Cowbell Corner

To ring or not to ring: Can Mississippi State fans strike the right balance?

Mississippi State fans face a cowbell dilemma ahead of No. 15 Tennessee, balancing noise, rules, and hope for another upset.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State fans during the game between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, Miss.
Mississippi State fans during the game between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, Miss. | Mississippi State Athletics

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STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State fans planning to attend Saturday’s game against No. 15 Tennessee face a real dilemma.

There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind the cowbells have a positive (or negative depending on your allegiances) impact on teams visiting Davis Wade Stadium.

Look at the game three weeks ago against then-No. 12 Arizona State.

Can anybody make a strong argument the cowbells didn’t play a role in the Bulldogs winning that game?

But, here’s the rub, the cowbells rang almost constantly. Even when the center was over the ball (which is when the cowbells are supposed to stop) the cowbells were ringing.

If a person in the press box had to yell multiple times just to be heard by the person sitting next to them, imagine how hard it’d be to just to clap your hands and be heard by a person two-three yards away and facing the other direction hear that clap?

It’s nearly impossible.

Now, another ranked team is coming to Starkville.

No. 15 Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC) will face Mississippi State (4-0) at 3:15 p.m. Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.

The Volunteers are favored to win almost exactly like how Arizona State was favored to win. Tennessee is a 7.5-point favorite, according to FanDuels’ Sportsbook, and the Sun Devils were 6.5-point favorites.

Could the difference, once again, be with the cowbells? Maybe, but with this being an SEC game, more attention will be paid to how responsible the cowbells are rung.

The university is doing its part with social media posts this week and in-game video messages in the last two games about when its appropriate to ring cowbells.

But there has to be a temptation, considering the cowbells’ impact against Arizona State, to ring the cowbells when they’re supposed to be silent.

It already worked once. Could it work again?

It presents an interesting dilemma, and I can’t stop thinking about the opening line to William Shakespeare’s famous soliloquy in Hamlet, Act III, Scene I: “To be, or not to be: that is the question.”

To ring, or not to ring: that is the question?

In reality, it’s an easy question to answer (not). But we can’t let an opportunity to rewrite a famous poem pass us by, can we? (Publisher’s Note: We can, but you won’t let us.)

To Ring or Not to Ring?

To ring, or not to ring: that is the question.
Whether ‘tis nobler to suffer a quiet loss,
Or to take arms against the haters,
And, by clanging–risk it all,
As foes fear the bells, more and more.
The threat of silence, and sorrow, is without doubt,
Because the ‘Dawgs are actually quite good.

Ring responsibly or not? Ain’t that the rub?
For in that silence, foes may see their dream.
When alignments are spoken, not shouted,
And audibles are made with quiet ease,
Fortune shall never favor the ‘Dawgs.

Yet think how sweet the ringing cowbells sound,
And foes can hear no voice within their helm.
Yellow flags fly as shoulders are shrugged,
A coach’s silent yells fall on deaf ears.
Oh, glorious risk! Our rings may run afoul,
But the ‘Dawgs help fill our passionate dreams.

Be warned, for threats have been made,
Fans cry foul, refs grow stern,
And whispers spread of a cowbell ban.
To lose the bell is to lose our soul,
And bring forth The Sound of Silence.

Yet, finally, hope springs forth from the tunnel,
For four straight triumphs lift the gloom,
Of seasons past, when silence reigned,
And losses weighed upon our name.
These ‘Dawgs now bear a fiercer bite,
But who can doubt the cowbells’ hand
In that clash which shook a yellow foe?
Will tempered clangs be enough?
Or must we dare the ban to rise again?

To ring, or not, the choice is ours,
Yet neither silence nor unbridled clang
Shall mark the measure of these ‘Dawgs.
For strength is found in fight and flame,
And hope resounds in every cheer.
So let the bells, when rightful, sing,
To lift our team, to stir our dream,
And courage hums when cowbells rest.

DAWGS FEED:

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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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