Mississippi
Brett Favre Casts Shadow Over Mississippi Gubernatorial Race
VICKSBURG, Miss. — Brandon Presley mentioned Brett Favre’s name. An overwhelmingly Black group of voters gathered inside Medgar, and Angela Scott Foundation’s headquarters on Thursday and responded with near-universal nods and one “that’s right.”
This was the Democratic gubernatorial candidate’s first campaign stop after Wednesday night’s debate with Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who finds himself in an unusually close race in the deep red state that hasn’t had a Democratic hold the state’s highest office in two decades.
“One of the things that got me into this race was that I had been working on getting running water for a family in Leflore County,” Presley told Front Office Sports. “They were catching rainwater in a boat so they could flush their toilets. It took us over a year to get that money so they could get some basic water service, but these jokers like Brett Favre can snap their fingers and get $5 million for a volleyball court. It just made me sick to my stomach. I hate the good ol’ boy network.”
Favre is still a somewhat beloved figure in his home state, where he was a prep football standout at Kiln before his legend grew at the University of Southern Mississippi en route to a Hall of Fame NFL career. Earlier in the campaign, Presley referred to Favre more as an “NFL star” or “celebrity athlete.” But Presley mentioned Favre three times during the only debate Reeves agreed to on Wednesday.
Presley has made the largest public corruption scandal in Mississippi history — and Favre’s alleged involvement — one of his top talking points along with Medicaid expansion.
”I think those are the two issues that voters are going to have on their minds on election day,” said Presley, a cousin of Elvis Presley, who is in his fourth term as a member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission. “Medicaid expansion is a proactive step to get healthcare to 230,000 working people, but corruption also has people here mad as hell.”
Favre is one of 47 defendants in the lawsuit filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services as it seeks to recoup at least $77 million of misappropriated federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds, money that is supposed to aid the poorest people inside the poorest state in the country.
About $8 million of those TANF funds were directed to Favre and his pet projects, including about $5 million for a volleyball center at his alma mater and where his daughter played the sport at the time. The TANF funds for the volleyball center the Favre lobbied then-Gov. Phil Bryant and others were funneled to the Southern Miss Athletic Foundation, which is also a defendant in the MDHS civil case.
Favre has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged criminally.
Dale, who declined to reveal his last name, told FOS that the public corruption scandal is the “major” reason Black voters like himself are voting for Presley — even if Reeves wasn’t directly involved in it as governor.
“They knew what they were doing from the start,” Dale said after Presley’s stump speech. “Even though at the time that Tate was the lieutenant governor and Phil Bryant was the governor, they should have stood up for what was right for Mississippi, what was right by the law, and not look toward helping their rich friends and their rich buddies.”
Reeves served as Mississippi’s treasurer and then lieutenant governor, a stint that occurred as the TANF scandal played out. It wasn’t until after Mississippi State Auditor Shad White initiated an investigation in 2019 — after then-Gov. Bryant alerted White’s office of the possibility of the TANF funds being misspent — which led to a series of criminal indictments for those involved in the scheme, including John Davis, who led MDHS at the time.
“You would have to believe in time travel to believe that I was involved in the TANF scandal,” Reeves said during the debate. “The fact of the matter is, it all happened before I was governor, between 2015 and 2019. Brandon Presley knows that, but just like he’ll lie about my family, he’ll lie about me; he’ll lie about everything.”
Presley countered with the firing last year of Brad Pigott, the former U.S. Attorney who oversaw the lawsuit originally.
“You fired him when he got a little too close to your buddies, … a little too close to those people in your inner circle,” Presley said.
Presley also took a prop out of his jacket pocket during the debate, a printout of text messages that Reeves’ campaign released weeks ago. Reeves’ brother, Todd, messaged White, “Brett has done nothing wrong,” and he was repaying the $1.1 million of TANF funds Favre received for appearances he didn’t do “from his own good will.”
FOS left messages with Reeve’s campaign and the governor’s office spokespeople seeking comment for this story, but they did not return the messages.
There hasn’t been a full reckoning regarding the TANF scandal. Davis is one of just two state officials charged by authorities. The lawsuit has progressed slowly, and they will not depose Favre until next month. So far, only a fraction of the TANF funds have been recovered. The GOP-led state legislature hasn’t called a single hearing on the matter.
“Whether you believe Reeves is involved or not, his name has been thrown into this,” said Greta Kemp Martin, the Democratic candidate running for Mississippi attorney general. ”His brother’s name has been thrown in. Why is Reeves calling the shots on who is running the investigation? Why is he the one that hired [the outside law firm] Jones Walker? Why is he the one that fired Brad Pigott? Why is the AG’s office not handling the hiring and firing of outside counsel?”
Kemp Martin, whose incumbent opponent Lynn Fitch refused to debate her, told FOS that the welfare scandal has been a significant driver for those seeking statewide office this election cycle. Like others in Mississippi politics, Kemp Martin said Presley’s outreach to Black voters — 70% of who didn’t vote in 2019 — could prove to be the difference come Tuesday.
This is the first statewide election since the state legislature finally eliminated the Jim Crow-era statute that mandated that a candidate not only win the popular vote but also the majority of Mississippi’s 122 House districts. But another law put on the books back in 1890 — which permanently bans many convicted felons from voting — is still in place, something that impacts about 16% of Mississippi’s Black population.
“Absolutely voter manipulation and voter suppression still exists,” Shawn Jackson, a member of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, told FOS. “We are factoring it in. We got to turn out Tuesday. We have to keep turning out.
“I think timing is the biggest force [for Presley]. The wind is at his back. When you elect the wrong people, corruption can keep going. I believe incompetence has a short runway, and I think that runway is at its end.”
Outside of Mississippi State, Arkansas and Auburn, the SEC had a very successful Week Two of the college football season. The latest AP Top 25 poll reflects the strength of the SEC with 6 of the top 7 spots belonging to SEC teams.
Here’s a recap of how the ranked SEC teams fared in the second full week of the college football season:
Click here for a recap of the unranked SEC teams.
With the exception of giving up three points, this was probably exactly how Georgia expected this game to go. Carson Beck threw five touchdowns and the defense held Tennessee Tech to less than 150 yards of total offense. Anything less would be a surprise.
More than 100,000 people saw Texas come into Ann Arbor, Mich. and leave with a huge win. The Longhorns looked like the better team from the first drive of the game where they easily marched down the field. That Oct. 19 game in Austin against Georgia is looking better and better.
It was a lot closer than Alabama would’ve liked, but it’s a win that will fend off the “Nick Saban is gone, we’re doomed” crowd. At the same time, though, there were some things that crowd could point to at a later time.
Two games against inferior competition and Ole Miss has outscored its opponents 129-3. They’ll take a slight step up in competition next week against Wake Forest, but the Rebels are still about a month away from playing a team that will truly test them.
Missouri’s schedule just took an unexpected bump in its level of difficulty with No. 24 Boston College joining the top 25. Bill O’Brien is brilliant at game planning and calling plays (not so much with making trades, but that hasn’t reached the college ranks yet). Missouri needs to be on upset alert (and ready to stop the run).
This happens every year. Tennessee looks really good to start the season and by the end Volunteer fans are saying next year is their year. But maybe this year is their year with the way Nico Iamaleava has been playing.
Of the two SEC newcomers, Texas is getting most of the attention which makes sense based on the current teams. But folks, don’t sleep on the Sooners. They ruined many of my own childhood memories growing up in Texas. This week’s way-too close game doesn’t help that argument, but think long term.
LSU was one of three SEC teams to play FCS schools after playing top 25 teams last week. The Tigers and Texas A&M both lost, while Georgia won. So, it’s not surprising to see each of them play FCS teams and neither were any of the results.
SEC Week 2 Power Rankings: Which Teams Are Contenders or Pretenders?
WATCH: Mississippi State’s Bowl Hopes Take a Hit with Arizona State Defeat
Mississippi State Crumbles in the Trenches: What Went Wrong Against Arizona State?
Mississippi
Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo ‘disrespected’ by Mississippi State football’s defensive game plan
Cam Skattebo slammed Mississippi State on the football field on Saturday night and also took another jab afterward in his postgame press conference.
The Arizona State running back, following a 30-23 Sun Devils win at Mountain America Stadium, took exception to MSU only utilizing three defenders on the line of scrimmage. The results were damning.
Arizona State (2-0) rushed for 346 yards. It was the most allowed by Mississippi State (1-1) in a game since Arkansas in 2016. Skattebo’s 262 rushing yards on 33 carries were the second-most in ASU history.
“They couldn’t stop us in that three-down front,” Skattebo said when asked what made ASU’s run game successful. “Honestly, we all felt disrespected with them in a three-down front. You can’t come in here and put five guys in the box and expect to stop six. I don’t know. We took that a little disrespectful, and we rushed for what over 300 yards? Something around there. It is what it is.”
Skattebo, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior, also led Arizona State with 35 receiving yards on three catches.
“I knew these dudes were big and heavy,” he said. “We knew going into the game they weren’t as physical as most other teams but they’re heavy. So when they hit you, it hurts, no matter how hard they’re coming — 300 pounds at 10 miles per hour or 16 miles per hour hurts the same. I just kept my feet moving.”
Mississippi State trailed 30-3 in the third quarter but scored 20 unanswered points to cut the score to 30-23 with 5:27 to play. The Bulldogs never touched the ball again, with the Sun Devils running out the clock on 12 plays.
Skattebo had a game-sealing 39-yard rush that allowed ASU to kneel down.
“Until the end, we had our ups and downs there, but that was fun,” he said. “You can ask these guys up front, bullying dudes, grown men that are 300 pounds, that’s fun to us. That’s fun to the front-five, the front-seven and the running back. The quarterback probably hates it. He probably likes watching, but he didn’t complain one time the whole game.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Why Mississippi State football loss to Arizona State revealed a strong Jeff Lebby culture
It was 11:10 p.m. Saturday in Starkville when Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt barreled into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.
At that point, it would’ve been fair for Mississippi State football fans to call it a night. The Bulldogs (1-1) trailed 27-3 at ASU in the final minute of the second quarter. They were dominated in just about every statistical category. New coach Jeff Lebby looked like he was headed toward his first loss, and an embarrassing one.
And even if you gave the second half a chance, eyes just a crack open, that wasn’t encouraging either. Arizona State (2-0) took the opening drive of the third quarter for a field goal while eating 8 minutes, 27 seconds of game time. That just about decided the game before Mississippi State touched the ball in the second half.
Wrong.
Instead, MSU scored touchdowns on three of its next four drives and cut the score to 30-23 with 5:27 to play. The defense, which was torched for 346 rushing yards, needed one more stop to let the offense try to tie it. It would’ve been the largest comeback in program history.
Mississippi State’s path to a bowl game seems murkier than it was a week ago. But in the long-term, there’s still encouragement after the 30-23 loss.
“Our guys battled in an incredible way in the second half, and we’re going to hold on to that,” Lebby said in his postgame radio interview. “We’re going to find ways to get back in the building, get back to work and be able to walk into Davis Wade (Stadium) with a ton of confidence and ready to go win a football game.”
The encouragement from Mississippi State’s comeback effort
Lebby said after beating Eastern Kentucky 56-7 in Week 1 that there is an abundance of teachable moments in wins, just like losses.
There is plenty to point to after losing to Arizona State.
Mississippi State came out incredibly flat. The Sun Devils scored on their first five possessions. The MSU offense had one field goal, two punts, a fumble returned for a touchdown and a turnover-on-downs in the first half. MSU had -13 rushing yards in the first half.
There were concerns entering the game about the travel distance, late kickoff and high temperature. But let’s be real, Mississippi State was playing so poorly at the start that it was hard to judge if those were factors.
“I got to do a better job getting these guys ready to go play out of the gate,” Lebby said. “I thought our energy, our effort and our emotion was really good, but then we did not play clean there in the first quarter, so that part was frustrating.”
The Bulldogs outscored the Sun Devils 20-0 in the final quarter and a half. It was a surprise. Arizona State was rolling. Mississippi State was not.
MORE: Introducing Sam Sklar, the Clarion Ledger’s new Mississippi State beat reporter
For Lebby, a first-time head coach at any level, let it be a learning moment for him. It was his first time getting pinned in a corner. The Bulldogs adjusted correctly in the second half like good coaches do.
The rushing offense and defense both need to improve. Badly. Quarterback Blake Shapen has been impressive in his first two Mississippi State games and the wide receiver room is deep and talented as ever, but they can’t be the only answer.
That’s just for this season.
Mississippi State has its first tally in the loss column. But it isn’t a strike against Lebby leading the future of the program.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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