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See, the logos are quite different. So why the confusion?

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To help you and me get through the drudgery of August, I will present in this space a daily scoop of MSU football-ness, as inspired by a certain ice cream chain. August has 31 days, so I'll let you work it out from there. Here is today's flavor.

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Ever since I was a kid, the national media has had a hard time distinguishing between Mississippi State and Ole Miss. I'm sure the confusion existed long before I came along, and you'd think by now folks would've figured it out.

The examples are numerous. MSU gets the Rebels nickname attached to it, or vice versa, or the 'State' is dropped, or an Ole Miss player is said to play for MSU. Happens all the time, and fans hate it. But there must be a reason for it.

Obviously, Ole Miss' proper name is Mississippi, and a lot of people outside the state – especially the national media – uses the latter name. So you have Mississippi and Mississippi State, and it's kinda understandable how a mix-up could happen.

On the other hand, you'd think by now that 'Ole Miss' would be used more commonly than it is, and that things like mascots and uniform colors would be enough to help people make the distinction. Laziness is a culprit, no doubt.

I know people get New Mexico and New Mexico State confused – I sure do – but those teams don't play in the SEC. They're not as prominent. There is ultimately no excuse for misidentifying the Bulldogs and Rebels, but both schools could help curb future occurrences by becoming more competitive, especially in football, and that's something MSU is doing. So, you're up, Ole Miss.

ESPN.com is reporting that Mississippi State is being investigated by the NCAA in regards to the recruiting practices of former assistant coach Angelo Mirando, who resigned on Sunday for what he called "unforeseen personal issues."

Joe Schad tweeted that Mirando left "in wake of [an] ongoing NCAA investigation into his recruitment of at least one Bulldogs player." The school sent out a statement that did not confirm an investigation, nor did it name Mirando, but it did say this:

"Over the last several months, Mississippi State has worked in cooperation with the N.C.A.A. to examine a potential recruiting irregularity. We are nearing the end of this examination, and it is our intent to provide additional details when it is complete."

The NCAA has given confirmation that the issue is being looked into. In an email to the Journal, an NCAA spokesperson wrote, "We can confirm the university's statement. The NCAA and Mississippi State are working cooperatively regarding this matter, but we have no further comment."

Speaking after practice today, coach Dan Mullen would not say whether the NCAA's probe had anything to do with Mirando's dismissal, and he would not comment on MSU's cooperation with the NCAA.

Both Schad and the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported that MSU freshman Will Redmond was the subject of an interview the NCAA conducted with his high school coach, Marcus Wimberly. Mullen said Redmond is still practicing with the team.

When I initially asked Mullen whether Redmond was practicing, he said, "We don't talk about injuries, you know that." I explained I wasn't asking about an injury, and Mullen said, "Why wouldn't he be practicing? … Yeah, everybody's practicing. Yeah. Why wouldn't he be practicing?"

Another reporter told Mullen that Redmond had been named in Schad's report.

"Yeah, he's practicing," Mullen said. "I would try to get a little more reliable source than Joe Schad." (laughing) "I'm supposed to be coaching at State College (Penn State), I guess, right now, too, according to Joe Schad last year. Wasn't that the case?"

When I reached Redmond's 7-on-7 coach, Byron De'Vinner, earlier today, he declined to comment on whether he knew anything about the investigation.

I sent an FOIA request to MSU this afternoon seeking information on Mirando and a possible investigation and hope to receive that information soon.

More to come.

Tim Brewster

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Mississippi State has hired former Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster as its wide receivers coach.

The school confirmed what 247sports.com reported this morning – that Brewster is replacing Angelo Mirando, who abruptly resigned on Sunday citing "unforeseen personal issues." Head coach Dan Mullen said Tuesday that he was hoping to at least have a short-term plan in place by the end of this week, but this appears to be more of a long-term solution.

"I appreciate the opportunity Coach Mullen is giving me here at Mississippi State," Brewster said in a statement. "The staff here has done a great job, and I'm going to catch up as quickly as possible."

According to 247's J.C. Shurburtt, Brewster is flew in to Starkville today, and MSU posted a picture on Twitter showing Brewster at practice. Shurburtt wrote that Brewster is a "tremendous recruiter and good evaluator."

"Tim is a veteran football coach with extensive experience both in college and the NFL," Mullen said in a statement. "His tremendous amount football knowledge and ability to teach made him the perfect choice to join our staff at this time. He'll hit the ground running as we get ready for Jackson State."

MSU opens the season Sept. 1 against JSU.

Brewster has never coached wide receivers but has coached tight ends quite a bit, most recently with the Denver Broncos (2005-06). He also coached that position group with the San Diego Chargers (2002-04) and was assistant head coach his final season there. Prior to entering the NFL, Brewster was an assistant at Texas (1998-2001, tight ends) and North Carolina (1989-97, tight ends/special teams/recruiting coordinator).

Brewster began his coaching career in 1986 as a Purdue graduate assistant (tight ends/offensive tackles), then spent two years as head coach at Central Catholic High School in Lafayette, Ind., before taking the UNC post.

Central Catholic was his only head coaching job until Minnesota hired him in 2007. Brewster was fired during the 2010 football season after a 1-6 start and reportedly received a $600,000 buyout (CLICK HERE). He was 15-30 at Minnesota, including a 7-6 season in 2008.

Brewster made a name for himself with his unbridled enthusiasm, which was often expressed via his Twitter page (CLICK HERE).

Earlier this month, Brewster took a TV gig with the CBS College Sports Network as a color commentator (he was hired along with Houston Nutt and Ron Zook). He was a sideline analyst/reporter last season for Fox (CLICK HERE).

Brewster, 51, was born in Phillipsburg, N.J., and played tight end at Illinois, where he was twice an All-Big Ten Conference pick. He is married with three sons.

I see no potential tree poisoners in this crowd. (Photo by Deste Lee)

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To help you and me get through the drudgery of August, I will present in this space a daily scoop of MSU football-ness, as inspired by a certain ice cream chain. August has 31 days, so I'll let you work it out from there. Here is today's flavor.

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The SEC is notorious for having some wackadoodle football fans, like tree poisoner Harvey Updyke. And that Alabama fan who tea-bagged an unconscious LSU fan. And guys who wear houndstooth hats. OK, so a disproportionate number of these, um, passionate fans cheer for the Crimson Tide, but they are hardly anomalous in the SEC.

LSU fans are obnoxious, but in a different way than Bama fans. LSU fans are also often funny and entertaining, and really mostly harmless except when they're chucking whiskey bottles into the end zone (but what fan base doesn't do that?). Bama fans are more of the football-is-literally-life-and-death mentality, and they are sometimes downright scary (see: Updyke). And psychologically disturbed, like that guy named Ricky (CLICK HERE, and mind the language).

Anyway, my point is, compared to a lot of fan bases in the league, MSU's are relatively sensible. Sure, there are the hopeless homers and the overly optimistic and paranoid conspiracists and grown men who act like adolescents (and dress like them at games). But most MSU fans are realistic and civil when they disagree with others (for example, me).

As is usually the case, many of these intelligent, considerate people are drowned out by the screamers and perpetually negative types, so it can at times seem that the majority opinion on something is the one that defies logic. Or maybe it just seems that way, because I believe our ears are trained to hear the negative above the positive.

I believe MSU fans' collective psyche is informed by their long-suffering allegiance to MSU, which has had long stretches of bad football. Now that the Bulldogs are good again, dormant enthusiasm has burst forth, and State fans have shown remarkable support considering their size relative to the other fan bases. Sixteen consecutive sellouts and big crowds at the last two bowl games are prime examples.

MSU fans, on the whole, have found that delicate balance between unrelenting passion and, well, not being a wackadoodle. About the craziest thing you'll catch a Bulldog fan doing is ringing a cowbell as he walks past opposing fans, although I wouldn't recommend doing that at the Alabama game.

Former Mississippi State center Kent Hull will have his name put on the Ring of Honor at Davis Stadium this fall, the school announced today.

Hull, who died last year at the age of 50, was a first-team freshman All-SEC selection in 1979 and was a key part of the 1980 team that upset No. 1 Alabama. After an accolades-fllled career at MSU, Hull spent three years in the USFL, and then 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He worked with quarterback Jim Kelly in Buffalo's no-huddle offense, which led to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances. Hull, a Pontotoc native, was named a Pro Bowler three times.

His family will participate in a pregame ceremony on Sept. 8 (Auburn game).

The Ring of Honor started last year, with the first class of honorees including Johnie Cooks, D.D. Lewis, Jackie Parker and former announcer Jack Cristil.

Also announced today were three new inductees into the MSU Sports Hall of Fame: Sammy Ellis (baseball), Wiley Peck (basketball) and Keri McCallum Stratton (softball). Those three will be honored Sept. 22 (South Alabama game).

We caught up with a handful of football players tonight after practice, and I have videos of quarterback Tyler Russell, center Dillon Day and tailback LaDarius Perkins. Russell was asked about how the receivers are doing without Angelo Mirando, who resigned Sunday. "I don't think anything's changed. They're doing a good job right now," Russell said.

For more, let's got to the videos!

• For Russell, CLICK HERE

• For Day, CLICK HERE

• For Perkins, CLICK HERE

Dan Mullen has turned MSU football into a viable product.

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To help you and me get through the drudgery of August, I will present in this space a daily scoop of MSU football-ness, as inspired by a certain ice cream chain. August has 31 days, so I'll let you work it out from there. Here is today's flavor.

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I caught some flak a while back for comparing Dan Mullen to a used car salesman, but I didn't mean it as an insult. What I was saying is that he has the ability to sell the right people a product that, historically, has been a lemon. Everybody knows MSU football ain't Florida or Georgia or LSU. There are plenty of folks who look at what Mullen is trying to do and scoff – because his goals exceed anything MSU has done consistently, or in some cases, has done at all.

Mullen has convinced quality coaches to join the staff. His recruiting classes have gotten stronger – the 2013 group is extremely promising – which means he's been able to sell kids on MSU over other big-time SEC schools. The first group of people Mullen sold on MSU football, of course, was the fanbase. Skeptics were and still are littered throughout Bulldog fandom, but the vast majority believe Mullen can deliver the goods he's pitching.

How else to explain selling out season tickets in 2010 after a 5-7 season? How to explain the excitement and anticipation of that offseason? Surely the upset of Ole Miss helped, and perhaps the buzz would not have been as high if not for that, but Mullen has sustained that buzz even after a so-so 7-6 mark last year.

He truly has something of quality to sell now. The football complex is coming together, Davis Wade Stadium is getting a $75 million expansion, and the Bulldogs appear to have the mixture of depth and experience – plus a strong throwing quarterback – to make them a tough out even in the merciless SEC Western Division.

While Mullen certainly rubs some people the wrong way – from prospects to fellow coaches – he has a charisma that is essential to a coach in his position. He tells people his vision, and they believe him. The more that believe, the more likely the hoped reality becomes, and the easier it is for Mullen to sell others on MSU.

There's a good bit to round up this morning if you haven't seen it all yet. Lot of news, so let's do some linkage here.

• Former MSU pitcher Chris Stratton was hospitalized overnight after being struck in the head with a line drive during batting practice (CLICK HERE). He was standing behind second base at the time. His father, Lee Stratton, said last night, "We believe he will be OK." This morning, Lee said Chris is no longer nauseated but still has some dizziness. Stratton, a first-round pick by San Francisco, has been pitching for Salem-Keizer (Ore.) of the short-season Northwest League.

• MSU's football team is moving on with Angelo Mirando, who resigned Sunday as wide receivers coach (CLICK HERE). The Bulldogs got back to practicing yesterday and will do so again this afternoon, so come back here for post-practice updates.

• Today's centerpiece story was written by Brandon Speck, and the subject is Houston High School senior Chris Jones, an MSU commit who plays defensive end (CLICK HERE). He also plays basketball and is considering trying both sports at State.

• Basketball freshman Fred Thomas has been academically cleared by the NCAA and is enrolled at MSU for the fall term (CLICK HERE).

Chris Stratton has a 2.76 ERA this season for Salem-Keizer of the short-season Northwest League. (Photo courtesy MSU)

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Former Mississippi State pitcher and first-round draft pick Chris Stratton has been hospitalized after being struck in the head by a line drive during batting practice, according to a report by CSNBayArea.com.

Stratton, a Tupelo native, is playing for Salem-Keizer of the short-season Northwest League. He was hit during batting practice and taken by ambulance. According to the report, Stratton is in stable condition with a concussion, and doctors are evaluating him to see if there is any further damage.

His father, Lee Stratton, told the Journal tonight that Chris is doing OK. "He is staying in the hospital tonight for observation," Lee said.

Stratton posted an 11-2 record and 2.38 ERA for MSU as a junior, earning consensus All-American honors. San Francisco drafted him 20th overall in June, and he's been in Oregon with Salem-Keizer the past several weeks. In eight games (five starts), Stratton is 0-1 with a 2.76 ERA. In his last outing, on Monday, he tossed four shutout innings.

For more, CLICK HERE.

VIDEO: Dan Mullen

Mississippi State returned to the practice fields this afternoon, and we spoke with head coach Dan Mullen afterwards, but nobody else was made available. The Bulldogs got into some scout team work 11 days before the season opener against Jackson State, and of course they were a man down on the coaching staff.

And Mullen talked about Angelo Mirando, the wide receivers coach who resigned Sunday for "unforeseen personal issues." Mullen said he's working on plans to address the vacancy, but for now he's coaching that group.

"It’s always tough duty. You’re working one man down with the staff," Mullen said. "Today’s really the first day we’ve been back on the field, so you see it more when you’re doing football stuff. You’re down a guy."

He said that it's "possible" Mirando could return to MSU, where he's been for three years, the first two as a grad assistant. "Anything's possible in this world," Mullen said.

As for replacing Mirando: "I wanna have a short term plan figured out by the end of the week. The short term plan and the long term plan could be a combo plan. Might have a short term fix that turns into a long term fix or a short term fix that last through the season. We’re gonna figure that out over the next few days."

Other notes and quotes.

• Mullen said kicker Brian Egan is back practicing with the team, as the roster has expanded beyond 105 players. Egan handled most kickoff duties last season, but freshman Devon Bell could end up winning the job.

• After two days off, Mullen saw some rustiness today, especially from younger players. "I’m not disappointed with how the guys tried and all that stuff. It’s kind of the mental focus part that was a little sloppy."

• What did coaches do during the past two days with no practices? "What we did was really get in and watch all the cut-ups of training camp, see what was good and bad for us. … Because even though something might draw up well, personnel-wise we don’t execute it very well. Then we have to tweak and do stuff our guys do well."