Tag: Mississippi State Football

Where will 4-star athlete Braylon Burnside commit to at the Under Armour All-America Game?

Braylon Burnside is set to announce his college commitment at the Under Armour All-America Game.

Braylon Burnside will be announcing his college decision on Wednesday at the Under Armour All-America Game. One of the nation’s top playmakers and overall athletes is poised to announce what has turned into an in-state battle for his talents.

Burnside’s decision is down to two between Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The Under Armour All-America Game is being held at Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) on Wednesday, January 3 at 4:00 pm EST (ESPN).

Burnside is a four-star and the No. 166 player in the nation per ESPN. He is the No. 248 overall recruit in the nation and a four-star athlete according to 247Sports.

There is certainly a lot of attention on him this week as he is the lone player announcing at the Under Armour All-America Game. He is a 6-foot, 185-pound wide receiver and safety prospect from Starkville, Mississippi.

Burnside said he waited this long because he wanted to take his time through the process and to also enjoy the platform of committing on ESPN.

“It’s come down to the hometown (Starkville, the home of Mississippi State) and Ole Miss – the hometown of Oxford,” Burnside told USA TODAY High School Sports on Monday afternoon.

“It’s the battle of Mississippi as I call it. Looking forward to it.”

Burnside said he will enroll in January regardless of the school he selects.

As for Ole Miss, he said that the program being run by head coach Lane Kiffin is very appealing to him.

“I like coach Kiffin and their offense, the way he runs the offense,” Burnside said.

“The way he treats his receivers, the way coach Nix (wide receivers coach, assistant head coach Derrick Nix) treats his receivers. I feel like it could be a good place for me too.”

Mississippi State, located just minutes from home, is undergoing some changes. New head coach Jeff Lebby, who was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, has brought a new energy to the program.

Burnside likes what he has seen from Lebby’s program.

“There’s been a whole lot of good changes with coach Lebby being the head coach, I feel like it’s a good look for them,” Burnside said.

This past week of practice has been competitive, Burnside said. Playing in the Under Armour All-America game is one thing, but he said getting high-level coaching is part of the reason why he committed to the game.

“I get to compete with the best guys in the nation, it’s one of those experiences I’ve always dreamed about,” Burnside said.

“When you’re up here, you get every experience, every drill that you want to learn as a receiver and that’s what you want as a receiver.”

Mississippi State 4-star quarterback Michael Van Buren previews the Under Armour All-America Game

Michael Van Buren talks Mississippi State commitment, Under Armour All-America Game.

Michael Van Buren is an electric quarterback, and the four-star from Maryland is eyeing up the national stage next week when he participates in the Under Armour All-America Game. He is part of a very solid recruiting class that signed with Mississippi State earlier this month.

The class of 2024 prospect is coming off a strong senior season at St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) where he showed increasing pocket poise and the ability to extend plays with his legs.

A four-star quarterback, Van Buren is the No. 230 player in the nation in the 247Sports Composite. He sees the Under Armour game as an important next step as he gets ready for SEC football.

“Most definitely looking forward to going out there and competing against the best players in the country and showcasing my talents,” Van Buren told USA TODAY High School Sports this week.

Van Buren officially signed with Mississippi State during the early signing period. Committed to Oregon since late May, Van Buren opened up his recruitment early in December.

Following an official visit to Starkville, he committed to Mississippi State. He credits new head coach Jeff Lebby, the former offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, in landing him with the Bulldogs.

“It was the best fit because of my relationship with coach Lebby and he has proven that his offense can be very explosive and put up big numbers,” Van Buren said.

“Also, the vision he has for ‘State’ to turn the program around is something that really caught my eye and something that I wanted to be a part of.”

The next week of the Under Armour All-America Game could and should be an exciting one for Van Buren. There will be fun, but he says he also hopes to learn from the experience of being part of one of the nation’s premier showcase events.

“I would say a little bit of both the main thing is to get better and learn from the great coaches,” Van Buren said.

“But you also only get an opportunity like this once so of course you gotta have fun with it!”

The game, played in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, takes place on Jan. 3 at 4:00 p.m. ET. It will air on ESPN.

Former UNC defensive lineman quickly commits to Texas A&M

Kedrick Bingley-Jones, a former UNC reserve defensive tackle, will continue his collegiate football career in Starkville, Mississippi.

The UNC football team’s defense is talked about a lot – and not for good reason.

We thought the Tar Heels’ defensive unit turned a page through their first six games, highlighted by sacking South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler nine times, then holding a Garret Shrader-led Syracuse team to single digits.

Carolina was later exposed in losses to UVA, Georgia Tech, Clemson and N.C. State, giving up 2,041 total yards. UNC’s defensive line stopped generating early-season pressure, while defenders forget how to tackle the ballcarrier and cover pass-catchers.

The transfer portal is also alive and well, with several players electing to enter it. One of those outgoing Tar Heel transfers was reserve defensive Kedrick Bingley-Jones, who committed to Mississippi State on Wednesday, Dec. 13.

Bingley-Jones, who recorded just two tackles (one for loss) and a quarterback hurry in four UNC games this year, will try to carve out a larger role on the Bulldogs’ defensive line. He was listed as Carolina’s third-string 3-tech (lines up between guard and tackle).

The prospects for increased playing time in Starkville look promising as of now, with 3/4 Mississippi State defensive tackles either 2023 seniors or graduate students. Bingley-Jones will also be tasked with something never easy to do in the SEC – finish with a winning conference record for the first time since 2014.

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Why Mississippi State interim coach Greg Knox rode out on an ATV for the Egg Bowl

So why did Greg Knox ride out on an ATV before the Egg Bowl?

Mississippi State interim coach Greg Knox found an incredibly unorthodox way to teach his team to handle adversity of Thursday night’s Egg Bowl rivalry game against Ole Miss.

Knox rode out of the tunnel on an ATV with all of his players at his side, telling ESPN that he was doing this as a way to teach them how to handle opposition and make this moment a life lesson for all of them to remember.

If you’re a Bulldogs fan, you probably were ready to run through a wall for Knox, even if you’re not entirely sure why.

If you’re wondering why he did this, it’s actually for a specific reason and not just for the heck of it.

The ATV entrance was reportedly inspired by this story from inspirational speaker and former Tennessee football player Inky Johnson.

Mississippi State hasn’t had a great football season, but a four-wheeler entrance for an interim coach has to be at the top of the list of highlights.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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The best photos from Auburn’s 27-13 win over Mississippi State

The Auburn Tigers have won a game for the first time in over a month.

The Auburn Tigers have won a game for the first time in over a month.

[autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and the Auburn offense finally woke up on Saturday, putting up 24 first-half points in the Tigers 27-13 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Thorne passed for a season-high three touchdowns in the game, eclipsing the 200-yard mark for the first time against a Power 5 school this season.

The Auburn defense was good enough against the Bulldogs’ backup quarterback [autotag]Mike Wright[/autotag] and the Mississippi State rushing attack, holding them to just 6 points through the first three quarters.

The win was important for Auburn not only because it got them back to the .500 mark on the season, but also because they are now only 2 wins away from becoming bowl-eligible in the [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s first season on the Plains.

Here are some of the best photos from the massive win.

 

Protecting the football is more important than ever for Jalen Milroe

Jalen Milroe’s No. 1 job against Texas A&M is pretty clear

There’s no easier way to lose a football game than turning the ball over as an offense. Playing clean and taking care of the rock is critical to any team’s success.

For Alabama quarterback [autotag]Jalen Milroe[/autotag], that hasn’t always been the easiest thing to do for the first-year starter. In his four starts this season, Milroe is completing nearly 70% of his pass attempts for 838 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. Outside of those three interceptions, the numbers are pretty solid for the redshirt sophomore. The problem is, those three interceptions were all completely avoidable.

The two interceptions against Texas proved to be costly and may have been the difference in the game. The other against Ole Miss cost the Crimson Tide points early in the first half. Those types of mistakes will get you beat more times than not and with an elite defense in Texas A&M looming this Saturday afternoon, protecting the football has never been more important.

Last Saturday night against Mississippi State, Milroe played one of, if not the most, clean games of his Alabama career. In fact, in Week 5, Milroe had the best QBR in the entire country, according to ESPN at 96.8. No disrespect intended towards Mississippi State but the Aggies will present a much greater challenge in College Station.

If Milroe and the offense can play clean and take care of the football, Alabama will have a great shot of walking off of Kyle Field with another SEC victory.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

ESPN’s FPI offers a statistical chance Alabama has to lose at Mississippi State

ESPN’s analytics might shock you with how likely it could be that Mississippi State upsets Alabama.

Alabama travels to Starkville for a Week 5 matchup against Mississippi State and while all signs point to the Tide winning, there’s a chance the Bulldogs pull off the upset.

ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), offers a percentage chance for each team to win their respective game. It’s all based on an algorithm and math, which is way above my pay grade.

Alabama is given an 87.6% chance to finish Week 5 with a 4-1 record, whereas Mississippi State has a 12.4% chance to earn a hard-fought win.

It’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that this game ends in an upset. Alabama has yet to have consecutive games with a strong showing on offense. Even the first half of the Ole Miss game was rather poor.

If head coach Zach Arnett properly prepares his team, they can get it done. Especially in that very loud environment.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football as the 2023 season progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM. 

Alabama vs. Mississippi State: All-time series history, facts

Check out the all-time series history and a few facts about the SEC West rivalry that ends this Saturday.

Alabama and Mississippi State face off for the final time in the foreseeable future, as the SEC alters its scheduling thanks to the addition of Oklahoma and Texas. These two teams have a historic rivalry, but it’s very lopsided.

Saban and the Crimson Tide will travel to Starkville for an SEC West matchup that could be one of the most underrated games of the Week 5 slate.

Mississippi State looks to avoid going 0-3 in conference play and 2-3 overall in Zach Arnett’s first season as the Bulldogs’ head coach.

Scroll below for the all-time series history, facts and important games from the meetings between Alabama and Mississippi State.

LSU RB Kaleb Jackson stunned fans by stiff-arming, then absolutely bodying Mississippi State players

Kaleb Jackson is going to be a terror for LSU.

LSU has had a field day with Mississippi State on Saturday in an impressive road performance, and freshman running back Kaleb Jackson embodied that as well as anyone.

On a thunderous first-down run, Jackson showed off his powerful style by stiff-arming one Mississippi State player on the run and ending it by absolutely trucking another one with sheer force of will.

It’s the kind of show-stopping play that shows why the Tigers are going to be a problem this year and why defenders might want to be careful about how they play on Jackson when he totes the rock.

This is a heck of a highlight for the freshman.

 

Former LSU running back Leonard Fournette counted himself among those who were stunned by Jackson’s pummeling run.

While LSU is 1-1 on the season, the team looks like it’s equipped to cause plenty of damage this season. With their loss coming to No. 3 Florida State, don’t count out LSU to make the College Football Playoff this season.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett dropped an F-bomb in his postgame interview and immediately regretted it

Zach Arnett was a little too excited after Mississippi State’s overtime win over Arizona.

We love a good unfiltered interview where the interviewee forgets they’re actually being interviewed, and that’s exactly what we got after Mississippi State staved off a near-collapse to beat Arizona in overtime Saturday night.

Bulldogs head coach Zach Arnett could finally breathe once the game went final and let his relief show maybe a little too much during his postgame interview on SEC Network, casually letting an F-bomb fly on national TV.

I’ll be honest. I don’t understand the root of the banter between Arnett and interviewer Cole Cubelic, but it doesn’t make this slip-up and Arnett’s immediate face of regret any less funny.

That’s the face of a man who wished he could just vanish from the cameras — or “scramble” — in that moment. But ultimately, it just made for funny TV. And more importantly, Arnett’s team got the win.