Mississippi
How Sam Purcell thinks Mississippi State women’s basketball can solve its inconsistency problem
STARKVILLE — Sam Purcell called two timeouts in the first quarter of Sunday’s Mississippi State women’s basketball game versus Alabama.
The third-year MSU coach said he can’t recall ever doing that.
And then he admitted he should’ve called the third of his four allotted timeouts.
The Bulldogs were crushed 26-11 in the quarter, setting up an 80-60 loss to the No. 23 Crimson Tide (20-5, 7-4) at Humphrey Coliseum. They trailed by 25 points at halftime, their largest deficit through two quarters this season.
“They did a great job jumping on us 8-0,” Purcell said. “And then the next thing you know is the hustle plays, which were unacceptable. Kid goes diving out of bounds, throws it over her head, those are 50-50 balls that you got to win. We dribble it up, don’t have awareness, they steal it. Next thing you know, that’s where I’m finding another (timeout) because obviously we didn’t learn from the first timeout.”
It was another game in which Mississippi State’s wild in-game inconsistencies were apparent.
MSU (17-8, 4-7 SEC) outscored Alabama in the third and fourth quarters, whittling a once 28-point lead to 13 with 4:06 to play. The deficit was too much to overcome.
It’s also not the first time this season in which the Bulldogs’ production swung like a pendulum. The result is losses: This was Mississippi State’s fifth defeat in the past seven games.
“Today was, again, an example when you play in this league, you got to bring it for four quarters,” Purcell said. “So that’s where my focus is coming out the gate, sustaining hard work for four quarters to give yourself a chance at the end.”
Where Sam Purcell thinks Mississippi State can be more consistent
Purcell said he thought the game played out similarly to the Feb. 2 loss at LSU. Mississippi State was outscored 24-12 in the first quarter of that game and fell behind by 18 in the second quarter before losing 81-67.
He also pointed to the Jan. 2 loss at Kentucky in which the Bulldogs were inconsistent quarter-by-quarter en route to a 91-69 loss.
The Jan. 5 loss to South Carolina is another example. MSU had an 11-point lead in the second quarter but was outscored 51-17 in the next 16:46 in a 27-point loss.
“You got to get defensive stops right in this league to win,” Purcell said “And again, because we missed some layups and some open shots, I thought it affected us on the defensive end. And that’s the parts why I keep on referencing this game, the LSU, the Kentucky, is, OK, you didn’t come out the gate and make shots. You got to have another layer and another toughness, and that’s what I’m fighting with this team. That’s where we’re not going to settle as a coaching staff to continue because we got great basketball ahead of us to get an identity that’s a little bit more tough on the defensive end.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
No. 15 Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC) will play for its first Southeastern Conference win in 2025 during Week 5. Mississippi State (4-0) will host the Vols on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the contest.
Saturday will mark the 38th game between the Vols and Bulldogs all time, dating to 1907.
Tennessee leads the football series versus Mississippi State, 30-16-1. The Vols have won the last two meetings, including a, 33-14, victory last season at Neyland Stadium.
Below are all-time football results between the Vols and Bulldogs.
Tennessee’s all-time football results versus Mississippi State
1907: Tennessee 11, Mississippi State 4
1910: Mississippi State 48, Tennessee 0
1915: Mississippi State 10, Tennessee 0
1919: Mississippi State 6, Tennessee 0
1920: Mississippi State 13 Tennessee 7
1921: Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 7
1922: Tennessee 31, Mississippi State 3
1923: Tennessee 7, Mississippi State 3
1924: Mississippi State 7, Tennessee 2
1925: Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 9
1926: Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 0
1932: Tennessee 31, Mississippi State 0
1933: Tennessee 20, Mississippi State 0
1934: Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 0
1948: Mississippi State 21, Tennessee 6
1949: Tennessee 10, Mississippi State 0
1950: Mississippi State 7, Tennessee 0
1951: Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 0
1952: Tennessee 14, Tennessee 7
1953: Mississippi State 26, Tennessee 0
1954: Tennessee 19, Mississippi State 7
1955: Mississippi State 13, Tennessee 7
1957: Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 9
1958: Tennessee 13, Mississippi State 8
1959: Tennessee 22, Mississippi State 6
1960: Tennessee 0, Mississippi State 0
1961: Tennessee 17, Mississippi State 3
1962: Mississippi State 7, Tennessee 6
1963: Mississippi State 7, Tennessee 0
1964: Tennessee 14, Mississippi 13
1971: Tennessee 10, Mississippi State 7
1978: Mississippi State 34, Tennessee 21
1979: Mississippi State 28, Tennessee 9
1986: Mississippi State 27, Tennessee 23
1987: Tennessee 38, Mississippi State 10
1990: Tennessee 40, Mississippi State 7
1991: Tennessee 26, Mississippi State 24
1994: Mississippi State 24, Tennessee 21
1995: Tennessee 52, Mississippi State 14
1998: Tennessee 24, Mississippi State 14 — SEC championship game
2002: Tennessee 35, Mississippi State 17
2003: Tennessee 59, Mississippi State 21
2007: Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 21
2008: Tennessee 34, Mississippi State 3
2012: Mississippi State 41, Tennessee 31
2019: Tennessee 20, Mississippi State 10
2024: Tennessee 33, Tennessee 14
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Mississippi
Mississippi State football doesn’t miss Mario Craver, other overreactions to Alcorn State win
STARKVILLE — It’s difficult to determine what Mississippi State football’s lopsided 63-0 win against Alcorn State in Week 3 means for the outlook of the season, but there was certainly no indication of a potential upset.
The Bulldogs (3-0) scored touchdowns on four straight drives to begin the game and led by 42 points before halftime. The third and fourth quarters at Davis Wade Stadium were reduced from 15 to 10 minutes because of the score. MSU and second-year coach Jeff Lebby are 3-0 for the first time since 2018.
Here are four overreactions to MSU’s win before it hosts Northern Illinois (1-1) on Sept. 20 (3:15 p.m., SEC Network).
Mississippi State fans will storm the field after another upset win
Mississippi State has qualities of a team than can pull off another upset like it did to then-No. 10 Arizona State in Week 2. When the offense, defense and special teams are playing soundly, MSU is miles better than last season.
The offense, led by quarterback Blake Shapen, can score in bunches and do so quickly. The defense can string together multiple stops in a row and is forcing two turnovers per game. Kyle Ferrie has yet to miss a field goal, while Anthony Evans III is second in the SEC with 128 punt return yards.
Mississippi State’s four SEC home games are all against ranked opponents — Tennessee, Texas, Georgia and Ole Miss — so don’t be surprised if fans storm the field again in one of those games.
Kamario Taylor is a future Heisman Trophy contender
There have been glimpses of freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor and you can already tell why everyone is so excited about the four-star signee from Noxubee County.
He scored his first career touchdown in the second quarter against Alcorn State, a 42-yard on-the-money throw to Brenen Thompson. Taylor also had a great rush when he read the edge defender, tucked the ball and ran for 19 yards.
Taylor will have to wait for next season to compete for the starting job, but he has the makings to be a special player.
Mississippi State is fine without Mario Craver, Kevin Coleman Jr.
Mario Craver leads college football with 443 receiving yards for Texas A&M. Kevin Coleman Jr. of Missouri is tied for fifth nationally with 24 receptions. Both transferred after last season ended, but Mississippi State is doing just fine without them.
Evans and Thompson have been a terrific duo at wide receiver. Evans, a Georgia transfer, has filled Coleman’s role at MSU as a shorter-yard target with 17 receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Thompson, an Oklahoma transfer, has played Craver’s role as a downfield burner with 15 catches for 278 yards and three touchdowns.
It’s unlikely that Mississippi State could’ve had all four of them on the same team, but losing two great wide receivers hasn’t hurt this season.
Mississippi State’s pass rush will be a weakness in SEC play
Will Whitson was playing like a premier pass rusher before his season-ending injury in Week 2. The Bulldogs haven’t been great at generating pressure though outside of him.
Whitson has two of MSU’s four sacks. He’s also still the only player for MSU with more than one tackle for loss.
The defensive front looks improved from last season, but will still need to be better for SEC standards.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Friday was a special day for Mississippi State sports and it was the cross country team that got things started for the university.
The Bulldogs put in a record-breaking performance to finish in second place at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Ala.
“We’re really pleased with how the team raced today,” said assistant coach Erinn Stemnan-Fahey. “Today, they showed the strides the program has made towards improvement. We’re really excited to keep building on the momentum for the rest of the season.”
The team improved its finish from last year by 6 places, with three athletes finishing in the top 20 overall. Nelly Jemeli led the Bulldogs, literally. Jemeli finished fourth overall in 16-minutes, 36.1 seconds.
Louise Stonham finished 17th in her first cross country race in the maroon and white with a massive personal best of 17:10.0. Gabrielle Boulay and Hunter Anderson rounded out the scorers for state, with the latter running a personal best of 17:31.0.
Women’s Tennis: Mississippi State at Blue Gray Classic
Women’s Tennis: Mississippi State at Debbie Southern Classic
Men’s Tennis: ITF Fayetteville M15 Futures
Cross Country: Southern Showcase, Huntsville, Ala., 2nd Place
Soccer: Mississippi State 3, No. 1 Tennessee 2
Football: Alcorn State at Mississippi State
Women’s Tennis: Mississippi State at Blue Gray Classic
Women’s Tennis: Mississippi State at Debbie Southern Classic
Men’s Tennis: ITF Fayetteville M15 Futures
Volleyball: Mississippi State at Mercer, Noon
“One night, Bilbo got particularly feisty, so my dad and I drove him out to woods. Once we found a good spot, we stopped and I put him on the ground and took his collar off. He kind of ambled about, taking in the new surroundings. I preface this next part by saying I do think humans and animals share an unspoken understanding, to some extent. That’s why it’s so easy to bond with pets. So this is how I remember saying goodbye to Bilbo: He wandered 10 yards away or so from the truck, and then he turned and looked at us and kind of had this expression like, ‘It was nice knowing ya.’ It was this moment where like, both I knew and he knew that we’d had some good times, but this was it.”
– Mike Leach
POV you just beat the #1 team in the country 😤#HailState | @HailStateSOC pic.twitter.com/0aaI6iacbz
— Mississippi State Athletics (@HailState) September 13, 2025
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