Mississippi
Mississippi schools limit outside practice time amid high heat
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippians will soon enjoy high school football under the Friday night lights. With high temperatures in the forecast, top athletic officials want to make sure athletes are not at risk for any heat-related injuries.
The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature is what the Mississippi High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) uses to determine if it’s safe enough for football teams to practice outdoors. It’s formed by averaging the heat index, humidity and air temperature.
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Although football is a contact-driven sport, top athletic officials want to cut back on contact during the high temperatures.
“We limit full contact work, and that’s been done over the years. We have taken every step possible. We feel like they’re educating our coaches, our schools and our athletes through our Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and about what we put out in this office to ensure to parents that we are doing this as safe as possible,” explained Rickey Neaves, executive director of the MHSAA.
Football season for MHSAA kicks off on August 30, 2024.
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Mississippi
Tornadoes rip through Mississippi Coast cities, damaging homes and popular Mexican restaurant
Two tornadoes touched down in Mississippi Coast cities Sunday morning as a system of strong thunderstorms moved over the Deep South.
The twisters were confirmed by 10:45 a.m. and caused minor damage in Pascagoula and Gautier, Jackson County Emergency Manager Earl Etheridge told the Sun Herald. The cities are east of Biloxi, both less than an hour from Mobile, Alabama.
No injuries were reported, but at least one home in Pascagoula was damaged and a popular Mexican restaurant in Gautier felt a tornado’s wrath while workers were inside preparing for the Sunday lunch crowd.
Video from resident John Adams, submitted to WLOX-TV, shows the storm touching down at Aztecas on Highway 90 near Gautier-Vancleave Road. Cars stopped on the busy thoroughfare as the twister spun up debris. Many turned around and began driving away from storm, the video shows.
The tornado tore apart some of the concrete patio at Aztecas and pushed cinder blocks from the large building onto cars in the parking lot. Nobody was injured and the workers inside are all safe, the restaurant confirmed.
Aerial footage shows the restaurant’s roof was damaged, and shingles were ripped from their places on awnings.
Rubble and dirt piled up in the outdoor dining areas, with many tables and chairs scattered and pushed over in the wreckage, video from WLOX-TV shows. An apartment complex in Gautier also suffered damage from one of the tornadoes.
The major storms were over by noon, and all weather warnings had expired. The National Weather Service in New Orleans warned that some strong storms and possible watersports east of the Mississippi River were possible through 1:30 p.m.
In New Orleans, the system brought strong thunderstorms earlier Sunday morning. There was a brief power outage in the Mid-City area, but Entergy has not said if it was related to weather.
For the second consecutive week, Texas Longhorns fans were forced to hold their breath and hope for the best as they watched their team brace for overtime.
However, this week’s matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs seemed particularly stressful. This extra anxiety could’ve been caused by the fact that Texas fans recognized how much it would take for their team to emerge victorious.
Their win was an unlikely one, and previous SEC matchups help demonstrate just how rarely comebacks like this take place.
With a little over twelve minutes left in the fourth quarter, the scoreboard read 38-21, and the Longhorns trailed the Bulldogs by 17 points.
Two unanswered touchdowns and a field goal later, the game was tied, and Texas had created its second consecutive overtime situation.
Quarterback Arch Manning suffered an overtime injury, but backup quarterback Matthew Caldwell and a lights-out last-stitch effort by the Texas defense helped them secure a 45-38 win, defying the odds.
According to ESPN research, the last time an SEC team came back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter and won the game was back in 2013. The South Carolina Gamecocks were the ones to pull off the comeback against the Missouri Tigers, ultimately finishing 27-24 in two overtimes.
That means it has been 12 years since an upset of this level took place.
Several contributors helped make the win possible, including wide receiver Ryan Nibblet. Niblett returned a kick for 79 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter, helping lead Texas to this historic victory.
The other fourth-quarter touchdown took shape as a pass from Manning to wide receiver Emmett Mosley V, and kicker Mason Shipley was responsible for the field goal that helped close the 17-point gap.
Sure, it might not be a good sign for the Longhorns that it took overtime to get the job done in Starkville, but they escaped their four-week road stint with a winning record.
If history continues repeating itself, a comeback of this magnitude might not take place for an SEC team this decade.
“I told the team I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of a football team,” Texas Head coach Steve Sarkisian said.
Having it under their belts could help them establish momentum headed into their home matchup against Vanderbilt next week, and given how hot the Commodores have been recently, the Longhorns could use all the momentum they can find.
STARKVILLE — Texas was the No. 1 team in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, but this appears to be a much more winnable game now for Mississippi State football.
The Bulldogs (4-3, 0-3 SEC) are taking on the No. 18 Longhorns (5-2, 2-1) at Davis Wade Stadium on Oct. 25 (3:15 p.m., SEC Network).
Texas has struggled offensively in Arch Manning’s first season as the full-time starting quarterback. The Longhorns have losses to Ohio State and Florida, and needed overtime to beat Kentucky.
MSU with second-year coach Jeff Lebby has already doubled its wins from last season and upset then-No. 10 Arizona State, but it’s lost three consecutive games.
Here is our score prediction for the Week 9 game.
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Mississippi State vs Texas prediction
Expect another low-scoring game. While the Longhorns ran up the score on UTEP and San Jose State, they haven’t topped 27 points in any of their other five games. Texas is averaging 16.8 points in its four games against power conference opponents.
Mississippi State has been better in its four games against power conference teams, but not by much at 22 points per game.
MSU’s offensive line could be the difference in this matchup. The Bulldogs got starting right tackle Albert Reese IV back from injury against Florida in Week 8, and the unit blocked much better. Texas’ defense has been its strength, allowing just 11.3 points per game.
A win for Mississippi State would end its 15-game SEC losing streak.
Mississippi State vs Texas scouting report
Why Mississippi State has an advantage: The Mississippi State defense has been much better this season and has been competitive in all three SEC games. The pass defense has been a big reason why. MSU is allowing 187.3 passing yards per game, 30th nationally. The Bulldogs’ 10 interceptions are tied for sixth nationally and lead the SEC.
The Bulldogs were in range for a potential game-winning field goal against Florida before quarterback Blake Shapen threw an interception. Leading rusher Fluff Bothwell didn’t play in that game, and his status is uncertain against Texas, but Davon Booth recorded 119 total yards and two touchdowns in his absence.
Why Texas has an advantage: Texas’ defense has been dominant all season. The Longhorns have 21 sacks, tied for fourth in the SEC and 11 more than Mississippi State’s total. Colin Simmons is a star edge rusher with seven sacks. Offenses are averaging only 2.6 yards per carry against the Longhorns, and they’ve surrendered just three passing touchdowns all season.
However, Texas’ leading tackler, safety Michael Taaffe, is out against Mississippi State.
Mississippi State vs Texas injury report
SEC availability report as of Oct. 22:
Mississippi State
- DL Will Whitson: Out
- OL Blake Steen: Out
- OL Brennan Smith: Out
- LB Zakari Tillman: Out for the first half (targeting suspension)
- RB Fluff Bothwell: Questionable
Texas
- WR Aaron Butler: Out
- DB Michael Taaffe: Out
- OL Cole Hutson: Out
- RB CJ Baxter: Probable
- DB Xavier Filsaime: Probable
- LB Jonathan Cunningham: Probable
Mississippi State vs Texas score prediction
Texas 23, Mississippi State 21
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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