Tag: Mississippi State

No, Liberty’s Jamey Chadwell wasn’t at Mississippi State on Monday

Mississippi State fans, you might want to hold off on those Jamey Chadwell rumors right now.

After Mississippi State fired head coach Zach Arnett on Monday, rampant speculation immediately mounted about who might replace him.

One very popular name in many a coaching circle will be Liberty’s Jamey Chadwell, formerly of Coastal Carolina.

Chadwell has the Flames at 9-0, and he’s expected to land a bigger job if he wants it during this year’s college coaching cycle.

Well, Mississippi State fans started churning the rumor mill when a viral tweet started circulating that seemed to hint Chadwell was in Starkville, Mississippi, on Monday night.

The image going around showed one of Chadwell’s social media posts with a Starkville location tag on the bottom of it.

Here’s the actual post below with no location tag present.

Now, this wouldn’t make much sense to be somehow related to the Bulldogs very new coaching search, as Mississippi State just shared news of Arnett’s firing on Monday morning, and the post in question from Chadwell was sent out on Monday afternoon.

That means that Chadwell would’ve had to been invited to visit with Mississippi State officials well before word of Arnett’s firing broke.

The simple logistics of Mississippi State firing Arnett on Monday morning, arranging a flight to get Chadwell from Virginia to Mississippi at a moment’s notice and have him arrive in Starkville by Monday afternoon for a meeting just don’t work out.

Also, it’s more than likely a virtual call would be set up between Mississippi State and Chadwell this soon after the Bulldogs fired Arnett. There isn’t much use in having him fly out spontaneously on a Monday for a hiring that wouldn’t get done until December at the earliest.

Bud Elliott of 247Sports cast continued doubt on this viral image being anything but a hoax likely concocted on a message board somewhere.

Also, the spacing between the featured image in Chadwell’s original post and the Twitter analytics don’t really line up in the likely doctored image with how much normal spacing there usually is between those two features.

Take a look at these two posts again and see the difference.

Chadwell may very well be a candidate for the Mississippi State job when it’s all said and done, but the simple logistics of the situation and the pervasive nature of doctored images going viral on social media make the odds of him actually being in Starkville on Monday a bit ludicrous.

Plus, Twitter — also known as X — has done away with retweets, calling them reposts instead, giving more credit to the image being doctored.

We’ll see if Chadwell eventually makes a trip to Mississippi this year, which would most likely happen after both the Mississippi State and Liberty football seasons end.

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USC defensive coordinator search: November 13 big board with new analysis, updates

After firings at Texas A&M, Boise State, Penn State, and Mississippi State, there’s a lot for USC to keep track of.

USC’s last regular-season game of 2023 is this Saturday against UCLA. As soon as that game ends in the late afternoon versus the Bruins, Lincoln Riley’s full attention will shift to a very important task, arguably the most central one in his USC career: Replacing Alex Grinch with a new defensive coordinator.

This week, Riley has to figure out how to beat UCLA and salvage something from this failed season. When game week ends, USC won’t be worried about the Las Vegas or Sun Bowls. Riley won’t have a Heisman Trophy ceremony to worry about, either. The transfer portal window opens on December 4. USC, in order to attract the best possible defensive players in the portal, needs a home-run hire at defensive coordinator.

With Texas A&M firing Jimbo Fisher, Boise State firing coach Andy Avalos, Mississippi State firing coach Zach Arnett, the head coaching part of the coaching carousel is already spinning wildly. Penn State also fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, as Nittany Lions Wire noted. Jobs are opening up, which means USC has a lot more to consider in the carousel as it searches for its next defensive coordinator.

We will walk you through the various newsworthy developments from the past weekend and update you on the possibilities which need to be studied by Jen Cohen and Lincoln Riley:

Everything Jaylen Henderson, Ainias Smith, and Edgerrin Cooper had to say after Texas A&M’s 51-10 win over Mississippi State

Hear what Jaylen Henderson, Ainias Smith, and Edgerrin Cooper had to say after Texas A&M’d dominant 51-10 win over Mississippi State.

Texas A&M (6-4, 4-3 SEC) has earned bowl eligibility for the first time in two seasons after putting on an absolute clinic against Mississippi State, systematically destroying the Rebels 51-10 behind, yes, third-string quarterback and former Fresno State Bulldog Jaylen Henderson, paired with a stifling defensive effort. Head coach Jimbo Fisher noted just how much Henderson has learned since entering the program last May.

“Jaylen is a really quick learner. We felt very comfortable. He has gotten better and better in practice. We knew he could play… Four touchdowns and no turnovers.”

Henderson, who is by far the most athletic quarterback on the roster, threw for 150 yards on 11/19 for two touchdowns while liberally using his legs, running for 60 yards and two more touchdowns on 12 carries as well. Henderson’s comfort level in the offense was quite encouraging going forward, as second-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino created a simple yet explosive game plan to utilize Henderson’s skillset, but credit to senior wide receiver Ainias Smith (4 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD) who showed up and showed out all night long.

Defensively, star junior linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (10 tackles) led a ferocious pass rush to the tune of five sacks and seven tackles for loss. In contrast, safety Jared Kerr’s massive hit on QB Mike Wright led to an exciting scoop and score touchdown return from Aggie DT Shemar Stewart early in the 3rd Quarter.

Under head coach Jimbo Fisher, who likely added some insurance to his job security after tonight’s victory, this is the first win over Mississippi State or Ole Miss in five attempts and the largest win over the Bulldogs since 1912 (yes, that long). After every score, celebrations were had, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, this team was having fun again.

After Fisher took the podium, Jaylen Henderson, Ainias Smith, and Edgerrin Cooper all spoke to the media to reflect on their excellent performances on Saturday night while looking toward next week’s matchup vs. ACU. Here is what all three young men had to say on the night.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Auburn jumps to No. 31 in ESPN FPI following victory over Mississippi State

The Auburn Tigers have a chance to jump back into the ESPN FPI top 30 with a win next week at Vanderbilt.

The Auburn Tigers got back on the right track this weekend, seizing victory for the first time in a month with a 27-13 win over Mississippi State.

The Tigers are now 4-4 on the season (1-4 in the SEC) and have a great chance to get back to over .500 next week, as they are currently 13-point favorites over SEC East opponent Vanderbilt. 

Auburn’s most recent win propelled them from No. 34 to No. 31 in the most recent ESPN Football Power Index.

The No. 31 ranking is the highest [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s team has been since week 3.

The FPI ranks each college football team by a variety of factors; Strength of record, strength of schedule, offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and overall efficiency.

Here is where Auburn ranks in each category ahead of their trip to Music City.

The top plays from Auburn’s 27-13 win over Mississippi State.

The Auburn Tigers have finally won a game in the SEC. Here are some of the best plays from the Tigers’ dismantling of Mississippi State.

The Auburn Tigers finally got back into the win column this weekend, defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs 27-13 in front of a packed Jordan-Hare stadium.

Auburn’s offense provided plenty of highlights in the first half, with the passing attack finally coming alive while running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] also had his best game of the season on the ground.

The defense did its part as well, holding the Bulldogs out of the end zone until the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

Here are some of the best plays from Auburn’s first SEC win of the season.

Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs Mississippi State

The Auburn Tigers have lost four straight games in the SEC and are in danger of missing out on a bowl. How do they stack up against MSU?

The 3-4 Auburn Tigers are finally favored to win a football game this week when they host the 4-3 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday.

The Tigers are currently favored by nearly a touchdown to win this game according to BetMGM and ESPN FPI agrees with the oddsmakers, as the model gives [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s team a 62.7% chance to snap their four-game losing-skid come Saturday.

Will the tale of the tape agree that Auburn will win their first game in over a month, or does a further look into the matchup show us this game will be closer than expected?

As always, we’ll start by looking at the quarterbacks.

Mississippi State faces uncertainty at the quarterback position heading into this one. Starter Will Rogers is dealing with a shoulder injury that forced him to miss last week’s game against Arkansas. 

Head coach [autotag]Zach Arnett[/autotag] was ambiguous talking about his quarterback’s status, saying “he is progressing well” but refusing to label Rogers in or out for Saturday.

If Rogers is unable to go, the offense will be left in the hands of senior [autotag]Mike Wright[/autotag].

In limited work this year, Wright has thrown for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has also added 106 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.

As for the Auburn signal-callers, they are still struggling.

Through 7 games, starter [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has thrown for 845 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.

The Tigers top option is averaging just over 120 passing yards per game to go along with 0.7 touchdowns and interceptions per game.

That is not good.

Once again, Auburn loses the quarterback battle. It is much closer than it has been in previous SEC games however, and it’s almost even if [autotag]Will Rogers[/autotag] is forced to sit on the bench.

The battle of the skill positions is even closer.

Neither team boasts a top-notch playmaker that give a defensive coordinator a worse headache than a night out at Quixote’s, nor do they do anything on offense particularly well.

Mississippi State’s best player on the scoring side of the ball is probably running back [autotag]Jo’Quavious Marks[/autotag].

The senior back has been a workhorse for the Bulldogs offense. The senior from Atlanta is averaging 14 carries for 71 yards a game and has scored five total touchdowns.

Auburn’s best playmaker is also their number one running back, junior Jarquez Hunter.

After a slow start to the season for Hunter, he has come alive of late, and now leads all Auburn rushers with 309 yards and 5 rushing touchdowns. He has also added 61 receiving yards.

Neither receiving core is worth mentioning ahead of the other, although Mississippi State receiver [autotag]Lideatrick Griffin[/autotag] has the most yards out of any pass catcher in this game with 494.

The skill position battle is a wash.

Auburn does finally get an edge in the defensive department, although it is closer than you might think.

[autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag], and the Auburn Tigers defense have been great all year long.

Unfortunately for them, Mississippi State has been pretty much just as good, at least according to the numbers.

Auburn’s defense has given up 25.7 points and 397.3 yards per game this season.

Mississippi State has given up 28.8 and 393.8, respectively.

As good as Auburn linebacker [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] has been, linebacker Nathaniel Watson has been even better.

Overall, these two teams are extremely similar and a 6.5-point spread only makes sense if Will Rogers can’t go. If he does, Auburn may be in some trouble come Saturday.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Photo gallery: Arkansas’ 7-3 loss to Mississippi State on Homecoming

Here are the best images from Arkansas’ 7-3 defeat at the hands of Mississippi State on Saturday in Fayetteville.

Saturday at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium was painful for all 71,601 in attendance.

Arkansas didn’t score a touchdown, could barely get the ball past midfield and was just overall anemic in a 7-3 loss to Mississippi State.

It cost offensive coordinator Dan Enos his job a day later. In his second stint with the Razorbacks, he only lasted eight games.

There are still four games to play. Arkansas has to win them all to get bowl eligible.

Despite the outcome, the weather was gorgeous on a fall Saturday and it was the first time fans had gotten to see the team at home since September 16.

Here are the best images from Homecoming.

Pregame Twitter buzz: Hog fans have mixed bag of confidence against Mississippi State

Fans are torn: Arkansas football has lost five straight games, but is favored in today’s game by 5.5 points.

Arkansas rooters want to believe that today is the day that the Razorbacks get back in the win column, after suffering five straight losses. Many fans are confident, while many are not.

The Hogs are favored by 5.5 points over Mississippi State in Razorback Stadium, but the disappointing season, thus far, is causing the faithful to pump the brakes just a bit.

Arkansas has played the last four games on the road and now returns home for four of its last five regular-season games. If the Razorbacks can win four of those remaining games, another bowl game would be in order. But for now, most fans are just hoping for a win against “Hail, State”.

Here is some of the feedback from fans and others on Twitter, prior to today’s kickoff:

Mississippi State at Arkansas: How to Watch, Listen, Stream on Saturday

Arkansas is a 6.5-point favorite against Mississippi State, the first time the Hogs have been favored in five games.

This is the first time in over a month that the Vegas oddsmakers have favored the Arkansas football team to win a game. Although the Razorbacks have covered the spread in three of those four losses, they still ended up in the loss column, as predicted.

With the Hogs currently favored by 5.5 points over Mississippi State on Saturday, Arkansas fans are hopeful that Vegas is right once again.

A big question mark, which may not be answered until game time, is if Bulldog quarterback Will Rogers will play, after injuring his non-throwing shoulder in last Saturday’s win over Western Michigan.

Fortunately for Arkansas, despite running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders remaining out of action, three key defenders – defensive tackle Cam Ball, cornerback Jaylon Braxton and linebacker Chris Paul Jr. – should be available after missing last week’s game against No. 11 Alabama.

Arkansas (2-5, 0-4 SEC) is currently nursing a five-game losing streak after nearly pulling off a stunning come-from-behind win over the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Unfortunately the Hogs’ 15 unanswered points fell short in a 24-21 loss. Their last four losses were away from home, but four of the final five remaining games will be played at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Mississippi State (3-3, 0-3 SEC) had lost three straight conference games, before ending the losing-streak last week with the non-conference win over Western Michigan.

The Razorbacks hold an 18-14-1 all-time advantage in the series, and have split the last six games.

Sam Pittman is in his fourth season as Arkansas’ top Hog, with an overall record of 21-22. He has gone 10-20 in the SEC, after taking over a program that had lost 21 straight conference games. Zach Arnett is in his first year as head coach at Mississippi State, after serving the past three seasons as the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator. He was promoted to the top spot after former head coach Mike Leach suddenly passed away from heart complications last December.

How to Watch:

  • Date: Saturday, October 21
  • Time: 11 a.m. CT
  • TV Channel: ESPN, and SEC+, ESPN+
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
  • Radio: Aired across the state on the Razorback Sports Network, or get the radio stream FREE on the Arkansas Razorbacks app.

Behind Enemy Lines with Mississippi State beat writer Stefan Krajisnik

Razorbacks Wire talked to Mississippi State beat writer Stefan Krajisnik and got his thoughts on the Bulldogs and what to expect Saturday.

Mississippi State is one of the few SEC opponents that Arkansas has a winning record over since they joined the conference 30-plus years ago.

The Razorbacks are 18-14-1 against their counterparts to the east, but the Bulldogs have owned the series as of late, winning four of the last six and eight of the last 11.

Arkansas won the last meeting in Fayetteville two years ago, 31-28.

Razorbacks Wire spoke with Mississippi State beat writer Stefan Krajisnik earlier this week and he broke down the program for us and what to expect out of Saturday morning’s contest.

Kickoff is at 11 a.m. on ESPN.