STARKVILLE – Mississippi State has found its latest Power Five conference opponent for football, even if that opponent doesn’t belong to a Power Five conference.
Seven months after the Southeastern Conference mandated that each of its 14 teams must schedule at least one major conference opponent each season, reports emerged Thursday that MSU had reached an agreement to play BYU, an independent, for a home-and-home series in 2016 and 2017.
The series was first reported by Brett McMurphy of ESPN and later confirmed by a source inside the MSU athletic department.
Also Thursday, it was announced that the SEC would allow games against three independent opponents – BYU, Notre Dame and Army – to count toward the Power Five mandate.
The Bulldogs and Cougars will meet first in Provo in 2016 and the return game will take place in Starkville in 2017. With the addition of the BYU game for 2016, MSU now has a full slate of non-conference games scheduled, as MSU is also slated to play South Alabama, Louisiana Tech and Tulane. The Louisiana Tech and BYU games are currently scheduled to be played on the road, joining MSU’s conference road games that will be at Alabama, at LSU, at Kentucky and at Ole Miss.
The two-game series against BYU is the latest in a rash of non-conference games scheduled by MSU since the league made the Power Five decree. The Bulldogs have already announced home-and-home meetings with Big 12 foe Kansas State, Pac 12 opponent Arizona and ACC member North Carolina State.
MSU and BYU last met in 2001, which completed a two-year home-and-home series between the schools. After the Bulldogs won in Provo in 2000, the Cougars paid a return visit to Starkville and left with a 41-38 victory.
n Second spring practice today: Three days after opening spring football practice on Tuesday afternoon, MSU will be back at it today for the second of 15 spring workouts leading up to MSU’s annual spring game on April 18.
“We have a great attitude on this team, great effort and the tempo of practice was good,” said MSU coach Dan Mullen after the Bulldogs’ first practice. “No one had any pads on so it was hard to see what was really going on. We have a lot of new faces that are going to have to learn to do and think things really fast.”
MSU’s second practice is set to begin at 3:20 this afternoon at the Seal Football Complex, and it is open to the public.
n Wells moves on: Brandon Wells, who was part of MSU’s football team for two seasons, has transferred to Pearl River Community College.
A safety from Bogue Chitto High School, Wells redshirted during his first year on campus in 2013 and then played sparingly as a redshirt freshman in 2014.
“We talked about it and discussed everything,” said Mullen of Wells. “We came to the decision it was best for him. He’s got a lot of family down there and he chose to go to Pearl River and get another start. We certainly wish him the best.”
n Jiles back, Robinson waiting: The opening of spring practice meant a return to the field for some Bulldogs. Sophomore cornerback Cedric Jiles and senior offensive lineman Damien Robinson each missed all of the 2014 season with injuries, and each went through practice on Tuesday.
Robinson, a fifth-year senior from Olive Branch High School, suffered a torn ACL during fall practice last season, and he missed his final year of eligibility. Due to that injury, Robinson has applied for a sixth year from the NCAA.
“We’ve done all the paperwork and done everything, we just haven’t heard anything yet,” said Mullen. “While we are waiting, though, we just have to get Damien out here and see if he can go, see if he can get ready.”
In additional injury news, wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson, quarterback Damian Williams, cornerback Taveze Calhoun and safety J.T. Gray all sat out of practice due to minor injuries.
“We got a bunch of guys banged up; some carryovers from last season,” said Mullen. “A couple of spring conditioning with De’Runnya [Wilson], Damian [Williams] and J.T. [Gray] and others just carryovers from last season.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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