Mississippi State suspends 5 for opener

Published Sep. 1, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Mississippi State has suspended five players for its season opener against Memphis, including starting defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and third-string quarterback Dylan Favre.

Mississippi State released a list of the suspended players two hours before the game. The other three are offensive tackle Blaine Clausell, linebacker Chris Hughes and receiver Malcolm Johnson. Team spokesman Joe Galbraith said the suspensions were for a ''variety of violations of team rules.''

All are expected to be suspended just one game.

The 20th-ranked Bulldogs are nationally ranked in the preseason for the first time since 2001. Cox, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound junior, was a preseason All-Southeastern Conference selection by the league's coaches.