STARKVILLE, Miss. — Greetings from appropriately-named Starkville, where South Carolina tries to exceed its total number of SEC victories from a season ago when it takes on Mississippi State tonight at 7 Eastern. A few pre-game items:
— Despite the recent success of the Mississippi State program under current Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott, the Gamecocks have managed to win seven straight in this series since a 17-0 Bulldogs victory during USC’s winless season of 1999. The big play in that game was made by a Mississippi State cornerback with the very Lowcountry name of Ashley Cooper, who returned a Phil Petty interception 52 yards for a touchdown.