A six-member crew from ESPN spent three days in Jackson last week filming a segment on Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault that included a mock rain storm at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The segment on Therriault will air this fall on two ESPN programs — a short version on College Gameday, the popular Saturday morning show that precedes football games, and a longer version on E:60, a weekly investigative journalism program.

Kory Kozak, the producer of the show, said run dates haven’t been determined but “early October” is likely.

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The segment focuses on Therriault’s rise from a jail cell in Michigan in 2009 to being one of the best quarterbacks in the Football Championship Subdivision heading into this season.

Therriault tied a school record with 31 touchdown passes last season and was third in the FCS in yards a game.

A few JSU players, including linemen Roderick Gladney and Stephen Capler, tight end Renty Rollins and receiver E.J. Drewery, joined Therriault for ESPN’s main shot Wednesday night at Memorial Stadium, where two Jackson fire trucks were used to simulate a driving rain storm.

Hoses, shot from an 100-foot tall ladder, spewed water over the locker rooms and onto the end zone to the 15-yard line, where players simulated a game as ESPN’s high-definition cameras focused on Therriault.
“It’s all part of TV magic,” Kozak said.

Therriault spent about six months in Michigan’s Kent County Jail after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the 2008 beating death of Jonathon Krystiniak. Therriault received the lightest sentence of six charged in the fight, which occurred outside a Grand Rapids, Mich., bar.

Said Kozak: “Casey’s story is a pretty amazing one.”
JSU TV games set

Two JSU football games will be televised and three others will be shown live on the Southwestern Athletic Conference website.

JSU will host Texas Southern on Sept. 29, a Thursday, on ESPNU. The game will begin at 5 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.

JSU’s game Sept. 10 against Tennessee State in Memphis will be shown on Fox SportsSouth and will kick off at 6 p.m. The Tigers’ games against Prairie View in Shreveport on Oct. 29, at Southern (Sept. 17) and against Grambling (Nov. 5) will be shown live at www.swac.org.
Practice to start Saturday

JSU’s first five practices, which start Saturday at 3:35 p.m., are open to media and fans. The practices will be held at the JSU practice fields. They’ll take off Sunday before resuming drills on Aug. 8 at 8:15 a.m.

Two-a-days are set for Aug. 9 and Aug. 11, with the first practice starting at 8:15 a.m. and the evening session beginning at 3:45. The Aug. 10 practice will begin at 8:15 a.m.

by Ross Dellenger, Clarion Ledger
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20110731/SPORTS030101/110730013/JSU-s-Therriault-focus-ESPN-special