Sports Blog

Each NFL Game This Season Will Use RFID Chips in the Ball

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There will be something new in each football NFL teams will use this season: an radio-frequency identification chip. The league used RFID chips in kicking balls for preseason and Thursday night games last season. With them, the league could gather infor

mation on how closely the ball passed the uprights to give to the competition committee vital information on if there should be a rule change to narrow the uprights. This year the information from the chips will assist broadcasters with the league’s Next-Gen Stats program, though it still isn’t ready to help with spotting the ball. The chip is as much as 6 inches off in accuracy, which is enough distance to impact a game late when a team needs a first down to run out the clock or keep a potential game-winning or -tying drive alive. Continue Reading

Sports Blog

College Football Week Two Picks

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Week one of college football is finally finished after a slate of games that stretched over five days. It was a standard week of games with no thrilling upsets of top-ranked teams. There were some shocking final scores, though. However, there are several schools that some might say overachieved to start the season. Howard University deserves props for its victory over the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Bison’s win is the biggest upset against the points spread in college-football history. Continue Reading

Sports Blog

MSU, UM, DSU and ASU Win Season Openers; JSU, MVSU and USM Lose

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While a few teams started the 2017 college football season on Thursday, Aug. 30, the rest of the colleges and universities in our state kicked off the season on Saturday, Sept. 2. Most of the outcomes weren’t surprising for the level of competition each teams were playing. Mississippi State University, Delta State University, Alcorn State University and the University of Mississippi won their opening games. Continue Reading

Sports Blog

Belhaven, Holmes Win Season Openers as MC and Millsaps Fall

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College football officially got underway in our state on Thursday, Aug. 31, when some community colleges and four-year schools got into action. In the Jackson area, Belhaven University, Millsaps College and Mississippi College along with Hinds and Holmes Community Colleges kicked off the 2017 season that night. Hinds Community College opened the season on the road against No. 6 Northwest Community College. Continue Reading

Sports Blog

Three things should you watch for if you are going to watch the Saints-Ravens game

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The 2017 NFL preseason comes to a close this Thursday, Aug. 31, with all 32 teams in action. The following Thursday, the season will begin with defending champions the New England Patriots hosting the Kansas City Chiefs and a full slate of games around the rest of the league. New Orleans will end the preseason in a game against the Baltimore Ravens, which will broadcast on NBC. This is the last tune-up game before the Saints do it for real on Monday Night Football on Sept. Continue Reading

Sports Blog

College Football Games to Watch

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Every year it is fun to look at the schedule for each four-year college and university, and see which are the best home games. This is also a great time to check out when each school hosts its homecoming. If money and time were no object, these are the games I would take time to go see. All of them have to be home games, so no trips to Knoxville, Tenn., to watch the University of Southern Mississippi take on the University of Tennessee. The only other rule is that every team has to land on the list at some point. Continue Reading

Sports Blog

Saints’ Defense Spectacular in Preseason

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Here are two phrases that don’t normally go together: “the New Orleans Saints” and “eight straight quarters without giving up points on defense.”

In recent seasons, New Orleans’ defense allowed opponents to score points in bunches, and it was up to the offense to win shootouts. That has not been the case for most of this preseason, as the Saints’ defense has been the star of the show, allowing just 20 points thus far. The offense, on the other hand, has struggled, failing to score more than 14 points in three games. Even adding a Los Angeles Chargers interception for a touchdown, New Orleans’ three opponents have only scored 27 points combined. Meanwhile, the Saints have scored 40 points in three games for a plus-13 point differential. Continue Reading

Sports Blog

2017 College Football Predictions

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Being locked away, scribbling on walls and imaging every single scenario in my head for teams to finish their season makes me a little crazy. I start to have wild ideas, and sometimes those ideas stick, and I start to think that I just might be onto something. More than likely it is too much coffee and not enough sleep, but don’t discount me yet. Then again, look back at previous crazy predictions and see just how wrong I normally am. 1. Continue Reading

Sports Blog

Alabama is the Top Team in the Associated Press Preseason Poll

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The University of Alabama made it a perfect sweep, taking the top spot of the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Crimson Tide already had the No. 1 spot in the Amway Coaches Preseason Poll earlier this month. Alabama earned 52 out of a possible 61 first-place votes for 1,513 points, giving the team a 99-point advantage over second-place Ohio State University, which earned only three first-place votes and 1,414 points. Florida State University received four first-place votes but sits just 18 points behind the Buckeyes with 1,396 points. Continue Reading

Sports Blog

Saints vs. Chargers: What to Watch For

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New Orleans will try to break a 10-game losing streak in the preseason this Sunday, Aug. 20, when the team faces the Los Angeles Chargers, which will air at 7 p.m. on the NFL

Network. If the Saints are going to break their losing streak, they might have to do it without quarterback Drew Brees or running backs Adrian Peterson and Mark Ingram. It looks like the third week of the preseason will be the first time that Brees and a few other veterans hit the field. Brees’ absence in the first two preseason games wasn’t a big deal. Continue Reading