Jackson Free Press

The college football season has reached the halfway point (roughly). So it's time for Doctor S to pass out the mid-term grades for Mississippi's college football teams. Doctor S grades on the curve … Dead Man's Curve, that is. Wins and losses count the most, but style points figure into the grades, too.

Southern Miss (4-0, 3-0 CUSA)
Grade A

The first half: Southern Miss' grade slipped a little after the Eagles struggled before defeating Houston in their home opener. What was USM's problem? How about those ugly-ass black-on-black uniforms? Who wants to be seen on national TV wearing gear like that?

USM's win at Nebraska seemed huge at the time, but the luster of that victory dims with each successive loss. Texas Tech beat the Cornhuskers 70-10 last weekend. The Eagles were also primed for a major game with California in Hattiesburg before Hurricane Ivan intervened. The teams are set to play in December now, but the game won't be as big as it would have been in September.

The outlook: The Eagles are going to miss quarterback Dustin Almond, who was really playing well before he got hurt at the end of the Houston game. He's expected to miss two weeks including Saturday's game at Alabama. Not so good. Regardless, the Eagles still have a great show at winning the Conference USA title. The games at Memphis (Nov. 12) and against UAB (Nov. 27) are the big ones.

Mississippi Valley State (0-6, 0-4 SWAC)
Grade: F

The first half: The Delta Devils have actually been competitive in most of their games, but it hasn't been enough. Quarterback Aries Nelson (the one who transferred from Mississippi State) has been among the few bright spots.

The outlook: Thanks to Paul Quinn and Prairie View, the Delta Devils won't go winless.

Belhaven (4-2, 3-2 MSC)
Grade B-plus

The first half: The Blazers have been a pleasant surprise. Their 23-6 loss to NAIA power Georgetown (Ky.) probably gave the program more credibility than all of Belhaven's victories put together.

The outlook: The Blazers have a realistic shot at an NAIA playoff berth.

Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3 SEC)
Grade D-plus

The first half: Sylvester Croom got off to a winning start, but the five games since then have served as a reminder of what lousy shape Jackie Sherrill left the State program in. Blowout losses to Auburn and LSU were reminders of how far the Bulldogs have to go to contend in the Southeastern Conference again.

MSU gets a D-plus for showing signs of life. The Dogs have been competitive in most of their games. Jerious Norwood was outstanding in the UAB game. And State fans can tell themselves that the Dogs might have had a shot at beating Vanderbilt and UAB if quarterback Omarr Conner hadn't gotten hurt. But MSU is thin on defense and atrocious on special teams.

The outlook: This season could be remembered as Tulane-and-Ten. The Dogs will struggle to be competitive in their last five games, never mind winning.

Mississippi College (1-4, 1-3 ASC)
Grade: D

The first half: The Choctaws' new offense has put up some big numbers at times. Wide receiver Charmer Moore set a school record with 211 receiving yards in last Saturday's 48-24 loss to McMurry. And Scott Elliott throw for 308 yards and three touchdowns, not that it mattered. Here's the telling number: The Choctaws are averaging 11.5 points a game but giving up 31.8.

The outlook: If the Choctaws play over their heads, they might finish the season with three victories.

Millsaps (2-2, 1-0 SCAC)
Grade: B

The first half: The Majors have been another pleasant surprise. Maybe coach David Saunders has reversed the program's decline.

The outlook:Millsaps is going to get major karma points for renaming its stadium for Harper Davis on Oct. 23. But the remaining schedule is full of potential land mines.

Ole Miss (3-3, 2-1 SEC)
Grade B

The first half: The Rebels got major style points for upsetting No. 25 South Carolina on the road. In the two previous weeks, Ole Miss had suffered a season-wrecking loss at Wyoming and eked out an ugly victory against Arkansas State.

How good was departed quarterback Eli Manning? So good that it's taken three quarterbacks to replace him. The Rebels are still looking for an answer at QB, though. However, the running game has begun to show signs of life. And the defense has played well, for the most part, all season.

The outlook: Ole Miss will probably be favored in only one of its five remaining games. Tennessee and Auburn are coming to Oxford, but the Rebels have to go to Arkansas and LSU. Rebel fans won't be traveling during the holidays this season.

Alcorn State (3-2, 1-1 SWAC)
Grade: C

The first half: The Braves were mauled in their showdown game with Alabama State, 41-8. Alcorn quarterback Donald Carrie has thrown for 1,095 yards and four touchdowns but has been intercepted six times. And except for the Alabama State game, the defense has been solid.

The outlook: Alcorn still has an outside shot at the SWAC East title, but the Braves can't afford another loss. The good news: The Braves only have two tough SWAC games remaining (Southern and Alabama A&M).

Delta State (3-3, 3-2 GSC)
Grade: C-minus

The first half:The Statesmen's playoff hopes are dead after losses to Valdosta State (DSU was robbed) and Arkansas Tech.

The outlook: You have to wonder how motivated the Statesmen will be now that they're just playing out the string.

Jackson State (1-4, 1-1 SWAC)
Grade: D-minus

The first half: It's been another ugly season for the Tigers. Things got even worse in the loss to Alabama State; when the Tigers lost quarterback Brian Green and Olandus Rogers to injuries. Here are some stats that will get coach James Bell fired: ASU outgained JSU 444 yards to 116. JSU ran the ball 29 times for 23 yards and passed for a grand total of 93. JSU's only score came on an interception return for a touchdown by Cletis Gordon.

JSU's program has been in decline for several years now, but at least the Tigers were still winning games until Bell showed up.

The outlook: Dismal. The Tigers are entering the meat of their schedule, starting with Saturday's game against Southern U. in New Orleans. The Tigers don't figure to beat any of the last six teams they play except for Prairie View.