Mississippi
Three alarming stats for Mississippi State football’s defense after Texas A&M loss
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football’s defense is bad, and there really isn’t much of an argument against it.
The Bulldogs (1-6, 0-4 SEC) fell 34-24 to No. 14 Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0) on Saturday. It’s the sixth straight game they’ve allowed at least 30 points. Their 33.3 points per game allowed are third worst among power conference teams.
“The toughness, the belief, the effort and the attitude that’s going on on that side of the ball, I’m proud of,” coach Jeff Lebby said after Saturday’s loss. “We’ve got to play better. I’ve got to coach better. That’s something that we will continue to do.”
Here are three alarming stats that help explain the root of Mississippi State’s defensive struggles.
Mississippi State tied for fewest sacks in the country
MSU didn’t record a sack on Saturday for the fourth game this season. The Bulldogs have five sacks on the season and just two in the last five games. The five sacks are tied with Oregon State and Air Force for the fewest in the country.
The sacks haven’t been big ones either. The five of them have accounted for 16 yards, the fewest in the country. New Mexico State is the next-best team, but has nearly double the sack yardage with 30.
Sacks can be misleading because they depend on how many dropbacks the opponent has. MSU’s sack rate of 1.64% against FBS opponents is last in the country, according to teamrankings.com.
“Just play more physical and get back there,” safety Isaac Smith said. “Keep practicing and working hard every week. Just get to the quarterback and try to get some pressure on him so our DB’s won’t have to be in coverage as long and guys won’t just be running open down the field.”
Mississippi State football allowing highest completion percentage in country
It’s strange because this was an issue last season too, even with a different defensive coordinator. New coordinator Coleman Hutzler’s defense is allowing a 72.5% completion percentage, the highest in the country.
That still stands after Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman completed 60% of his throws on Saturday.
Part of that can be attributed to cornerbacks playing deep coverage instead of press. Teams are throwing many screen and swing passes because MSU has struggled to defend them. It also foils together in the defensive ecosystem of a bad pass rush combined with bad pass coverage.
Mississippi State defense isn’t getting off field on third down
Texas A&M converted 9-of-14 third downs against the Bulldogs, the most they’ve allowed all season.
The Bulldogs’ opponents are converting third downs at a 49.5% clip, the fourth worst in the country.
Defensive lineman Sulaiman Kpaka said improving on third down ties back to the pass rush.
“As a defensive line, our job is to get back (to the quarterback),” he said. “I feel like we need to continue to improve on that and we won’t have those issues.”
MORE: De’Monte Russell injury update: Mississippi State football DL to locker room vs Texas A&M
Mississippi State is getting better in these areas
MSU has forced multiple turnovers in three consecutive games. It’s part of what’s kept the Bulldogs in the fight against top-15 teams Texas, Georgia and Texas A&M.
The Bulldogs also held Georgia and Texas A&M both to under 150 yards rushing. Their 192.3 rushing yards allowed per game are still the second most for power conference teams, but it could be a sign of improvement.
“I was incredibly proud and encouraged of how we defended the run (Saturday),” Lebby said. “These guys had been running the ball incredibly well. To me, that’s what gave us a chance.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
‘We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.’
Bobcat stalks and strikes at Wisconsin turkey hunter
Turkey hunter Carson Bender of Wisconsin Rapids recorded a video of a bobcat that stalked and lunged at him as he hunted April 18, 2026 near Nekoosa, Wis.
Carson Bender
If a proposal made in the April meeting of the Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is finalized, nonresident turkey hunters will see big changes in the 2027 spring turkey season.
“We’re doing this in a way to impact how hunting pressure occurs and how the harvest happens in the early season,” said Caleb Hinton, Wild Turkey Program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.”
Turkey hunters enjoy a three-bird bag limit and a little more than six weeks of hunting in spring, which is similar to some other states. What is at issue is when it opens. March 15 is the typical opening date for the regular season, making it one of the earliest in the nation.
That early opening date combined with a growing trend among turkey hunters is where the problem lies.
Mississippi is a destination for early season, nonresident hunters
Possibly more than any other group of hunters, turkey hunters like to travel. For some, it may be a matter of seeing a different landscape and hunting birds under condions they don’t encounter in their home state. For others it may be a quest to harvest each of the subspecies in North America.
For yet another group, it’s the challenge of harvesting a gobbler in each of the 49 states that have turkeys.
“It seems to be getting more and more popular every year,” Hinton said.
Regardless of why a turkey hunter chooses to travel, it puts a target on Mississippi’s back because for the first few weeks of the season, it’s almost the only game in town, so hunters flock to the state.
In an effort to curb the amount of hunting pressure in those first weeks of turkey season, MDWFP proposed limiting nonresident hunters to two legal gobblers per season and only one of those can be harvested before April 1.
“Hopefully, it will help curb the massive influx of pressure we get the first week or two of the season,” Hinton said.
When will turkey season changes for nonresidents be voted on?
The proposed changes aren’t the first that have been geared toward alleviating pressure on turkeys in the early part of the season by nonresidents. In 2022, the commission passed a rule requiring nonresident hunters to enter a drawing for a hunt on public land during the first two weeks of turkey season. Currently, the number of hunters drawn is limited to 800.
Like that change, the current proposal will pass or fail by a vote of the wildlife commission. In the April commission meeting, the proposal passed an initial vote. It is now in a 30-day public comment period and a final vote will be taken in the May meeting.
Public comments may be submitted at https://www.mdwfp.com/proposed-rules-regulations.
A lifelong outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, Brian Broom has been writing about hunting, fishing and Mississippi’s outdoors for the Clarion Ledger for more than 14 years. He can be reached at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
Mississippi
Mississippi high school addresses social media post, says it won’t tolerate racism or harassment
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – A Mississippi high school has made a statement after a social media post involving a student surfaced.
Northeast Lauderdale High School officials say they’re reviewing a social media post involving a student.
In a statement, the school said administrators are aware of the post and are “reviewing the situation.”
The school said it is committed to maintaining a safe, orderly and respectful environment for students and staff.
“Neither our district nor our school accept or condone racism, discrimination, harassment, or behavior that is inconsistent with the expectations of our school community,” the statement said.
Officials said they are working with the appropriate parties and will address the matter in accordance with district policies and procedures.
The school added that it cannot share additional details because of student privacy laws.
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(This story was updated to add new information.)
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball starting pitcher Ryan McPherson exited his May 9 return against Auburn with an ankle injury, according to coach Brian O’Connor.
McPherson tripped behind home plate while backing up a potential throw in the second inning and limped back to the mound. The MSU coaches and trainer examined McPherson before pulling him.
McPherson was making his first start since March 20 after suffering a forearm strain.
The No. 11 Bulldogs (38-14, 15-12 SEC) trailed the No. 6 Tigers (35-15, 16-11) by one run with one out in the inning before getting run-ruled 13-2 in seven innings at Dudy Noble Field.
McPherson threw 34 pitches in 1⅓ innings with one earned and one unearned run allowed, two hits, no walks and no strikeouts.
He did not throw a practice pitch while being examined, and he didn’t limp as he walked into the dugout, either.
Ryan McPherson injury update from Brian O’Connor
O’Connor revealed after the game that McPherson was on a 40-pitch limit, so he was likely going to get pulled soon anyway.
“I would hate for the young man to have a setback because he goes out there and tries to throw to another batter or two and changes this delivery because of an ankle (injury),” O’Connor said. “So that’s what went into that decision. It’s unfortunate, but it was good to get him back out there.”
McPherson, a sophomore, missed six straight starts with his forearm injury. He took Charlie Foster’s spot in the pitching rotation for the Auburn series.
One series remains at Texas A&M before the SEC Tournament.
“We’ll see how he recovers from this and then to see what his availability will be for next weekend,” O’Connor said.
Ryan McPherson stats
McPherson was charged with the loss, dropping his record to 3-1 with a 2.62 ERA.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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