Tag: mississippi state

Nov 30, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Luke Kromenhoek (14) before a game against the Florida Gators at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Mississippi State lands Florida State transfer QB Luke Kromenhoek

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Florida State transfer quarterback Luke Kromenhoek announced Tuesday that he has committed to Mississippi State.

Kromenhoek appeared in six games, including two starts, as a true freshman for the Seminoles following an injury to starter DJ Uiagalelei and ineffectiveness by primary backup Brock Glenn. He threw for 502 yards with three touchdowns against two interceptions, while adding 113 yards on 63 carries.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback was a four-star recruit out of Benedictine Military in Savannah, Ga., and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

The Bulldogs having been seeking to add competition for the starting quarterback job next season with Michael Van Buren Jr. transferring to LSU and third-stringer Chris Parson also entering the transfer portal.

Kromenhoek joins a quarterback depth chart that includes Blake Shapen, who began this season as the starter before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4. Mississippi State also signed four-star quarterback KaMario Taylor to its 2025 recruiting class.

The Bulldogs failed to qualify for a bowl game following a 5-7 finish this season.

–Field Level Media

Mississippi State's quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the Egg Bowl game against Mississippi at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.

Former Mississippi State QB Michael Van Buren Jr. transfers to LSU

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Former Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. announced on social media Sunday that he is transferring to LSU.

Van Buren, who has three years of eligibility remaining, made eight starts as a true freshman this season for Mississippi State (2-10). He played in 10 games and completed 140 of 256 passes (54.7 percent) for 1,886 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for five TDs.

Bulldogs starter Blake Shapen sustained a season-ending injury in the fourth game of the season against Florida on Sept. 21 and Van Buren took over. Shapen said Monday that he plans to return as a sixth-year senior in 2025.

LSU’s QB room includes starter Garrett Nussmeier, who announced his plans to return, as well as former Vanderbilt transfer AJ Swann.

The Tigers’ Class of 2025 recruiting has not included a quarterback after No. 1 prospect Bryce Underwood changed his commitment from LSU to Michigan last month.

“My family and I are forever thankful to coach (Jeff) Lebby, the staff, my teammates, the administrative team and the professors for their contributions to my growth as an individual,” Van Buren had posted on social media on Tuesday in announcing he was transferring. “For the past year, we have worked arm in arm to generate some memorable moments in coach Lebby’s first year, and I am confident there is more greatness to come from the program.”

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Van Buren was a four-star prospect out of Bowie, Md., who initially committed to Oregon before signing with Mississippi State.

–Former Nebraska quarterback Daniel Kaelin committed to Virginia on Sunday, he announced on social media.

The true freshman from Elkhorn, Neb., redshirted this season. Kaelin (6-foot-3, 220) was behind true freshman starter Dylan Raiola and junior Heinrich Haarberg on the depth chart.

–Field Level Media

Oct 12, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod (94) deflects the pass of Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) in the fourth quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

One-time Oregon commit, Miss. State QB Michael Van Buren Jr. hits portal

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Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. hit the transfer portal after one season in Starkville, igniting another likely string of dominoes on the college QB carousel.

The true freshman started eight games for the Bulldogs in 2024, taking over as QB1 when starter Blake Shapen was injured, including a 300-yard effort with three TD passes in a 41-31 loss to Georgia.

“My family and I are forever thankful to coach (Jeff) Lebby, the staff, my teammates, the administrative team and the professors for their contributions to my growth as an individual,” Van Buren posted on social media. “For the past year, we have worked arm in arm to generate some memorable moments in coach Lebby’s first year, and I am confident there is more greatness to come from the program.”

Shapen said Monday he plans to return to Mississippi State next season.

However, he could soon have significant competition for the starting job.

Mississippi State is reportedly heavily pursuing quarterbacks in the transfer portal and was on the list of planned visits by Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold, according to reports.

The Bulldogs were 2-10 in Lebby’s first season and Van Buren passed for 1,886 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions with five rushing touchdowns.

Lebby was previously offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma and recruited Arnold. He coached Arnold in 2023, the first of the quarterback’s two seasons in Norman, when Dillon Gabriel — the current Oregon starter — was ahead of Norman on the depth chart.

In May 2023, Van Buren committed to Dan Lanning and Oregon ahead of his two other finalists, Penn State and Maryland.

But when Lebby left Oklahoma to take over at Mississippi State, the dominoes dropped in this order: Van Buren decommitted from the Ducks and signed with Mississippi State; Gabriel transferred from Oklahoma to Oregon; and Arnold was promoted to the starting job with the Sooners.

Luke Moga, a four-star recruit in the 2024 class, held to his commitment to Oregon and remains with the Ducks entering the postseason.

–Field Level Media

Mississippi's quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) throws the ball during the Egg Bowl game against Mississippi State at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.

Jaxson Dart, No. 14 Ole Miss fends off Miss. State in Egg Bowl

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Jaxson Dart broke Eli Manning’s school passing record, Ulysses Bentley IV had the SEC’s longest run this season and No. 14 Ole Miss beat visiting Mississippi State 26-14 in Friday’s 121st annual Egg Bowl in Oxford, Miss.

In eclipsing Manning’s mark of 10,119 yards set from 2000-03, Dart was 14 of 24 for 143 yards and a touchdown as the three-TD favorite Rebels (9-3, 5-3) struggled through the air.

Dart now has 10,213 yards and moved into 10th all-time in SEC passing yards. He also rushed for 77 yards on 13 attempts.

Bentley, who was healthy but did not play in last Saturday’s 24-17 loss at Florida, had a game-high 136 yards on 20 carries and a TD.

Ole Miss leads the all-time series at 66-46-6.

The Bulldogs’ Michael Van Buren rushed for a TD and was 17-of-32 passing for 280 yards and a touchdown pass to Kevin Coleman Jr. (six catches, 118 yards). Van Buren also threw two interceptions.

Mississippi State (2-10, 0-8) went winless in conference play for the first time since 2002 and lost its 12th straight SEC game.

On the first series, the Rebels’ Chris Paul Jr. stepped in and picked off Van Buren for his first career interception. Caden Davis soon drilled a 39-yard field for a 3-0 lead.

After converting a fake punt, the Bulldogs went for it again on fourth-and-7 at the Ole Miss 34. Van Buren hit Coleman on a shallow cross for a 7-3 Bulldogs lead at 7:54.

In the offensive backfield on third-and-1, defensive tackle JJ Pegues rumbled five yards for his seventh touchdown of the season at 2:16 to cap a 13-play, 75-yard drive. Then on the quarter’s last play, Van Buren scampered in on a keeper from six yards.

Bentley ripped off the Rebels’ longest play of the season when he burst through the middle and sprinted 89 yards for a score and a 17-14 halftime lead.

After missing a 54-yard kick to end the half, Davis drilled one from 43 yards in the third following a muffed punt return by Coleman that was recovered by Suntarine Perkins.

In the fourth quarter, Caden Prieskorn made a juggling 19-yard TD catch at 9:56 to end an 87-yard drive. The TD put Ole Miss up two scores before its goal-line stand with 5:46 left.

–Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) walks off the field after throwing an interception against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

No. 14 Ole Miss seeks consolation win over Miss. State in Egg Bowl

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With an important regular-season finale ending a short week, Mississippi has watched its dreams shift from national success to perhaps something it certainly did not want on Thanksgiving weekend:

An Egg Bowl that holds only regional significance and statewide bragging rights.

After their third and disappointing defeat, the No. 14 Rebels will play Friday afternoon in their annual Egg Bowl matchup against rival Mississippi State in the intrastate series in Oxford, Miss.

It will not be easy putting aside the catastrophic 24-17 loss at Florida last Saturday, a soul-crushing setback that all but ended any College Football Playoff aspirations for the most talented Rebels team assembled in a long time. Coach Lane Kiffin’s team slid five spots to 14th in the latest CFP rankings.

The offseason outlook was rosy when Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3 SEC) shelled out big NIL money and added the top portal class to fill a roster that won 11 games in 2023.

But the Rebels repeatedly shot themselves in the foot Saturday against the Gators. Ole Miss’ high-powered offense turned the ball over three times, went 3 of 14 on third down, failed on two fourth-down attempts, dropped five passes and missed a field goal.

Before the game, ABC’s broadcast noted that the Rebels had an 84 percent chance to make the CFP. Following the loss, that number dwindled to four percent. The only way the Oxford school gets in is if there is the repeated chaos of Week 13, one that talk show host Paul Finebaum called “the most SEC carnage” he had ever seen.

The Egg Bowl has been played on Thanksgiving Day 23 times, including 2017 to last season, but Kiffin feels the afternoon start on Friday is an advantage.

“It helps them to know that playoffs are still alive and they get kind of the first shot to show everybody on a national stage,” Kiffin said Monday, “as opposed to a Saturday game where these people that make the decisions don’t necessarily see all the games because so many are going on.”

For the second time this month, Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby will lead his last-place Bulldogs (2-9, 0-7) against a former boss. The 40-year-old head coach faced Tennessee and coach Josh Heupel, who had Lebby on his staff at UCF in 2018 and 2019, in a 33-14 loss on Nov. 9.

Now he will face Kiffin, whom he was paired with in 2020 and 2021 in their first two seasons at Ole Miss when the school led the SEC in total offense.

A frequent social media user who enjoys trolling others, Kiffin took a jab at Lebby and Mississippi State when the first-year coach was hired.

“We’ve traded texts throughout the season and had communication,” Lebby said Monday. “But no, not this week. He’ll continue to find ways to have fun on social. That’s who he’s always been and who he’ll always be.”

Ole Miss owns a 65-46-6 series advantage and has claimed five of the past seven matches, including a 35-3 “Egg Brawl” victory by the Bulldogs in 2018 that was later vacated.

Another loss to the Rebels would give MSU its first winless SEC season since 2002.

–Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Marcus Carroll (9) runs against Mississippi State Bulldogs safety Isaac Smith (2) during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images

No. 23 Missouri runs past Mississippi State

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Marcus Carroll rushed for three touchdowns and a two-point conversion as the No. 23 Missouri Tigers defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 39-20 Saturday in Starkville, Miss.

The Tigers (8-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) ran the ball 56 times for 204 yards. Nate Noel gained 95 yards on the ground and Carroll rushed for 61 yards.

Brady Cook completed 15-of-20 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown for Missouri. Luther Burden III caught seven passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.

The Tigers converted 11-of-18 third-down plays and built a time-of-possession advantage of 41:51 to 18:09.

Davon Booth rushed for 124 yards and one touchdown for the Bulldogs (2-9, 0-7). Michael Van Buren Jr. completed 16-of-28 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown.

Mississippi State went up 3-0 on the game’s opening possession. Booth’s 33-yard run set up Kyle Ferrie’s 38-yard field goal.

The Tigers scored on defense to move ahead 7-3. Daylan Carnell scooped up Van Buren’s fumble and raced 68 yards for the score.

Cook’s 45-yard pass to Marquis Johnson propelled Missouri on a 75-yard touchdown drive for a 14-3 lead. Carroll scored on a 2-yard run.

The Bulldogs answered with Van Buren’s 11-yard TD pass to Jordan Mosley to cut their deficit to 14-10.

Missouri stretched its lead to 21-10 on Cook’s 28-yard TD pass to Burden. The Tigers made it 28-10 as Carroll scored from 19 yards out.

Ferrie’s 26-yard field goal with 30 seconds left in the first half cut Missouri’s lead to 28-13.

The Tigers took 8:46 off the clock to start the second half. Blake Craig’s 35-yard field goal made it 31-13.

The Bulldogs quickly cut that lead to 31-20 with Booth running twice for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Missouri finished off the Bulldogs with a 14-play, 83-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. Carroll capped it with a 1-yard touchdown run and a conversion run to make it 39-20.

–Field Level Media

Nov 2, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) throws against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Saul Young/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

No. 7 Tennessee not overlooking Mississippi State

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Tennessee coach Josh Heupel sounded on Monday like someone who couldn’t care less about the first College Football Playoff rankings that were released Tuesday night.

“Playoff rankings at this point do not matter,” he said. “You do not have control over it. What you have control over is your preparation and how you play. Ultimately, that determines where you are at or where you are not at.”

Where the Volunteers wound up at in the first poll was seventh, putting them firmly in position to make the 12-team field as long as they keep winning. They aim to do that Saturday night in Knoxville, hosting Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State for Homecoming.

Tennessee (7-1, 4-1) trails SEC co-leaders Georgia and Texas A&M by a half-game but has a game in hand on both teams. It finishes conference play at Georgia and Vanderbilt, giving it a chance to either make a powerful closing statement or play itself out of the CFP.

The Volunteers are coming off a 28-18 home win last week against Kentucky as Dylan Sampson ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns, setting the program’s single-season school record for rushing scores with 19. It stood 95 years, originally set by Gene McIver in 1929 with 18.

Sampson, a junior, needs just 20 yards to reach 1,000 for the year and 19 to get to 2,000 for his career. He’s become the focal point of the Tennessee offense after quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s slump following a hot start.

Iamaleava has thrown for 1,705 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions this year. Sampson and the team’s defense, which has allowed only 12.4 points per game — fifth in FBS — have taken up slack for Iamaleava.

For Heupel, the month of November comes down to one thing.

“We have to continue to grow and get better,” he said.

As for Mississippi State (2-7, 0-5), it’s coming off a 45-20 rout of Massachusetts last week that enabled it to snap a seven-game losing streak. The Bulldogs have been competitive in most of their SEC losses, with the exception of a 58-25 blowout two weeks ago against Arkansas.

One factor that helped Mississippi State end its lengthy skid was cranking up the ground game. It averaged eight yards a carry against the Minutemen and collected five touchdowns on the ground. Three different players rushed for at least 69 yards, including 92 from Johnnie Daniels.

“I think we finished in better body positions in the core at the line of scrimmage,” said Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby. “That gives those backs a chance to run through tracks and create some space for those guys. I thought our guys did a pretty good job of winning some one-on-ones.

“To me, that’s the difference. Instead of gaining four (yards), you have the ability to run through tracks and get 11 (yards).”

Michael Van Buren Jr., who threw for 222 yards against Massachusetts, is completing 57.1 percent of his passes for 1,323 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

Tennessee owns a 29-16-1 lead in the teams’ series. This will be their first matchup in five years.

–Field Level Media

Nov 2, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) runs the ball against the Massachusetts Minutemen during the first quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Mississippi State routs UMass to end seven-game slide

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Michael Van Buren ran for two touchdowns and passed for another as Mississippi State ended a seven-game losing streak by beating visiting UMass 45-20 Saturday in Starkville, Miss.

Van Buren completed 14 of 25 passes for 222 yards in the win.

Mississippi State (2-7) trailed 10-0 after one quarter, but led 21-10 at halftime and 35-10 entering the fourth. The Bulldogs won for the first time since they opened the season by beating Eastern Kentucky 56-7.

UMass (2-7) used three quarterbacks in the loss. Starter Taisun Phommachanh appeared to get shaken up after taking a hit late in the first half and did not play in the final two quarters. Ahmad Haston and AJ Hairston each took snaps in the second half.

UMass led 10-0 thanks to Brandon Campbell’s 3-yard touchdown run with 7:23 remaining in the first quarter and Jacob Lurie’s 24-yard field goal with 1:13 left in the quarter.

Mississippi State erased its 10-point deficit by scoring 21 points in the second quarter. After Van Buren’s 4-yard TD run 33 seconds into the second got Mississippi State on the scoreboard, the Bulldogs took a 14-10 lead on tight end Seydou Traore’s 19-yard TD catch with 9:05 left in the quarter, and led 21-10 after Van Buren’s 2-yard scoring run with 1:56 to play in the first half.

Mississippi State stretched its lead to 25 points by scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter. Johnnie Daniels (six carries, 92 yards) scored on a 36-yard run with 11:11 left in the third, and Davon Booth added a 30-yard run with 3:25 remaining in the quarter.

Lurie kicked a 35-yard field goal to trim Mississippi State’s lead to 35-13 with 12:05 to play, but Kyle Ferrie’s 24-yard field goal made it 38-13 with 10:17 remaining in the game.

Mississippi State’s Xavier Gayten scored on a 72-yard TD run with 6:51 left in the fourth before UMass wrapped up the scoring on a 4-yard TD pass from Hairston to Jakobie Keeney-James with 17 seconds to play.

UMass was penalized nine times for 99 yards.

–Field Level Media

Oct 26, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) reacts after a touchdown against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the third quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images

UMass vows to ‘keep fighting,’ visits struggling Mississippi State

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Mississippi State will look for significant improvement on defense as it attempts to end a seven-game losing streak when Massachusetts visits Starkville, Miss., for a non-conference game on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (1-7, 0-5 Southeastern Conference) rank last in the 16-team SEC in both yards allowed per game (477.7) and points allowed per game (36.4). No other team in the conference has allowed an average of more than 23.6 points per contest.

Mississippi State surrendered 673 yards of offense — 359 on the ground — in a 58-25 loss to Arkansas last Saturday. Quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. completed 22 of 31 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, but he was intercepted twice and also fumbled the ball away twice. The Bulldogs turned the ball over five times.

“We had shown great improvement in the three weeks before Saturday,” Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said. “Saturday we did not play the way we needed to play on the defensive side of the ball. Getting back to playing with really clean eyes and having incredible communication will get us back to the way we played in the three weeks prior, and that is something we need to do.”

Quarterback Taisun Phommachanh turned in a strong performance to help Massachusetts (2-6) defeat Wagner, an FCS program, 35-7 last Saturday. Phommachanh passed for a touchdown and ran for two scores in the win.

Phommachanh has completed 126 of 221 passes for 1,541 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He’s also the team’s No. 2 rusher with 282 yards and three touchdowns on 101 carries.

“Taisun got his legs going a little bit,” Massachusetts coach Don Brown said. “That’s the best running day we’ve had. That was good to see. What we have to do is keep fighting, keep fighting, and we’ll worry about the scoreboard at the end of the day.”

This will be the second time Massachusetts has faced an SEC opponent this season. The Minutemen, who will join the Mid-American Conference next season, lost at then-No. 21 Missouri 45-3 on Oct. 12.

Mississippi State is seeking its first victory since it opened the season with a 56-7 win against Eastern Kentucky.

–Field Level Media

Oct 19, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) throws a pass against the Texas A&M Aggies during the third quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Arkansas tries to avoid overlooking struggling SEC foe Mississippi State

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Despite Mississippi State’s six-game losing streak, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said he won’t take the Bulldogs lightly when the schools meet Saturday afternoon in Starkville, Miss., in a Southeastern Conference clash.

Following its 34-10 loss at home last week to No. 8 LSU — a 16-10 game in the third quarter — Arkansas (4-3, 2-2) will meet Mississippi State (1-6, 0-4). But Pittman said Monday that his squad needs to ignore the Bulldogs’ record and pay close attention to their freshman quarterback, Michael Van Buren Jr.

The Bowie, Md., product has replaced Blake Shapen, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against Florida on Sept. 21 and will seek a second redshirt.

Van Buren, a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder, has responded with strong performances and pocket poise in three straight starts. He has completed 61 of 114 passes for 792 yards and six touchdowns, with two interceptions, behind an offensive line that has allowed him to be sacked 11 times.

“They’re wide open (with Van Buren),” Pittman said of the Bulldogs’ offense. “If you press them, they’re going to throw deep. He can throw the deep ball … and make plays with his feet. He gives them opportunities.”

And the Razorbacks could face the Bulldogs without a key offensive weapon. Pittman said his top running back, Ja’Quinden Jackson (592 yards, 10 TDs), would be “very questionable” at best for the matchup.

“He’s been beat up, basically, in SEC play,” Pittman conceded.

The Bulldogs are 15-18-1 all-time against Arkansas but have won the past two meetings, including the lowest-scoring outing in the 34-game series last season – a 7-3 road win in Fayetteville.

First-year Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby does not have a victory over an FBS school yet — the Bulldogs beat FCS foe Eastern Kentucky 56-7 in Week 1 – and they sit with Auburn in the conference’s basement with 0-4 marks.

In a 34-24 loss to No. 14 Texas A&M last Saturday, the Bulldogs surrendered at least 30 points for the sixth straight game. At 33.3 points per game, their defense ranks third worst among Power 4 units.

“Our normal-down defense, first and second down, was as good as we’ve played all year long,” Lebby said Monday. “We created 16 third downs, (but) then not being able to get off the field after third down was the difference in playing really, really good defense.”

–Field Level Media