| Tuesday, October 14, 2014 |
| Money couldn't buy the positive publicity for Mississippi State, Ole Miss | |
 | Everybody thinks their team is No. 1. But when the team actually reaches the top of the heap, it is indeed rarefied air. And that's where Mississippi State's football team finds itself in both the Amway USA Today Coaches and the Associated Press polls after last weekend's games. After a string of big victories and attention from the media across the country, the spotlight on the maroon and white has never been brighter. "If we could go to Fort Knox and load up as much gold as we could, we still couldn't buy all the publicity and good will we've received," said Kyle Steward, MSU's executive director of external affairs. The payoff is immeasurable, marketing and public relations experts say. "You now have this broad appeal to so many more people, drawing greater interest because of the attention the school is receiving," Steward said. |
| Mississippi State students savor No. 1 ranking | |
 | Mississippi State senior Aaron Burrell woke up Sunday morning from a wild dream. In the dream, the third-ranked Bulldogs had beaten the No. 2 Auburn Tigers and jumped to first in the nation. He had witnessed a record crowd at Davis-Wade Stadium. He had battled a sea of cowbells in the Cotton District Saturday night and couldn't even squeeze into the overcrowded bars. After a few seconds, though, he realized it wasn't a dream. "I had almost forgotten about it all that next morning," said Burrell, a native of Bay St. Louis. Campus was abuzz Monday with maroon- and white-clad supporters fresh off the big win. Monday was a previously-scheduled campus preview day for prospective Mississippi State students from around the country, and the effects of Saturday's win were evident to the high school students and their families -- even to those who had never followed Mississippi State football. |
| No. 1 fever a new experience for Bulldogs, fans | |
| Mississippi State University students and other Bulldog fans floating on air could be excused for believing the laws of gravity stopped three days ago. Mark Novotny, head of the university's department of physics and astronomy, has witnessed the phenomenon himself throughout the campus and surrounding areas where college football fans gather. "They seem to have more acceleration in their steps, more intensity in their voice," said Novotny, whose research includes quantum transport. Along with physics, another culprit led to this condition -- thousands of clanging cowbells. "Their ears are still ringing," he said. Bulldog fans local and otherwise can't seem to get enough merchandise from a team they consider almost magical halfway through the college football season. |
| Is winning good for business? 'It's all Ole Miss and Mississippi State right now' | |
 | Life is good if you're a fan of No. 1 Mississippi State or No. 3 Ole Miss. It's even better if you own or manage a store like the Sports Shack LLC in D'Iberville, which has seen business explode with the meteoric rises of the undefeated Bulldogs and Rebels. "Let's just put it this way, our sales from last month to this month with Mississippi State and Ole Miss have doubled," said Pam Thompson, co-owner of The Sports Shack. Cheryl and Walt Moskal of Long Beach were among State fans at the D'Iberville store looking for Bulldog merchandise. Their son, Kyle, just graduated from MSU in May and they were looking to purchase more maroon and white apparel to show their support. |
| Perfect timing: New store capitalizes on football madness | |
| College Corner in Ridgeland, which sells Ole Miss and Mississippi State paraphernalia, opened in July. Three months later, the teams are undefeated, tied for third in the Associated Press college football poll and the Bulldogs' quarterback is a Heisman favorite. "For the last two weeks, it's been absolutely crazy," said Scott Werne, who owns the store with his wife, Paula. Fans of both schools are buying clothing and accessories as fast as the Wernes and their staff can get it to the store. "We're having a hard time keeping stuff on the shelves," he said. Both teams' gear is selling at similar clips, Werne said. |
| Storm system causes scattered damage across Mississippi | |
 | Trees tumbled and some buildings were damaged Monday, but few injuries were reported as a strong cold front pushed a line of thunderstorms across Mississippi. Starkville, where a sharp, brief storm hit just after 5 p.m., was among the hardest-hit locations. "There is a potential it could have been a microburst," said David Cox, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service's Jackson office. Adam Weaver, a meteorology student at Mississippi State University, said it's the wildest weather he's ever seen firsthand, as five large pine trees around his house came crashing down. Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman said most of the city's 11,000 electric customers lost power for a time. "It came out of nowhere -- just very strong winds and hail," said Wiseman, who was at home with his family. "It was gone as quick as it came." |
| MSU Riley Center honored for arts | |
 | The MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian was among the recipients of the 2015 Governor's Arts Awards. The MSU Riley Center took top honors in the Arts in Community category, the Mississippi Arts Commission announced Monday. "The Mississippi Arts Commission is honored to celebrate the 27th Governor's Arts Awards with this outstanding list of deserving recipients," said Dr. Tom Pearson, executive director of the Commission. "The panel of judges worked diligently to narrow it down to a group that represents what our artistic heritage is all about; exemplary talent and dedication to the arts. We look forward to showcasing their contributions during the awards ceremony in February." Awards are given to individuals and organizations for the excellence of their work in a wide variety of art forms including visual arts, performing arts, and community development through the arts. |
| Michele Thames joins MSU Riley Center | |
| The MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian has named Michele Thames, a longtime Meridian executive with a strong background in business development, event planning, and sales and marketing, as its new conference sales manager. Thames moves to the MSU Riley Center from the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation, where she has been manager of the Chamber of Commerce since January 2011. Previously, she had been coordinator for the Arts and Letters Series and the Lifetime Quest Center for Learning in Retirement at Meridian Community College. Dennis Sankovich, executive director of the Riley Center, said Thames' position is a very important one because the center solicits and attracts meetings and conventions from around the state and the region, as well as from Meridian and Lauderdale County. |
| MSU Veterinary College, Jackson Zoo Announce New Partnership | |
 | Officials at Mississippi State's College of Veterinary Medicine and the Jackson Zoo are formalizing and expanding a partnership to enable more research opportunities for both institutions. Under terms of the new agreement, veterinary students will have additional opportunities beginning with the 2015 spring semester to learn about zoo and wildlife medicine. Zoo director Beth Poff, Jackson Mayor Tony T. Yarber and Jerry Gilbert, MSU's provost and executive vice president, were MOU signatories. According to Yarber, the zoo's plans and the MSU students' expanded involvement are clear signs of the capital city's continuing growth and development. |
| Harmon Named Miss Mississippi State University | |
| Senior Randi-Kathryn Harmon, a communication/public relations major, was selected for the 2015 Miss Mississippi State University title in the recent pageant held last Friday on campus. Harmon is the daughter of Randy and Cindy Harmon. She is a 2011 Amory High School graduate who also graduated from Itawamba Community College in 2013. Nine students competed in the annual selection of the land-grant institution's representative to the Miss Mississippi Pageant. Competition categories included personal interview, swim wear, talent, evening wear, and on-stage question. "Miss MSU represents our university throughout the year as a spokesperson as she competes for the title of Miss Mississippi and, possibly, Miss America," said pageant director Amelia Treptow. |
| Starkville High School Closed Today | |
| Classes at Starkville High School are canceled today because the school has no electricity. A power line downed by Monday evening's strong winds also still is across the campus. The closing does not impact other schools in the district. |
| Gov. Bryant shares positive Mississippi economic news | |
 | Did you know Mississippi ranks second in the country when it comes to oil and gas development? Gov. Phil Bryant shared that statistic and others during an appearance in Gulfport Monday morning. He brought his Mississippi Works tour to the Coast. "Physicians say, this is the best state in America to practice medicine in. How many of y'all have ever heard that? Me neither," said Bryant, during his breakfast meeting speech to the Gulf Coast Business Council. The governor says such positive economic news often goes unnoticed or under-reported. One economic development effort the governor would like to pursue is an emphasis on ship building. He says we build the best ships here in Mississippi of anywhere else in the world. And more people and other countries need to know about that. |
| New coalition tries to reignite Medicaid debate in state | |
| It may be nothing more than tilting at windmills, but a coalition announced recently a new effort to get the Legislature to expand Medicaid in Mississippi. The MS Left Me Out coalition, which includes the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program, Center for Justice, American Cancer Society, the Economic Policy Center, NAACP and others, maintains that if Mississippi expands Medicaid to cover those earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, about 300,000 primarily working Mississippians would receive health insurance coverage. Such an expansion is allowed under the federal Affordable Care Act. But the state Republican leadership is adamant that Medicaid expansion won't occur. |
| Can't quit Mitt: Friends say Romney feels nudge to consider a 2016 presidential run | |
 | Officially, Mitt Romney returned to Iowa, the quadrennial presidential proving ground, to give a boost to Joni Ernst. But at a closed-door breakfast fundraiser here Monday, the first question from a donor had nothing to do with Ernst's Senate campaign. "When you get elected to the Senate, your job should be to convince Mitt Romney to run for president again," a donor told Ernst, according to several attendees. The Republican candidate said she would, while Romney laughed. When Romney and Ernst gathered in a West Des Moines boardroom with about 40 agriculture executives Sunday night, one businessman after another pleaded with Romney to give the White House another shot. Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and now the tacit head of the Republican Party, visited Iowa as part of a feverish nationwide tour designed to help the GOP take control of the Senate. |
| C.D.C. Rethinking Methods to Stop Spread of Ebola | |
 | The transmission of the Ebola virus to a nurse here forced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday to reconsider its approach to containing the disease, with state and federal officials re-examining whether equipment and procedures were adequate or too loosely followed, and whether more decontamination steps are necessary when health workers leave isolation units. "We have to rethink the way we address Ebola infection control, because even a single infection is unacceptable," Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the C.D.C., told reporters. |
| Russian hackers use 'zero-day' to hack NATO, Ukraine in cyber-spy campaign | |
| A Russian hacking group probably working for the government has been exploiting a previously unknown flaw in Microsoft's Windows operating system to spy on NATO, the Ukrainian government, a U.S. university researcher and other national security targets, according to a new report. The group has been active since at least 2009, according to research by iSight Partners, a cybersecurity firm. Its targets in the recent campaign also included a Polish energy firm, a Western European government agency and a French telecommunications firm. Current and former U.S. intelligence officials say the capabilities of Russian hackers are on par with those of the United States and Israel. |
| Statistics show most out-of-state students at UM from Texas | |
 | It is no surprise that Mississippi natives make up more than half of The University of Mississippi's full time, undergraduate student body. However, "Bigger in Texas, Better in the Grove" has a whole new meaning when it comes to Ole Miss enrollment. It appears students from Texas can't get enough of the Southern charm Ole Miss has to offer because they make up 6.4 percent of undergraduates, more than any other state. "I think one of the reasons so many students come from Texas is because the schools in Texas are so hard to get in to," said student Mckenzie Cook, a native of San Antonio. |
| Institute of Marine Mammal Studies investigating turtle death while nursing another back to health | |
| The Institute of Marine Mammal Studies is investigating the death of a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle that washed ashore in Gulfport. Meanwhile, another turtle found Monday, and thought to be dead, is undergoing treatment and may be saved. A team from the IMMS responded late Monday morning to the beachfront just east of the Gulfport Small Craft Harbor. That's where a couple walking on the beach discovered the dead turtle. A research assistant took measurements of the young turtle and recorded other information about the animal. Victoria Howard said IMMS has responded to a large number of turtle strandings this year. "We've had both live and dead strandings," Howard explained. |
| Auburn University police identify St. Louis teen as prank caller in Friday bomb threat | |
 | A St. Louis teenager has been identified as the person who called in a bomb threat at Auburn University Friday afternoon. On Monday, the Auburn Police Division released that a 15-year-old male from Missouri was the caller that reported a bomb threat Friday afternoon at the Auburn University Student Union Building on Heisman Drive. At 5:35 p.m. Friday, officers with the APD arrived at the building in response to a bomb threat that had been made. Upon arrival, officers were informed that a caller had previously made a "prank call" at the Foy Union Information Desk in a separate incident. The Student Union building was temporarily evacuated as K-9 officers searched the building, where no bomb was found. |
| Campus, community get to meet U. of Florida president hopefuls | |
 | The University of Florida presidential search committee is in a New York state of mind, with a dash of international flavor thrown in for good measure. The committee's top two candidates for the 12th president of UF are provosts at two of the nation's most prestigious and highly ranked universities: W. Kent Fuchs of Cornell University and David McLaughlin of New York University. For good measure, and not without some discussion, they included Sibrandes Poppema, president of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, as a third choice. The job to run one of the largest public research universities in the country pays $925,000 to $1.25 million a year and comes with a $5 million mansion now under construction. |
| U. of Florida alum gives $5M to College of Education | |
| A University of Florida alumna and former school teacher's historic donation to the College of Education will bolster early childhood studies on campus and, the college hopes, propel its research center into the national spotlight. Anita Zucker, now CEO and chairwoman of Charleston, S.C.-based InterTech Group, bestowed $5 million on her alma mater to support a UF initiative to "optimize" early childhood development and learning. Hers is the largest gift ever given to the College of Education by an individual. As part of its pre-eminence plan, UF will invest an additional $5 million in the project over the next several years, which covers four faculty positions in the colleges of Education, Medicine and Public Health and Health Professions. |
| Governor's Race: Best for Florida Higher Ed? | |
 | A tight gubernatorial race in Florida has included a back-and-forth battle over who can claim pro-higher-education bragging rights. Both candidates -- Republican incumbent Rick Scott and Democratic convert Charlie Crist -- have been working for months to paint themselves as an ally to students, parents and teachers. Those efforts have included claims of financial support for college students and the cash-strapped state university system, where universities saw several straight years of budget cuts prior to 2013. "Both of them are trying to claim credit and cast blame on the other candidate," said Carol Weissert, a political science professor at Florida State University. "And it's interesting, because higher education isn't generally part of that debate." The good news is they're talking about higher education, when most gubernatorial campaigns don't, Weissert said. |
| UGA's 'Peabody Decades' to start second season on Tuesday | |
 | The Peabody Awards and the Peabody Collection at the University of Georgia will launch today the second season of "The Peabody Decades," a series of documentaries drawing on the Peabody archives at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. Each "Decades" program is free and open to the public and each will highlight a different television genre or theme. The season opener, "Laughing Matters," will focus on TV comedy, showcasing the comedy-variety shows that dominated early television, the situation comedies that remain a prime-time staple, and the comedy-oriented talk shows that began with hosts such as Steve Allen in the early 1950s and continue to thrive today with the likes of David Letterman at the desk. |
| Texas A&M faculty updated on presidential search and Vision 2020 | |
 | Texas A&M Provost Karen Watson on Monday addressed concerns about a recent move to change faculty appointment lengths from 12 months to nine months to avoid costly vacation liability, saying no professors are entitled to the yearlong deal. "Do I agree with you that two days notice was not a right way to roll that out? Yes," Watson said, referring to the Dwight Look College of Engineering's decision announced late in the summer. "But I will tell you that nobody is entitled to a 12-month appointment. Part of the problem is the other colleges were having to pay for you guys and it's time to get back to a balance because [other colleges] don't let any of their faculty have those kind of appointments, yet the university's resources are used when it's time to pay up for vacation." The Faculty Senate passed a resolution at its Sept. 8 meeting hoping to gain "appropriate consultation" from department heads before decisions are made in an effort to improve shared governance. |
| On Campuses and Beyond, the Job Market for New Graduates Looks Up | |
 | Campuses' career counselors have been seeing encouraging signs, and now a major survey of employers backs them up: The coming year looks to be a much better one for new college graduates seeking jobs. Job openings for those graduates are projected to grow by double digits in 2014-15, following several years of smaller increases, according to key findings from the survey, which was released on Tuesday. Hiring of new bachelor's-degree recipients will increase by 16 percent, the survey projects; hiring among all degree levels will grow at the same rate. "This demand has been pent up for over a decade now," said Philip D. Gardner, director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University, which released the findings, based on responses from nearly 5,700 employers. On campuses, career-development officials also say job prospects look good. |
| Kuali: Shortcut to the Cloud | |
| When the Kuali Foundation in August confused and surprised the open-source software community with the announcement that it would launch KualiCo, a commercial service provider, rSmart's Chris Coppola was a voice of reason. "As a Kuali community co-founder and leading Kuali Commercial Affiliate, we're excited about Kuali's future," Coppola, CEO of rSmart, wrote in response to the news. "rSmart is committed to our customers, to the Kuali mission and to supporting this new direction." Less than two months later, rSmart is getting out of the Kuali business altogether, and Coppola is joining KualiCo. In a three-way deal announced Tuesday, rSmart is selling its cloud technology to KualiCo, while Navigator Management Partners, another one of Kuali's commercial affiliates, will take over rSmart's consulting services. |
| Eyeing Possible Successors for Head of Senate Education Panel | |
 | No matter which party comes out ahead in the Nov. 4 congressional elections, the U.S. Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will have a new leader. Should Republicans take control of the chamber, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., currently the ranking member on the education panel, will take the reins and has openly discussed his priorities for the committee. Should Democrats maintain their majority, political observers, education policy experts, and Senate aides widely expect Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., to succeed retiring Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa---though Sen. Murray, who now chairs the Budget Committee, has been adamant about not projecting her future moves. |
| CHARLIE MITCHELL (OPINION): Fewer in Mississippi see gay marriage as threat | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "It will happen in Mississippi. Sooner or later -- probably a lot sooner than anyone thinks -- this state will join the 30 others where, as of last week, men may marry men and women may marry women. The societal shift has been at lightning speed. (Actually, it has taken 18 years, but that's lightning speed measured against the thousands of years wedlock was for heterosexuals only.) No one in public life has been punished at the polls on the topic. ...In the big picture, what's happening is that fewer Americans -- and that includes Mississippians -- see any reason to fear allowing men to marry men and women to marry women. One state will be last to provide legal recognition, but the pattern is clear: All 50 will ordain same-sex marriage -- and it won't take long." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Mullen talks Prescott, Kentucky on SportsCenter | |
| The Mississippi State football team doesn't play a game this week, but the No. 1 Bulldogs remain a hot topic on the national stage. MSU head coach Dan Mullen made an appearance Monday morning on ESPN's SportsCenter and he was quizzed about everything from his 2-year-old daughter to Dak Prescott, his star quarterback. Prescott is currently the front runner for the Heisman Trophy so it was only natural that he came up in the discussion. The Bulldogs are 6-0 and 3-0 in the SEC and Prescott's play has been crucial to that success. "His confidence is really high," Mullen said on SportsCenter. |
| Dak Prescott named SEC Offensive player of the week | |
| Dak Prescott won his second SEC Offensive Player of Week this year. It's the first time the Mississippi State quarterback has won sole position of the award this season. The junior guided the Bulldogs to a third-straight win against a top 10 team last week. Auburn was the latest to fall victim, 38-23. The awards continued with Mississippi State senior tight end Malcolm Johnson joining the 2014 John Mackey Award midseason watch list. The award is given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end. |
| Voters explain why they went with Mississippi State at No. 1 | |
 | In The AP poll, Mississippi State overwhelmed previous No. 1 Florida State for the top spot. Entering the week two poll points ahead of Auburn, FSU watched as MSU soared into the top spot, as 45 of 60 AP voters gave the Bulldogs the nod on top. Several of those voters explained why they chose the Bulldogs, who have won nine-straight games. "Quality wins made my decision," said Adam Sparks, the Vanderbilt beat writer for The Tennessean in Nashville, Tennessee. "Beating LSU, Texas A&M, and especially Auburn in three-straight games made up my mind. Reached by The Dispatch late Sunday afternoon and into Sunday night, each beat writer polled pointed to MSU's stretch of big-time wins as their reasons for anointing it the country's best team. |
| Mullen earns fans' adoration at Mississippi State after 2013 struggles | |
| Mississippi State fans happily embrace Dan Mullen as their head football coach, but it wasn't that long ago that many were questioning the direction of his program. After three consecutive losses to South Carolina, Texas A&M and South Carolina, the Bulldogs were 4-6 and 1-5 in the SEC in the middle of November last year. That 4-6 start to the 2013 season now seems like a decade ago. Mississippi State has won nine consecutive games, including three straight over top 10 opponents, to sit at 6-0 and No. 1 in the nation. While the No. 1 ranking and all the media attention is new to Mississippi State, the sixth-year coach and his Bulldogs have been in this position before as an undefeated squad at the midway point of the season. |
| Mississippi State's magical ride keeps going with SEC West win over Auburn | |
 | "For a long time as a university, we had laid back figured out really well," said current athletic director Scott Stricklin, who as an associate AD helped Greg Byrne hire Dan Mullen at Mississippi State. "I think what's happened is we flipped that. We want to be the aggressor." That attitude has pervaded every clanger of a cowbell this season thanks to a mix of tried-and-true and new initiatives. They might be the best team in the country, but they'll have to prove that over the next three months. Mississippi State took another step Saturday. |
| The Delta Rids Itself of the Football Blues: Mississippi State and Ole Miss Climb Rankings | |
| Football can prove too provocative a subject for mixed company in Mississippi, so people here often turn to something everybody can agree on, like religion. Thus it was when Mac Smith, a Mississippi State man, called his Ole Miss-loving brother-in-law last weekend after both teams had wrapped up the most triumphant Saturday of football this state had ever known. "He has two small boys," said Smith, who was ringing up orders at the Little Dooey, a barbecue spot now adorned with banners inviting ESPN, CBS and whatever other national broadcasters may have made it to the prairies of eastern Mississippi. "I said, 'You better kiss them boys tonight because I think Jesus is coming tomorrow.'" Indeed, these are days of signs and wonders in Mississippi. |
| College Football Playoff 2014: Mississippi State a unanimous No. 1 in Week 7 of the First Four poll | |
 | For the first time, it's unanimous. On the heels of Saturday's 38-23 victory over Auburn, Mississippi State this week becomes the first team unanimously voted No. 1 in our First Four poll. And why not? The Bulldogs just became the fourth team in college football history to win three straight games against teams ranked in the top 10 at the time of the game. "How ironic that 31 years ago it was Auburn that last defeated top-10 opponents in three straight games," wrote First Four voter Tom Layberger of Advance Digital's National Desk. "For it was the Tigers who were on the opposite sideline in Starkville on Saturday when Mississippi State became the fourth team to ever complete such a trifecta, and the first to do so against conference foes." The Bulldogs now replace the Tigers at the top of the heap. |
| MSU notebook: Injuries bite Bulldogs' hoops | |
| Rick Ray raved about having a full roster prior to Mississippi State starting practice on Oct. 3. That is no longer the case. Junior guard Craig Sword will miss 4-6 weeks following back surgery and junior forward Johnny Zuppardo will miss the 2014-15 season with a torn meniscus and ACL in his left knee. Sword has been the Bulldogs leading scorer the past two seasons and will have surgery Thursday in Nashville to repair irritated nerves caused by a bulging disk. Zuppardo transferred in from Jones County Junior College and will undergo surgery in the coming weeks. He will seek a medical hardship. |
| Ole Miss aware of Nkemdiche bong photo, background | |
| Ole Miss is aware of a photo circulating the Internet of star Robert Nkemdiche with a bong. "I'm very aware of the picture and also when it was taken and where it was taken," coach Hugh Freeze said. "We test our entire team on our drug-testing policy at the beginning of the season and then we have our follow-up tests throughout the course of the year. I'm super confident we handled each one the same and we enforce our policy very consistently." No. 3 Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0 SEC) plays Tennessee (3-3, 0-2) on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN). The photo began circulating on the Internet Sunday, originating from a Tennessee fan message board according to Outkick the Coverage. |
| Marijuana, cash seized from Alabama football player's dorm room | |
 | Narcotics agents confiscated a quarter pound of marijuana and nearly $4,700 from a University of Alabama football player's dorm room last week. Agents used a confidential informant to identify Kurt Freitag as one of the participants in a drug transaction, according to court documents filed Monday. The documents do not indicate whether the sophomore tight end from Buford, Ga., was charged. "It's an ongoing investigation and we are not going to comment on it at this time," said Sgt. Brent Blankley, a Tuscaloosa police spokesman. |
| Gus Malzahn opens up on Auburn's future after loss at Mississippi State | |
 | The Auburn fans showed up Saturday in Starkville. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn noticed it, and the large Tiger Walk before the game of the year was appreciated. The problem? Auburn lost 38-23 at Mississippi State and it sent the fans and Tigers back home to the Plains licking their wounds during a bye week. "We just need to give our fans something more to cheer about," Malzahn said Monday on Auburn's Tiger Talk radio show. No. 6 Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC) enters the back half of its schedule looking for answers. |
| Some Vols fans planning to #CheckerVandy | |
 | Watch out, Nashville. After the success of the "Checker Neyland" fan initiative last week against Florida, Vols fans apparently have big plans for Tennessee's season finale against Vanderbilt on Nov. 29. On Sunday night, a comment on 247sports.com's Vols message board called for Tennessee fans to form a checkerboard pattern at Vanderbilt Stadium by alternating orange and white sections. Fans later found a seating map for the stadium and began diagramming which sections would be instructed to wear which color. As of 5:30 p.m. Monday, the hashtag #CheckerVandy had been used 147 times on Twitter. Tweets containing the hashtag had been retweeted 828 times. |
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