Hope is stronger than fear as we finally have a little hope that our lives will get back to normal. The 104th football season for the University of Southern Mississippi did not start well and ended just as badly as the University of South Alabama rolled to an impressive, 32-21 win. The Steve Campbell-led Jaguars, with one-fourth of the roster being former high school football players from Mississippi, scored on the game’s third play and rolled up 536 yards of offense against the Golden Eagles. The Eagles played so sloppy that their head coach Jay Hopson said it best: “It wasn’t pretty to watch.” Southern Mississippi has two weeks to heal its wounds before taking on C-USA rival Louisiana Tech in Hattiesburg. SWING THE SWORD AND CATCH THE LANE TRAIN It’s still three weeks before the SEC guys hit the field, but Sept. 26 should be an exciting day in the Magnolia State. Mike Leach’s Mississippi State debut has been scheduled for national television on CBS at 2:30 p.m. in Baton Rouge against defending National Champion LSU. Ole Miss will kick off at 11 a.m. on ESPN at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium under its new leader, Lane Kiffin. The Rebels will entertain an old friend in Dan Mullen and his Florida Gators. MHSAA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS Due to the changes in the SEC schedules, the Mississippi High School Activities Association will have to find a new site for their state football championships, or move them back a week. The games were to be held on Dec. 4 and 5 at Mississippi State, however MSU is scheduled to host Missouri in its regular season finale that day. Possible venue options are Ole Miss or USM. The championships could also be pushed back to the Dec. 11-12 weekend. SAINTS HOST BUCS The New Orleans Saints will host Tampa Bay and Tom Brady this Sunday at 3 p.m. The Saints will not be able to host their loyal fans until Sept. 27, when they play the Green Bay Packers. Then the Saints will be able to have up to 25 percent capacity. MAKING IT POSSIBLE The 2020 Mississippi Sports Medicine All-Star Basketball games were played at Wayne County High School on Saturday. MAC Executive Director Johnny Mims and his team did an excellent job of making this twice-delayed event finally happen. Wayne County was a perfect host with their 2,000 seats. Several of the junior college coaches were in attendance, along with a few smaller college coaches who were granted waivers to attend, and at least three players that had not been noticed before the games were offered scholarships. The North girls and the South hoys won the 1A/2A/3A contests while the South girls and the North boys won the Class 4A/5A/6A games. MLB DEBUT Hattiesburg native Charlie Hayes’s youngest son Ke’Bryan made his Major League debut last week with two hits, including a homer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, in their contest against the Chicago Cubs. Charlie, who played 14 seasons in the majors with seven teams, is best remembered for catching the final out of the 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves. Charlie, who played high school baseball at Forrest County Agricultural High School, played on the 1977 Hattiesburg Little League World Series team. ODDS & ENDS — In a surprising move, Jackson State fired first-year head coach John Hendrick this past week. A national search for a new coach will take place, according to school officials. — Mississippi junior college football will officially begin on Oct. 1. The six-game season will conclude on Nov. 12. Each team will have one open date during the abbreviated season. — Richton native JaCoby Jones broke his left hand and his MLB season is over. Jones, who plays for Detroit, was batting .268 and had smacked five home runs. — Authentic upset Tiz the Law to win the146th running of the Kentucky Derby. Dale McKee is a native of Waynesboro and has been writing sports in Mississippi since 1973. His column appears in several weekly papers throughout the state. You may contact him at ddmckee18@yahoo.com.
