Tag: Mississippi State Football

K.J. Costello makes SEC history as Mississippi State upsets LSU

Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello’s historic performance helped the Bulldogs pull off a huge upset on the road against LSU

The first Saturday of college football in the Southeastern Conference was full of big numbers, and none were more huge than what K.J. Costello and Mississippi State did on the road against LSU.

Costello made SEC history in a 44-34 upset win over the Tigers, becoming the first quarterback in conference history to throw for more than 600 yards in a single game. The graduate transfer from Stanford completed 36 of his 60 pass attempts for a whopping 623 yards and five touchdowns as the Bulldogs shocked the No. 6-ranked Bayou Bengals in Death Valley.

Costello looked plenty comfortable in new head coach Mike Leach’s “Air Raid” offense, which he brought over from Washington State:

Costello’s performance will certainly perk up the ears and eyes of NFL scouts, improving his stock for next year’s draft.

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WATCH: Former Tide WR Tyrell Shavers makes TD catch for Miss State

Tyrell Shavers is making an impact for his new team, the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Check out this touchdown catch.

Coming out of high school in 2017, Tyrell Shavers was one of the most impressive height-weight-speed receiver prospects in the country. He was rated as a four-star, top 100 player, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

After a few seasons in Tuscaloosa with little on-field impact, the Lewisville (Tex.) native chose to enter the transfer portal in order to seek out more playing time to wrap up his career.

Ultimately, Shavers chose to leave for division foe Mississippi State, and so far, it looks like it was the correct decision. During his first game with the Bulldogs, the 6-foot-6 pass-catcher caught a touchdown pass from fellow transfer quarterback K.J. Costello of Stanford.

More impressive, it came against the No. 6 team in the country, the LSU Tigers. Check it out below!

While it’s unfortunate that things didn’t work out for Shavers at Alabama, it is good to see him making an impact for another team — even if some fans don’t agree.

Stay tuned for more updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!

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Saints waive rookie QB/TE prospect Tommy Stevens

The New Orleans Saints waived Tommy Stevens, a rookie prospect out of Mississippi State who converted to tight end from quarterback.

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Here’s a shock at the New Orleans Saints roster cuts deadline: the team has waived rookie tight end Tommy Stevens, its final pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Saints traded their sixth-round selection in 2021 so that they could add Stevens in the seventh round, protecting him from being signed as a rookie free agent by the division-rival Carolina Panthers.

Stevens played quarterback at Mississippi State and Penn State, but was converted to tight end by the Saints in an effort to pick up the reins from versatile playmaker Taysom Hill — who is spending more and more time under center as the clock ticks away on the end for Drew Brees’ NFL career.

The rookie had played well enough in training camp to earn a spot on the practice squad, but first he’ll have to clear through waivers. That may be difficult if another team like the Panthers takes an interest in him. Stevens was coached up by Panthers offensive coordinator (and former Saints assistant) Joe Brady at Penn State, where he pioneered the playbook that Hill later made famous.

Waiver wire claims will be processed by noon E.T. on Sunday. Check back to see whether Stevens will remain with the team that drafted him.

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Two SEC teams boycott practice on Thursday in silent protest

The two teams are protesting the killing of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The killing of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisc. is making an impact on sports throughout the nation and, on Thursday, that included the SEC.

Earlier in the day, Kentucky football players decided to boycott training in a protest of the shooting by police officers of Blake, a Black man.

It is now being reported that Mississippi State players have decided to do the same.

This follows the decision of the NBA and WNBA to postpone its games on Wednesday in a silent protest as well as some MLB teams deciding to do the same.

SEC updates cardiac evaluation testing requirements

The SEC is taking stricter measures with heart problems among student-athletes.

The SEC has updated their management strategy in response to COVID-19. On Friday, the conference confirmed they will now require a third weekly cardiac evaluation test prior to athlete competition.

The news comes just one day following Georgia State quarterback Mikele Colasurdo’s announcement that he will be opting out of the 2020 season due to a heart condition he developed after contracting the virus.

On August 8, University of Houston defensive lineman Sedrick Williams announced he too would sit out after facing heart complications as a result of COVID-19. He wrote in a Facebook post,

“As a result of the virus, I’ve had complications with my heart and I really don’t know the outcome or what’s in store for me in the future, I just know that my life is more precious to me than football could ever be.”

SEC Associate Commissioner Herb Vincent details that the cardiac evaluation requires “a troponin level, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and a medical evaluation by a physician.”

Given today’s update, the SEC now mandates at least three PCR tests per week during weeks of competition. This decision was made per the guidance of the SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force. The conference’s goal is to ensure the safety of all athletes.

Commissioner Sankey released this statement as part of the announcement:

“We remain vigilant in monitoring the trends and effects of COVID-19 as we learn more about the virus, and this cardiac evaluation enhances the effectiveness of the protocols already in place. We are confident in our institutions’ ability to provide a healthy environment supported by rigorous testing and surveillance.  Our student-athletes have indicated their desire to compete and it is our responsibility to make every effort to deliver a healthy and medically sound environment for providing that opportunity.”

As players continue announcing their decisions regarding the 2020 season, all 14 members of the SEC remain committed to protecting any student-athlete’s scholarship should they choose to opt out.

WATCH: Taysom Hill connects with QB-turned-TE Tommy Stevens

New Orleans Saints QB Taysom Hill threw to rookie QB-turned-TE Tommy Stevens, a Mississippi State and Penn State product changing positions.

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Here’s a highlight you don’t see every day, fresh from New Orleans Saints training camp. Quarterback Taysom Hill, who has spent more time playing tight end and receiver, threw to rookie tight end Tommy Stevens, who mostly played under center at Mississippi State and Penn State in college but is converting to a new position in the NFL. You can see it for yourself in the video we’ve embedded below, or by following this link.

It’s not much — the play appears to be from a low-tempo, offense-versus-air drill in walkthroughs — but it’s something like football. And it’s our first look at Stevens in his new jersey number. Plus, every opportunity Hill gets to drop back and pass as a quarterback is valuable experience that should help him in his battle with Jameis Winston for the right to back up Drew Brees.

Now, where all of these players will be in a year or two is undecided. Hill and Winston could be competing for the starting job next summer, and Stevens might be the new version of Hill as a dynamic, do-it-all athlete. Brees may be preparing to call Notre Dame football games for NBC. Or we might be looking at a new scenario entirely. Whatever the case may be, there’s no doubting this newest iteration of the Saints should be as entertaining as ever.

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Jared Cook shares his thoughts on Tommy Stevens moving to tight end

The New Orleans Saints are converting quarterback Tommy Stevens to tight end, which Jared Cook expects to be challenging for the rookie.

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Jared Cook has a great appreciation for how friendly the New Orelans Saints offense can be to a good tight end. He had one of his best seasons in his first year with the team, setting new personal-bests in touchdowns scored (9) and yards gained per catch (16.4). He also notch the second-highest marks of his career in yards per game (50.4) and catch rate (66.2%), hitting his stride with Drew Brees in the second half of the season.

But he’ll be the first to admit that it’s a tough playbook to pick up, especially for a rookie. That’s the task facing Tommy Stevens, a college quarterback at Mississippi State who is converting to tight end at Saints training camp. When asked if the transition is going to be hard on Stevens, all Cook could do was nod the affirmative.

“Pretty tough,” Cook said during Thursday’s media conference call after practice. “The first week he was kind of running with the quarterbacks and now he has transitioned a little bit full-time into the tight ends.”

Stevens exchanged his No. 1 jersey for one carrying No. 85, and he’ll likely spend the rest of training camp working on that position switch. It was kind of inevitable; the Saints drafted him as a possible backup or successor to Taysom Hill, a do-it-all threat who has both thrown and caught passes while chipping in as a blocker.

To Cook, the biggest test for Stevens will be a shift in attitude from the detached, always-aware quarterback to being someone who is always ready to scrap in the trenches: “So tight ends are all about the mindset. It is about what you bring to the table, how dirty you want to get your nose. And I think that’s one of the biggest things he has to get used to as playing tight end.”

This isn’t new territory for Stevens, which should help ease his transition. He ran many of the plays designed for Hill by former Saints assistant Joe Brady when they were both at Penn State, developing familiarity with the receiving end of the a passing offense. He caught 14 passes to gain 62 yards in college, scoring two touchdowns through the air. It’s not much, but it’s not a bad place for the 6-foot-5, 253 pounder to start from.

And that gives Cook some confidence, too. The way he sees it, once Stevens can attack each day with the right mindset, the rest will follow. He continued, “And then just technique stuff (will challenge Stevens). He catches the ball really well. It’s just all about blocking technique. It is about how you come out of your stance. It is about his releases off the line that he has to get used to.”

Cook mentioned that Stevens has been working individually with tight ends coach Dan Campbell — who himself played for the Saints in 2009 — and assistant coach Declan Doyle, doing what he can to get on the fast track for success. The Saints have tried to convert a few different players to tight end in recent years, like wide receiver Dan Arnold, defensive end Mitch Loewen, but maybe Stevens has what it takes to pull off a big change from quarterback.

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College Football News ranks SEC head coaches: Where’s Kirby Smart?

College Football News ranked the top SEC head coaches. Where is Georgia football’s Kirby Smart?

Pete Fiutak of College Football News recently released a list ranking the SEC head coaches heading into the 2020 season.

Checking in at No. 3 on the list is Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who trails only Nick Saban (1) and Ed Orgeron (2).

At No. 4 is Dan Mullen and at No. 5 is Gus Malzahn.

As much as I’d love for Smart to be in that No. 2 spot, I do not disagree with Fiutak here.

Smart’s time will come, and within the next five years he may very well occupy that No. 1 spot.

For now, he’s sitting at No. 3 on Fiutak’s list, likely right on the verge of taking over that No. 2 ranking. As long as he keeps winning the SEC East, beating rivals and putting his team in striking distance for the College Football Playoff…he’ll be considered a top-five coach in America.

Orgeron or Smart at No. 2 was likely a somewhat difficult decision. Fiutak went with Coach O since he accomplished something Kirby hasn’t yet, a national championship.

I’ve heard it all – “Anyone could win with that roster.”

Sure, Smart probably would have won it with that roster LSU had last year. But, at the end of the day, he didn’t have that roster. No other way around it.

Also, how can you not love Coach O?

As for Saban, there’s no arguing that one.

College Football News Preview 2020: Mississippi State Bulldogs

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing and looking ahead to the Mississippi State Bulldogs season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Mississippi State Bulldogs season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Mississippi State Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 6-7 overall, 3-5 in SEC
Head Coach: Mike Leach, 1st year, 0-0
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 60
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 56
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 19

No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: Mississippi State Bulldogs Offense 3 Things To Know

– Okay, SEC, get ready for what’s coming. Mississippi State is going to throw, and it’ll keep throwing, and then it’ll throw a little more.

When Leach took over Washington State in 2012, the team was awful, but it finished ninth in the nation in passing. It finished fourth in 2013, and was No. 1 in four of the next six years, was second in one of the off seasons, and third in the other.

The system worked when he was an offensive coordinator at Kentucky and then Oklahoma, it worked at Texas Tech, and then at Washington State. But without a spring practice to tune up, it might be a bit rocky for a while. It also doesn’t help to have the likely starting quarterback around.

CFN in 60 Video: Mississippi State Bulldogs Preview
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– It’s not a rock-solid lock that Stanford transfer KJ Costello will take over the starting quarterback job right away, but be stunned if he’s not only the No. 1 guy, but also a national star. It’s a fluid situation considering Costello had to graduate from Stanford first before joining on, and other options want a shot at getting to run the high-octane attack.

Keytaon Thompson transferred to Virginia and Logan Burnett left for TCU, but leading passer Garrett Shrader is back after throwing for just 1,170 yards and eight scores with five interceptions – he was second on the team with 587 rushing yards and six touchdowns – and Jalen Mayden is still around, but it’ll almost certainly be Costello throwing it. Now the team needs the guys who can catch it.

The system makes the receivers, but the receivers are there to make the system work, even if they’re not experienced. Leading yardage receiver Osirus Mitchell is back, and then it’ll be all up to the new parts with four of the top five targets from last year gone. JUCO transfers Caleb Ducking and Malik Heath will get a shot at time early on, and Alabama transfer Tyrell Shavers has the upside to be a star right away.

– Where does Kylin Hill fit into the mix? One of the nation’s best running backs put off the NFL for a year after running for 1,350 yards and ten scores, and he caught 18 passes with a touchdown.

Like Logan Marchi at Washington State, Hill should be a do-it-all back with a whole lot more passes coming his way. Redshirt freshman Lee Witherspoon is the likely No. 2, but Leach’s offenses usually utilize just one back.

Last year’s like was 13th in the SEC and 93rd in the nation in sacks allowed – that’s about to change. The front five loses Tyre Phillips at one tackle and Darryl Williams at center, and the whole group has to tweak what it does. Charles Cross is a former great recruit who should be fine in place of Phillips, but it’ll take the rest of the offseason to lock in on a center.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Mississippi State Bulldogs Defense 3 Things To Know

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Ranking SEC head coaches heading into 2020 CFB season

We ranked all the SEC head coaches, from Georgia football’s Kirby Smart, to Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, to Florida’s Dan Mullen.

The SEC is loaded with head coaching talent as we head into the 2020 college football season.

You have your usuals – Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Gus Malzahn, Ed Orgeron, etc.

But then you have your familiar, or in some cases not-so-familiar, yet new faces: Lane Kiffin, Mike Leach, Sam Pittman, Eli Drinkwitz.

Ranking the SEC head coaches heading into the 2020 season is as hard as it’s ever been, and that’s because of all these new hirings. But it’s also because Jeremy Pruitt waited until October to start winning games in Tennessee last year. It’s because Ed Orgeron took a loaded roster and won a national title. Because Gus Malzahn and Auburn always have the talent but can’t seem to win the big ones. Or because, despite a 4-8 season, Will Muschamp was able to knock off Kirby Smart and Georgia.

Related: 2020 Georgia schedule with game-by-game score predictions

With all of this taken into consideration, here’s our SEC head coaching power rankings for the 2020 college football season:

14. Sam Pittman, Arkansas

I would have loved to get Pittman into a higher spot on this list, but what is there to go off of? His last head coaching job came in 1992 and 1993 when he led Hutchinson Community College to an 11–9–1 record over two seasons.

I am 100% rooting for Pittman to succeed in his first season as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. It won’t be easy, and this is a team that will likely finish with at least five losses for the first few years, but that’s not necessarily a terrible thing as long as they play hard.

Arkansas may not field the most talented teams in the SEC, but if there’s one thing I’m certain of it’s that the former UGA O-Line coach will make sure his guys fight harder than anybody.

13. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri

Drinkwitz gets the No. 13 spot because of what he was able to do at App State last year. In his first season as a head coach, he led the Mountaineers to a 12-1 record and a Sun Belt championship.

But that’s not the SEC. It’s going to be a rocky road ahead for Drinkwitz, as Mizzou will definitely not be one of the more talented teams in the league for a few years.

12. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt

I often find myself rooting for Vanderbilt and Mason.

He took over at Vandy when James Franklin left for Penn State, and though it’s been tough at times, you get the feeling that Commodore fans actually look forward to their seasons.

11. Will Muschamp, South Carolina

If Muschamp had not beaten Georgia last year, he maybe would not even be on this list at all.

But he won and that probably saved his job. He coaches up a good defense, but South Carolina will need to crank up its recruiting efforts if it wants to start contending in the SEC East. Another season with no bowl game may put an end to Muschamp’s head coaching career with the Gamecocks.

10. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

Kiffin is a good football coach, there’s no denying that. No. 10 is pretty low for an offensive genius like him. But this conference is simply loaded.

Kiffin did a great job at Florida Atlantic, but I still need to see him win consistently at a Power 5 school.

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