Articles by Matthew Stevens
Russell gets start but forced to leave game late
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State didn’t use any mind games or trickery Saturday in announcing its starting quarterback.
MSU went back to the original starting lineup introduction on the video board at Davis Wade with Tyler Russell front and center as the final player announced.
Starkville’s defense shows its strength vs. Grenada
STARKVILLE — The Starkville High defensive starters had to sit around all week and listen to the talent of Grenada’s defense.
That talk was all the motivation the Yellow Jackets needed to prove they could win a low-scoring affair and advance out of the first round of the Mississippi Activities Association Class 6A North State playoffs.
Thomas leads MSU in his first game back
STARKVILLE — Welcome back Fred Thomas.
MSU men’s basketball coach Rick Ray couldn’t wait to tell anybody who would listen that Thomas was the Bulldog who matured and improved the most over the summer.
Thomas proved Thursday his coach was correct.
Ready injured late in victory against Kennesaw State
STARKVILLE — The story of the Mississippi State men’s basketball team’s 78-55 blowout win over Kennesaw State may have been carried into the locker room with a little more than five minutes left in the game.
Starkville will take on nine-win Grenada
STARKVILLE — “When the grass turns brown, that’s when we want to still be around.”
Golsan, Stafford will realize dreams at Ole Miss, MSU
Will Golsan and Taylor Stafford were born to have the moment they experienced Wednesday afternoon when they signed National Letters of Intent with Ole Miss and Mississippi State in a ceremony in the school library.
McCarron trying to change perception of ‘manager’ label
STARKVILLE — At some point, the term “game manager” earned a negative connotation.
That isn’t the case for Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen, who uses that term he uses for players like Alabama senior quarterback AJ McCarron. The Bulldogs’ fifth-year coach uses “game manager” in the most glowing terms to describe a player who is 34-2 as a starter for the Crimson Tide.
MSU men fill needs with recruiting class
STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State men’s basketball program isn’t in the position to pick or to choose its prospects from lists of the nation’s top 100 players.
MSU needs Ware to be on court to be presence
STARKVILLE — There is one constant Rick Ray knows the Mississippi State men’s basketball team will need if it wants to have any success this season: Gavin Ware has to stay out of foul trouble.
MSU will change game plan for Alabama
STARKVILLE — Dan Mullen knows the Mississippi State football team will need a new game plan from the one it had one week ago.
Woodruff looking like ace for MSU
STARKVILLE — The problem seems to have been fixed for Mississippi State’s projected ace for the 2014 season.
MSU lists Prescott as ‘questionable’ for Alabama
STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State football team’s depth chart has senior Tyler Russell as the starting quarterback for the team’s game at 6:45 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday against No. 1 Alabama.
Starkville’s Bell realizes he can be dominant player
STARKVILLE — The light bulb has come on for Starkville High School defensive lineman Maleke Bell.
Defense late in games problem for MSU
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen is convinced his team’s defense at the end of halves is what’s keeping it from a special season.
Manziel works magic against MSU again
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M’s football history prides itself on what it calls the 12th man.
It was all about one man — “Johnny Football” — Saturday.
MSU women overcome fouls, Houston
HOUSTON — In the most unintentional way possible, the Mississippi State women’s basketball team might have begun the process of proving it has more than just one all-conference player.
Special teams miscues doom MSU again
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen could recall each special teams miscue Saturday in a 51-41 loss to No. 11 Texas A&M.
Mullen praises Prescott for performance
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen became emotional Saturday night after his team’s 51-41 loss to No. 11 Texas A&M, but it had nothing to do with what happened on the field.
Pollard leads EMCC men in debut
MERIDIAN — It’s frightening what kind of numbers Devonta Pollard could produce once he’s healthy and feels comfortable with his new East Mississippi Community College teammates.
