MSU News & Notes | Thursday, October 4, 2012

We're back, and News and Notes is back loaded up with everything you need to get started on your Thursday. Also, the reason notes was so short yesterday was NOT because we partied with Flava Flav Tuesday night and stayed out way too late, despite what you may have heard.

• After losing their starting quarterback Maxwell Smith earlier in the week due to ankle surgery, Kentucky coach Joker Phillips announced yesterday in the SEC teleconference that Senior RB CoShik Williams tore his labrum in his hip and is done for the season, as well as his career. Although this loss doesn't have as much of an impact on the field as the loss of Max Smith does, still feel awful for the kid to go down in his final season that way. Wish him a speedy recovery.
• Dan Mullen had his turn at the teleconference table yesterday, and he talked about his expectations for Darius Slay coming in, the secondary as a whole, Banks, Tyler Russell's efficiency rating, and Denico Autry's transition from JUCO to the SEC. Here's what Mullen had to say on how he views the veteran MSU secondary's chances at success against two true freshman Kentucky QB's:

It's still a challenge, because these guys throw the ball all over the place. They throw the ball a lot. Their quarterbacks, you got to see the one last week throw the football and throw it pretty well in the game. The (Patrick) Towles kid, I've seen his high school film, and he can really throw it. It's still a big challenge, especially a team that schematically wants to throw the football a lot, and they have talented guys throwing it. Even though they're not experienced, they still have talent. That's what makes it a big challenge for us.

• Coach Rick Ray added his 2nd commitment to the 2013 recruiting class late Tuesday with the addition of Shelton State CC small forward Travis Daniels. Daniels, a 6'8" 205 lb forward who holds offers from MSU, Western Kentucky, Southern Miss, and Wichita State, is unranked by major recruiting services at this time, but Brad Winton, the national director of scouting for The JUCO Recruiting Report, had some nice things to say about Daniels to the Clarion-Ledger's John Talty, including this:

"He is very skilled around the rim and jumps well for his size," Winton said in an email to The Clarion-Ledger. "He has great hands and moves very well in transition. He is at his best when he has the ball 15 feet and in. He has the ability to take bigger defenders off the dribble and score in traffic."

• Okay, so if you read this blog, you know that I, along with essentially anyone else who reads SEC related internet sites ever, loves the work of LSUFreek. I can't remember a football season of recent where I didn't anxiously await Freek's take shortly after the weekend had wrapped up. Finally someone in the national media has taken notice, and took some time to get to know LSUFreek, aka Terrence Donnels, the acute care nurse living in the New Orleans area. Really good read, worth checking out for sure.
• One bottle of whiskey away from being the most LSU groom cake ever:

via Rovell

• Congrats go out to the Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera, who yesterday secured the first Triple Crown in MLB since Carl Yastrzemski did it way back in 1967. Although I will congratulate him, I will also say thanks for DOING THIS THE ONE YEAR WHERE YOU AREN'T ON MY FANTASY ROSTER YOU JERK. Sorry, I feel better now.
• My weekly "hey you should read this" for Good Bull Hunting's The Tailgate goes right here. They take on Ole Miss this weekend, in case you didn't know that.

Have a good one folks! And remember, no matter how bad your day is going, it could always be worse. You could always be Honey Boo Boo's family, or just her.