After spring practice, the only area of concern for the Mississippi State defense is the lack of depth at the safety position behind Nickoe Whitley (free safety) and Dee Arrington (strong safety). Kivon Coman (6’1”, 205 pound free safety) and Quadry Antoine (5’11”, 215 pound strong safety) are expected to fill those holes. Coman, realizing [...]

Larry Butler III started off his college career at Sacramento City College, before transferring to Itawamba Community College, in January. He is on the move again, deciding to transfer to Eastern Arizona. “I wanted more exposure opportunities. I’m one of the biggest prospects in the country. I feel like playing in a better conference would [...]

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We have recently added the following articles to our website. These articles were originally published in the May 9, 2012 print edition of The Real Story. Simply click on the article title to be re-directed to the appropriate page on our website. America and the War on Women Ask Meagan!: Discrimination in the Workplace Consumer [...]

Registration for this exciting event is taking place from 4-6pm, in the parking lot of Wal-Mart. The send-off, which, according to tournament organizers, is pretty cool to witness, will be tomorrow (Saturday, April 28th), at the Columbus Marina. Weigh-in is scheduled for 2pm, tomorrow. Officials expect 110-120 boaters to participate. Special to The Real Story

Initial Analysis Mississippi State fans are very excited about the potential of the headliners of the 2012 class – Denico Autry and Quay Evans. They both had solid spring games. I decided to go back and dissect each of their performances. Quay Evans  Maroon-White Stats: 6 tackles/3 tackles for loss/3 sacks Highlights * Evans was [...]

Initial Analysis The status of the offensive line was the biggest concern amongst the fans, before the spring game. The game has come and gone. So, I decided to breakdown the tape of the offensive line and see how they performed. I concluded my study and have decided to discuss the top performers: Blaine Clausell, [...]

Quarterbacks   Initial Analysis  The quarterback position was the biggest topic of conversation throughout the spring. Everyone, including myself, wondered if Tyler Russell would take control of the position and separate himself from Dak Prescott. Well he did just that in the Maroon-White game, on Saturday. I decided to break down Russell and Prescott’s performances to [...]

Instant Analysis The spring game is the fans’ first chance to see how good their team will be, in the upcoming season. Many people wanted to see if the offense would finally show the explosiveness that it has lacked, during the first three years of the Mullen era. The offense didn’t disappoint them, as Tyler [...]

Initial Spring Game Outlook The Mississippi State Bulldogs went into their 4th spring under Dan Mullen looking to answer a few questions and fill some holes. They have shown steady improvement, during that time. There were steps made toward accomplishing their goals, over the past few weeks. Several positions are still up for grabs, and [...]

Ole Miss senior defensive end Jason Jones was named the 23rd recipient of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award, Thursday. He will wear Mullins’ No. 38 jersey throughout the 2012 season. The award, sponsored by Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, honors the late Chucky Mullins, whose Ole Miss career came to an end, during the 1989 Homecoming [...]

The Ole Miss Football team held its final practice of the spring before the BancorpSouth Grove Bowl on Saturday. The Rebels practiced Thursday in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in just helmets and shoulder pads, in preparation for the spring game, Saturday at 1 p.m.  The game will feature four 15-minute quarters, with a running clock.  Stadium gates will open [...]

For the second time this spring, weather forced the Rebel football team indoors for practice but the change in scenery did nothing to affect the team’s intensity and energy, during practice Tuesday. The football program also held its Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day during Tuesday’s practice, with more than 75 professors and administrators on hand to watch [...]

On a gorgeous Tuesday afternoon in Oxford, the Rebels’ defense was setting the tone during the Ole Miss Football team’s two-hour practice session, on the practice fields adjacent to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. “I love what (Defensive Coordinator) Dave (Wommack) and his staff are doing over there,” said Head Coach Hugh Freeze, who calls himself an offensive [...]

With the hiring of Adam Gordon on Tuesday, Rick Ray’s staff at Mississippi State is now complete. Gordon, who spent the past season on B.J. Hill’s staff at Northern Colorado, will have the title of Director of Operations. Prior to his time at Northern Colorado, he was a graduate assistant at Clemson for three years, [...]

Late Sunday night, after much speculation, it was announced that Rodney Hood, Mississippi State’s star freshman forward, had elected to leave the program. Although many knew that Hood’s transferring was a possibility, the decision was a tough blow. The highly skilled forward was expected to be the critical piece in Rick Ray’s rebuilding project – [...]

Rick Ray moved one step closer to filling his staff openings, on Monday, when he announced the hiring of assistant Chris Hollender. The 35-year-old Hollender comes to Mississippi State after spending the past four years in the same capacity at Evansville, his alma mater. “Chris is a guy that I’ve known for a long time,” [...]

I decided to take a look at the sports week ahead and highlight the major games and events throughout the week. Tuesday NBA Boston Celtics at Miami Heat 6 p.m. ESPN New York at Chicago Bulls 8:30 p.m. ESPN NHL NHL Draft Lottery 7:30 p.m. NHL TV Wednesday CBB College Basketball Signing Day Special 6:30 [...]

Recently hired Mississippi State Basketball Coach Rick Ray announced late Sunday that Rodney Hood is leaving the program, after one season playing for the Bulldogs. “Obviously, we are disappointed in Rodney’s decision,” said Ray, who was hired one week ago. “I was looking forward to getting a chance to develop and coach him. This decision, unfortunately, [...]

At a 9:45 p.m. press conference, Thursday, the University of Arkansas administration put Head Coach Bobby Petrino on leave from the football program. It all stemmed from Petrino admitting that he lied to Fayetteville police about having an additional passenger on his motorcycle, during an April 1st accident. The other passenger turned out to be [...]

After concluding his impressive four-year Ole Miss career, last month, Terrance Henry has been selected to participate in the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, scheduled for April 11-14 at Churchland High School, in Portsmouth, Va. Operating since 1953, the Portsmouth Invitational is one of the preeminent NBA pre-draft camps, with approximately 200 NBA representatives in attendance.  [...]

With rain falling in the wee hours of the morning, Ole Miss took its practice to the Indoor Practice Facility, Thursday, as Hugh Freeze’s offense began to show signs of what has made the first-year Rebels’ coach so successful at his previous coaching stops. “We certainly challenged them,” Freeze said of the offensive unit. “The [...]

Rick Ray’s second hire at Mississippi State is certainly no stranger to the South or the SEC. On Thursday, the new Bulldogs coach announced former Auburn All-SEC standout Wes Flanigan will join his staff as an assistant, after spending the previous two seasons under Doc Sadler at Nebraska. “I’ve known Wes for a long time [...]

At his introductory press conference on Monday, new Mississippi State Coach Rick Ray said he’d like to retain a member of the former staff. On Thursday, he did just that, with the announcement that George Brooks will return as an assistant coach. It’s the first hire for Ray, who was named Head Coach on Sunday. [...]

Mississippi State Athletic Director Scott Stricklin searched for Rick Stanbury’s replacement ever since the former Bulldog coach retired on March 15th. There were several names rumored to have been contacted about the Bulldog head job. Names like: Shaka Smart, Steve Prohm, Bryce Drew, and most recently,Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne. It seemed a foregone conclusion that [...]

The University of Mississippi vs. Southern Mississippi baseball game, which was scheduled for April 3, 2012, was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. The game has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. (gates open at 5 p.m.) at Trustmark Park in Pearl, MS. Any patron who purchased tickets for the original date [...]

I’ve always wanted to investigate what it takes to be a college athlete. I know fans and the media get in the mode of thinking of these young adults as just a number or a name on a uniform. But there is a real person, who faces real pressure to perform at a high level. [...]

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in our March 28, 2012 print edition.  Prologue:  In early June of 2008, I traveled with my best friend from our days at Boston College, Bill Nagle, from his home in Plymouth, MA, back to Columbus, MS.  Bill is currently a financial advisor with clients in the Mississippi, Alabama, [...]

Ole Miss practiced under the lights, Monday, before the sun rose, midway through the early-morning session, on the practice fields adjacent to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Starting at 5:30 a.m., first-year head coach Hugh Freeze toned down the usual fast pace of practice for more teaching opportunities, during the session that lasted just under two hours. “We [...]

Mississippi State Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin announced, on Sunday, that Rick Ray will be introduced Monday as the university’s new Head Men’s Basketball Coach. A press conference has been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on the floor of Humphrey Coliseum to welcome the 19th coach in MSU history. “Rick fits the model of head coach we [...]