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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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Dr. S here with … wait a minute, this just in: Alabama has scored another touchdown on Ole Miss. OK, Dr. S did somewhat better this past weekend, going 4-2 in his football picks. Alcorn State and Hinds CC let Dr. S down … no, they let AMERICA down. In case you didn’t know, Dr. S is taking part in a sleep deprivation experiment that will culminate in the first official issue of the Jackson Free Press. Where’s the No-Doz?

Dr. S predicted Alabama-Tuscaloosa would beat Ole Miss 27-16. Harsh reality for the Oxford Elis: UAT 42, UM 7. Ouch. (Hold it, the Bama defense just sacked Eli again AND intercepted another pass.) For a while I thought I was watching Alabama playing Colgate, because Ole Miss got pasted. The Rebels have issues with their defense and the rest of the schedule doesn’t get any easier. UM will be lucky to spend the holidays in Shreveport.

The Swami of Fondren predicted that Mississippi State would beat Memphis 11-9. Instead, the Bulldogs, playing without injured starting QB Kevin “Free Tires” Fant (another correct prediction), showed previously unsuspected grit in rallying to beat Memphis 29-17. If you had any doubts as to how pathetic Memphis is this season, that should remove them.

Dr. S predicted Southern Miss would defeat Cincinnati 24-17 in a snoozefest for the ages. He was almost dead on as the Gilded Buzzards sleepwalked to a 23-14 victory. The Jaundiced Big Birds’ next game at TCU should be more compelling. Wake me at kickoff.

The Wag of Woodland Hills said Hinds CC would beat East Central 24-17. Instead, the Eagles were done in at Decatur, 23-20. Find a kicker, ASAP. He also overestimated by saying Alcorn State would beat Samford (the Alcornites lost 34-25). However, Valley lost as expected at Alabama A&M 24-13.

In other state college games, Millsaps lost to Rose-Hulman 35-28, Delta State lost to Southern Arkansas 30-10, Belhaven edged Cumberland, Tenn., 14-7, and Mississippi College defeated McMurry 25-22.

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.