Mississippi
How Mississippi State football finally ended 16-game, two-year SEC losing streak
FAYETTEVILLE, AR — Mississippi State football found itself in a familiar position.
The Bulldogs were in another tight game in the fourth quarter, like three of their previous four SEC games. All of those ended in losses, with MSU seemingly finding different ways to lose each time.
But this time, Mississippi State came out on top. The Bulldogs overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Arkansas 38-35 on Nov. 1 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
The MSU (5-4, 1-4 SEC) win was thrilling, with quarterback Blake Shapen throwing the game-winning touchdown to Anthony Evans III with 48 seconds remaining on a fourth down. Players were yelling and screaming in celebration as they entered the locker room afterward.
The win was more than an achievement on its own. It also snapped Mississippi State’s 16-game SEC losing streak that dated back to 2023 and was approaching the program record of 19. It was also second-year coach Jeff Lebby’s first SEC win.
The Bulldogs are one win away from their first bowl game since 2022 and can clinch it with one win in the next three games starting with No. 5 Georgia (7-1, 5-1) at Davis Wade Stadium on Nov. 8 (11 a.m., ESPN).
“It feels good to get a win,” Lebby said. “It absolutely does. I’ve continued to focus on this football team, this season and who we are in the moment. Not comparing ourselves to any teams in the past. Who are we today and what gives us the best opportunity to win every single Saturday. That’s been our focus. I guess the streak will not be talked about anymore, which I do love because we have a happy locker room and the guys played their butt off to go win.”
Kamario Taylor gets an assist after Blake Shapen injury
The Mississippi State offense struggled in the first half and the Bulldogs trailed 13-7 at halftime. Then on the first play of the second half, Shapen was removed from the game after taking a hard hit that drew a roughing the passer penalty. He was evaluated for a concussion.
In came freshman Kamario Taylor, who made numerous big plays that lit a spark for MSU. Four plays after Shapen’s injury, Taylor threw a 45-yard touchdown to Evans for a 14-13 lead. Taylor also scored a 20-yard rushing touchdown that cut Arkansas’ lead to 28-21 with 4:49 remaining in the third quarter.
Despite Taylor scoring touchdowns on two of his three drives, Lebby put Shapen back in the game once he was cleared in the third quarter.
“I just wanted to know what was going on with Blake and making sure he was OK,” Lebby said. “In that situation, I wanted to have the opportunity to have Blake, who’s done it and lived it and been around. I thought that was very important.
“What Kamario did was huge. It was big for us. We needed it in a big way, but I wanted to get back to Blake and it was able to work out.”
Shapen’s first play when he returned was an interception that deflected off the hands of his receiver. Arkansas (2-7, 0-5) turned that possession into a touchdown for a 35-21 lead with 13:43 remaining. However, the Razorbacks committed 15 penalties for 158 yards in the second half and that kept Mississippi State in the game.
Mississippi State scored 17 points on its next three drives led by Shapen — a Davon Booth rushing touchdown, a Kyle Ferrie field goal and Evans’ game-winner — to complete the comeback. Shapen also threw a 32-yard pass to a sliding Brennen Thompson on fourth down during the game-winning drive.
“It means everything because of the way the guy plays the game …” Lebby said of Shapen. “He puts it on the line every time he steps in between the white lines. That’s what leaders are made of. I just talked about it, tough people win. Blake’s a winner. He’s going to win in life because he has great toughness. He puts it on the line.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi State got a dominant performance from Tomas Valincius and a 13-hit offensive performance to defeat Cincinnati 10-5 on Saturday night at Dudy Noble Field, moving on the the Starkville Regional Championship.
The Bulldogs broke open a tight game with a three-run fifth inning before adding four more runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.
Reese gets it started
Ace Reese started the scoring with a solo home run to center field in the first inning, giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead. Cincinnati answered in the second when Christian Mitchelle doubled to shallow left, scoring Enzo Infelise to tie the game at 1-1.
Bulldogs score three in the fifth
Mississippi State scored three runs in the fifth inning, beginning with an RBI infield single from Bryce Chance to shortstop that scored Jacob Parker. Gehrig Frei followed with an infield single to second, plating Reed Stallman and Kevin Milewski to push the lead to 4-1.
Four more in the sixth
Mississippi State added four more runs in the sixth. Stallman delivered an RBI double to left to score Parker before Valincius crossed the plate on a wild pitch from Cincinnati’s Alex Gonzalez. Two batters later, Milewski launched a two-run homer to right field, stretching the Bulldogs’ lead to 8-1.
Stallman extends lead in the seventh
The Bulldogs extended the lead in the seventh when Stallman ripped a double to right, scoring Noah Sullivan and Parker for a 10-1 advantage.
Cincinnati added two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, making the final 10-5.
Valincius dominates on the mound
Valincius worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing just three runs on five hits while striking out 10 and walking two. He threw 112 pitches and recorded his 10th strikeout before exiting in the eighth inning. Maddox Webb took over after that and walked two batter. Ben Davis closed the game for State, pitching 1 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out two.
Offensive leaders
Mississippi State finished with 13 hits.
Stallman led the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two doubles. Chance collected three hits and drove in a run, while Frei finished with two hits and two RBIs. Reese added his first-inning homer, and Milewski’s two-run blast highlighted the sixth-inning surge. Parker scored three runs.
Up next
The Diamond Dawgs now head to the Starkville Regional Championship, where they will face the winner of the Cincinnati and Louisiana elimination game. State will only need one more win to advance to a Super Regional.
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – The Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program announced Saturday that contestants competing for the title in 2026 will be eligible for the organization’s largest scholarship offerings in its 77-year history.
Contestants will be eligible for more than $105,000 in scholarships and prizes, including $32,500 in direct cash scholarships.
The winner of the competition will receive a $10,000 cash scholarship, tuition scholarships, travel opportunities and a total prize package valued at $27,000. The first alternate will receive a cash scholarship of $6,000, the second will receive $3,500, the third will receive $2,500 and the fourth will receive $2,000.
During Saturday’s announcement, the Advisory Board of the Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program also revealed that the winning cash scholarship will be named for Bonnie Warren.
Warren has spent decades supporting tourism, hospitality and economic development efforts across Mississippi. She also helped move the Miss Hospitality Program from Starkville to Hattiesburg in 1998 and has remained one of its strongest advocates.
The theme for this year’s Miss Hospitality will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
The competition will take place July 17-18 in Hattiesburg. Tickets will go on sale in two weeks.
The Miss Hospitality Program was founded in 1949.
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Copyright 2026 WDAM. All rights reserved.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Taryne Mowatt-McKinney called Mississippi State softball’s first Women’s College World Series appearance back in the fall.
Coach Samantha Ricketts said the Bulldogs’ pitching coach walked into her office in October to deliver her bold prediction.
“She said, ‘If our pitching continues to progress the way it is, we’re going to the World Series,’” Ricketts said. “We may have looked at her like she may have been a little crazy.”
But Mowatt-McKinney wasn’t crazy, and the Bulldogs delivered, making it to the WCWS for the first time in program history.
That experience was short-lived as the Bulldogs (43-21) lost 4-0 to No. 2 seed Texas (48-12) in an elimination game at Devon Park on May 29, ending their season.
The Bulldogs went 0-2 in the WCWS and did not score a run.
“Could not be more proud of this group for what they’ve done for Mississippi State softball and for each other, the way they’ve represented this team, this program, our community,” Ricketts said. “… They believed that Mississippi State could be here on this stage when nobody else did.”
Ricketts noted the team never wavered in its belief even when things got difficult. Mississippi State went 9-15 in SEC play, finishing 10th in the conference. The Bulldogs only won two of their SEC series and fell out of hosting contention for regionals in late April.
As a road team, MSU made it out of the Eugene Regional to super regionals. The Bulldogs upset No. 3 seed Oklahoma on its home field to be the only unseeded team at this year’s WCWS.
“Really we talked all year long that our roster was built for May,” Ricketts said. “With how difficult our SEC schedule was, the lessons we learned along the way, we knew that postseason it’s 0-0 for anyone. If we could continue to trust in the work that we had done, we could really do something special here.”
The trip to the WCWS was especially meaningful for seniors Nadia Barbary, Morgan Bernardini and Kiarra Sells. All three began their careers in Starkville. They took the program from not even making the NCAA Tournament their freshman year to the WCWS in their final season.
“It meant the world to us,” Sells said. “Even getting here was such a big deal to all of us. Honestly, we’re grateful to have been on this stage, to have worked our butts off to be here, to be a Mississippi State Bulldog. It was such a blessing.”
The team’s accomplishments also resonated with players who started their careers at other schools. Pitcher Peja Goold, a transfer from Chattanooga, reflected positively on what she’d gained from this final year.
Goold finished with a 2.50 ERA, 182 strikeouts and eight shutouts. She was picked in the second round of the AUSL draft by the Oklahoma Sparks.
“I’m just so grateful that Mississippi State gave me the chance to be here and the opportunity to play on this stage,” she said. “… I chose Mississippi State, look where it brought me. That’s such a blessing and I’m so thankful that God placed me here and led me to them.”
During the team’s two WCWS games, not much went in the Bulldogs favor. They were shut out both times and run-ruled by Texas Tech in their first game. Still, the Bulldogs are walking out of Oklahoma City full of gratitude and pride for what they achieved in 2026.
“We did the unthinkable, making history throughout our whole season,” Bernardini said. “Yes, this sucks right now, but it’s like what a better way to end it at the end?”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
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