Cowbell Corner

Five random midweek thoughts about Mississippi State football

From cowbell debates to redshirt decisions, here are five midweek thoughts on Mississippi State football plus a bonus soccer note.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Bulldogs fans ring their cowbells during warm ups prior to the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.
Mississippi State Bulldogs fans ring their cowbells during warm ups prior to the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

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Mississippi State BulldogsTennessee Volunteers

It’s not exactly the middle of the week, but it’s close enough for some random midweek thoughts.

And we’ll start with what seems to be the most popular topic this week: the cowbells.

Random Thought #1

Want a sure fire bet? No matter how it happens, if Tennessee loses, its fans will blame the cowbells.

I’ve only covered Mississippi State for this season and last season. Last season, I can’t recall anyone complaining about the cowbells.

But now the Bulldogs are 4-0 and suddenly my timelines are full of “the cowbells aren’t fair” type of posts.

Did fans follow the rules against Arizona State? No, but they did a lot better the last two weeks.

So, why all the hoopla now? Because it only makes it look like opposing teams are scared.

Random Thought #2

Would the SEC go straight to an out-right ban of the cowbells?

A monetary fine is…well, fine. But to permanently ban the cowbells, and deal with the fallout of that, seems like a big step.

Maybe it would just be a one game ban for an upcoming SEC game? I’m sure Texas would love to avoid dealing with the cowbells.

Random thought #3

Mississippi State Quarterback Kamario Taylor (#1) during the game between the Northern Illinois Huskies.
Mississippi State Quarterback Kamario Taylor (#1) during the game between the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

We’re at the point in the season where players can lose their ability to obtain a redshirt this season.

A player can only be redshirted if they played in four games or less. So, who plays and who doesn’t will be something to note.

One player of intrigue will be Kamario Taylor. The true freshman quarterback has played in three games.

Will he continued to be use in special packages? Or will the Bulldogs try and give him a redshirt year?

Random Thought #4

Here's an exciting matchup to follow Saturday: Tennessee’s wide receivers vs. Mississippi State’s secondary.

Kelley Jones has the lowest catch rate allowed with just 14.3 percent completions allowed and is rated as top 10 SEC cornerback, as is DeAgo Brumfield.

And they’ll be going against a Tennessee offense that is as fast-paced and high-flying as Mississippi State’s offense, with Chris Brazzell II being the biggest downfield threat.

Random Thought #5

Mississippi State should do two things regarding uniforms:

1. Bring back the interlocking logo full-time. It looks great and the fans want it.

2. Seriously consider making the all-white uniforms the standard away uniforms. These look awesome:

Bonus soccer thought:

Not so much a thought, but I really loved this exchange at Mississippi State soccer coach Nick Zimmerman’s recent press conference because it has something not seen often: humor.

There's a term that a Premier League writer uses where he calls players like a nuclear option sometimes. It seems like Allie Perry is that for you where if you're throwing everything and nothing's working, she can come up big for you with a goal. What about her has kind of turned on in the last few games that she's been able to do that for you?

Let's not jinx that. Let's continue that. Yeah, Allie's playing with a really high confidence level right now, which is a testament to all the hard work that she's had. It's being in the right place at the right time, executing at a really, really high level, and the trust in her teammates. It's really cool to see and I know she's come up pretty big for us here, not just this year but over the years. We're happy that Allie Perry's a part of Mississippi State soccer.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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