Mississippi
Texas Way-Too-Early Week 5 Opponent Preview: Mississippi State
September 28, 2024, marks a new era of college football. For the first time, the University of Texas will play a conference game in the SEC, the conference it officially joined on July 1 of the year.
After four weeks of tough out-of-conference competition, including a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan to face the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines, Texas will host Mississippi State in Austin to kick off its conference schedule in 2024.
The two teams have not met in the 21st century, but the Bulldogs will be eager to start the Longhorns SEC debut season with a loss. Now, for the first time since 1995, the Texas Longhorns will not be playing a Big 12 schedule.
Mississippi State, however, has a lot of new faces that will need to step up in 2024. After firing head coach Zach Arnett after a 4-6 start in his second season with the program, the Bulldogs finished 1-7 in conference play and 5-7 overall, making them a bottom-three team in the SEC in 2023.
But the Bulldogs rebuilt in the offseason. They called on Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to become the school’s 34th head coach in school history and added former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen to lead the school into a new era of SEC football. This offense will be brand new, with a projected eight starters on offense coming from the transfer portal. Lebby has worked quickly to build an offense he wants, and it could be sneaky strong in 2024.
Shapen is already familiar with the Longhorns, as the senior started the 2022 matchup between Baylor and Texas. Off the back of Bijan Robinson, Texas won 38-27, with Shapen completing just half of his passes for 179 yards.
Now at Mississippi State, the quarterback will look for revenge, and with a coach that his roots from Oklahoma, its sure to be a competitive contest to kick off Texas’ SEC schedule.
2023 Record: 5-7, 1-7 in SEC
Head Coach: Jeff Lebby
Passing: QB Blake Shapen
2023 stats: 184 completions on 298 attempts for 2188 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions at Baylor.
Rushing: RB Seth Davis
2023 stats: 59 carries for 356 yards and one touchdown.
Receiving: WR Kelly Akharaiyi
2023 stats: 49 catches for 1033 yards and seven touchdowns at UTEP.
Tackles: SAF Corey Ellington
2023 stats: 30 solo, 36 assisted, 66 total
Interceptions: LB Stone Blanton
2023 stats: one interception at South Carolina
Sacks: SAF Corey Ellington
2023 stats: two sacks
Mississippi
Mississippi College Baseball Wins Series vs. West Florida for First Time
Mississippi College baseball has won the series against West Florida for the first time ever
The Choctaws have been playing UWF since 2015
MC won the first two games and put on a bit of a comeback in game 3
Next: GSC at Delta St., then Conference Tournament
Mississippi
George County High School senior killed in Highway 26 crash, MHP says
GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — A George County High School senior is dead after an SUV hit him while bicycling on Highway 26 Friday night.
Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) officials said at 8:15 p.m. the MHP responded to a fatal crash on Highway 26 in George County.
Those officials said a Ford SUV traveling west on Highway 26 collided with 18-year-old Tyree Bradley of McLain, Mississippi, who was bicycling.
Bradley was fatally injured and died at the scene, MHP officials said.
The crash remains under investigation by the MHP.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2026 WLOX. All rights reserved.
Mississippi
Mississippi State Drops Series Opener at Texas A&M Despite Late Chances
Some losses feel like they drag on longer than the box score suggests, and Mississippi State’s 3-1 opener at Texas A&M fits that category.
It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game where the Bulldogs looked outmatched.
It was just one of those nights where the early mistakes stuck around and the offense never quite found the swing that could shake them loose.
The frustrating part is how quickly the hole formed. Two solo homers and a wild pitch in the first two innings put Mississippi State behind 3-0, and that was basically the ballgame.
Against a top tier SEC team on the road, spotting three runs that early is a tough ask. The Bulldogs didn’t fold, but they also didn’t cash in when the door cracked open.
“I liked our fight. I think we’re really just working through some things offensively, and trying to stay together,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “This team still believes, and we’re going to battle and fight every chance we get, and I think I saw a lot of that. I’m encouraged for what that means for us moving forward, but, you know, they’re a good hitting team, and we’ve got to be able to shut them down early. I don’t think Peja [Goold] had her best stuff, but she continued to battle out there and find ways to get outs.”
They had chances. Two runners stranded in the fifth. Two more in the sixth. Another in the seventh. Des Rivera finally got the Bulldogs on the board with an RBI single, but the big hit that usually shows up for this lineup never arrived.
It wasn’t a lack of traffic. It was a lack of finish.
If there was a bright spot, it came from the bullpen. Delainey Everett gave Mississippi State exactly what it needed after the rocky start.
“That was just a huge relief appearance by Delaney to keep us in it,” Ricketts said. “It’s really good to have her back and healthy these last few weeks because these are the moments where we really need her and rely on her. We know that she’s going to be a big part of the remainder of the season going forward as well.”
Three hitless innings, one baserunner, and a reminder that she’s quietly putting together a strong stretch.
There were individual positives too. Nadia Barbary keeps climbing the doubles list. Kiarra Sells keeps finding ways on base.
But the bigger picture is simple. Mississippi State is now 6-10 in the SEC, and the margin for error is shrinking. Nights like this one are the difference between climbing back into the race and staying stuck in the middle.
They get another shot this morning with the schedule bumped up for weather. The formula isn’t complicated.
Clean up the early innings, keep getting quality relief, and find one or two timely swings. The Bulldogs didn’t get them Friday. They’ll need them today.
Follow
-
Sports4 minutes agoRyan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies
-
World16 minutes agoSchools, shops shut in northern Israel to protest the Lebanon ceasefire
-
News46 minutes agoCommunities launch cleanup after severe weather and tornadoes churn across Midwest
-
Detroit, MI3 hours agoGame 21: Tigers at Red Sox, Garrett Crochet battles both Detroit and the weather
-
San Francisco, CA3 hours agoWhy do gray whales keep dying in San Francisco’s waters?
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoDallas Mavericks Owners Might Be Making Big Mistake in Search for New GM
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoDefense dominates, Mensah flashes in Miami’s spring game – The Miami Hurricane
-
Boston, MA3 hours ago
A crowd scientist is helping the Boston Marathon manage a growing field of 30,000-plus runners