Mississippi

How Daniel Faulkner became Mississippi State’s most recognizable fan

Published

2 years ago

May 17, 2022

How Daniel Faulkner became Mississippi State’s most recognizable fan

STARKVILLE – It began as an informal journey to the shop. Daniel Faulkner entered The Lodge in hopes of discovering a “cute little outfit” for his niece. The Mississippi State costume he stumbled upon match the invoice, however then one thing caught his eye.

Faulkner was searching for a hat so as to add to his assortment when he observed a maroon headband with a white M-over-S emblem on it.

“I’d look form of cool in that,” he thought to himself.

So he purchased it.

The headscarf complemented his tank prime, which began as a joke. Faulkner had been chosen as “Dude of the sport” at a recreation in opposition to Oregon State in 2020.

Tasked with selecting a prize, Faulkner’s eyes instantly gravitated towards the merchandise he was least possible to make use of.

“Tank prime,” Faulkner mentioned. “Summer season, child. Let’s go.”

The headscarf and tank prime have since develop into a part of MSU baseball fan lore, catching the eye of the ESPN broadcast in opposition to Notre Dame final season and gaining steam because the Bulldogs marched to their first nationwide title.

Mississippi State was crushing the Irish in scorching situations, and the TV crew observed Faulkner again within the entrance row of the proper subject berm. Faulkner’s telephone started to fill with notifications from family and friends seeing his face on their televisions. The legend of the Occasion Berm Squad was born.

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Household issues

Faulkner’s dad graduated from Mississippi State in 1989. His mother went to Texas A&M however earned her masters at MSU.

By way of his household’s strikes to Dallas, New Orleans and Houston, implementing a maroon and white fandom into Faulkner maintained. Mississippi School and A&M had been in consideration, however the place Faulkner wound up for for school was hardly up for debate.

“It was all the time going to be State,” Faulkner says.

His first recreation at Davis Wade Stadium got here as a toddler in 2007 – a win in opposition to Gardner Webb. He drove to Columbus, Ohio, in 2018 together with his grandmother and pa to look at Mississippi State ladies’s basketball fall quick within the nationwide championship.

Mississippi State sports activities had been a cornerstone in Faulkner’s life, however enrolling within the fall 2018 and dwelling the truth of being a scholar felt surreal. He attended as many sporting occasions as he might, shifting as shut as a freshman might to the entrance row.

When he didn’t have mates to go along with in the course of the heights of Vic Schaefer’s tenure at MSU, Faulkner joined his grandmother who had seats to look at her favourite program.

“(Life) was all the time maroon and white,” Faulkner mentioned.

Entrance and middle at Dudy Noble

Faulkner, like many sports activities followers, dreaded what got here with the preliminary COVID-19 outbreak.

“Are we ever going to have sports activities once more?” he thought.

Mississippi State ladies’s basketball was en path to internet hosting NCAA Match video games whereas the boys’s staff was making a late push for the postseason. Baseball was anticipated to have one other Omaha-worthy season.

After which it was gone together with a piece of Faulkner’s faculty expertise.

Faulkner attended soccer video games in 2020 when college students returned to campus, however the expertise was nothing like pre-pandemic.

So when baseball returned in 2021 and elevated crowds adopted, Faulkner’s good friend Walker Phillips inspired their mates to line up early and attempt to sit collectively within the entrance of the berm each recreation.

That meant maneuvering by others – even the dreaded freshmen – making an attempt to grab their spot.

They sat up entrance as crowd restrictions loosened. They constructed their fame as postseason play rolled by. Ultimately, they made their method to Omaha to look at the nationwide championship.

Faulkner thought again to his grandmother, an MSU tremendous fan, who died in 2020 and by no means received to see State win a nationwide championship. He thought again to when sports activities had been taken away.

He knew he was dwelling a second many longed for.

“We did the rattling factor,” Faulkner mentioned. “It was only a entire move of feelings. I didn’t know what to do.”

Sustaining a tradition

Faulkner graduated final week with a level in historical past. As prepares for a job, the Florida collection two weeks in the past was his final as a scholar.

Within the collection finale, he put the scarf on as soon as extra and broke out the sweaty tank prime he vowed to by no means put on once more.

Three days after the collection finale, he exited the bathe and noticed a Twitter notification awaiting him. Mississippi State baseball had put collectively a video with footage of Faulkner within the stands as he defined what Mississippi State meant to him.

A plethora of affection got here Faulkner’s approach, together with a response from coach Chris Lemonis.

“Daniel and his crew are what make the Dude particular,” he wrote. “And he’s at each sporting occasion. We are going to all the time have a spot on the berm for you.”

If Faulkner takes Lemonis up on the provide, it’ll be behind the berm, he mentioned.

Sitting within the entrance row is reserved for present college students, and as an alumnus he considers himself no exception.

“I by no means meant to construct a tradition,” Faulkner mentioned. “Now that the tradition is constructed, I need the tradition to be continued by children who’re at school.”

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat author for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or comply with him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.

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Mississippi

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

Published

4 hours ago

September 1, 2024

Press Room

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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Mississippi

Seven Killed, Dozens Injured When Bus Flips in Mississippi

Published

14 hours ago

August 31, 2024

Press Room

Seven Killed, Dozens Injured When Bus Flips in Mississippi

A commercial passenger bus driving through Mississippi on its way to Mexico ran off a highway and overturned early Saturday, killing seven people and injuring dozens. The accident occurred on Interstate 20 east of Vicksburg, CNN reports. A total of 37 people were taken to hospitals in Vicksburg and Jackson, the Mississippi Highway Patrol said. A 6-year-old boy and his 16-year-old sister were among those killed, per the AP. “Anytime you have people injured or killed, it’s tragic, but when you have a situation like this where you have multiple fatalities and multiple injuries, it makes it even worse,” said Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace.

The bus, a 2018 Volvo, is owned by Autobuses Regiomontanos, which transports passengers between Mexico and the US, a company spokesperson said. The company is based in Monterrey, Mexico, Miranda Fernandez said. Its website lists several US locations; it’s not clear where the trip had originated. “All of the passengers go through proper immigration checkpoints and must show their passports or visas to enter either Mexico or the United States,” Fernandez told CNN. (More bus accident stories.)

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Mississippi

What channel is Mississippi State football vs EKU on today? Time, TV schedule for Week 1 game

Published

1 day ago

August 31, 2024

Press Room

What channel is Mississippi State football vs EKU on today? Time, TV schedule for Week 1 game

Mississippi State football opens the 2024 season with FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.

The Bulldogs open Year 1 of the Jeff Lebby era with a lot of unknowns. Saturday’s game will be a good chance to find some answers.

Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen will make his first start in maroon and may have a big season in Lebby’s offense.

Here’s how to watch the Mississippi State football vs. Eastern Kentucky game today, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:

Mississippi State vs. EKU will broadcast nationally via streaming on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season. Kevin Fitzgerald and Charlie Strong will call the game from the booth at Davis Wade Stadium. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service.

Date: Saturday, Aug. 31
Start time: 5 p.m. CT

The Mississippi State football vs. Eastern Kentucky game starts at 5 p.m. CT Saturday from Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.

Clarion Ledger reporter Sam Sklar’s prediction: Mississippi State 50, Eastern Kentucky 10

Saturday will be a celebration of sorts for Lebby’s first game. The Bulldogs will come out hungry with something to prove on offense after last season. MSU will grab a big lead early and Blake Shapen won’t need to play a single snap in the fourth quarter.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Aug. 29

Odds: N/A
O/U: N/A
Money line: N/A

Aug. 31: EKU, 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and SEC Network+
Sept. 7: at Arizona State, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
Sept. 14: Toledo, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2 or ESPNU
Sept. 21: Florida, 11 a.m. on ABC or ESPN
Sept. 28: at Texas, TBD
Oct. 5: OPEN DATE
Oct. 12: at Georgia, TBD
Oct. 19: Texas A&M, TBD
Oct. 26: Arkansas, TBD
Nov. 2: UMass, 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network
Nov. 9: at Tennessee, TBD
Nov. 16: OPEN DATE
Nov. 23: Missouri
Nov. 29: at Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+
Dec. 7: SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, 4 p.m. on ABC
Record: 0-0

Aug. 31: Mississippi State, 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and SEC Network+
Sept. 7: at Western Kentucky, 6 p.m. on ESPN+
Sept. 14: West Georgia, 5 p.m. on ESPN+
Sept. 21: Morehead State, 5 p.m. on ESPN+
Sept. 28: Robert Morris, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Oct. 5: OPEN DATE
Oct. 12: at Southern Utah, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
Oct. 19: at Abilene Christian, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
Oct. 26: Utah Tech, 2 p.m. on ESPN+
Nov. 2: at Tarleton State, 6 p.m. on ESPN+
Nov. 9: Central Arkansas, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Nov. 16: at Austin Peay, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Nov. 23: North Alabama, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Record: 0-0

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