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From a War Zone to Pink Skies

One thing I've always liked about the world is its beauty. The skies are blue and pink. The palm trees, the landmarks, everything I notice about the world are beautiful …

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Kennedy: ‘Caring, Capable, Committed’ to District 72

Theresa G. Kennedy can't go far for long before coming home to Mississippi. She has never lived out of the state for more than a year, on purpose, she says.

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Twists, Turns, Rats and Secret Tapes

Who's ratting out the district attorney? That's just one of many questions swirling around Attorney General Jim Hood's arrest and investigation of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith.

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Youth Judge Now Adhering to Fed Regs

For the last two years, the Hinds County Youth Court handcuffed children while they waited their turn to appear before Judge William Skinner II in direct violation of a federal …

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Sarah Asmus

Beneath her professional exterior, Sarah Asmus, 38, is an avid lover of art who enjoys things such as gardening and cooking. Her life motto is short, sweet and to the …

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Jackson Teens Need Mentors, Opportunity

If Reeves and other state GOP officials really want to see crime come down in the capital city, are they ready to allocate resources to both academic education, early-education and …

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Jackson R&B Fest: Bringing It to You

While working as a music program development manager for the Mississippi Development Authority, helping to create the Mississippi Blues Trail, Jackson native Alex Thomas noticed an unfortunate trend in his …

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A Family Affair

Raymond Kennedy and Natasha Cayson, two Jackson natives, are the co-owners of Ray's Smokehouse and Grill.

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Walls or Unity? GOTV for Mississippi Latinos Underway

Bill Chandler, the executive director of Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance in Jackson, says electing a president who is sympathetic to immigrants is the next step for families left in limbo …

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Beyond Detention: Exploring Smarter, Cheaper Alternatives to Locking Kids Up

"He's out on the street. He comes home sometimes. He has that little anklet, he doesn't care. It makes no difference to him. He's afraid of nothing." The mother of …

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Entry

August 16, 2016

Rebels Will Face Redshirt Freshman FSU Quarterback

By bryanflynn

Labor Day just got a little more interesting.

It was already going to be an interesting evening with the University of Mississippi facing Florida State University as the last college-football game of new season’s first week.

Both teams meet for a neutral-site game in Orlando, Fla., in the 2016 Camping World Kickoff. This game is one of the most anticipated during the opening weekend of the 2016 college-football season.

There are questions surrounding both of these teams, but then again, there are questions surrounding every team this time of year. One question for the Seminoles has been answered.

FSU knows who will be starting the season opener at quarterback. The decision was made for the Seminoles when quarterback Sean Maguire broke a bone in his foot, which will require surgery and force him to miss at least four weeks.

The fifth-year senior went 4-2 last season after taking over for Everett Golson when the University of Notre Dame transfer struggled. Maguire appeared in eight games last season and threw for 1,520 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.

One of the two losses from games in which Maguire started was against Clemson University, who went on to play the University of Alabama for the national championship. The other loss was to the University of Houston in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, which he played with a broken ankle.

The Seminoles must now turn to redshirt freshman Deondre Francois at quarterback. For Francois, this game is a homecoming after he left Olympia High School in Orlando to spend his senior season in Bradenton, Fla., at IMG Academy, a renowned boarding school and sports-training facility.

While Maguire was a known commodity, the Rebels will now face an unknown, at least at the college level, at quarterback. FSU is hoping to capture lightning in a bottle twice and hoping that Francois will be the second coming of Jameis Winston, the last redshirt freshman to start at quarterback for the Seminoles.

Francois will have one of the best friends a new starting quarterback can ask for, and that is a strong running game. FSU boasts running back Dalvin Cook, a Heisman Trophy contender and a threat to take any handoff he receives to the house.

Stopping Cook is the best way for the Rebels to win this game. If FSU can’t run, then it would force Francois to beat them, and UM can unleash its pass rush.

As always, it is easier said than done, and few teams have been able to stop Cook when he is fully healthy. The running back was a one-man wrecking crew even when he was banged up last season.

The Seminoles hope to have one of the best defenses in the country, and that unit will have to be good to keep Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly under wraps. Kelly will try not to get outshined by the guy making his first college-football start.

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Dak Prescott

If Dak Prescott was nervous last Saturday, he certainly didn't let it show. The former Mississippi State University quarterback and NFL rookie threw for two touchdowns and 139 yards in …

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Freshii Comes to Flowood, Mississippi Contemporary Art Center and Las Palmas Mexican Grill

John Newcomb, the nephew of Newk's Eatery owner Don Newcomb, made his own entry into the restaurant business last week with the opening of Mississippi's first Freshii in Flowood.

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Tease photo City & County

Christopher Butler Arraigned for Having Pre-paid Tracfone in Hinds Jail

Christopher Butler, the Jackson man in the middle of Attorney General Jim Hood's investigation of HInds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith, was arraigned today for having an illegal, pre-paid …

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National

15 Guantanamo Detainees Sent to UAE in Major Transfer

Fifteen prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center were sent to the United Arab Emirates in the single largest release of detainees during the Obama administration, the Pentagon announced Monday.

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State

Restoration Work About to Begin at Elvis' Circle G Ranch

As the faithful gather in Memphis for Monday evening's candlelight vigil and other Elvis Week events, work is about to heat up just to the south at Presley's former Circle …