Mississippi State and Southern Mississippi played their spring football games Saturday. MSU set a new spring attendance record for the spring game as 36,789 fans watched as the Maroon whipped the White, 28-10. Sophomore quarterback Keyaton Thompson played for both teams in the game as he filled in for Nick Fitzgerald, who is still recuperating from a season-ending injury.
In Hattiesburg, Laurel native Keon Howard led the USM Gold squad on three first half scoring drives as he was 11-of-15 for 132 yards and ran six times for another 53 yards. Oxford native Jack Abraham led the Black team at quarterback and was 9-of-17 for 101 yards in the contest.
REBS SWEEP UGA 'DOGS
Ole Miss swept a doubleheader from Georgia on Saturday to take over first place in the SEC West baseball race. The Rebels are ranked just outside the top ten nationally at No. 11 and are now 32-9 overall. Ole Miss begins a three-game home series with LSU beginning Thursday.
MSU swept Arkansas to move within two games of the SEC West league as they now stand 8-10 in conference play and are 22-19 overall. The surging
Bulldogs will now host Texas A&M this weekend. USM swept Middle Tennessee in C-USA play to regain the conference lead with a 13-4 mark and improve to 28-11 overall. The Eagles travel to cellar dweller Old Dominion this weekend.
NFL DRAFT UPCOMING
The National Football League Draft will take place beginning Thursday at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Last year over 250,000 fans attended the draft in the city of Philadelphia. Round 1 will be on Thursday with rounds 2 and 3 on Friday and the final four rounds on Saturday.
The New Orleans Saints had one of their best drafts ever in 2017 as they came up with five starters from last year’s draft. The Saints landed the Offensive Rookie of the Year in Alvin Kamara and the Defensive Player of the Year in Marshon Lattimore. The Saints have the 27th pick in the first round and also have seven other selections in this year’s draft. What do the Saints need? You never have enough defensive players in the NFL.
ODDS & ENDS
— The Saints' schedule has just be released, and they will have another demanding slate. The Saints have home games against three teams that could be playing in the Super Bowl in 2019. The L.A. Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers all will visit the Crescent City, along with the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins. New Orleans will host their South NFC opponents Tampa Bay, Carolina and longtime rival Atlanta. The Saints will play on Thanksgiving against the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas and also will be on Monday Night Football against Carolina in Charlotte.
— The Statewide Games of Mississippi that will be played in Meridian are fast approaching. Three new sports have been added: Youth League Baseball, a Firefighter Challenge and a Youth Fast Pitch Tournament. There are now 42 sports in the games.
— The North Mississippi Classic was won by Tennessee native Eric Axley. He was declared the winner in the inaugural tournament as he hit 12-under 201 and won by three strokes. The event was played at the Oxford Country Club as Axley took home a championship purse of $99,000.
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Dale McKee is a longtime sportswriter in Mississippi and currently resides in Waynesboro. He can be contacted at ddmckee18@yahoo.com
