DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – T-Pain had to put his concert on hold to address the crowd after bottles were getting thrown towards the stage at the Mississippi Valley Fair Thursday night.

During the middle of the show T-Pain paused his performance to address the behavior.

“I’m not pissed or anything, but it’s only so much s***t I’m going to take,” T-Pain said. “I’m not a f*****g clown. I’m not gonna sit up here and get pies thrown in my face.”

The MVF now has signs at the east entrance of the pit saying “For the safety of our patrons and entertainers, no throwing of any objects will be allowed. Patrons caught throwing anything will be escorted off the premise by security.”

General Manager of the MVF, Shawn Loter says there might be new rules in the future for concert-goers.

“We’re gonna sit down after this year’s fair and really come up with a game plan to try to make because it’s a big safety concern,” Loter said. “You know, people don’t know you throw stuff up in the air, you know, and it comes down hits somebody’s head. So you get caught doing it, you know, I’m probably gonna press charges. I mean, you’re hitting somebody with a weapon so it’s gonna come down to it.”

Loter says this won’t affect big name artists from performing at the MVF in the future.

“It’s going to get to the point if it continues and it’s just not here, it’s across the board that has been happening,” Loter said. “The entertainer can just walk off the stage and the promoters or fairgrounds as they have to pay him no matter what. So you know, that’s, that’s it’s going to be a struggle. So it’s just just come into concert, have a good time.”

Loter says earlier this week an employee was scanning tickets and a group of people knocked her over and she was hospitalized. Loter says she’s fine now but they have beefed up security at the gates.

Copyright 2024 KWQC. All rights reserved.

STARKVILLE — Close to a week ago, Mississippi State football wide receiver Jordan Mosley saw the name of a group text that he and other receivers had and didn’t like the ring to it.

Mosley consulted with MSU wide receivers Kelly Akharaiyi, Kevin Coleman, and others after listening to a group called Concrete Boys, which rapper Lil Yachty donned. He figured that name might be related to their wide receiver room. Mosley brought it up around the group, and thus, the name stuck: the “Concrete Boys.”

“We think we’re the hardest group in the nation,” said Mosley on Friday, who wouldn’t say what the name of the previous group text was. “We all think we’re good, and I think that’s the best part of our team. I think we have a very competitive team. Everybody feels like they’re the best in their position.”

Receiving room looks to improve from bad year in 2023

When Mosely was asked his thoughts on the 2023 season, he didn’t remember how many wins or losses the Bulldogs had. He just knew it wasn’t enough wins for the standard he and his team wanted.

“I think we had a good room last year, but I think we were missing that (competitive) component,” he said.

Last season, MSU ranked second to last in the SEC with 2,182 receiving yards and last with 15 receiving touchdowns.

During preseason practices, Mosley said stiff competition within the group is a clear advantage because it forces each receiver to work for a starting spot.

MORE JEFF LEBBY: What Jeff Lebby said about first Mississippi State football practice and wants Bulldogs to do more

“We have a lot of guys who can play for effect,” he said. “… But having that competitive spirit just helps a lot more. It makes us good. It makes us who we are.”

Blake Shapen confident in MSU, Jeff Lebby offense

Blake Shapen points to a unique area he’s experienced here in Starkville with Jeff Lebby, which is being pushed to a limit he hasn’t had before.

“There’s an expectation level, and if you don’t reach it, obviously you need to figure out a way to reach it,” Shapen said. “I think that’s the biggest thing that I haven’t had in the past is to be pushed like I’m being pushed right now up to a level that I need to get to. I’m very blessed to have that’s what I need right now. In my career.”

With skillful transfers and a good young core on offense, Shapen said he likes where the teams currently at but can see it reaching highs outside of MSU being picked to finish 15th in the SEC.

“We don’t sit there and look at that all day, but we’ve all seen it,” he said. “… We brought in some transfers have young guys that have come in and had a big impact on our receiver core. They want to get better every single day.”

Seydou Traore hopes to make impact in first eligible season at MSU

Tight end Seydou Traore was forced to sit out the 2023 season due to NCAA transfer rules and is looking to make an immediate impact.

“I mean, I just want to get the ball in my hands. I want to make plays, and I want to score. I mean, anyway that we have to do that, I’m open to it and I’m excited about it.”

A potential battle between him and Justin Bell is set to take place, which adds to the depth at the tight end position with Justin’s brother Cameron, along with Nick Lauderdale and Sam Paxton.

“We’ve had a lot of transfers come in, and I’ve been a transfer before, so I know how it is,” said Traore, who transferred from Arkansas State. “It’s really competitive. Everyone wants a starting spot, and everyone wants to play. When you have that iron sharpens iron.”

Offensive lineman off-field bond aims to replicate on field

Senior Ethan Miner said he’s been at a few football programs that don’t accept new transfers. But when Miner and others arrived at MSU, he said it was an experience he’d rarely felt.

“They were very accepting of us,” he said. “I’ve been at places where your transfer in guys don’t like you because it’s a threat. I mean, it’s a threat to come in to compete for a spot, and (here) that wasn’t the case at all.”

DAY 1 PRACTICES: What Jeff Lebby said of Mississippi State football transfers Blake Shapen, Kevin Coleman

It was also shocking for Miner to suit up alongside linemen with a bigger frame than him.

“Coming from (Group of 5) schools where I was one of the biggest guys definitely feels nice having somebody 6-5 next to me and 320 (pounds),” Miner quipped. “So I’m very confident.”

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.

The 2024 college football season is still about a month away, but with SEC Media Days in the rearview mirror, now is the time to begin previewing the Ole Miss Rebels’ schedule.

Ole Miss is coming off an 11-2 season that saw it capture a Peach Bowl victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions in December. The Rebels return a plethora of talent from last year’s team (including quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Tre Harris, tight end Caden Prieskron and others), but they also made a huge haul in the transfer portal to shore up some holes on its roster.

It’s this combination of talent and a seemingly-managble SEC schedule that have many believing the Rebels can qualify for the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

Over the next few days, Ole Miss OnSI will preview each of the Rebels’ 2024 regular season opponents. We last looked at the Florida Gators, and today, we analyze the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

After a lackluster year in 2023, Mississippi State added a new layer of intrigue to the annual Egg Bowl with its hiring of Jeff Lebby as head coach this offseason.

Lebby served as the offensive coordinator at Ole Miss for the first two years of Lane Kiffin’s regime, and after spending time in the same position at his alma mater, he has taken on his first big-time head coaching job. He has some work to do in Starkville to turn things around.

Newcomers galore are expected to make an impact for the Bulldogs this season, beginning with transfer quarterback Blake Shapen. Shapen spent the last three years at Baylor, throwing for over 2,000 yards the last two seasons and boasting a career total of 36 passing touchdowns. Lebby is known for his offensive prowess, and he will try to mold Shapen into the program’s spark plug under center.

State also added running back Davon Booth to the backfield from Utah State. He rushed for over 800 yards and six scores a season ago, and he will look to replace leading rusher Woody Marks for the Bulldogs.

Much of Mississippi State’s wide receiver production will also be new in 2024 after the additions of Kelly Akharaiyi (UTEP) and Kevin Coleman (Louisville) from the transfer portal. Akharaiyi could be a nice addition in Lebby’s scheme after posting over 1,000 yards receiving last season.

On defense, Stone Blanton is one of the bigger additions for the Bulldogs after tallying 52 total tackles last season with the South Carolina Gamecocks.

On paper, Ole Miss appears to be the better team in this year’s Egg Bowl, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that this game can get weird in a hurry. The Rebels will look to win their second straight game in this series and their fourth in the last five years when the Bulldogs come to town.

Kickoff in this game is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on Black Friday (Nov. 29), and it will be televised on ABC.