Mississippi State's Sherrill won't discuss Fant suspension
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Posted 8:04AM on Tuesday, September 3, 2002
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill says he's satisfied with the way quarterback Kevin Fant's suspension was handled and again said he wanted to put the episode to rest. <br>
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Fant was suspended by the NCAA for the Oregon game Saturday and should be back in the lineup to face Division I-AA Jacksonville State. The one-game suspension was for a violation that involved the purchase of tires. <br>
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Fant would not talk to reporters Monday about the suspension. <br>
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``It's been talked about and we move on,'' Sherrill said Monday during his weekly teleconference. <br>
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Mississippi State has an open week before returning to the field Sept. 14 against Jacksonville State. <br>
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Freshmen tailbacks Jerious Norwood and Nick Turner made their collegiate debuts Saturday against Oregon and displayed some of what made them prized recruits. <br>
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``We will play them more and more and more,'' Sherrill said. ``Same thing with the two young receivers (Brandon Wright and Tee Milons). You've got to figure ways of getting the ball to them.'' <br>
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Turner had a 14-yard reception and a 34-yard kickoff return in the 36-13 loss to Oregon. Norwood had a 10-yard reception. <br>
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As for the receivers, Wright had two catches for 24 yards and a touchdown and Milons had a 15-yard catch. <br>
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Increasing the likelihood of the newcomers getting increased playing time was the lackluster performance of the veterans. <br>
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Tailback Dontae Walker ran eight times for eight yards. Backup Fred Reid was no better, losing two yards on five carries. And there were plenty of drops to go around from the receivers. <br>
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Sherrill said playing a high-caliber team such as Oregon allowed him to get a good early season read on his team. Two things were apparent, he said: ``We have young talent that can make plays. There weren't any players that shut it down.'' <br>
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The Bulldogs came out of last week's game healthy, Sherrill said.