In his NFL debut, Dak Prescott was a success. Prescott was successful in his NFL debut, completing 25 of 44 throws for 227 yard. He didn’t throw an interception. In a 20-19 loss against the New York Giants, Eli Manning and their team, it wasn’t enough. Prescott displayed the calmness and poise that we have come to know in his NFL regular-season debut. He wasn’t content. Prescott said that he still wants to do some things. Prescott said that there are some plays that he would like to see re-done, but overall, I felt prepared. They did a great job. I believe I did well in the majority of my games. Only thing left is to score touchdowns in the red zone. We were there for the first three drives and had to settle with field goals. This is 21 points you would rather have than 9. He is correct in his math. Manning’s ability, twice, to get the ball in the end zone for receivers, was the difference in the game. He also completed 19 of 27 passes for 297 yards and one interception. Manning said to reporters, “This is huge,” after handing Bob McAdoo, the first-game head coach, the game ball. This is a huge win for the team and the guys who came last year. Today is almost exactly one year ago. We were in the exact same place and had the chance to win, but couldn’t. Many others followed, all very similar. Manning said, “Just to know that we can win these tight ones is helpful.” We’ll see more of it and more tight games. And the great teams must be able to win many of them.” *** Kudos for the Mississippi State marketing genius who called to place billboards throughout Dallas in support Prescott. It was expensive, but State gained millions in publicity and goodwill. And not just in Dallas. The Cowboys lost to the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees threw 423 yards and did not throw an intercept, losing. The Superdome saw the Oakland Raiders win 35 to 34 thanks to rookie Jalen Richard’s touchdown run of 75 yards. Richard, a Southern Miss rookie who is 5′ 8″ tall and 8 inches shorter than the average American, rushed just three times for 84 yard, caught two passes for 11 yards, and received a nice punt return that was negated by a penalty. So how many fantasy players had Richard on their team? You thought so. Richard was not a household name. He was actually the second-best USM player last year. Richard ran for 1,098 yards at USM as a senior, but shared the time with Ito Smith, who ran for 1,128 yards and averaged nearly a yard per carry. Jack Del Rio, Raiders head coach, said Richard was “such a great story.” Richard said that Richard, a young rookie undrafted, came to camp and “willed his way on to this football team.” He added, “It was a feeling that I will never forget.” It’s the kind of thing you wish you could do when you were 5 or 6. Nick Fitzgerald ran and passed 373 yards and looked the Bulldogs’ best hope of winning. There isn’t much to be taken from the Southern Miss and Ole Miss wins over Wofford, Savannah State. I’m not sure how Wofford prepared the Rebels to face Alabama on Saturday or how Savannah State prepared USM to take on Troy. Alabama is a 10-point favorite to win over Ole Miss. USM is a 12-point choice over Troy. This seems very high. Due to Leonard Fournette’s injuries, there is currently no point spread for LSU-State. LSU’s quarterback was apparently discovered in a win over Jacksonville State, which was 34-13. Danny Etling was brought off the bench by starter Brandon Harris to give the Tigers some life. Etling, a Purdue transfer, was a freshman at the Boilermakers, before being fired as a sophomore. LSU would be my 7-point choice over State, Rick Cleveland is Mississippi Today’s sports columnist. Check out his columns as well as his Sports Daily blog.
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