State defeated Southern 38-24 for the SWAC

championship last season.

“We’ve just got to remain humble and execute every week,” Gibbs said. “We can’t get ahead of ourselves and look forward too far.”

Hopson said the 6-foot-6 Gibbs matured more quickly than even he anticipated.

“I told him the other day I wish I could have redshirted him his first year, but he was immediately the best guy we had,” Hopson said. “Every year he’s been better and better. He’s already done tremendous things at Alcorn and we’ve been blessed to have him.”

Alcorn State was followed by

Jackson State, Alabama A&M, Alabama State and Mississippi Valley in the East’s preseason rankings, while Grambling is trailed by Southern, Prairie View, Texas Southern and ArkansasPine Bluff in the West.

Alabama State’s Kourt- Fobbs ney Berry is the league’s preseason defensive player of the year and had a league-high 128 tackles in 2014.

GRAMBLING REBOUNDS

Grambling has bounced back after a disastrous season two years ago that featured a 1-10 record and embarrassing player boycott over subpar facilities.

But second-year coach Broderick Fobbs turned the Tigers around quickly, leading the program to a 7-5 record in 2014.

Now, they’re expected to be on top of this year’s Western Division.

“For us, the expectations don’t change,” Fobbs said. “Even though we’ve been picked at the bottom from time to time, because of the foundation, a lot of people know what Grambling can do. I don’t think we necessarily surprised anyone.”

The league’s 10 coaches and sports information directors voted in the preseason poll.

This year’s SWAC champion will play in the new Celebration Bowl, which will be played against the winner of the MidEastern Athletic Conference.

That game is set for Dec. 19 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and will be televised on ABC.

2014 STANDINGS

Eastern Division Alcorn State Alabama State Jackson State Alabama A&M Mississippi Valley

Western Division Southern Grambling Prairie View A&M Texas Southern Arkansas-Pine Bluff

SWAC 7-2 5-4 3-6 3-6 1-8

All 10-3 7-5 5-7 4-8 2-9

8-1 7-2 5-4 3-6 3-6

9-4 7-5 5-5 5-6 4-7

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

(Voting by coaches and SIDs) Eastern: Alcorn State 95, Jackson State 83, Alabama A&M 66, Alabama State 50, Mississippi Valley State 31.

Western: Grambling State 93, Southern 91, Prairie View 72, Texas Southern 40, Arkansas Pine Bluff 34.

Braves have their eyes on defending league crown ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alcorn State jumped to the top of the Southwestern Athletic Conference heap in a hurry.

The Braves won their first SWAC championship in two decades last year by beating Southern 38-24 in the title game. With veteran quarterback John Gibbs Jr. returning, fourth-year Hopson coach Jay Hopson says his team has a chance to win another title.

Gibbs, the league’s co-offensive player of the year last season, threw for 2,842 yards, 21 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 2014 while also running for 1,006 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’ll have several of his top running backs and re-

ondary after a team-high 16 pass breakups last season.

WHAT TO WATCH

HOPSON HAS IT ROLLING: Alcorn State has steadily improved since Jay Hopson became the coach before the 2012 season. Now he’s trying to lead the program to back-to-back titles.

“The past is the past and I think our guys know that,” he said. “We’ve got a big challenge that we’ve got to prepare for. It’s going to be a hard-fought year.”

GIBBS MAKES THE BRAVES GO: Quarterback John Gibbs Jr., a 6-foot-6, 220-pound senior, returns for his final season. He was excellent for the Braves last season, accounting for nearly 4,000 total yards and 32 total TDs. NEW FACES ON DEFENSE: Alcorn AP | FILE State lost several of its best defensive John Gibbs Jr. passed for 2,842 yards and ran for 1,006 more last players from last season, but shouldn’t season for Alcorn State, accounting for 32 total touchdowns. be totally helpless. Senior linebacker Damon Watkins returns after making 79 ceivers returning. line will be anchored by Darien tackles last season. Defensive lineman The defense will have several Moody, who had 101⁄2 tackles for Darien Moody had 101⁄2 tackles for a new faces after losing multiple a loss, including 71⁄2 sacks. Warloss last season and Warren Gatewood key contributors. The defensive ren Gatewood is back in the sec- led the team with 16 pass breakups.

RUNNING GAME: Gibbs was the Braves’ leading rusher last season, but he’ll have some help in the backfield.

Arron Baker returns after running for 725 yards and 13 TDs as a freshman.

TOUGH OPENER: Alcorn State has a difficult opener when it plays Georgia Tech on Sept. 3 in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets won the ACC’s Coastal Division last season and finished with an 11-3 record, including a victory over Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl.

ALCORN STATE SCHEDULE

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at Georgia Tech, 6:30 p.m. *at Alabama State, 6 p.m. *Mississippi Valley, 4 p.m.

Concordia (Ala.), 2 p.m. *at Ark.-Pine Bluff, 4 p.m.

Open *Grambling State (HC), 2 p.m.

Open *at Southern, 4 p.m. *Prairie View A&M, 2 p.m. *at Texas Southern, 1 p.m. *Alabama A&M, 2 p.m. *at Jackson State, 2 p.m. *SWAC game

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

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Jackson State aiming to bounce back from losing season Jackson’s first season leading the Tigers was difficult, but the program did get a needed boost when it beat eventual league champion Alcorn State in the regular season finale.

Jackson State returns seven defensive starters.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jackson State hopes an experienced offense can help the program bounce back from its first losing season since 2009.

LaMontiez Ivy returns after throwing for 3,209 yards, 22 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last seaJackson son. His top four receivers also return, including Daniel Williams, who caught 72 passes for 990 yards and nine touchdowns.

Second-year coach Harold Jackson will still have to find several new starters along the offensive line and improve a running game that ranked last in the Southwestern Athletic Conference last year with just 102.2 yards per game.

WHAT TO WATCH

JACKSON STATE

QB LaMontiez Ivy returns all of his top targets from last season.

Jackson has had a long coaching career, but hadn’t been a head coach since the mid-1990s before being hired by Jackson State. He said he anticipates better results this time around.

“I feel good about what’s happening right now,” he said. You know what to expect, you know where you’re going. You know your players a little better and they know you a little better.”

IVY RETURNS: LaMontiez Ivy, a 6foot-3, 215-pound junior from East St. Louis, Illinois, excelled last season, throwing for more than 3,200 yards and running for three touchdowns.

Most of his top receivers are returning, including Daniel Williams, which should give the Tigers an advantage through the air.

RUNNING GAME: No matter how good Ivy is this season, he’ll need some help from the running game. Jackson State only averaged about 102 yards per game on the ground last season, which ranked last in the league. Two of the team’s top three running backs from last season return.

JONES FOR THE DEFENSE: The un-

questioned leader of Jackson State’s defense is junior Javancy Jones. The 230-pounder has moved back and forth between linebacker and the defensive line throughout his career, but he’s always been productive. Last season, he made 107 tackles, 18 for loss.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior Ryan Deising is one of the SWAC’s best returning kickers. He made 18 of his 23 field goal attempts last season, including a 50yarder that tied a school record.

JACKSON STATE SCHEDULE

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at Middle Tennessee, 6 p.m.

Tenn. State (Memphis), 6 p.m. *at Southern. 6 p.m. *Texas Southern, 6 p.m. *Grambling, 6 p.m.

Open *at Alabama A&M, 1 p.m. *Arkansas-Pine Bluff (HC), 2 p.m. *at Mississippi Valley, 4 p.m. *Alabama State, 6 p.m.

Open *at Prairie View A&M, 4 p.m. *Alcorn State, 2 p.m. *SWAC game

Comegy targets improvement in second season at Valley ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rick Comegy led Mississippi Valley State to one huge victory during his first season leading the program.

Now the veteran coach believes the Delta Devils can make those moments a little more common.

Mississippi Comegy Valley is trying to improve on a 2-9 record last season, which included the first victory over Jackson State in 20 years.

The unexpected win over its in-state rival was a brilliant moment in an otherwise difficult season – the Delta Devils lost by at least two touchdowns in six Southwestern Athletic Conference games.

Mississippi Valley returns

MVSU has high hopes for returning QB Quantavius Peterson. quarterback Quantavius Peterson, who threw for 874 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions last season while splitting time with now-departed Patrick Ivy. Peterson was also a running threat, with 297 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

Defensive lineman Khalil Young also returns after leading

AP | FILE

the Delta Devils with 11 tackles for a loss last season, including four sacks.

WHAT TO WATCH

BUILDING AGAIN: Rick Comegy, a 61-year-old coaching veteran, has plenty of experience building a program. He was successful at Central State, Tuskegee and Jackson State before taking the job at Mississippi Valley,

which is arguably the SWAC’s toughest job because of its small budget and remote location.

“I know that there are a lot of good things going on at Mississippi Valley ...

We don’t have all the things other schools have. We may not have the money. But if you look at the positive, small is good sometimes.”

QB IMPROVEMENT: Comegy brought senior Quantavius Peterson to SWAC Media Day in July, a sign that he’s expecting big things after up-and-down 2014 season. Peterson can throw and run, but needs to improve on last season’s 45.2 completion percentage.

TESTS COME EARLY: Mississippi Valley has arguably its three hardest games during the season’s first three weeks. The Delta Devils have to face FBS foe New Mexico in the opener and then have conference games against Southern and Alcorn State – the two teams that played against each other for the SWAC title last season.

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS: Mississippi Valley’s defense will lean on de-

fensive lineman Khalil Young, who led the team with 11 tackles for loss last season, and defensive back Charles Moore, who had 45 tackles and was named to the preseason All-SWAC team.

TOUGH JOB: Comegy has a difficult job building Valley’s program. The school best known for producing Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice hasn’t won more than six games in a season since 1996.

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MVSU SCHEDULE

at New Mexico, 6 p.m. *Southern, 6:30 p.m. *at Alcorn State, 2 p.m. *Alabama State, 6 p.m. at Jacksonville State, 1 p.m. *at Prairie View A&M, 1 p.m. *Texas Southern (HC), 2 p.m. *at Grambling, 2 p.m. *Jackson State. 4 p.m. *at Alabama A&M, 1 p.m.

Open *Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 1 p.m. *SWAC game

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FOOTBALL JOURNAL

DAILY JOURNAL

FOOTBALL JOURNAL

| SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

DAILY JOURNAL

Choctaws join Statesmen in D-II recruiting battles

BY PARRISH ALFORD DAILY JOURNAL

With the ascent of Mississippi College to Division II, one might question whether there are enough good football players to go around for the state’s Gulf South Conference teams.

MC coach John Bland and Delta State coach Todd Cooley are confident in the numbers.

Both coaches say recruiting is what has helped them quickly develop competitive programs.

MC remains only a provisional member of the GSC. Competing last season with

many players signed when MC competed in Division III, the Choctaws took some severe beatings. They began to find their way near the end of the season, said Bland, who is entering his second season as coach.

Cooley is beginning his third year at Delta State. The Statesmen were 9-2 last year, 6-1 in the GSC before dropping a firstround playoff game to conference rival West Georgia.

Finding players who were the right fit for DSU – and convincing them that was the case – led to a quick turnaround in Cleveland.

“Honestly, what we have to overcome is a stereotype of the Delta,” Cooley said. “I get guys on campus who say they had no idea how nice it is.”

Local success has been important.

“The No. 1 thing is we’ve done a good job recruiting the state of Mississippi and the junior colleges,” Cooley said.

Quarterback Tyler Sullivan and wide receiver Justin Leavy were successful junior college players who signed with Delta State.

Cooley has had success out of state too. He went to Flowery

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Branch, Ga., to nab All-GSC receiver Casey Osborne.

For Bland, increasing the talent level for the Choctaws sometimes means taking a player who comes through a non-traditional route. This season that means Raymond Cotton, a former Ole Miss quarterback now at his fifth school, who is competing against a returning starter.

The Jackson metro area is a big selling point as Bland tries to attract players.

“Mississippi College has a lot to sell. The location is really good. A lot of people would love

to be here,” he said.

Former MC players, who remember the program’s GSC success in the 80s and 90s, are another important asset for Bland.

“Our players from the 80s come back and talk to the team.

They’re excited about moving back to Division II,” Bland said.

“They encourage these players.

It’s going to happen. We’re going to get back to that level. You just have to work. It’s going to take time.” parrish.alford@journalinc.com Twitter: @parrishalford

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BELHAVEN

BLAZERS FAST FACTS

Affiliation: NCAA Division III Conference: American Southwest (provisional) Head Coach: Hal Mumme (second season) 2014 Record: 2-9 Top 3 Returning Players: WR Darien Thomas, OL Trey Tolliver, LB Steven Joiner.

Locals: OL Jarrod Atterberry, Starkville.

INSIDE SCOOP

The Blazers won their first two games in their first season under Hal Mumme, the former Kentucky coach, but finished with nine straight losses.

Some were close, and some were not.

The Air Raid offense set records, but defensively the Blazers failed to hold any of their last nine opponents to less than 31 points.

Belhaven is continuing a transition from NAIA to NCAA Division III. The roster includes 25 freshmen.

OFFENSE

Belhaven used three different quarterbacks last season, but first crack at the job in 2015 goes to redshirt freshman Clayton Webb.

He’ll have six returnBLAZERS ing starters around him, SCHEDULE three of them wide reS3 at Millsaps ceivers including Darien S12 Wisc.-Whitewater Thomas, who had 52 for S19 at Miss. College 698 yards and a schoolS26 Huntingdon record 13 touchdowns O3 at M. Hardin-Baylor* last year.

O10 Louisiana College* Right tackle Trey TolO17 Warner Univ. (HC) liver will bring some O24 at East Texas Bapt.* stability up front.

O31 at McMurry* The Blazers smashed N7 Sul Ross State* previous school records *-ASC games last year with 941 total plays for 4,855 yards.

The running game was not a strength and will look to improve.

Running back Devin Odum was effective in the short passing game with 20 catches for 126 yards and will being experience to the position.

DEFENSE

The Blazers gave up 211 yards a game on the ground, a trend they’ll hope to reverse with the return of linebacker Steven Joiner.

When Belhaven had big plays last year Joiner was usually nearby. He led the team with 12 tackles for loss and registered 41⁄2 sacks with two passes broken up, two defended, two fumbles forced and two recovered.

Defensive back Alvin Vaughn led the team with 64 tackles and also returns. He had 71⁄2 tackles for loss with four pass break-ups and four passes defended.

DELTA STATE

STATESMEN FAST FACTS

Affiliation: NCAA Division II Conference: Gulf South Head Coach: Todd Cooley (third season) 2014 record: 9-2, 6-1 GSC Top 3 Returning Players: QB Tyler Sullivan, WR Casey Osborne, DB Romelo Wilson Locals: K Cody Mills, Oxford; DB James Walter, Ripley; TE Vic Rather, Oxford; LB Macarell Hickinbottom, Oxford.

INSIDE SCOOP

Picked to finish second behind West Georgia by GSC coaches, the Statesmen return key playmakers but have a couple of holes to fill on each side of the ball.

DSU coach Todd Cooley is confident his recruiting plan will make for an easy transition.

The Statesmen reached the playoffs last season, losing to GSC rival West Georgia in the opening round.

OFFENSE

It’s not a complete OL rebuilding job as three starters return, one of them Mose Countryman.

The senior from STATESMEN Jacksonville, Fla., SCHEDULE is a preseason AllS3 Fort Valley State GSC choice after S12 at Texas A&M-Commerce being voted to the S19 Kentucky Wesleyan all-conference secS26 Albany State ond-team last year.

O3 Florida Tech* The Statesmen O10 at Shorter* lost some key wide O17 West Georgia* receivers but return O24 West Alabama* a lot of experience O31 at North Alabama* among their skill N7 Valdosta State* positions, starting N14 at Mississippi College* with quarterback *-GSC games Tyler Sullivan, a 63, 236-pound redshirt junior who threw for 3,358 yards, 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions last season.

Sullivan’s top target is back, too. Casey Osborne, a 6-3 senior, was first-team All-GSC last year after hauling in 76 catches for 1,009 yards and nine touchdowns.

DEFENSE

Cooley believes a linebacker will emerge in a 33 alignment, either Landry Tullo, who led the team with 15 tackles for loss or Wilson Curtis, who was first-team All-GSC last year and finished with 14.5 tackles for loss, second on the team.

There’s a lot of experience behind those guys in the secondary. Romelo Wilson and Richard Nash are both preseason All-GSC. Wilson had four interceptions and a team-best eight passes-defended last year, while Nash led the team in tackles with 74.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

MILLSAPS

MAJORS FAST FACTS

Affiliation: NCAA Division III Conference: Southern Athletic Association Head Coach: Aaron Pelch (sixth season) 2014 record: 3-6, 2-4 SAA Top 3 Returning Players: WR Rahad Sims, OL Hunter Coleman, DB Javis Aultman Locals: LB C.J. Coleman, North Pontotoc; OL Hunter Coleman, North Pontotoc; DB Chase Hale, Pontotoc; WR Steele Liles, Calhoun City

INSIDE SCOOP

A losing record is uncommon on North State Street, and last year’s was just the second in nine years for the Majors.

Pelch was tabbed in late 2009 after the highly successful run of former Alabama coach Mike Dubose and responded with SAA coach of the year honors in 2012 and 2013.

Millsaps opens play in with a Thursday night game, Sept. 3, against city rival Belhaven.

OFFENSE

Millsaps struggled on offense last season with just 340 yards and 18 points a game.

The Majors will miss David Carter, a two-time all-conference player, MAJORS at guard two years ago SCHEDULE and at center last year.

S3 Belhaven They do, however, reS12 at Mary Hardin-Baylor turn three offensive S19 Chicago* line starters in Hunter S26 at Hendrix* Coleman, Austin Harris O10 Centre* and Bryan Pittman.

O17 at B’ham Southern* Coleman, a senior O24 at Washington (Mo.)* from North Pontotoc, O31 Berry* and Harris were allN7 Sewanee* conference honorable N14 at Rhodes* mention. *-SAA games If a yet-to-benamed quarterback gets good protection and makes good decisions athletic wide receivers Rahad Sims and Beau Wells, a transfer from Lamar, will help out.

Sims led the team in catches and all-purpose yards last year, while Wells was second in receptions and fourth in all-purpose yards.

Running back Isaiah Talton gained some experience as a freshman last year.

DEFENSE

Javis Aultman adds experience to the secondary after an all-conference season in which he averaged 5.9 tackles a game.

Linebacker Eric Martin is back after a secondteam all-conference year. He was second on the team with 74 tackles.

Defensive lineman Alex Foust, honorable mention all-conference last year, also returns.

The Majors return five of their top 10 tacklers.

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MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE

CHOCTAWS FAST FACTS

Affiliation: NCAA Division II Conference: Gulf South (provisional) Head Coach: John Bland (second season) 2014 Record: 1-9 Top 3 Returning Players: OL Jamaal White, DB Reggie Barnett, DL Lazarus Shelby.

Locals: RB Quon Brand, Houston; WR Michael Hodges Jr., Aberdeen; OL Storm Moore, North Pontotoc; RB Caleb Nelson, Pontotoc; WR Rashad Turner, Bruce; DB Sharone Wright, Houston.

INSIDE SCOOP

The Choctaws are continuing their climb back to Division II from Division III status.

The difference was evident in strength and physicality. That showed up in numbers as the Chocs were outscored 42-15 on average and outgained 521-243.

MC returns 19 starters, eight each on offense and defense and three on special teams.

The Choctaws are in a transitional phase of Gulf South Conference membership. They’ll play a GSC schedule this season but won’t be eligible for the championship.

OFFENSE

Five returning starters will be seniors.

Quarterback Kyle Smith, a 6-1, 180-pound sophomore, is back, but he’ll compete for the job against former Ole Miss CHOCTAWS player Raymond Cotton.

SCHEDULE Cotton was a memS5 Texas College ber of Houston Nutt’s S12 at North Alabama* 2009 Ole Miss signing S19 Belhaven class and is now at his S26 at McNeese State fifth school.

O3 Shorter* Smith finished last O17 at Valdosta State* season with 128 rushO24 Florida Tech (HC) ing yards against Delta O31 West Georgia* State. He rushed for 401 N7 at West Alabama* yards and six touchN14 Delta State* downs on the season. *-GSC games Offensive lineman Jamaal White (6-0, 260) was a Christian College All-American last season.

DEFENSE

The Choctaws will run a 3-3-5 defense.

Strong safety Reggie Barnett had an All-American season with a team-high 97 tackles and six pass breakups.

Linebacker Kaleb Coleman, a sophomore, broke into the lineup in the middle of last season and finished as the team’s second-leading tackler with 66 stops, 37 of them solo.

Defensive lineman Lazarus Shelby – who had 61⁄2 tackles for loss – and linebacker Seth McDonald are the only returning seniors.

Compiled by Parrish Alford

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FOOTBALL JOURNAL

DAILY JOURNAL

FOOTBALL JOURNAL

| SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

DAILY JOURNAL

Memphis counts on QB Lynch for another big season

BY CLAY BAILEY ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP | FILE

Paxton Lynch had a huge season in 2014 for Memphis as a sophomore, passing for 22 TDs and rushing for 13 more.

MEMPHIS – The Memphis Tigers are doing their best to put the past behind them, even while dealing with a new level of excitement and expectations.

For a program more used to losing seasons, the Tigers made a huge leap in 2014 matching the most wins in school history and finishing with a seven-game winning streak for a 10-3 record.

That gave Memphis a share of the American Athletic Conference championship and a national ranking after beating Brigham Young in the Miami Beach Bowl.

Now coach Justin Fuente heads into his fourth season knowing fans expect even more.

“We had a little bit of success last year, and that bled over into the community,” Fuente said.

“People are excited about Memphis football.”

The Tigers also have junior quarterback Paxton Lynch back along with remnants of a defense ranked among the best in the nation in several categories, making Memphis the preseason pick to win the conference’s Western Division.

NO TIME TO RELAX

Fuente, who got a contract extension last December, is trying to guard against the Tigers slacking off the work it took to build the foundation he’s put into place.

The schedule includes Kansas, Bowling Green and Cincinnati, the favorite to win the American.

The Tigers will also renew their series with Ole Miss this fall.

Memphis will be focused around Lynch. The 6-foot-7 junior threw for 22 touchdowns last sea-

son while completing almost 63 percent of his passes and averaging 233 yards passing a game, and the quarterback also ran for 13 more TDs. Memphis lost top rusher Brandon Hayes to graduation, but sophomore Doroland Dorceus rushed for 237 yards on 46 carries before hurting his right ACL against Ole Miss early last season.

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MEMPHIS SCHEDULE

Missouri State, 6 p.m. at Kansas, 6 p.m. at Bowling Green, 2 p.m.

Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m. at South Florida, 6 p.m.

Ole Miss at Tulsa, 7 p.m.

Tulane Navy (HC) at Houston at Temple SMU

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RARE TERRITORY: The Tigers’ 10-3 record marked only the second time Memphis had reached 10 wins in a season. The previous was in 1938, when the Tigers went 10-0. Those 10 wins also equaled the number of wins the Tigers managed the previous four seasons combined.

TOP 25 RANKING: After its win over Brigham Young, Memphis finished the season No. 25 in the final Associated Press poll. The Tigers had only one previous appearance in the Top 25 poll – at No. 25 in 2004.

BOWL APPEARANCE: The Miami Beach Bowl marked the first bowl for Memphis since 2008.

The 55-48 win over the Cougars in double overtime was the first postseason win for the Tigers since a 38-31 win over Akron in the 2005 Motor City Bowl.

QUITE A LEG: Placekicker Jake Elliott’s 54-yard field goal sent that bowl game into a second overtime last season. The kick was two yards short of the school record of 56 yards also set by Elliott in 2013. A junior this season, Elliott converted 21 of 32 field goals last season and all 57 extra points to lead the American conference in scoring. He was named first-team all-conference each of his first two seasons.

FILLING THE GAPS: Among those missing from the Tigers defense this fall are end Martin Ifedi and cornerback Bobby McCain, both drafted after last season. Ifedi went to the St. Louis Rams, while

AP | FILE

Memphis coach Justin Fuente celebrates with the Miami Beach Bowl trophy after beating BYU 55-48 in two overtimes.

McCain was picked by the Miami Dolphins.

The defense will need to fill a lot of openings from a squad that was 27th in total defense and 19th against the rush.

AP

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20G

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

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EAST MISSISSIPPI

Aug. 27 Sept. 3 Sept. 10 Sept. 17 Sept. 26 Oct. 1 Oct. 8 Oct. 15 Oct. 22

Southwest at Copiah-Lincoln Coahoma* at Northeast* Itawamba* at Jones at Holmes* Northwest* at Miss. Delta*

Aug. 27 Sept. 3 Sept. 10 Sept. 17 Sept. 26 Oct. 3 Oct. 8 Oct. 15 Oct. 24 x

Copiah-Lincoln Jones at Holmes* Northwest* at East Miss.* Coahoma* at Northeast* Miss. Delta* at Gulf Coast

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Aug. 27 Gulf Coast Sept 3 at Hinds Sept. 10 at Northwest* Sept. 17 East Miss. * Sept. 24 at Coahoma* Oct. 1 Miss. Delta* Oct. 8 Itawamba* Oct. 17 at Pearl River Oct. 24 at Holmes*

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

2 p.m.

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DAILY JOURNAL

FOOTBALL JOURNAL

| SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

ITAWAMBA CC

INDIANS FAST FACTS

2014 record: 4-5 (4-2 division) Coach: Sean Cannon (2nd year) Returning starters: 6 off., 8 def.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kwadra Griggs, soph., QB One of the few experienced quarterbacks returning in the North Division, had 54 percent completion rate with 9 TDs. Grant Kimberlin, soph., WR Gutty slot receiver who led the team a season ago with 27 receptions, adding 4 touchdowns.

Trev Miller, soph., DE Great knack for the football, he had a great off-season.

Antonio Clifton, S, sophomore Part of solid leadership trio in the defensive backfield, one of the returning tackle leaders.

Clifton Smith, soph., OL Because of the number of semesters on campus, called the “old man” of the team. One of a trio of returning offensive linemen.

NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI CC

TIGERS

FAST FACTS

2014 record: 2-7 (2-4 division) Coach: Greg Davis (1st year) Returning starters: 5 off., 5 def.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Donta Armstrong, soph., WR Shows a very professional work ethic, and was leading receiver last season with 39 catches, resulting in 4 touchdowns.

Joe Horn, Jr., soph., WR Explosive receiver was second on the Tigers a season ago with 33 catches, resulting in 6 TDs. MaxAndre Alexander, soph., S An Auburn transfer, has shown a work ethic off the charts.

Kendrick Doss, freshman, QB An Ole Miss transfer, a football junkie with leadership potential.

Justin Williams, soph., DL Returning leader in tackles from a season ago with 56, leader of the defensive line.

DAILY JOURNAL

Indians counting on experience at QB, defense

BY DAVID WHEELER SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL

The Itawamba Community College Indians hope to check all the boxes for the upcoming football season: • Succeed at football basics.

• Use its wealth of experience.

• Surprise some opponents with how much incoming freshmen impact the process.

Cannon • And maybe even pull some heart strings along the way.

“We have a lot more sophomores, and that’s huge since I’ve been here,” said head coach Sean Cannon, who’s in his sixth year on the ICC staff, and entering his second year in charge. “We’ve got a returning quarterback, and a lot of sophomores on defense.”

But does that help the Indians improve on a 4-2 North Division mark from last season, which was not enough for that all-important playoff spot?

OFFENSE

The returning quarterback for Itawamba is Kwadra Griggs from Greenwood, and Cannon is expecting the success of the offense to rest on his shoulders.

But Mississippi junior college ball is a hard-hitting affair, and freshman transfer Rip Kirk from South Panola, and freshman Josh Williams from Aberdeen should see the field as well.

The Itawamba running attack will be all newcomers, with Devin Bush from Tennessee and Octavious Matthews from Alabama perhaps the front runners.

Cadarious Forsyth from West Point and Dontavious Bruce from Olive Branch provide major depth.

The gritty Grant Kimberlin from DeSoto Central led the team in catches a season ago, and should impress again in 2015, along with D’Andre Belton from

South Carolina, who started some early games at quarterback last season.

The receiving corps will also be impacted by freshmen Isaih Howard and Dorian Gaston from Ripley, and brothers Keyon Higgins (Fr.) and Stanley Higgins (So.) from Starkville will go at both wide receiver and tight end.

Clifton Smith from Oxford, Pierre Byrd from Meridian, and Tyler Floyd from Booneville are a trio of offensive linemen expected to anchor the middle, with four players vying for time at tackle.

DEFENSE

Former Tupelo standout linebacker Ashton Wedel was expected to be the defensive QB, but out for the season recovering very nicely from cancer.

Even without Wedel, Itawamba has six of eight linebackers returning. Calwaun Street from Charleston is one of the team’s leading returning tacklers, with the unit ready for action that includes Colton Bramlett from Pontotoc, Daniel Johnson from Independence, and Eric Hunt from Noxubee County.

Experience also rules in the backfield,

with Antonio Clifton from Tupelo the other returning leading tackler, at safety.

Quinn Tiggs from Tupelo and Levarious Varnardo from Calhoun City are at corner, and both caught passes on offense a year ago.

There are a bevy of ends beginning with Trev Miller from Noxapater, Terrance Jones from Bruce, Quindarius Thagard from Alabama, and freshmen Kenny Wooten from Meridian and Darrell Swanson from Florida.

Between the ends, Naquez Pringle from South Carolina, Ladarious Gallion from West Point are veterans, with Lee Autry from North Carolina and Myron Watson from Lake Cormorant providing depth.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Tiggs might be the focal veteran on special teams as the key returner.

Freshman Zack Ellis from Tupelo will play soccer, and put on pads to place kick.

Punting right now is by committee, with Kirk and Reed Kelly from Germantown sharing duties.

New coach preaches ‘change of attitude’ for Tigers ship effort,” said Davis, a Texas native. “Our No. 1 goal is attitude and effort.”

Northeast will also be able to spotlight its group of receivers, returning its top two pass catchers from a year ago in Making a concerted effort to Donta Armstrong from Bruce, and Joe read between the lines about OFFENSE Horn, Jr., from Georgia. Khalid Kornegay Greg Davis as the first year head A huge chunk of the burden of offen- from Oklahoma is another veteran reof the Northeast Community sive success rests with the quarterback ceiver, with freshmen LaDarius Martin College Tigers, it position, and Northeast has a pair of first from SE Lauderdale and Jaylon Fair from sounds like he is year players ready for the challenge.

Amory contributing. taking the 2015 Most of the expectations fall on the Three players have already estabteam back to ba- shoulders of Ole Miss transfer Kendrick lished a presence on the offensive line sics.

Doss from Alabama, but do not count out sophomores LaKendrick Preston from And some Bailey Walker from Lake Cormorant, who Gulfport and Dayon Davis from Byhalia, winning football has thrown for more than 6,000 yards and freshman Joetavius Savage. might happen in the last two seasons. the process.

“My system will be multiple spread DEFENSE Davis After a formations,” Davis said, “I’m an offenA strong defensive front always sets soundly disapsive line coach, and I believe in running up success on that side of the football, pointing 2-7 overall record last the football. and Tigers appear to have a solid group season, Davis enters his fourth “Our offense has evolved over the last to throw at all opponents in 2015. season on the Northeast staff, six months, and we’re only going to go Justin Williams from East Oktibbeha and is eager to put his mark on as far as our quarterbacks take us.” was a force last season, and looks to the proud athletic program of the With the running game, Davis is imlead sophomore Terrance Lindsay from Tigers. pressed with third-year sophomore TyOlive Branch and freshman Colton “This year is about a change of berius Lampkin, a transfer from Meadows from Tennessee from the inteattitude – we want to expect to Coahoma, with help from sophomore rior. Freshman Anthony Rush is slated for win, and work with a champion- Chester Lewis. nose guard, while sophomore Jaylen

BY DAVID WHEELER SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL

Hadley from Saltillo will be one of the ends.

Mario Virges from West Point provides experience at linebacker, while the bulk of candidates at the position include Jiminique Martin from Pontotoc, Jordan Bowlin from Starkville, and LaMarcus Rogers from Tupelo.

The defensive backfield could be one of the deepest areas on the Northeast roster, including MaxAndre Alexander, a transfer from Auburn, and sophomores Brady Smith from South Panola and Woodrow Prince from West Point, and freshmen Jarren McKenzie and Demarius Wise from Tupelo, Takari Brooks from SE Lauderdale, and Brandon Tillman from Grenada.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Davis likes the makeup of his special teams, beginning with long-snapper Andrew Ashe from Pontotoc.

Jacob Meeks from Kossuth is slated to handle the punting, while Austin Holliway from Booneville will be the place kicker.

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FOOTBALL JOURNAL

DAILY JOURNAL

FOOTBALL JOURNAL

| SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015

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