News from MSU Media Relations--August 19

The lastest sports news from the MSU Media Relations Department...Men's Basketball & Football.

Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State redshirt freshman guard Phil Turner averaged a team-leading 17.0 points per game for the SCORE International basketball team during the club's recent goodwill tour of the Dominican Republic.

Turner, a former standout at Grenada High School, also averaged 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest in helping lead coach Tommy Kyle's SCORE squad to a 4-1 tour mark. Turner opened the tour with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists against San Lazaro, while also totalling 20 points, five rebounds and five assists versus the Mauiricio Baez club.

The nine-man SCORE contingent also consisted of current collegians Jeff Smith and Nicchaeus Doaks of Chattanooga as well as Thomas Pfaff and LaKory Daniels from Lipscomb University.

Having redshirted at State a year ago on coach Rick Stansbury's 21-14 SEC Western Division championship team, Turner previously averaged 13.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per tour outing this past May while helping lead SCORE International to a 5-0 mark in Argentina.

---

Football
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State head football coach Sylvester Croom scrimmaged his football team in a variety of different capacities Saturday, but some things didn’t change. His defensive unit continued to improve, but his talented receivers were away without leave again during the final game-like work of the 2007 camp.

"The defense got better," Croom said. "They fought hard and played with a lot of enthusiasm. (Linebacker) Jamon Hughes played like he was having a lot fun.

"Offensively, we didn’t do a whole lot after we took Anthony Dixon out," Croom continued. "Our wide receivers, who have had a real good camp, just didn’t show up. I need to see more aggressiveness from that group with the ball in the air."

After a slow early start, the offense scored on its third possession when junior quarterback Michael Henig hit senior wide receiver Tony Burks with a 59-yard TD pass.

But the attack went eight more series before scoring again, a 2-yard TD aerial from Henig to senior tight end Eric Butler. And it again was plagued by turnovers, one a 26-yard interception return for touchdown by Jamar Chaney.

After full-field possessions beginning at the 20- and 35-yard lines, State culminated the scrimmage with additional offensive and defensive work in the red zones. The Bulldogs lost freshman punter/place-kicker Eric Richards to a broken foot early in the scrimmage when he had a punt blocked.

"We’ve got a lot of work to do," Croom said. "It’s not something we can’t get done, but we need everyone to be honest with themselves for us to have a good football team."

SCORING
Burks 59 pass from Henig (Carlson PAT)
Chaney 30 INT return
Butler 2 pass from Henig (Carlson PAT)
Smith 17 pass from Riddell
Stallworth 4 pass from Ridell
McRae 7 pass from Henig
Williams 9 pass from Henig
Ducre 5 rush
Ducre 2 rush
Elliot 1 rush

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING - Ducre 20-60 2TD, Green 6-50, Elliot 18-35 TD, Stallworth 8-31, Jones 1-18, Dixon 4-15, Williams 7-9, Team 1-(-2), Riddell 1-(-5), Carroll 1-(-9), Relf 2-(-14), Henig 5-(-28).

PASSING - Henig 11-25-1-172 4TD, Riddell 5-9-0-67 2TD, Carroll 2-4-0-4, Relf 0-2-1-0.

RECEIVING - Smith 3-27 TD, Burks 2-72 TD, Bell 2-56, McRae 2-29 TD, Long 2-11, Hart 1-17, Ducre 1-13, Williams 1-9 TD, Stallworth 1-6 TD, Riley 1-4, Butler 1-2 TD, Elliot 1-(-3).

TACKLES - Hughes 13, Douglas 7, Chaney 7, T. Brown 7, Littlejohn 6, Bowman 6, Pegues 5, Glanton 5, O’Quinn 4, Edwards 4, Holmes 4, Washington 4, Fitzhugh 3, Gurley 2, Bailey 2, Z. Smith 2, Saulsberry 2, McCraney 2, Burns 2, Hines, T. Johnson, Cooper, Odom.

INTERCEPTIONS - Chaney 1-30 TD, Anderson 1-0.

SACKS - T. Brown 4-31, Burns 2-14, Littlejohn 1-9, Hughes 1-5.

TACKLES FOR LOSS - T. Brown 4.5-34, Hughes 3-12, Douglas 2-5, Glanton 2-4, Littlejohn 2-11, Burns 2-14, Holmes 1.5-5, Bowman 1-1.