Mississippi

Mississippi St. demolishes E. Kentucky starting Lebby era with a 56-7 win

Published

1 year ago

September 1, 2024

Mississippi St. demolishes E. Kentucky starting Lebby era with a 56-7 win

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — From the moment Jeff Lebby arrived in Starkville, the first-time head coach has preached that a show is coming to Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs certainly put on a show for game one of his tenure, as MSU had 450 yards of total offense and ran away with a 56-7 victory on Saturday against Eastern Kentucky. It gave the coach his first career win and kicked off a new era of football.

“One of the coolest things for myself and my family, the fans showed out. Over 10,000 students showed up and hung with us through the rain. They did an unbelievable job creating the energy,” he said.

All three phases scored for the Bulldogs with touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams.

On offense, quarterback Blake Shapen debuted the new scheme with a 15 of 20 showing as the Baylor transfer found the end zone three times through the air and had 247 yards. On the ground, Shapen led the team with seven carries for 44 yards and a rushing score.

“I felt like it was a good day for us,” Shapen said. “There are obviously some things we can clean up and get better at, but overall it was a great start to the season. I’m just thankful for this opportunity at a new place and I know a lot of guys feel that way.”

The Bulldogs (1-0) had four wide receivers score touchdowns as Jordan Mosely had five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown and Kevin Coleman had five catches for 88 yards and a score. Coleman also had five punt returns for 117 yards.

MSU scored touchdowns on its first two possessions before a rain storm dampened the progress. The Bulldogs were back in the end zone in the second quarter on a Creed Whittemore 41-yard end around and then back-to-back touchdown passes to Coleman from 23 yards away and freshman Mario Craver for 54 yards.

Special teams got in on the mix with a blocked punt from JP Purvis — recovered by Craver — and another true freshman in defensive back Elijah Cannon who had a 51-yard pick-6.

“It’s fun to see those guys go out there and make some plays. It’s a players’ game, players have got to make the plays,” Lebby said. “Fun for our sideline, fun for our guys to be able to see them make plays late in the game like this.”

EKU (0-1) scored a touchdown in the final seconds of the first half but was held scoreless in the final two frames. The Bulldogs allowed 130 second half yards. Despite running 19 more plays than State (76-57) the Colonels were outgained 450-285 with the Bulldogs averaging 7.9 yards per play.

“There are plenty of things that we have to clean up. We’ve got to play better, we’ve got to play cleaner,” Lebby said. “So much good, but so much to clean up. That was the message in the locker room.”

BIG PICTURE

EKU: The Colonels were simply overmatched, but the Colonels have a manageable schedule coming down the line.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have been searching for excitement and the team has it – at least for game one. State picked up nearly 500 yards of offense and showed explosiveness on that side of the ball as Lebby’s offense did its thing. There is a rough schedule on the horizon, but it appeared fun again for the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT

Eastern Kentucky travels to Western Kentucky on Sept. 7.

Mississippi State travels to Arizona State on Sept. 7.

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Related Topics:bulldogs College Football Featured Football Hail State Lebby Mississippi Mississippi State Shapen Starkville

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Mississippi

Miami edges Mississippi, ‘Canes await Oregon-Indiana winner in CFP championship game

Published

7 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Miami edges Mississippi, ‘Canes await Oregon-Indiana winner in CFP championship game

GLENDALE, Ariz.— Carson Beck scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left, and Miami will head back home for a shot at its first national championship since 2001 after beating Mississippi 31-27 in an exhilarating College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.

The 10th-ranked Hurricanes (13-2) had their vaunted defense picked apart by the sixth-ranked Rebels (13-2) in a wild fourth quarter, falling into a 27-24 hole after Trinidad Chambliss threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Dae’Quan Wright with 3:13 left.

Beck, who won a national title as a backup at Georgia, kept the Hurricanes calm amid the storm, leading them down the field for the winning score — and a shot at a national title on their home field at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19. Beck is 37-5 as a starter, including two seasons at Georgia.

The sixth-seeded Rebels lost their coach before the playoff, but not their cool.

If anything, Lane Kiffin’s decision to bolt for LSU seemed to harden Ole Miss’ resolve, pushing the Rebels to the best season in school history — and within a game of their first national championship game.

Ole Miss kept Miami within reach when its offense labored and took a 19-17 lead on Lucas Carneiro’s fourth field goal, from 21 yards.

Malachi Toney, the hero of Miami’s opening CFP win over Texas A&M, turned a screen pass into a 36-yard touchdown that put Miami up 24-19.

Chambliss’ TD pass to Wright put the Rebels back on top, but improbable run came to an end when the defense couldn’t hold the Hurricanes.

But what a run it was.

With Pete Golding calling the shots after being promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach, and most of the assistants sticking around, the Rebels blew out Tulane to open the playoff and took down mighty Georgia in the CFP quarterfinals.

They faced a different kind of storm in the Hurricanes.

Miami has rekindled memories of its 2001 national championship team behind a defense that went from porous to nearly impenetrable in its first season under coordinator Corey Hetherman.

The Hurricanes walled up early in the Fiesta Bowl, holding Ole Miss to minus-1 yard.

One play revved up the Rebels and their rowdy fans.

Kewan Lacy, the nation’s third-leading rusher, burst through a hole up the middle for a 73-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter — the longest run allowed by Miami’s defense since 2018.

The Hurricanes seemed content to grind away at the Rebels in small chunks offensively, setting up CharMar Brown’s 4-yard touchdown run and a field goal.

Miami unlocked the deep game just before halftime, taking advantage of a busted coverage for a 52-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Keelan Marion.

No. 1 Indiana (14-0) vs. No. 5 Oregon (13-1)

When: Friday, January 9
Time: 4:30 p.m. PT
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
TV: ESPN and ABC
Stream: You can watch this game on DIRECTV (free trial) or with Sling (a Sling day pass to watch this game and more is just $4.99). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.

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Mississippi

Lady Vols basketball vs Mississippi State live updates, score, start time, TV channel

Published

19 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Lady Vols basketball vs Mississippi State live updates, score, start time, TV channel

Lady Vols basketball will play a second straight road game with a matchup against Mississippi State.

No. 22 Tennessee (10-3, 2-0 SEC) faces the Bulldogs (14-2, 1-1) at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 8 (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) in Starkville, Mississippi.

The Lady Vols started SEC play with wins over Florida and Auburn, and Mississippi State opened conference play with a win over Auburn before falling to Oklahoma on the road.

The matchup is the first of two with the Bulldogs this season with MSU being Tennessee’s lone home and home opponent in SEC play this season.

Both Mississippi State’s losses were on the road, the first at Texas Tech in November before it fell 95-47 to the Sooners on Jan. 4. Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell called the Bulldogs an athletic team and pointed out they ranked in the top 10 nationally in rebounding. MSU averages 45.6 rebounds, which ranks No. 9 in the country.

“We have to go and play in a tough environment with a team that is undefeated at home, plays very well at home,” Caldwell said Jan. 7. “I think that they are a different team at home than they are on the road. So it’s tough to have to go to their place, but it’s tough to go anywhere. And so just got to make sure that we play our game and we box them out and we do what we need to do.”

Lady Vols basketball vs. Mississippi State: Live score updates

When does Lady Vols basketball vs. Mississippi State start?

Date: Thursday, Jan. 8
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi

What TV channel is Lady Vols vs. Mississippi State on today?

Lady Vols basketball 2025-26 schedule, TV times

Nov. 4: NC State 80, Tennessee 77
Nov. 7: Tennessee 97, ETSU 47
Nov. 9: Tennessee 72, UT Martin 61
Nov. 13: Tennessee 68, Belmont 58
Nov. 20: Tennessee 85, MTSU 41
Nov. 23: Tennessee 88, Coppin State 35
Nov. 30: UCLA 99, Tennessee 77
Dec. 3: Tennessee 65, Stanford 62
Dec. 14: Tennessee 112, Winthrop 40
Dec. 20: Louisville 89, Tennessee 65
Dec. 22: Tennessee 89, Southern Indiana 44
Jan. 1: Tennessee 76, Florida 65
Jan. 4: Tennessee 73, Auburn 56
Jan. 8: at Mississippi State (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Jan. 11: vs. Arkansas (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Jan. 18: at Alabama (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Jan. 22: vs. Kentucky (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Jan. 26: at Ole Miss (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Jan. 29: vs. Mississippi State (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Feb. 1: at UConn (noon ET, FOX)
Feb. 5: at Georgia (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Feb. 8: at South Carolina (3 p.m. ET, ABC)
Feb. 12: vs. Missouri (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Feb. 15: vs. Texas (3 p.m. ET, ABC)
Feb. 19: vs. Texas A&M (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Feb. 22: at Oklahoma (2 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Feb. 26: at LSU (6 p.m. ET, ESPN)
March 1: vs. Vanderbilt (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: subscribe.knoxnews.com/offers

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Mississippi

No. 15 Arkansas uses balanced scoring to beat Mississippi 94-87 in SEC matchup

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

No. 15 Arkansas uses balanced scoring to beat Mississippi 94-87 in SEC matchup

OXFORD, Miss. — Darius Acuff, Jr. had 26 points and nine assists, and No. 15 Arkansas got double-figure scoring from five players in a 94-87 win over Mississippi on Wednesday night.

Arkansas (12-3, 2-0 SEC) used a decisive 14-6 run midway through the second half to build an insurmountable 76-61 lead. The win snapped a three-game losing streak to Ole Miss (8-7, 0-2).

The Rebels pulled within 91-87 in the final minute, but Acuff converted a short jumper and Trevon Brazile added a free throw to help seal the win. Arkansas finished 22 of 30 (73%) from the free throw line, including 11 of 12 by Acuff.

Brazile scored 18 points, Billy Richmond III and Meleek Thomas added 13 points apiece, and Karter Knox scored 10 in the balanced Arkansas performance.

Ole Miss was led by Ilias Kamardine and Malik Dia with 16 points apiece. AJ Storr scored 12 points, Eduardo Klafke had 11 in the second half and Patton Pinkins added 10.

Arkansas used a 10-2 surge in the final two minutes of the first half for a 42-32 lead at the break. Brazile and Thomas had 10 points apiece in the first half, as the Razorbacks never trailed after the opening five minutes.

The Arkansas win is a sharp contrast to last season when John Calipari’s club started 0-5 in SEC play. The Razorbacks rallied to finish 7-3 with a berth in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) steps back to take a shot at the basket while guarded by Mississippi guard Travis Perry (11) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Oxford, Miss. Credit: AP/Rogelio V. Solis

Ole Miss, after a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament, has struggled to replace four starters and three other significant contributors from last season’s nine-player rotation.