Alabama blanks MS All-Stars
The Alabama All-Stars blanked Mississippi 20-0 in the 35th Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game played in Hattiesburg.
The Alabama defense led by defensive MVP Miguel Mitchell of Oxford, Alabama, held the home team to only 117 yards of total offense in the game. Alabama also used the leg of Fort Payne kicker and Auburn commit Alex McPherson as he led the special team’s effort for the winners. McPherson kicked an All-Star record 58-yard field goal, had four touchback kickoffs and averaged 50 yards on four punts. Jefferson Davis defensive back Malcolm Hartzog, who had nine tackles and one interception, led Mississippi on defense. He is presently a Nebraska commit.
In one of the best rivals in all sports that spans the globe, Navy’s defense limited Army to 57 second-half yards on their way to a 17-13 win in the 122nd meeting of the service academies. Navy finished the season 4-8 while Army (8-4) will head to Fort Worth to play Missouri in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Jackson State (10-1) will play South Carolina State (6-5) in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta on Saturday with an early morning 10 a.m. kickoff. The Tigers won the SWAC championship for the first time since 2013 with a win over Prairie View back on Dec. 4. JSU coach Deion Sanders was named the SWAC Coach of the Year, while his son Shedur was honored as the SWAC Freshman of the Year. Tiger defensive lineman James Howard was named the Newcomer of the Year.
The Early National Signing Day will begin on Wednesday and end on Friday of this week for the college football teams. The next National Signing Day will be on Feb. 2, 2022. Southern Mississippi has 17 commits, with 14 of those from inside the state. Six of those are JUCO players. MSU also has 17 commits, with nine of those from the Magnolia State. Ole Miss has 14 commits with seven of those Mississippians.
The College Bowl madness will begin on Friday. Two games will be played that day, beginning at 10 a.m., as the Bahamas Bowl is the first of 44 bowl games to be played. The Cure Bowl in Orlando will follow that at 4 p.m. The following day seven games will kick off, beginning with a 9 a.m. kickoff in the Boca Raton Bowl and then an hour later the Celebration Bowl on ABC-TV as Jackson State will face South Carolina State. The final game of the day will begin at 7:15 p.m. with the New Orleans Bowl. Then next Monday and Wednesday will have one game each day, while Tuesday will have two games. Mississippi State and Ole Miss will play the following week. The Bulldogs will play on Dec. 28 and the Rebels on the night of Jan. 1.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, who passed for over 4,300 yards and 43 touchdowns, easily won the Heisman Trophy this past Saturday. The award is given to the best college football player in the nation. Young is the fourth Alabama player to win the award and the first Bama quarterback. The California native also gives the Crimson Tide back-to-back winners of the award. Tide wide receiver DeVonta Smith won the award last year. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral finished seventh in the balloting.
Closing note
The New Orleans Saints (6-7) halted a five-game losing streak as they downed the New York Jets, 30-9, to keep their slim hopes of a playoff spot. Up next is Tampa Bay next Monday night.
Dale is a Waynesboro resident who has been writing sports in Mississippi since 1973. Listen to Dale’s Brouhaha Sports Show with Marshall Wood on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on WABO FM 105.5 in the Waynesboro area. To listen, go to wabo105.com and click listen live.