Mississippi
One more win: Ole Miss, Mike Bianco could soon complete an amazing journey
![One more win: Ole Miss, Mike Bianco could soon complete an amazing journey One more win: Ole Miss, Mike Bianco could soon complete an amazing journey](https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/AP_22177025606393-scaled.jpg)
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OMAHA — The Ole Miss Rebels, a crew going nowhere in early Could, has surged its method to inside one victory of a Nationwide Championship in June.
And a coach who many needed to fireplace two months in the past retains pushing all the suitable buttons and pulling all the suitable strings – sport after sport after sport, victory after victory after victory.
Mike Bianco’s Ole Miss Rebels mixed wonderful pitching from maybe sudden sources with a four-home run energy present in an 10-3 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners Saturday evening. The 2 groups play once more Sunday at 2 p.m. If Ole Miss wins, probably the most exceptional turnarounds in faculty baseball historical past will probably be full.
You possibly can not make these items up.
Absolutely, you understand the story by now: Ole Miss, 22-17 total and 7-14 within the SEC on the primary day of Could, has gained 19 of 25 since. The Rebels have gained 9 of 10 on this NCAA Event. And now it appears a lot of Mississippi has migrated right here to see if the Rebels can end dwelling what as soon as appeared an not possible dream. Ole Miss followers turned Charles Schwab Discipline into Swayze North.
There have been so many heroes on the sector Saturday evening, however let’s begin with one within the dugout, the one who has worn No. 5 for the previous 22 years.
Mike Bianco selected sophomore Jack Dougherty to make solely his fourth begin of 2022, giving freshman sensation Hunter Elliott one other day of relaxation. Hmmm, skeptics questioned, how will this end up? Dougherty, making his first begin in three months, answered that query with 5 good innings.
Then, when Dougherty bumped into some hassle within the sixth and with a three-run lead in critical jeopardy, Bianco introduced in 19-year-old true freshman Mason Nichols, as a substitute of Josh Mallitz who has been solely sensational of late. Hmmmm, once more. However Nichols made his coach appear like a wizard, figuring out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam to permit just one run. Then in two innings of heroic work, Mallitz gave up no hits and struck out 5 after coming in within the eighth inning to complete off the Sooners.
The choice to begin Dougherty?
“Oklahoma is such a affected person crew that takes a number of walks,” Bianco stated. “I assumed we would have liked somebody to throw strikes and get forward and I assumed Dougherty was the best choice.”
The choice to go along with Nichols, as a substitute of Mallitz? “I assumed it was somewhat early to go along with Mallitz,” Bianco stated. “We nonetheless had 12 outs to get. And Nichols was the one up and prepared. Mallitz was not prepared at that time.”
What Nichols, a just-turned-19-year-old, did got here at what was certainly essentially the most crucial juncture of the sport – or as Bianco put it, “That was the sport proper there.”
Nichols was dealing with the center of the highly effective Oklahoma batting order. Any butterflies, Mason? “Sure sir, I had loads of butterflies,” Nichols answered. “I simply tried to focus and do my job.”
Mission completed.
1000’s upon hundreds of Insurgent followers, principally sporting powder blue, cheered each Insurgent strike and went bonkers on 4 residence runs, particularly the three that had been back-to-back-to again within the eighth inning. First TJ McCants, then Calvin Harris and at last Justin Bench all slugged residence runs, the primary time that has ever occurred at Charles Schwab Discipline. Harris clobbered his 430 ft, by far the longest of the evening.
Oh, and did I point out that McCants’ homer got here one inning after Bianco inserted him into the sport for defensive functions? It did.
Consider, Oklahoma had gained three straight video games right here at Omaha and none of these had been actually shut. The Sooners had gained 4 straight to win the Large 12 Convention. They gained three of 4 to win a regional at Florida. They gained two of three to win a Tremendous Regional at West Virginia. That’s 12 of their final 14 – all in opposition to top-shelf competitors. They had been scorching.
So had been the Rebels, however Oklahoma seemingly had a transparent benefit in that the Sooners had their ace, strapping left-hander Jake Bennett, recent and able to go in opposition to Ole Miss, whereas the Rebels had to make use of their ace Dylan DeLucia to beat Arkansas Thursday evening to get to the championship collection.
That benefit was negated by Dougherty – and maybe additionally by the hundreds upon hundreds of Ole Miss followers.
“It felt like a soccer sport on the market,” Bianco stated. “I imply Swayze will get loud however not loud like that.”
These followers had loads to cheer from the beginning. The Rebels went on prime 2-0 within the first, added a run within the second after which one other within the third on Tim Elko’s twenty fourth residence run of the yr.
Oklahoma, which was hitting .303 with 19 residence runs within the NCAA Event, by no means actually stemmed that Ole Miss momentum. Now, the Sooners are in a win-or-else state of affairs on Sunday. Stated Sooner coach Skip Johnson, “We awakened right this moment needing two victories to win the nationwide championship. We’ll wake tomorrow needing two victories to win the nationwide championship.”
Ole Miss will get up Sunday morning needing one victory for a nationwide championship. Stated Elko, “We’ve nonetheless acquired one sport to win. It’s clearly nice to win the primary one, however we nonetheless need to get yet one more to win the entire thing.”
The Rebels have their aces Hunter Elliott (Sunday) and Dylan DeLucia (Monday, if wanted). Actually, they may not be in a greater state of affairs.
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Mississippi
Tire failure suspected in deadly Mississippi bus crash, NTSB says
![Tire failure suspected in deadly Mississippi bus crash, NTSB says Tire failure suspected in deadly Mississippi bus crash, NTSB says](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/07/11/USAT/9631b18b-dce5-449d-a448-47f4b71a9b44-MS-01.png?auto=webp&crop=3954,2224,x823,y443&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are conducting a probe into Saturday’s crash that killed seven and injured 36 people.
The deadly bus crash in Mississippi that killed seven people and injured dozens of others early Saturday occurred after the vehicle experienced a tire failure, causing it to run off the road and overturn, officials and authorities said.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board, in coordination with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, are conducting a probe into Saturday’s crash that left seven people dead and another 36 people injured. The collision occurred at about 12:40 a.m. on Interstate 20 near Vicksburg, Mississippi, when the bus left the roadway and overturned.
The bus, which authorities described as a 2018 Volvo commercial passenger bus, traveled westbound when its left front tire failed, NTSB member Todd Inman said at a news conference Sunday. The bus then moved onto an embankment and rolled over on its left side.
Inman added that investigators will be at the scene for at least another week and are looking into several factors of the crash, including the vehicle’s mechanical condition, motor carrier safety, the condition and experience of the driver, and environmental factors.
According to U.S. Department of Transportation records, the bus was operated by Autobuses Regiomontanos. Records show that in the 24 months before Saturday, the transit company’s vehicles were involved in one fatal crash, two injury collisions, and a crash requiring a tow truck.
The transit company has over 20 years of experience and provides trips between more than 100 destinations throughout Mexico and the United States, according to Autobuses Regiomontanos’ website.
“Everyone at the NTSB sends their expressions of sorrow for everything that the survivors and victims of this crash went through,” Inman said.
7 killed, 36 injured in bus crash
The bus carried a total of 41 passengers and two drivers, according to authorities. It was traveling from Atlanta to Dallas when the incident occurred.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, according to Master Sergeant Kervin K. Stewart with the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Six people were pronounced dead at the scene and another person died later at a hospital, Stewart said.
Another 36 people were transported to area hospitals.
Warren County Coroner Doug Huskey said two victims killed in the crash were identified by their mother as a 16-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, according to The New York Times. Authorities were working to identify the other victims.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
Mississippi
This drive showed where Mississippi State football offense can improve for Arizona State
![This drive showed where Mississippi State football offense can improve for Arizona State This drive showed where Mississippi State football offense can improve for Arizona State](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/09/01/PNAS/75036945007-usatsi-24127468.jpg?auto=webp&crop=2927,1648,x0,y152&format=pjpg&width=1200)
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football’s offense had a high-flying Saturday in coach Jeff Lebby’s first game.
It scored touchdowns on six of its first nine drives — one of which was a one-play kneel down to end the first half — leaving Eastern Kentucky buried early and deep at Davis Wade Stadium. It was a 56-7 win for the Bulldogs, with them leading 35-0 at one point in the first half.
Baylor transfer Blake Shapen was superb at quarterback and numerous wide receivers such as Jordan Mosley, Kevin Coleman, Mario Craver Jr. and Creed Whittemore made big plays against EKU (0-1).
Even still, Lebby wasn’t completely satisfied with the performance.
“I think there was a whole lot of good,” Lebby said postgame. “Proud of our guys for their energy and their competitive spirit and toughness they played with, but there’s so many things to clean up. I think that’s the biggest takeaway is that you got a chance to go win the way we won, but we’re going to need to play better, play cleaner and that’s where we’re going to look forward to as we get back into it.”
Take Mississippi State’s third offensive drive as an example of where it can improve.
It was the Bulldogs first drive where they didn’t score points, even though it began at the MSU 46-yard line.
MSU (1-0) was penalized for an illegal formation on the first play of the drive, negating a 47-yard catch-and-run from Craver. Three plays later, after Shapen scrambled 12 yards for a first down, MSU was whistled for another illegal formation. Mississippi State then failed to convert on 4th-and-3 from the EKU 33-yard line.
Those were the only penalties committed by Mississippi State’s offense all night, but it’s not the first time we’ve heard of those types of MSU infractions. In the preseason, following Mississippi State’s first scrimmage that was closed to the public, Lebby noted that “non-playing penalties” were a work in progress.
Players have said that Lebby’s up-tempo pace has been an adjustment. Perhaps it’s one that’s still ongoing.
“Looking back at the game, we did a lot of good things, but there were a couple drives that we killed the drive,” Shapen said. “So, we can keep getting better. I think an emphasis for me is just to let everybody know that we haven’t arrived or anything. We got a lot more to prove, especially going in to play a good Arizona State team next week.”
MORE: Jeff Lebby says Mississippi State football didn’t put on a good enough show. Here’s how he’s wrong
Arizona State might be better than anticipated
MSU’s Week 2 game at Arizona State (9:30 p.m., ESPN) was always going to be its most challenging in the nonconference schedule, but it looks even more so now.
Arizona State routed Wyoming 48-7 on Saturday night. The Sun Devils were about a seven-point favorite entering the game in Tempe, and Wyoming, historically, is no cakewalk in the Group of 5. It was an impressive statement from second-year coach Kenny Dillingham after a 4-9 season in 2023.
The Sun Devils (1-0) scored two defensive touchdowns, forced three turnovers and held Wyoming (0-1) to 118 total yards of offense. Sixty-two of those yards came in the fourth quarter with the game already well decided.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Mississippi St. demolishes E. Kentucky starting Lebby era with a 56-7 win
![Mississippi St. demolishes E. Kentucky starting Lebby era with a 56-7 win Mississippi St. demolishes E. Kentucky starting Lebby era with a 56-7 win](https://gray-wtok-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/VYCPKDPAFNCQ7MPKI6MN6UNQPQ.jpg?auth=a9e701ad9d9fa6c59471fe95f662d6ce2c957c85d07602764abf0256bf71c407&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
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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