BULLDOG BITS
Football
One of the top linebacker duos in the country, juniors Erroll Thompson and Willie Gay Jr. landed on the preseason watch list for the 35th annual Butkus Award on Monday morning.
MSU, Alabama and LSU are the Southeastern Conference programs with multiple players on the list.
Using his lightning speed to wreak havoc in coverage, Gay, a former Starkville High School performer, played in all 13 games as a sophomore and earned a starting role midway through the season. He collected 48 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and a fumble recovery. Targeted 20 times, Gay reeled in two interceptions and forced a pass breakup. He allowed just 5.3 yards per reception, earning a 90.6 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus.
A smart, instinctive, hard-hitting playmaker, Thompson enters 2019 with 133 total tackles, including 14.5 for loss and six sacks, in 26 games played. He has started 16 straight games, including all 13 last season for the nation's top-ranked defense. The Florence, Alabama, native was voted the defensive team captain for the 2019 season by his teammates. Last season, Thompson ranked second on the team in total tackles (87), tied for third in tackles for loss (nine), added 3.5 sacks and collected a pair of interceptions. He earned second-team ALL-SEC honors from The Associated Press for his efforts. Thompson is also a candidate for the Bednarik Award, which has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. He was selected preseason first-team ALL-SEC by media following SEC Media Days last week.
Semifinalists for the Butkis Award will be announced Nov. 4, finalists Nov. 25, and winners on or before Dec. 10.
Also later in the day, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame announced Mississippi State's Cameron Dantzler cornerback was added to the 2019 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award annually recognizes the best defensive back in college football. The award is based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. It is considered one of the most coveted awards in college football.
Dantzler was one of 46 defensive backs to be chosen an early candidate for the award and was one of just five SEC players to make the list. Earlier this month, Dantzler was selected to the 2019 Bednarik Award Watch List, which is awarded to the top defensive player in college football.
A preseason All-american, Dantzler is arguably the top returning SEC cornerback this year. He ranked second in the conference last season among corners with a 41.1 passer rating allowed, according to Pro Football Focus, and was one of only four SEC cornerbacks that did not allow a touchdown (min. 345 coverage snaps played). The Louisiana product also had a pair of interceptions and led the Bulldogs in passes defended (11).
Dantzler enters his junior season with 68 career tackles, including four for loss and a sack. He has added three interceptions and 15 passes defended.
The 2019 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award winner is selected from three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards presented by Gildan on Dec. 12 on ESPN. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award commemorative banquet will be held on Feb. 4, 2020, in Oklahoma City.
Men’s Basketball
MATOSINHOS, Portugal – Mississippi State incoming freshman Quinten Post had the opportunity to represent his native The Netherlands at the FIBA European Division B U20 Championships from July 12-21 in Matosinhos, Portugal.
The Netherlands posted a 4-1 record during pool play en route to a first-place tie with Estonia and Georgia in Group C. The team dropped a five-point decision to Belgium during the quarterfinals round before taking home a sixth-place finish at the event.
Post secured 7.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He tallied a double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and dished out five assists versus Estonia on July 14. Post also poured in a team-leading 18 points fueled by an 8-of-16 shooting performance and grabbed seven rebounds during a 66-61 victory over Sweden on July 16.
Mississippi State posted a 23-11 record last season and secured the program's 11th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs have dialed up 48 victories over the last two seasons which is tied for second-most in program history over a twoyear span and fourth among SEC schools.
Men’s Golf
Focused on leading his team to postseason play for the third straight season, Mississippi State men's golf coach Dusty Smith announced the squad's 2019-20 schedule on Monday.
The new slate includes seven events from the previous campaign and two new challenges early in the season. Once again, MSU'S regular season concludes at its beautiful home on Old Waverly Golf Club.
“I am very pleased with our schedule for this season,” MSU men's golf coach Dusty Smith said. “I believe it will get us out of our comfort zone and ultimately have us ready for championship season.
“When you put together your schedule each year you want to be tested on difficult, championship golf courses against elite fields. I can say that this year's schedule will do just that.”
For the second straight season, the Bulldogs will open the season at the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links. MSU competes in the Carmel Cup against some of college golf's best teams from August 30-September 1. In the 2018 edition, Bulldogs Peng Pichaikool and Garrett Johnson played their way to top-15 finishes.
“Opening up at Pebble Beach in the best college golf
tournament in the country is a special way to start the year,” Smith said.
State's two new events will highlight the middle of the fall schedule. The team will head to Dallas, Texas to play in the Trinity Forest Invitational, hosted by SMU on September 22-24. Two weeks later, the Bulldogs are set to tee off the Fighting Irish Classic, October 7-8, in Notre Dame, Indiana.
“Both of these tournaments are hosted on PGA Tour courses and will be a true challenge,” Smith said.
On October 21-22, a group of MSU players will play in the TVA Community Credit Union Invitational as individuals. Four student-athletes played in the event last fall, highlighted by Griffin Agent's first-career top-10 placement.
Echoing 2018, State's fall slate concludes at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational in Loxley, Alabama. MSU plays in the South Alabama-hosted tournament on October 26-27. Last year's squad took home a runner-up finish at the event, led on by three top-15 performances by Bulldog student-athletes.
The Bulldogs open the spring at a familiar location as they tee off at the Florida Gators Invitational for the 21st time in program history. The two-day tournament is scheduled for February 15-16 on the Mark Bostick Golf Course in Gainesville, Florida. Three MSU student-athletes placed top 20 in the 2019 edition of the tournament.
State will defend its Desert Mountain Intercollegiate title from March 7-8 in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 2019, the Bulldogs won their first team event since 2014 with an outstanding performance on the Desert Mountain Outlaw Course, as Garrett Johnson captured the individual medalist honors to lead the team to victory.
Less than a week later, State heads to Statesboro, Georgia for the third consecutive season to play in the Schenkel Invitaitonal. The Bulldogs have placed fourth in back-to-back seasons at Forest Heights Golf Course. A three-day tournament, teams will compete on March 13-15.
From April 3-5, State will compete at the challenging Mason Rudolph Championship, hosted by Vanderbilt in Franklin, Tennessee.
To close the regular season, MSU welcomes opponents to the eighth annual Old Waverly Collegiate Championship. The 2020 event is set to take place during April 13-14 at the home course of the Bulldogs, Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point.
In May, Golf Digest ranked Old Waverly No. 60 in its list of America's 100 Greatest Public Courses.
The SEC Championship returns to St. Simons Island Golf Club in Sea Island, Georgia, April 22-26.
After reaching an NCAA Regional in each of head coach Dusty Smith's first two seasons, the Bulldogs aim to make their third straight postseason appearance set for May 18-20. State finished seventh in 2019 regional play, just missing the top-5 cut, but improving on its eighth-place effort the year before.
Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona will host the 2020 NCAA Championship from May 29-June 3. An MSU appearance would mark team's first since 2008.
Track and Field
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In his first season guiding the Mississippi State track and field program, head coach Chris Woods' student-athletes put together an outstanding year in the classroom.
The Bulldogs were recognized by the USTFCCCA for their academic achievements on Monday as both the men's and women's programs earned Academic Team Awards. Ten individuals were also chosen All-academic award winners.
To be considered for team awards, programs must finish highly at either the NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championships and maintain a cumulative team GPA of at least 3.00.
The Bulldog men finished 11th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, their fourth top15 finish in the last five years, and their 24 points were the thirdmost in program history. MSU'S men combined for a 3.04 GPA. State's women turned in a 3.36 GPA. Both programs saw a student-athlete earn COSIDA Academic All-american honors in JT Mackay (first team) and Kristy Terp (second team).
To be picked an All-academic Individual, student-athletes must boast a cumulative 3.25 GPA and have either finished the indoor season ranked in the top 96 in an individual event or top 48 in a relay event on the official qualifying list or have competed in a round of the NCAA Championships (regionals or finals site) in the outdoor season.
Karson Kowalchuk and Lawrence Crawford earned the honor for the men's program. Both athletes competed at the NCAA East Prelims in May. Outdoor All-americans Logan Boss, Tiffany Flynn and Sarah Blake headlined State's women's selections. They were joined by Alon Lewis, Charlotte Cayton-smith and Riley White outdoors and Peyton Mickelson and Zaria Tillman in the indoor season.
Also in San Jose, Costa Rica last Saturday night, MSU freshman Tyriq Horsford placed third in the javelin at the U20 Pan American Games, while competing for Trinidad and Tobago.
The Parlatuvier, Trinidad and Tobago, native jumped out to an early lead with two throws over 70.00 meters (229-8) on his first two attempts. His second throw stood as his best on the day at 71.42 meters (234-4).
At that point in the competition, he was the only athlete to have broken the 70.00-meter mark, but his lead would not hold up. Despite fouling his third attempt, Horsford remained in the lead entering the finals.
Brazil's Luis Mauricio Dias, who shares a birthday with the Bulldog, passed Horsford in the fourth round with a toss of 72.08 meters (236-5) before finishing with a best of 74.51 meters (244-5) which landed him in second place. American Tzuriel Pedigo won the event on his final attempt, launching the implement 76.95 meters (252-5).
Horsford's second international medal highlights an impressive freshman season that saw him ranked second in the NCAA and finish third at the NCAA Championships as part of State's sweep of the men's javelin. He also won an international gold medal at the U20 CARIFTA Games in April.