Warriors run away with season opener

(as published in The Democrat on August 23)

The Senatobia Warriors began their 2011 football campaign at home with a victory over the Winona
Tigers with a 34-12 final score.

The victory for the Warriors served as a measure of revenge over the Tigers as Winona handed
Senatobia a loss in Winona in the 2010 season opener.

Senatobia Head Coach Phil Oakley said that it is always good to start a season off with a victory, and that this win was especially sweet due to the loss to Winona to open last season.

The jitters were evident early on in the game with both teams fumbling the football and the game
remained scoreless until the Warriors jumped ahead with two quick scores near the end of the first half.
Senatobia entered the locker room with a 14-0 advantage.

Led by strong performances by Quarterback Quintavius Burdette, an Arkansas State commit, and
Running Backs Quinterrius Wink, Deundre Bohanna and Demetrius Garrett, the Warriors just had too
many able bodies available to carry the ball and the rushing attack proved to potent for the Tigers to
defend.

Burdette finished the game with two rushing scores of 41 and 34 yards, and two passing touchdowns of
51 and 13 yards. Wink had a 20 yard rushing score.

The news was not all good for the Warriors on this night, however, as they also lost starting Tight End
Justin Morgan, presumably for the season, with a broken arm suffered during the Warrior offense’s first
drive of the game.

Oakley said that losing Morgan was especially painful because he was the team’s starter at the Tight End
position and now the team doesn’t have anyone to play the position, which can be critical for an offense
that revolves around its rushing attack.

The Warriors play a second consecutive home game Friday as they host the Byhalia Indians.

Oakley expects the Byhalia team to present his warrior with quite a challenge. He says the Indians are a
smashmouth team looking to line up and run the ball at the opponent.

Byhalia won a lopsided season opening matchup, beating Tishomingo County 46-16.

Excitement reaches fever pitch in Starkville

As published in The Democrat August 16, 2011


Outlook

Coming off of the most successful season since a Jackie Sherrill-led Bulldogs team went 10-2 and won the
Peach Bowl in 1999, there is much reason for optimism in Starkville.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs, in Head Coach Dan Mullen’s second season, went 9-4, winning a second
consecutive Egg Bowl game over Ole Miss and capping their season with a 52-14 shellacking of a talented
Michigan Wolverines squad in the Gator Bowl, the Southeastern Conference’s first appearance in the game
since 1994.

Mullen has worked the Bulldog fan base into a frenzy with a combination of success on the gridiron and
an aggressive campaign for in-state superiority, with Mississippi State billboards posted around the state
welcoming visitors to “Our (MSU’s) State” and referring to their in-state rival as “The School Up North”.

It’s hard to argue with the results. An ecstatic fan base has sold out of season tickets, breaking a season
ticket sales record that had been set the previous year.

Despite numerous key losses from last year’s squad, the Bulldogs return enough talent to again make some
noise in the SEC’s western division, widely regarded as the most competitive division in college football.

On Offense
The Quarterbacks

When the Bulldogs take the field with possession of the ball, they’ll be led at the quarterback position by
Chris Relf. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound senior is the most decorated running quarterback in the conference.
Relf, who struggled early in his career from a passing standpoint, finished the season with a solid eight
passing scores to only two interceptions over the final six games while adding three rushing scores.

Behind Relf, Mississippi State boasts a former 4-star recruit in Tyler Russell. Russell, a 6-foot-4, 220-
pound redshirt sophomore out of Meridian, is a traditional pocket passer not known for his mobility.
Behind Russell are redshirt freshman Dylan Favre, nephew of Hattiesburg-native and former NFL great
Brett, and Dak Prescott, an incoming freshman out of Louisiana with a skill set similar to that of Relf.

The Running Backs
Mississippi State’s 2011 offense will be known for running the football, and with good reason, as the
Bulldogs return senior Vick Ballard and a standout sophomore in LaDarius Perkins.

Ballard, a 5-foot-11, a former 220-pound Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product, turned in an
impressive junior season in 2010, establishing himself as the go-to-guy on offense. Ballard finished just shy
of the 1,000-yard rushing milestone (968) and carried for 19 scores.

Perkins established himself as the Bulldogs’ backup, finishing his freshman campaign with 566 yards, good
for third on the team behind Ballard and Relf (713), and three rushing touchdowns. Perkins caught three
touchdown passes on the year. He solidified himself in the Egg Bowl with 319 yards of total offense and
two touchdowns.

The Receivers
Mississippi State may be known for its rushing attack, but the Bulldogs have talented hands waiting to
catch the football. Junior Chad Bumphis leads the way for Bulldog receiving corps.

Bumphis, a former standout at Tupelo, is a jack-of-all-trades for the Bulldog offense. The team’s leading
receiver as a sophomore, Bumphis finished with 44 catches for 634 yards and five scores, while also
rushing for 137 yards. Bumphis also sees return duty and is a player who could be in line for a big-time
season in 2011.

Junior Arceto Clark returns from a 25-catch, 362-yard campaign in which he reached pay dirt three times.
Also returning for the Bulldogs are juniors Chris Smith (264 yards-1 TD) and Brandon Heavens (316-2).

Incoming freshman Joe Morrow, a 4-star Dandy Dozen recruit out of Ocean Springs, could also see playing
time.

At Tight End, reports have surfaced that senior Kendrick Cook may miss the 2011 season due to a neck
injury he suffered during spring practice, leaving the position up for grabs. Marcus Green is the leading
active TE with three grabs for 36 yards.

Offensive Line
Any potent rushing attack starts with the offensive line, and often depends on the success of the unit.
The position stands out as one of the big question marks heading into the season, as the Bulldogs have to
replace two starters, including former Left Tackle Derrick Sherrod, who was drafted in the first round of
the NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.

The Bulldogs do return three starters, however, which include two former Tate County standouts. Addison
Lawrence, a 6-foor-4, 300-pound redshirt senior and former Magnolia Heights Chief, returns at Right
Tackle. Lawrence is a two-year starter. Redshirt senior Quentin Saulsberry, a former Independence
Wildcat, is 6-foot-2 and 300-pounds, and is a three year starter for the Bulldogs. A versatile player,
Saulsberry has started at four positions along the line and is expected to play Center in 2011. Also returning
is redshirt sophomore Gabe Jackson, who started at Guard in 2010.

One noteworthy move on the offensive line revolves around James Carmon, The massive 6-foot-7, 320-
pounder played defensive tackle for the Bulldogs last season, earning 3 starts, following a standout career
at MGCCC. He moved to offense during spring practices and looks to replace Sherrod at Left Tackle.
Tobias Smith saw playing time in 2010 and could get a good look at one of the open positions in fall camp.

Also hoping to figure into the offensive line rotation is former North Panola standout Templeton Hardy. A
junior, Hardy was selected as a Dandy Dozen player coming out of high school. Having seen action in two
games in 2010, Hardy has been considered a key reserve at both guard and tackle. Could 2011 be his year?

On Defense
Defensive Line
The interior line for the Bulldogs may be the strongest unit on the squad, and figures one of the strongest
groups of defensive tackles in the SEC. The defensive ends don’t appear to be in bad hands either, even
though star Pernell McPhee graduated and was a fifth round selection for the Baltimore Ravens.

The loss of McPhee is eased by the return of senior Sean Ferguson. Ferguson is the most experienced
player on the defensive line, having played in 37 games in his career. Ferguson finished the 2010 season
with five tackles for a loss.

Also expected to figure into the rotation at end will be juniors Trevor Stigers and Shane McCardell.
Redshirt freshman Kaleb Eulls should have a successful 2011 campaign. A highly recruited athlete out of
high school, the Yazoo County product has the versatility to contribute at either defensive end or defensive

RS Freshman Kaleb Eulls is splitting reps at DE and DT.

tackle. The same could be said for Tupelo’s P.J. Jones, who signed with the Bulldogs after a highly
competitive recruiting process. Jones possesses the size (6’2, 270) to contribute right away.
Mississippi State also returns All-SEC-caliber tackles in Fletcher Cox and Josh Boyd. The two juniors
combined for 14 tackles for a loss and five sacks in 2010 and could be in line for even more successful
seasons in 2011. Behind Cox and Boyd, redshirt freshman Curtis Verges could factor in, as could Devin
Jones, P.J. Jones and Eulls.

Linebackers
The Mississippi State Linebacker corps also has to replace multiple losses. Gone from the 2010 squad are
Chris White, the middle linebacker was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the NFL Draft,
and outside linebacker K.J. Wright, from Olive Branch, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Seattle
Seahawks.

Former Magnolia Heights standout Cameron Lawrence returns as a projected starter at one Outside
Linebacker position. Lawrence was a multi-position star for the Chiefs and led them to a state
championship during his sophomore season. A junior, Lawrence played in 10 games for the Bulldogs
before an injury, but returned for the Gator Bowl. He finished the season with 31 tackles with 2.5 tackles
for a loss. Redshirt freshman Matthew Wells is expected to proved depth at Lawrence’s position.

Sophomores Chris Hughes and Deontae Skinner are expected to battle for the other outside linebacker
position.

There is a fall camp battle brewing to determine who will step in for White at Middle Linebacker between
Senior Brandon Wilson and Senior Brandon Maye. Maye is a highly decorated transfer from Clemson,
having put up massive numbers in three seasons as a starter. Maye had 231 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss,
5.5 sacks, an interception, four forced fumbles and three recovered fumbles in 33 starts at Clemson. He
transferred after completing his undergraduate degree and is in graduate school at Mississippi State similar
to what Jeremiah Masoli did at Ole Miss in 2010.

Defensive Backs
The Bulldogs return a strong secondary, having lost no starters from last year’s squad.

At the corner positions, Mississippi State will be led by juniors Johnthan Banks and Corey Broomfield.

Banks has started 19 games in the past two seasons at Cornerback and Safety. Banks has seven career
interceptions: four as a freshman at Safety and three as a sophomore at Cornerback.

Broomfield has started 16 games in the past two seasons. He had six interceptions during his redshirt
freshman season and three interceptions as a sophomore.

Sophomore Nickoe Whitley returns at Free Safety. Whitley finished the 2010 season with three
interceptions. Senior Wade Bonner will also see plenty of the field at the position. Bonner has played in 35
career games at Mississippi State.

The star of the secondary is senior Strong Safety Charles Mitchell. The native of Clarksdale has had an
outstanding career, having played in all 37 games during his time as a Bulldog. Mitchell has currently
has 189 total tackles and four interceptions in his career. Also expected to see playing time as a reserve is
redshirt freshman Jay Hughes, the son of Mississippi State safeties coach Tony Hughes.

Special Teams
The Special Teams unit appears pretty solid for the Bulldogs, as they return their kicker and their kick
return and punt return specialists.

Kicker Derek DePasquale is 20-24 on field goal attempts in the past two seasons, as well as 51-51 on extra
point attempts. DePasquale also handles kickoff duties.

The Punter position will likely come down to sophomore Baker Swedenberg and Junior William Berg, as
the Bulldogs search for a replacement for Heath Hutchins.

Chad Bumphis will handle the punt return duties. Bumphis averaged 8.6 yards per return last season for the
Bulldogs on 16 attempts.

LaDarius Perkins will handle the kick returns for the Bulldogs. Perkins averaged 20.1 yards per return on
14 attempts in 2010. Bumphis will also likely contribute on kick returns as well.

Rebels look to rebuild, rebound

(as published in The Democrat on August 16, 2011)


Outlook
Ole Miss Head Coach Houston Nutt, having led the Rebels to back-to-back Cotton Bowl appearance in his first two seasons at the school, the first time the Rebels have participated in New Year’s Day bowl games in consecutive season in 50 years, finds himself in a different position heading into the 2011 season. Rather than celebrating another successful season, Rebel fans everywhere are left nursing their wounds and scratching their heads wondering what went wrong. Though it may be a bit premature that the head coach is on the “hot seat”, there is no doubt that life isn’t as easy in Oxford as it once was.

The Rebels finished the season with a record of 4-8, including a 1-7 record in conference play. One of the losses came in the season opener in Oxford again FCS (formerly Division 1-AA) foe Jacksonville State in what was a nationwide stunner. A second consecutive loss to Mississippi State, this time in front of a home crowd in Oxford, finished the season off.

Having lost significant players on both sides of the football, the 2011 Ole Miss Football team is going to have to rely on a stellar recruiting class to step in and make a significant impact early if the season is going to prove to be a successful one.

Offense
The Quarterbacks
Gone is Oregon transfer and former Heisman Trophy candidate Jeremiah Masoli, and the position is up for grabs. The Rebels appear to boast several capable bodies but there is only a handful of Division 1 experience between them.

Nathan Stanley, poised to be the starting quarterback last season prior to Masoli joining the team, has transferred out, leaving the quarterback position to be decided between:
Randall Mackey, a former Parade All-American recruit in High School and Junior College All-American at East Mississippi Community College;

Barry Brunetti, a four-star recruit out of Memphis University School who, in his senior season led the Owls to a perfect season including a shocking win in Batesville over South Panola. Brunetti signed with West Virginia and saw limited playing time with the Mountaineers as a backup before transferring to Ole Miss to be closer to home. He was granted a hardship waiver for immediate eligibility.

Zack Stoudt, a signee out of Iowa Western Community College, who began his college career at Louisville, before transferring to IWCC.

The favorites in this competition are Mackey and Brunetti, as each possesses the ability to extend plays and the mobility to evade pressure. Stoudt, meanwhile, is a traditional drop back passer.

The Running Backs
Ole Miss dodged a bullet when Running Back Brandon Bolden chose to return to school for his senior season, rather than test the waters of the NFL Draft. Bolden is a versatile playmaker for the Rebels, as he poses a threat to defense both carrying the ball as well as catching passes out of the backfield. Bolden is also a capable blocker. Bolden finished 2010 with 976 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns, as well as 344 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns. Bolden was the team’s leading receiver with 32 catches.

Ole Miss also returns senior Enrique Davis, a powerful downhill type of runner who has not filled the expectations fans had when the Rebels signed him out of Hargrave Military Academy. Davis had 337 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 2010.

The wild card in the backfield is sophomore Jeff Scott. Scott burst onto the scene as a true freshman with 429 rushing yards and three scores, including an 83-yard romp against eventual national champion Auburn. Possessing the type of speed and agility that made former Rebel Dexter McCluster a fan favorite, Scott has Oxford buzzing and could be in line for a breakout season.

The Receivers
The Rebels lost their top receiver from 2010 in Markeith Summers but return junior Melvin Harris and redshirt sophomore Ja-Mes Logan.

Harris, a giant target at 6-foot-7 and possessing dangerous speed for his size, began to emerge as a deep threat for the Rebels last season, but has been plagued by inconsistency both on and off the field. Harris
finished with 408 yards on 30 catches with three touchdowns.

Logan emerged as a reliable target during the second half of the season and could play the possession receiver type of role the Rebels have been searching for since Shay Hodge graduated. Logan finished with 387 yards on 29 catches with two touchdowns.

The wide receiver position is one in which new faces will be particularly prevalent. The Rebels signed a star-studded group of freshmen at the position, and former dandy dozen Vincent Sanders will look to contribute following a redshirt.

Freshman Nick Brassell is expected to contribute on both sides of the ball.

Nick Brassell, the former South Panola star, has been turning heads since arriving on campus, and looks like one who will factor in on both sides of the football for the Rebels, lining up both at wide receiver and cornerback. Brassell possesses game-breaking speed, making him an offensive threat, and the potential to be a shutdown corner in time.


The Rebels also signed two other talented Mississippi prospects in Madison Central Tobias Singleton and Raleigh’s Donte Moncrief. Singleton has elite straight line speed and could develop into a downfield threat while Moncrief is a physically imposing target at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds with above average speed and very good hands.

The Rebels also boast experience at the tight end position as Ferbia Allen enters his senior season, his third season as a starter. The Rebels also signed Jamal Mosley out of Northwest MS Community College. Mosley played for the Rangers last season after signing with Oklahoma State out of High School. Mosley saw action at Oklahoma State as a freshman.

The Offensive Line
The success of the Ole Miss offense is going to rely largely on a big, experienced Offensive Line, which will have to created holes for the Rebels’ talented runners and provide protection in the pocket for what will be an inexperienced quarterback.

The Rebels appear to be in good hands with the return of senior Bradley Sowell at Left Tackle. The 6-foot-7, 315 pound Hernando product will be a third-year starter, having taken over for the Baltimore Ravens’ Michael Oher following the 2008 season. With a strong senior year, Sowell will have made an excellent case for himself in the eyes of NFL scouts.

The Right Tackle position returns junior Bobby Massie. A heavily recruited prospect out of Hargrave Military Academy, the 6-foot-6, 325 pound, Massie will also receive a look from NFL scouts if the 2011 season is a success.

Junior Center A.J. Hawkins returns for the Rebels as well at 6-foot-3, 313 pounds. Hawkins has played in 21 career games over two years.

A camp battle is underway to determine who will line up between Sowell and Hawkins at Left Guard. The two leading candidates for the Rebels are sophomore Patrick Junen (6-foot-6, 311) and Alex “Tank” Washington, a 6-foot-4, 356 pound senior. Junen appears to be the favorite early in camp.

At Right Tackle the Rebels boast their largest starter in junior Matt Hall at 6-foot-9 and 340 pounds. Hall sat out the 2010 season after transferring to Ole Miss from the University of Arkansas, where he played in 11 games in 2009, including the Liberty Bowl.

Defense
The Defensive Line
Perhaps the biggest question mark on the entire defense, and definitely the area where the most losses occurred, is defensive tackle.

At Defensive Tackle, the Rebels lost Jerrell Powe to the NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round, and Ted Laurent, Lawon Scott and Lamark Armour due to graduation. The only returning player at the position with game experience is senior Justin Smith.

The Rebels do have some talented prospects hoping to make an impact at the position in Byron Bennett and Carlton Martin, the former Dandy Dozen duo from Madison Central sat out with redshirts during 2010.
The Rebels also looked to ease the void by signing a pair of Junior College Defensive Tackles in Uriah Grant and Gilbert Pena. Grant is reportedly one of the top-three strongest players on the team at 6-foot-1, 280 pounds. Pena is 6-foot-2, 336 pounds.

At Defensive End, Ole Miss caught a break with the return of Senior Kentrell Lockett, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility due to medical hardship after suffering a season-ending ACL tear against Fresno State. If Lockett returns to pre-injury form, the Rebels will have one of the conference’s finest pass rush specialists.

Also returning is senior Wayne Dorsey, the 6-foot-6, 262 pounder will be counted on to fulfill his potential coming out of Mississippi Gulf Coast CC. Dorsey played in 12 games for the Rebels totaling only 12 tackles, but 4.0 tackles for a loss.

The Rebels return the majority of their depth from last season at the position as well in Gerald Rivers, Cameron Whigham, Jason Jones, and Carlos Thompson, who many hope will have a breakout sophomore campaign as he was very highly regarded coming out of high school.

The Linebackers
While the position looked like the strength of the defense heading into spring practice, it took a terrible blow when junior D.T. Shackelford was lost with an ACL tear. The undisputed leader of the defense, Shackelford accepted the 2011 Chucky Mullins Courage Award while on crutches.

The Rebels return junior Joel Kight, who has played in every game thus far in his career as a Rebel. Kight, who has 53 career tackles, is the elder statesman of the unit.

Sophomore Mike Marry returns as well, having played in ten games as a freshman.
Ole Miss will rely on newcomers at the position, especially C.J. Johnson. The Mississippi State commit turned Ole Miss signee is expected to factor in big to the playing rotation at Middle Linebacker. Johnson was considered the number two Inside Linebacker recruit in the nation by Rivals.com. Freshmen Ralph Williams, Keith Lewis and Serderius Bryant are expected to figure into the equation as well.

The Secondary
Both starting cornerbacks return for the Rebels in sophomore Charles Sawyer and senior Marcus Temple.
Sawyer finished his freshman season with 49 tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Big things are expected for Sawyer in his career.Temple finished 2010 with 48 tackles and two tackles for a loss with two fumble recoveries.

The Rebels signed former Dandy Dozen Senquez Golson out of Pascagoula. Golson, who turned down big money from the Boston Red Sox as an eighth round pick in the MLB Draft, is expected to compete for early playing time at cornerback as well.

At Safety starter Damien Jackson returns for his senior season. Jackson finished 2010 second on the team with 68 tackles as well as one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Sophomore Brishen Mathews looks to build on a freshman season in which he played in all twelve games.
The Rebels also signed three junior college prospects in Co-Lin CC’s Wesley Pendleton, Ivan Nicholas out of ASA College in Brooklyn, NY, and Aaron Garbutt out of Fullerton CC in California, to aid in the secondary.

Special Teams
Kickoff specialist Andrew Ritter returns for his junior season. Ritter finished 2010 with 13 touchbacks, but also 4 kickoffs out of bounds.

Junior Bryson Rose returns and is expected to retain field goal and PAT duties. Rose was 16-18 on field goals with a long of 41 in 2010.

Junior Tyler Campbell returns after becoming the 2010 NCAA punting champion with an average of 46.37 yards per punt. Campbell had 19 punts of 50-plus yards with a long punt of 69 yards and 13 downed inside the 20. Campbell was named a third team All American by The Sporting News.

Return specialist Jesse Grandy transferred during the offseason to the University of Central Arkansas, leaving the positions open for grabs and with no shortage of suitors.

Potential replacements for Grandy are the following: wide receivers Philander Moore, Nick Brassell, Tobias Singleton, Korvic Neat, Collins Moore and Derrick Herman, running back Jeff Scott, and cornerback Senquez Golson.