Lots of great questions this week. Some of them got answered throughout the week as events unfolded, and a couple, I’ll be honest, I just couldn’t get answers to yet. So, live from Little Rock, here are the answers I have for you.

Q: Will we have the black jerseys on for the Egg Bowl?

A: We’ll get into that next week. Or not. Please, let’s not obsess about the black jerseys any more. They wore them. Move on.

Q: How does coach Dan Mullen feel his freshman are coming along? Defensive and offensive?

A: Mullen: “The guys that are playing, you see big improvement from week to week, I do. Even just the little things you see improvement in. The guys that aren’t playing, you’re still starting to see a lot of improvement in them becoming better football players as the year goes on.”

Q: Has Mullen thought about putting in more streak-type plays to make the defenses defend the deep ball, a.k.a. freshman Brandon Heavens in the slot going deep?

A: Mullen: “Brandon might not have the size to be an every-down blocker. He does a good job blocking when he’s in there. Him and (Chad) Bumphis rotate a bunch, so he’s done some good things for us. … Brandon’s got a lot of ability, a lot of speed, a lot of quickness.”

Q: How is Mullen and the staff doing in recruiting in Year 2?

A: Mullen: “We’re kind of pleased with what’s going on so far. Obviously, you have no idea of how recruiting’s going to go until those letters come through the fax machine. That’s when I’ll finally feel comfortable about it. And then really, you’ll know about two years after that when you get to see whether those guys are performing on the field or not. That’s kind of how recruiting works. But our staff is working really hard at it, and they’ve been working really hard at it, and we’ll continue to work really hard at it.”

Q: Any news on QB recruit Cameron Newton?

A: Well, he’s scheduled a visit to MSU for the Egg Bowl, but from what I’ve read, he’s still keeping his options wide open. On Dec. 6, he’ll lead Blinn (Texas) College against Fort Scott (Kan.) CC in the junior college national championship game.

Q: Do we have a shot at landing a second consecutive top 25 recruiting class?

A: Hey, I don’t see why not. In fact, I’d consider it a disappointment if MSU didn’t get one.

Q: Do you think we may see more of QB Chris Relf this week against Arkansas?

A: All signs indicate that he will see more playing time.

Q: If we are determined to run a Wildcat formation to keep up with the Joneses, why not at least show some options? Otherwise it’s just RB Anthony Dixon, with all 11 knowing he is gonna run it. Either put in an ex-quarterback (Bumphis, Maurice Langston, etc.), or at least have another runner in motion to distract /hold linebackers. What’s your opinion?

A: I think Mullen doesn’t want to make things too complicated. And just because the defense knows who’s going to run it and when doesn’t mean they can stop it. See: Dexter McCluster.

Q: Noticed a couple of names missing from the baseball roster – Forrest Moore and Ryan Powers.  What’s up with these two young men?

A: Moore is still an MSU student but no longer with the team. Powers is at St. Leo University in Florida.

Q: Why did Kentucky’s John Wall only get suspended one game and MSU’s John Riek got nine?

A: Well, the two situations are not exactly the same. Plus, the NCAA works in mysterious, often inexplicable ways.

Q: What were some of the long-range plans that came out of the athletic department’s meeting this week?

A: AD Greg Byrne said many ideas were bandied about, but nothing he wished to share publicly. “Obviously, there are a lot of moving parts to that,” he said.