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132nd YEAR ISSUE 14
TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2017
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Excitement surrounds MSU basketball after Maroon Madness
TAYLOR RAYBURN SPORTS EDITOR
Excitement filled the air as fans packed the Humphrey Coliseum on Friday night for Maroon Madness— an opportunity to get a first look at this year’s edition of Mississippi State Basketball. With women’s basketball coming off their best season in school history and men’s basketball in prime position to capitalize on a talented roster, there was a noticeably bigger crowd for this year’s Maroon Madness compared to years past. “It was a great night,” women’s basketball head coach Vic Schaefer said. “An opportunity to come out, to show off a little bit and have fun.” The night started with the Greek 3-on-3 tournament, won by the Lamba Chi Fraternity. The player’s prize was the opportunity to compete with the teams in a hot shot contest. They were also made judges in the Dunk Contest, along with softball coach Vann Stuedeman and baseball coach Andy Cannizaro. Thomas Mogish, a senior majoring in industrial engineering, was a part of the Lamba Chi team that won the tournament. He was also a member of the winning team in the hot shot contest, where he competed alongside junior guard Xavian Stapleton of the men’s team and freshman forward Chloe Bibby of the women’s team. “It is awesome to be down on the court and playing,” said Mogish, from Franklin, Tennessee. “[The players] were awesome. They were really cool about everything.” Mogish’s teammate Stapleton stole the night, winning the hot shot contest and dominating the dunk contest for the second year in a row. “Hope he gets a couple big dunks in a real game,” men’s basketball head coach Ben Howland said. The women’s team were the stars
Lil Wayne concert scam sweeps MSU campus
KATIE POE AND DEVIN EDGAR STAFF WRITER, NEWS EDITOR
Noah Siano | The Reflector
Xavian Stapleton, a junior guard from Flora, won the slam dunk contest for the second year in a row. Stapleton averaged 7.1 points while making 45 percent of his shots last season in a limited roll after missing the first nine games of last season.
of the three-point shot contest, with Victoria Vivians taking home the title on the women’s side of the shootout. Quinndary Weatherspoon won the men’s contest. Throughout the event, iLuminate put on a show for the crowd. The former “America’s Got Talent” contestants put on an electric light dance show for the crowd and helped maintain excitement
throughout the night. Howland said, after the event, he had seen them before because his wife loves “America’s Got Talent” and thought they were a great addition to the event. “A plus for our fans,” Howland said. “There was great production and I thought our marketing department did a great job.” MAROON, 2
The Mississippi State University Student Association released a statement identifying a scam circulating through the student body, claiming Lil Wayne will host a concert in Starkville next week. SA Director of Marketing Drew Baker said MSU students are claiming to be representatives of MTA Booking Inc. and saying they are presenting Lil Wayne from 6 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 25. The representatives advertise tickets for $41 on a website called greekfure.ticketbud. com, and according to the website, the tickets are sold out. The website selling tickets, Ticketbud.com, is a free vending site. Baker said it is suspicious that a legitimate company, or mainstream music artist, would use a service which requires little to no validation, unlike companies such as StubHub and SeatGeek. Baker said there are a few other suspicious things on the website which make the SA believe the concert is a scam. First, the representatives claim to not yet have a location confirmed for the concert, but say they will pick up concert-goers with buses and shuttles. However, the pickup locations are also undetermined. A post by MTA ambassador Kyle
Holliman, senior business administration major, that is circulating through MSU GroupMes states: “Buses and shuttles will be provided for transportation to and from the event. Parking will not be available so please do not plan to drive to the concert. There will be 3 different pick up and drop off locations located in the Starkville area. These locations are still being determined.” In addition, visiting the link for tickets shows Greek fURe, the company promoting the event, is only promoting two shows—one in Starkville and one at Ole Miss the next day. Holliman said he was asked by Greek fURe to promote the concert. “I was asked to be a promoter with the promise of getting to meet and kick it with Lil Wayne,” Holliman said. “So I thought, ‘why not?’ There was allegedly a real concert in the making, but apparently some stuff fell through.” Despite claims from Greek fURe and campus ambassadors, Baker said he is still skeptical of the situation. “I’m highly skeptical that a management company is only putting on two shows from now until the foreseeable future,” Baker said. “Greekfure.com doesn’t look remotely professional and provides no information about the company or shows they’ve done in the past.”
LIL WAYNE, 2
City unveils long-awaited SPD headquarters KATIE POE
STAFF WRITER
After nearly 20 years of struggle, the Starkville Police Department now has a place to call its own. At a ceremony held on Oct. 13, the city dedicated the newly renovated, former city hall building at 101 East Lampkin St. as Starkville Police Department headquarters. According to Gary Shafer, the project’s architect, the historic building is about 70 years old. “This is a wonderful building,” Shafer said at the dedication. “What I’m really excited to think about is, 70 years ago there was a different crowd sitting here looking at this beautiful, brand new building they had just built. Now, here we are, 70 years later looking at this beautiful, brand new building we have with 70 years of history on top of it.” Starkville Police Chief
Katie Poe | The Reflector
Starkville Police Department celebrated the opening of their headquarters on Oct. 13 in a historic building on East Lampkin St. The process for the new building spanned over 20 years.
Frank Nichols said he is grateful the department now has a sufficient home. “We said before we
started this project that we needed an A1 facility,” Nichols said. “I’m here to tell you we have an A1
facility.” Nichols said since the project began, the police department has been housed
at seven different locations. Since 2000, city officials have searched for a place to house the department with
no luck. In the past, board members talked about purchasing property in several places, including near the Highway 25 bypass and the former Bulldog Lanes building on Highway 12. They also looked at buying the Cadence Bank building. Then, the Board of Aldermen decided to renovate the former city hall. Work on the project began in August 2016. However, there were some issues with the project that delayed its completion. After removing the ceiling in one part of the building, officials noticed a couple of load-bearing walls had been taken out. Then, the renovation was further delayed when initial bids came in over budget. The project spanned several boards, and for eight years responsibility for the renovation sat on the shoulders of former Mayor Parker Wiseman.
STARKVILLE PD, 2
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
HI: 74 LO: 44 SKY: Mostly Clear
HI: 75 LO: 45 SKY: Partly Cloudy
POP: 10%
POP: 10%
FORECAST: Much cooler temperatures this week thanks to the cold front that passed through Sunday night. Lots of sunshine this week to help with that Fall HI: 76 feeling everybody has been waiting on. Mississippi hasn’t LO: 48 made its mind up on if it wants it to be Fall or not just SKY: Mostly Cloudy yet as temperatures should be increasing going in to the weekend. -Marcus King, Campus Connect Meteorologist
THURSDAY
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2017
@REFLECTORONLINE
STARKVILLE PD
BAD DAWGS Thursday, October 12, 2017 9:52 a.m. Aramark employee arrested at the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for no driver’s license and leaving the scene of an accident. 2:39 p.m. Student reported his bicycle stolen from Bowen Hall bike rack. 10:46 p.m. Students were arrested in front of Colvard Student Union for disorderly conduct and possession of paraphernalia. Justice court citations and student referral issued. Friday, October 13, 2017 11:28 a.m. Student reported his flash drive and phone charger stolen from Mitchell Memorial Library. 3:21 p.m. Students were issued referrals for possession of paraphernalia in Griffis Hall. 10:43 p.m. Student reported he was assaulted by his ex-girlfriend in Fresh Foods parking lot. Saturday, October 14, 2017 8:22 a.m. Officer responded to a puppy left unattended in a locked vehicle on College view St. Officer took possession of the puppy. 1:00 p.m. On-call MSU counselor called to report a student was sexual assaulted in Sessums Hall. 4:41 p.m. Tailgate tent fell off a truck on East Lee Blvd. Officer took possession of the tent.
At the dedication, Wiseman said officially opening the police department on Friday the 13th was fitting because of the unlucky circumstances the city and police had to go through to complete it. “In our 20-year odyssey of getting to this day, we have seen many literal and figurative Friday the 13ths come and go,” Wiseman said. “Today, on this, the thirteenth day of October on a Friday, we celebrate the beginning of a new era and the end of that era.” He said the city wanted nothing short of the best for the police department. He said the reason they were able to overcome all the project’s problems was because of the strength of the policemen and policewomen. “The thought that I’m
MAROON
CONTINUED FROM 1
Overall, the take away from Friday night was the huge amount of excitement surrounding both programs. Basketball is back in Starkville and coaches of both teams are excited about this season. Schaefer admitted last year’s team was special and it will be hard to replace last year’s senior class. However, he said last year is over and this team should not feel any extra pressure. “This year’s team is yet to be written about,” Schaefer said. “This team will write its history.” With eight four- and fivestar recruits on the roster, men’s coach Howland knows he has the talent to make some waves this season. “Our whole focus is one thing: staying healthy,” Howland said. “If we can stay healthy with our eleven scholarship players, we are going to have a fun year.”
CONTINUED FROM 1
left standing here with today is, ‘How did we get from that moment of heartbreak to this moment of triumph?’” Wiseman said. “I think that
integrity and never for a moment did they pout. There was no blue flu.” Instead, Wiseman said he received thanks and
““I think that story is the men and women
of the Starkville Police Department. They woke up and did what they always do. They serve with honor, integrity and never for a
moment did they pout. There was no blue flu.” - Parker Wiseman
story is the men and women of the Starkville Police Department. They woke up and did what they always do. They serve with honor,
encouragement from the police. Nichols said while not all employees stayed through the struggle, the ones that did
LIL WAYNE The Reflector contacted Greek fURe but did not receive a response. According to the Greek Life Office, Lil Wayne’s manager said he has no shows scheduled for Mississippi. “The Greek Life Office is instructing chapters to tell their members this is a scam and to get a chargeback if they’ve already purchased a ticket,” Baker said. Baker said he speculates whoever created the scam probably has “no standards and did so to gain money.” However, Holliman claims that it was a not a scam to get people’s money, and those who purchased a ticket already can get a full refund. MSU Police Chief Vance Rice said although he does think it is a scam, the department is not investigating the incident
never complained about not having a station. “You didn’t complain,” Nichols said. “We didn’t have a home. We were uncertain. The project failed and in the middle of it we were moved out. We were in seven different locations. There are some people that I probably haven’t seen in two months because we were so spread out, but, y’all stayed with me and I’ll always be grateful.” Wiseman said he has no doubt the police force will continue serving the community with integrity, and now, they have a headquarters to help them do that. “I know they’re going to wake up with courage, determination and resolve,” Wiseman said. “They’re going to walk into this facility and make sure that we’re safe.”
CONTINUED FROM 1
JM, TR
any further. “No one has reported to be a victim of this scam,” Rice said. “Unfortunately, you can post anything on the web and if no one falls for it, it is covered by First Amendment laws.
Unless someone reports to be a victim, we will not investigate.” As Monday morning, the website claimed the event was sold out. However, the site is now inactive.
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An In-Class Distraction
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ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY... ...in 1974, Benji, a film about a stray dog who helps rescue several kidnapped children, opened in theaters; it went on to become a family classic. Written and directed by Joe Camp, Benji starred a mutt named Higgins, who had been rescued as a puppy from a California animal shelter and went on to appear in the 1960s TV series Petticoat Junction and the 1971 movie Mooch Goes to Hollywood, with Zsa Zsa Gabor. Benji was a commercial hit and spawned a series of TV movies as well as the follow-up features For the Love of Benji (1977), Oh Heavenly Dog (1980) and Benji the Hunted (1987), all starring Higgins’ daughter Benjean. Another movie, Benji: Off the Leash! was released in 2004 and featured another pooch that Joe Camp had found at an animal shelter. history.com
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2017 @REFLECTORONLINE
OPINION
Millennials should accept the blame
Amazon is taking over
MIA RODRIGUEZ
is a sophomore majoring in English. Contact her at opinion@reflector.msstate. edu.
In many ways, Amazon could bring about the demise of “mom and pop” shops and even larger corporations with their steadily increasing retail prowess. According to Shep Hyken of Forbes Magazine, as many as 64 percent of households in the U.S. have an Amazon Prime membership. In addition, “$4 out of every $10 spent online in the U.S. is with Amazon,” Hyken said. With competitive prices, a constantly expanding product and brand selection and sinfully fast shipping, these results are not surprising. Amazon sells everything from electronics to chicken breasts—both of which can be delivered by a method of two-day shipping with their Prime membership. In Amazon’s recent acquisition of the grocery chain, Whole Foods, their grocery selection will no doubt grow, along with the pressure placed on local grocery stores. Many grocery stores, such as Walmart and Kroger, have a service where customers can order groceries and pick up their items upon arriving at the store. However, Amazon delivers, taking all the effort previously exerted by the consumer completely out of the equation. Even more extraordinary, those who live in areas with an Amazon distribution center can receive packages the same day with their
drone delivery option called Prime Air. According to Amazon, customers can receive their packages in 30 minutes or less by drone delivery. Amazon’s first recorded delivery by drone was conducted in 2016 in Cambridge, England, and took a total of 13 minutes. Amazon has already led to the downfall of the iconic children’s store Toys “R” Us. According to Abha Bhattarai of The Washington Post, stores like Amazon have crippled sales and prompted the nearly $5 million debt the toy retailer now holds. “In recent years, Toys “R” Us has faced mounting competition from Amazon, and big-box chains like Walmart and Target, which often offer the same toys for less money and more convenience,” Bhattarai said. Furthermore, most giftgivers prefer to shop online rather than in store during the increasingly excessive holiday season. According to The National Retail Federation, over 56 percent of consumers are expected to holiday shop online this year, and over 48 percent of shoppers believe free shipping to be a top factor in choosing a retailer—foreshadowing great monetary outcome from Amazon. In a fast-paced world where people are often too busy to find time to do something for themselves, Amazon makes buying things almost effortless. While some people enjoy buying from local stores, the 64 percent of American households that would rather buy from Amazon may lead the company to command the retail market in its entirety, eradicating the concept of local stores altogether.
STEVEN WEIRICH
is a senior majoring in economigcs. Contact him at opinion@reflector. msstate.edu.
It is time to face the harsh truth: we millennials get blamed for a lot of things going on in the world. According to Katie Taylor in Business Insider, our generation is blamed for a wide variety of issues. Taylor lists some of our horrific transgressions, such as killing restaurants like Applebee’s and Hooters, the game of golf and even the napkin industry. All jokes aside, Taylor’s points are backed up by consumer preference data and testimonials from people in those industries, so the claims about industries millennials are “killing” are not baseless. According to Kari Paul for Marketwatch, millennials’ spending habits indicate we dislike buying diamonds, bars of soap and corked wine. Paul also notes millennials do not buy as many houses as previous generations and do not shop at as many department stores. People can question whether these are u n c o nve n t i o n a l preferences, but, ultimately, they are just the way our generation is choosing to spend money. Businesses will have to adjust accordingly. The type of criticism our generation receives that irks me most is about millennials supposedly being lazy, entitled and unappreciative. I am not saying we are not these things occasionally (I mean,
Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
come on, we are all college students). Nevertheless, I have often felt it is easier to criticize our generation for these shortcomings because of the rise of social media. Unlike previous generations, examples of us acting like dumb kids are
technology documented their youth. So their youthful indiscretions live in perpetuity.” These generational criticisms bother me because I am surprised Generation X or the Baby Boomers seem to have forgotten how they were
“Yet, those in older generations seem to have forgotten they were once accused of the same faults for which we now stand trial. ” amplified a thousand-fold through the internet. While there are numerous benefits of being connected to the world, this type of condemning content will appear and show we are still young and often naïve. Chris Dessi, in a piece for Inc., said, “Millennials came of age when
viewed in their youth. Remember, these guys were also once slammed for their love of rock music and were also seen as slackers. Essentially, young people being seen as lazy, corrupt, and entitled is not a new theory. Yet, those in older generations seem to have
forgotten they were once accused of the same faults for which we now stand trial. Never fear though, because there is a way for millennials to learn from this situation. For now, I say we embrace being the generation to blame. We have different spending habits and consumer preferences, and for now, we will continue to be called unappreciative and naïve. However, eventually, like all generations, we will grow older, and we have a chance to be the generation to finally stop flinging accusations at those to follow. We can choose to understand young people will always be blamed excessively for their shortcomings. Perhaps when we are sitting around in 20 years with our twist-off wine bottles, we can look at the younger generation with less disdain and a little more empathy.
College tuition skyrockets due to a lack of representation on Capitol Hill
EMMA BRASWELL
is a freshman majoring in communication. Contact her at opinion@reflector.msstate. edu.
College tuition is on the rise, and because of this, money is a problem every college student faces. While inflation naturally creates an increase in costs, universities are surpassing the expected inflation rates by raising their prices drastically. The National Center for Education Statistics show when comparing public universities in 2014-15 to those in 1984-1985, there is an average $10,394 in cost difference to attend a fouryear institution. This alarming increase only takes one year into account at a time, which means for four years the cost difference would be a grand total of $41,576. This result has taken inflation into account. Ignoring inflation, the difference between 19841985 and 2014-2015 is $14,950 a year or $59,800
for a four-year education. According to Lily Rothman for the New York Times, because these numbers are drastically growing, college students are forced to take out more loans than ever before. This puts people in debt before they have graduated or found a job. There are plenty of students dropping out of school because the amount of money they owe is rising faster than they can afford and it is not worth the benefits a degree would provide them. This serious threat for college students is growing for many reasons. Inflation is obviously a factor, but colleges are also trying to get as much money as they can. Something else many people overlook is how student loan companies are willing to provide loans to everyone. These companies, like every other man-made venture in this world, are in the game to make as much money as possible. Most people want to be rich and successful because this correlates to happiness. There is no reason to assume these loan companies are not doing the same thing— trying to make a profit.
Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
Just like many large companies, student loan companies have lobbyists, which means they have influence on Capitol Hill. Some people may not think much about this because most companies have representatives in D.C. However, these lobbyists increase the money students have to pay substantially. While voter apathy is a
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busy to vote, or because they do not think it is necessary, most college students are not voting. Student loan companies are taking advantage of this. According to Open Secrets, an organization listing lobbyists in D.C., the companies “giving” us money have 48 lobbyists who are paid to convince politicians to provide even more loans than are already
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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serious problem throughout the United States of America, the people who exhibit it the most are younger generations. According to Tyler Hallmark and Marybeth Gasman for the Huffington Post, while millennials now make up 31 percent of the population, only 50 percent of them voted in the 2016 election. Because they are too
being given. In theory, this would be good for students who are struggling to make financial ends meet. After all, more money for you means you get to go to college, right? However, everyone has to pay their loans off eventually. While students are getting their education, they are also building interest on their loans. All of the money students owe often piles up until it buries them. Because voter apathy is common in young adults, there are no representatives for us to get the cost of college down to a reasonable price. While no one is fighting politicians to stop the high cost of college, there are people fighting to give us more opportunities to bury ourselves in debt. Politicians are going to listen to these lobbyists because there is no direct representation for students fighting to tell them the cost is too high. Representatives have to worry about voters to keep themselves in office. Because people our age do not vote, the government does not think twice about college students’ opinions on politics, let alone the cost of our own schooling.
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LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT
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‘Eyes on Mississippi’ to screen on campus EMMA MOFFETT STAFF WRITER
A public screening of “Eyes on Mississippi” and a panel discussion will take place 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Old Main Academic Center room 3320. The event is cosponsored by the Mississippi State University’s chapter of Lambda Phi Eta, Department of Communications, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, and the Gender Studies Program. “Eyes on Mississippi” is a documentary about Bill Minor, a longtime journalist, political columnist and civil rights reporter who not only witnessed but shaped history. Despite the prosegregation message seen in most Mississippi news outlets during his time, Minor remained a fairminded reporter during the civil rights movement. This film is named not only after Minor’s longtime column but also for Minor’s belief that through sharing the raw, unfiltered truth about Mississippi to the world the state would be pressured into transformation. The panel for this event will include journalist, film producer and director Ellen Ann Fentress, MSU alumna
Jennifer McFadden, The Refector Donna Ladd, editor-inchief and co-owner of the Jackson Free Press, and Marty Wiseman, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science and Public Administration. The University of Missouri School of Journalism, Tulane University, Atlanta History Center and Vanderbilt University are among the
universities that have held screenings of this film. Lambda Pi Eta, a cosponsor for the screening of “Eyes on Mississippi,” was responsible for creating the flyers and advertisements for this event. Fefe Brown, president of Lambda Pi Eta, said she is glad to be part of the event planning and is looking forward to hearing
from the discussion panel following the film. “I am excited because I get to introduce the film,” Brown said. “I am also really looking forward to hearing from Ellen Ann Fentress since she is the producer of the film. She is a journalist, so it will be interesting to hear her perspective on Minor and how that went into her
process as a producer of the film.” Shannon Olsen, a junior communications major with a concentration in public relations, said she is also looking forward to the discussion panel following the film’s screening. “I want to ask a little about their careers and how they got started,” Olsen said. “I am a junior, so I will
be looking into starting my own career soon. I would love to see how Mississippi ties back into their career and the decisions they have made.” Olsen, a new member of Lambda Pi Eta, said she hopes this event will increase her knowledge on Mississippi and Minor, and help her network as well. “I think it is a really good opportunity to get to see and meet these panelists,” Olsen said. “It is a great opportunity to network that you might not get otherwise.” Olsen said she believes each member of the panel will provide new insight on the discussion centered on the intersection of gender, politics and journalism. “There are going to be a lot of aspects about the film that they will each be able to cover individually but differently,” Olsen said. Brown, a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations, said she hopes there will be a large turn out and that everyone will come prepared with topics for discussion. “We really want to encourage everyone who is interested to come and to please come with questions for our panel,” Brown said. “They have a lot valuable insight to offer on anything you might want to ask.”
‘Myth-issippi’ celebrates how blues shaped our state LEAH WORLEY STAFF WRITER
Mississippi State University will host a talk titled “Myth-issippi: How Art Makes Place,” followed by a concert with refreshments, on Oct. 19. The goal of “Myth-issippi” is to celebrate Mississippi’s 200 years of statehood. The event will take place at the Colvard Student Union Dawg House in front of the new wall mural, “Black Prairie, Mississippi, World,” from 6 to 8 p.m. The hosts of the talk are MSU’s W.L. Giles Distinguished Professors Brent Funderburk and Richard Brown. Funderburk said to understand what the talk is all about, one must first understand the importance of the new mural. “Black Prarie, Mississippi, World” depicts iconic Mississippi musicians, including Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmie Rodgers and Elvis Presley, interspersed among landscapes from Mississippi’s history. Funderburk said “Mythissippi” will focus on some of the same ideas reflected in the mural. “The identity of our state and any place is a combination of the physical geography and the idea of the place; the communal beliefs that make a place unique,” Funderburk said.
“‘Art and culture play a significant role in being an interface that reveals the shape or iconicity of Mississippi, and, specifically, our Black Prairie here.” Funderburk will open the event with a short lecture, followed by a discussion between Funderburk and colleague Brown. The talk will feature three diverse and eclectic stories to drive home the myth aspect of “Myth-issippi.” Mississippi has a much more diverse culture to celebrate than just cotton, sweet tea and southern twang in the past 200 years. “We have tried to plan diverse events that span a wide range of topics related to the history of Mississippi, including natural history, agriculture, the humanities and the arts,” said Amy Hoffman, the organizer of the event. “This event gives us an opportunity to celebrate some of the visual artists and musicians that helped build and define the culture of our state.” Following the talk, Crawlin’ Caleb’s Blues Revue band will give a live blues performance. Brown will not only talk about how blues affected the state during the discussion, he will also play the harmonica with the band. Brown said while many people are familiar with the Delta blues and even the Hill Country blues, Black
Myth-issippi Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
Prairie blues predates both. Hoffman said blues is fundamental part of Mississippi’s history. “It embodies the emotions that people have endured in the face of adversity, leading the listener to have a better understanding of the trials faced by Mississippians through time,” Hoffman
said. “Blues is an experience. It is an account of life here, and it is an integral part of Mississippi’s story.” Hoffman said she is excited for this event and the remaining bicentennial celebrations to come in the following weeks, information about which can be found through the MSU event page.
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2017 @SPORTSREFLECTOR
SPORTS
Mid-season recap: the good and the bad of MSU football Josh Beck
staff Writer
At this point in the season, most fans expect to know the personality and abilities of their team. However, Mississippi State University football (4-2, 1-2 SEC) has left their fans puzzled week to week, only one thing is certain, the Bulldog’s schedule only gets tougher from here.
inconsistent play from the offense
During the first three games of the season, MSU’s offense appeared to be a juggernaut of Big 12 proportions. MSU scored a total of 132 points through a balanced running and passing attack. Junior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, while not perfect, appeared comfortable leading the offense and making smart decisions with the ball. In addition, junior running back Aeris Williams provided the offense with a much-needed run game to alleviate pressure from Fitzgerald. This was all made possible by strong offensive line play in both pass protection and run blocking. Then, the Bulldogs went on the road to Georgia and Auburn and scored a measly 13 points. The struggles on offense seemed to have a snowball effect to the point where even simple things were impossible for the Bulldogs. Starting up front, the offensive line was unable to create holes for Williams, who needs a head of steam to play effectively. The lack of a running game caused the offense to become one dimensional. Defenses keyed off on
Fitzgerald, which limited his running success and forced him to make throws into tight windows. Then, when Fitzgerald made those tight throws, his receivers struggled to catch the ball, which instantly killed drives. This weekend MSU returned to Davis Wade Stadium and the offense started to click again. However, it should be noted Georgia and Auburn are much better teams than BYU. That being said, the offensive line clearly dominated the line of scrimmage all day and were able to create rushing lanes for Williams and Fitzgerald, who totaled 217 yards of rushing. While Fitzgerald was prolific running the ball, the starting quarterback was pedestrian in his passing game. There are still obvious flaws in Fitzgerald’s mechanics, especially while throwing on the run. He often drops his elbow, which slows his release, lowers his release plane and ultimately decreases his accuracy. In addition, Fitzgerald made several poor decisions in the red zone, which led to two interceptions on potential scoring drives. The receiving corps is not without blame either. The Bulldog receivers struggle to generate separation between themselves and defensive backs creating contested passes and increasing the likelihood of an interception. Also, the MSU receivers while talented, are generally undersized which limits their effectiveness on deep balls. If the offense focuses on fixing the little things moving forward, they will see a marked improvement in every facet of their game.
Noah Siano | The Reflector
Brandon Bryant, junior safety from Tunica, celebrates after a defensive play against BYU. MSU’s defense held BYU to 176 total yards.
A receiver cannot change how fast or tall he is, but he can improve how sharp and precise his routes are. If the MSU offense focuses on improving the small imperfections the bigger issues will naturally improve as well.
Big plays continue to plague the defense
Similar to the offense, the defense was praised early on for their utter domination of opponents. Many attributed their success to first-year defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s high-pressure defense strategy. However, the high-risk, high reward defense was exposed when put to the test by better offenses. The MSU defense allowed 915 total yards in the two losses to UGA and Auburn. The most sobering statistic came from the Auburn game; Auburn gained 331 yards on 6 plays, while only gaining 180 yards on their other 50 plays. The front seven were unable to generate sufficient
pass rush in these bigger games, which gave opposing quarterbacks time to find often wide-open receivers. While one group cannot take all the blame, the MSU secondary causes fans to cover their eyes when opposing quarterbacks drop back to pass. Excluding the first game against Charleston Southern University, the MSU secondary has been torched by long bombs. The secondary does not lack athletes in fact, the fastest player on the team, Brandon Bryant plays safety. However, miscommunication and missed assignments will negate any athleticism. Tackling has also been an issue in the secondary. Often, opposing receivers are able to pick up 5 to 10 extra yards after the catch due to breaking the first initial tackle. The defensive backs struggle to get off their blocks and maintain outside containment, which opposing offenses exploit during run and screen plays. In addition, the rest
of MSU’s defensive line struggled to exploit the attention given to standout sophomore defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons. Junior defensive linemen Braxton Hoyett and Grant Harris need to win their oneon-one battles and increase their overall production in pass rush and run defense. The MSU defense is a talented group of players, but is not playing as a cohesive unit yet, which hurts their effectiveness. The long yardage plays are detrimental to the team’s confidence. If players lose confidence in each other, they will stop focusing solely on their assignments and start to worry about their teammate handling their assignment instead. This creates a chain reaction of missed assignments and a lack of focus.
special teams prove themselves reliaBle
Since Jace Christmann was switched to kicker, MSU fans can watch field goal attempts optimistically.
The crowd no longer erupts after a successful extra point attempt, because they have become reconditioned to the fact PAT’s should be automatic. Logan Cooke’s play, while not perfect, has left little to be desired from fans and coaches. Averaging 46.2 yards, with a hang time right around five seconds, Cooke’s punts effectively flip the field and force opposing offenses to drive the ball all the way back down the field. So far in the season, Cooke has punted the ball for more yards than Fitzgerald has thrown. In addition, punt coverage has been solid, as the team has not allowed any significantly gashing returns. Cooke has also been successful during kickoffs. Cooke’s ability to blast the ball out of the end zone is a big asset to Dan Mullen and the coaching staff, especially when the Bulldogs play against teams who have sensational return-men like Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk. In addition, Cooke has honed his craft to the point where he can kick to a certain corner, so the Bulldogs can cover with more precision.
the talent is still there to finish strong
Overall, MSU has the talent and coaching staff to finish this season well above .500, but if certain flaws continue to persist, it could be a long rest of the season. As the Bulldogs begin conference play, teams will have more available film and will attempt to exploit MSU’s weakness. Either way, Bulldog fans should find solace in the fact they do not have to cheer for a “Landshark,” whatever that is.