Sideline View with Dale McKee

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) -

Deion Sanders had a positive effect on Jackson State and really the landscape of HBCU sports. Coach Prime has taken his talents to Boulder, Colorado, and the “Coach Prime Effect” cannot be overstated. Sanders has taken a Colorado team and turned them around from a one-win team last season to beating a TCU team that played in the NCAA Championship game last season. The Buffaloes won an offensive shootout, 45-42, over the No. 17 Horn Frogs.

Sanders has many critics, and some stated that he had the worst roster among the Power 5 schools as he ran players off by the droves. He did bring better talent as there are 70 new roster additions. He also used the talents of his two sons, both former JSU players, and two-way Heisman candidate Travis Hunter, also a former Tiger, to derail the Horn Frogs who were a three-touchdown favorite. Shedeur Sanders passed for 520 yards and four scores while his other son Shilo had ten tackles from his defensive back spot. Hunter grabbed 11 passes for 119 yards on offense and even intercepted a pass on defense. Hunter played 129 snaps on the day. Colorado will host Nebraska (0-1) this Saturday. “Do you believe now?”

Mississippi State honored their late coach Mike Leach this past Saturday, and the Bulldogs also earned their first win of the season, a lopsided win over SE Louisiana, 48-7, to open the season under Zac Arnett. The Bullies will host Arizona at 6:30 p.m. Saturday with the SEC Network carrying the game.

Southern Mississippi head coach Will Hall has found his quarterback in Billy Wiles. The Clemson transfer went 21-of-28 for 257 yards with three TD passes as USM downed Alcorn, 40-14. The Golden Eagles will visit Florida State on Saturday night, and the ACC network will air the game at 7:30 p.m. Throughout the contest USM honored the school’s most famous music man the legendary Jimmy Buffett by playing his hit songs.

Jaxson Dart fired four touchdown passes as Ole Miss crushed Mercer, 73-7. Louisiana Tech transfer Tre Harris set a new Ole Miss football receiving record by catching four touchdown passes. The No. 22 Rebels travel to No. 24 Tulane (1-0) this Saturday. The game will be on ESPN 2 at 2:30 p.m. Jackson State and Mississippi Valley both lost this weekend. JSU lost, 28-10, to Florida A&M while Valley fell, 24-21, to Center College. Jackson State (1-1) will travel to Southern University  while Alcorn will hit the road to Stephen F. Austin this week. Mississippi Valley has an open date.

Belhaven won the “Riverside Rumble” besting Millsaps, 47-7.  Belhaven will travel to Lyon College in Texas this Saturday while Millsaps hosts McMurry. Mississippi College, picked sixth in the GSC preseason poll, pulled an upset with a road win at Keiser College, 17-14. The Choctaws head to Texas to take on Midwestern State this Saturday. Delta State rolled over Missouri  S&T, 48-20, and this Saturday will head to Chowan College.

Choctaw Central High School hosted the “Battle of the Nations” rivalry this past Friday night as Cherokee, North Carolina visited Philadelphia. The visitors won this year’s matchup, 41-37. Next year, Choctaw Central will seek revenge as they visit North Carolina in this annual rival game that has been played since 1990.

Oak Grove (2-0) represented our state this past Friday night winning an overtime thriller over Alabama powerhouse Hoover, 28-21.

The first Ole Miss black student-athlete in basketball player Coolidge Ball passed away last week.

Odds & Ends

The Mississippi JUCO football season will kick off this Thursday with seven contests.

Former East Central Community College baseball star and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson collected his 1,000th MLB hit this past weekend.

Former USM baseball pitcher Hurston Waldrep was promoted to the Mississippi Braves. Waldrep played at Southern Miss before transferring to Florida. The Mississippi Braves will end their home season this week by hosting Tennessee.

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