Tennessee
Bulldogs take down No. 5 Tennessee; Ole Miss crushes Florida – The Vicksburg Post
Bulldogs take down No. 5 Tennessee; Ole Miss crushes Florida
Published 11:19 pm Wednesday, January 10, 2024
- Tennessee forward Tobe Awaka (11) is fouled by Mississippi State’s Shawn Jones Jr. during the first half of Wednesday’ game in Starkville. Mississippi State beat No. 5 Tennessee 77-72. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
STARKVILLE (AP) — Mississippi State’s first Southeastern Conference victory of the season was a doozy.
Tolu Smith scored 23 points, including a three-point play owith 14.7 seconds remaining, to lead the Bulldogs to a 77-72 win over No. 5 Tennessee on Wednesday.
The win was Mississippi State’s first over a top-five team since defeating Oklahoma in December of 2002. The Vols were the fourth top-five team to lose in a span of 24 hours as No. 1 Purdue, No. 2 Houston and No. 3 Kansas also were beaten.
Freshman Josh Hubbard led Mississippi State (12-3, 1-1 in SEC) with 25 points, highlighted by a 5-of-10 showing from 3-point territory.
“We just stuck together,” Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said. “And we made some plays. The game changed quickly in the second half. Out of the gates they made some baskets and Tennessee played with great intensity and passion. We obviously struggled with the press and we’re not a huge pressing team. But I was glad we stuck together.”
Smith missed the first 12 games of the season due to a preseason foot injury. Wednesday marked just his third game of the season and he was 7-of-10 from the field and 9-of-12 at the foul line in 29 minutes.
“I think the main thing we focused on in the huddle was not going too hot and not going too low,” Smith said. “We just stayed together. I’ve got great players on my team like Cam Matthews that get me the ball inside. It is like a feeling and it is hard to explain. When I see him and he sees me, we make things happen.”
Dalton Knecht scored 26 of his 28 points in the second half for Tennessee (11-4, 1-1). Zakai Zeigler added 26 points for the Volunteers.
Tennessee trailed by 13 at halftime, 35-22, but made a second-half charge led by Knecht. With 11:36 left, Knecht’s 3 pointer capped a 12-2 Tennessee run that cut State’s lead to 51-49.
Later in the half, Knecht tied the game at 62 with two free throws and then his dunk tied the game at 72 with 35.3 seconds remaining. However, Smith’s three-point play with 14.7 seconds left gave the Bulldogs the lead for good and a Cameron Matthews dunk in the final second clinched the victory.
Mississippi State shot 50 percent from the field and was 19-of-27 at the foul line. The Volunteers shot 46 percent from the floor and made 8 of 29 from 3 point range. The Bulldogs had 18 turnovers while Tennessee had 16, and both teams had 33 rebounds.
“That’s the most disappointing thing and just so inconsistent,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said of the first-half deficit. “We took a couple of steps forward and then a step back. But I don’t want to take anything away from Mississippi State and Coach Jans had his guys ready to play. In the first half we had some good looks and just didn’t make them. The second half we fought hard to get back in it and I appreciate that effort.”
Ole Miss 103, Florida 85
Jaemyn Brakefield scored 28 points, Jamarion Sharp added a school-record nine blocked shots, and Ole Miss dominated the second half to defeat Florida.
Brakefield was 11-of-16 from the field and the Rebels (14-1, 1-1 SEC) outscored Florida 21-10 in the opening seven minutes of the second half to build an insurmountable 65-50 lead. The Gators (10-5, 0-2) never got closer than 13 points again.
Matthew Murrell scored 23 points, Allen Flanigan had 17 and Jaylen Murray added 12 in a balanced Ole Miss attack. The Rebels finished 39-of-66 (59 percent) from the field, including 8-of-20 (40 percent) from the 3-point line, led by Murrell with three 3-pointers.
Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin led Florida with 23 and 18 points, respectively.
About Ernest Bowker
Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post’s sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post’s sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper’s 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollment in Tennessee has fallen by more than 100,000 people in less than a year, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Human Services.
Advocates claim new federal eligibility rules are pushing people out of the food assistance program.
State data reviewed by News 2 shows SNAP enrollment dropped by 109,396 individuals between July 2025 and April of this year.
The Tennessee Justice Center argues the decline is not driven by reduced need, but by stricter eligibility standards passed in President Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” including expanded work requirements, fewer exemptions, and more frequent eligibility checks.
“Expenses that families have to take care of are at an all-time high, and normally when we are in that situation, there are more families participating in SNAP, but that’s not what’s happening. Families are being pushed out because of these rules,” Signe Anderson, senior director of nutrition advocacy at the Tennessee Justice Center, said. “People are having to make hard choices in order to feed themselves.”
The TJC told News 2 some individuals are skipping meals to feed their children and are being forced to choose between buying groceries and paying their bills because they’re struggling to complete the required paperwork or don’t meet the 20-hour-per-week work or volunteer requirement. Advocates said an influx of families, grandparents, veterans and those who are unhoused are seeking help.
“If you don’t have a place to live, to shower, to get a phone call, it’s hard to work,” Anderson said. “To take food away from those individuals makes it really difficult for them to even get to a point where they can work.”
However, federal officials dispute the idea that eligible recipients are being removed from the program. U.S. Department of Agriculture officials testified in Washington, D.C., this week that the changes are intended to strengthen program integrity and ensure accountability.
“No one was kicked off. We have more people working today than ever before,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said.
The Tennessee Justice Center contends the tighter requirements are creating barriers for some households, particularly those with unstable work or housing situations. The group argues that requiring work participation to receive benefits can create an endless cycle of struggle.
“Individuals need their basic needs met in order to be able to work,” Anderson said. “In a perfect world, you wouldn’t be holding food against people that either really are working or are struggling to find work.”
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News 2 reached out to Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) regarding the compiled data, and she responded with the following statement:
The One Big Beautiful Bill protects SNAP for those who truly need it by strengthening the integrity of the program, reducing waste, and enforcing commonsense work requirements for able-bodied adults. We are focused on ensuring federal assistance reaches those who qualify while promoting opportunity, self-sufficiency, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)
The TJC wants to hear from individuals struggling to receive SNAP benefits in Tennessee. To get in touch, click here.
LANCING, Tenn. — A Norfolk Southern train including cars carrying ethanol derailed and caught fire in a remote area of Morgan County, Tenn., leading to precautionary evacuations.
The derailment occurred about 3:23 p.m. on Thursday, June 1. WATE-TV reports Morgan County Executive Brian Langley said four or five cars were on fire. There were no injuries, he said.
The National Transportation Safety
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