Georgia vs Mississippi State. The football series goes back a while, although the teams don’t usually meet every year. Every team has their traditions and home field advantages.
For Mississippi State, it’s the cowbell, or cowbells. To give you a brief history, fans in Starkville used cowbells at MSU home games. That was until 1974, when the conference banned all artificial noisemakers.
Then, in 2010, the schools amended the rule. You can read more about that below.
How does Coach Smart keep the distractions from the media, noise and SEC title hopes away from his players? According to dawgnation.com, it’s simple.
“You just focus on Mississippi State. And, like, what do we have to do to play well against them? What do we have to do to play well on the road in the SEC? Those are the focus,” Smart said. “That’s nothing but a number and a distraction and it’s irrelevant. It just really doesn’t matter. They see it. But they don’t get it discussed around here.”
You can listen to the game several ways. 95.1FM / AM 580 WGAC, on the WGAC App, or wgac.com. Coverage starts at 3:00 p.m. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m.
Here are 3 Things To Know about the series:
History
The two teams first played in 1914 in Athens on Halloween. The Bulldogs lead the overall series 19-6. The game this year is in Starkville. Mississippi State is undefeated at home this season.
ATHENS, GA – OCTOBER 21: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #7 of the Georgia Bulldogs prepares to hand the ball off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during SEC college football action on October 21, 2006 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. Georgia defeated Mississippi State 27-24. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
SEC East Title
The Dawgs have won 11 SEC Eastern Division championships. They can claim another with a win today.
AUBURN, AL – NOVEMBER 10: Georgia players and mascot celebrate their win against the Auburn Tigers on November 10, 2012 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. Georgia defeated Auburn 38-0 and clinched the SEC East division. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
Last Win
The last time Mississippi State beat Georgia was in 2010. That year was also Georgia’s last losing season.
(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
The Cowbell
How are cowbells allowed? According to the school’s website:
In 1974, the SEC adopted a rule against artificial noisemakers that made it illegal to ring a cowbell during games. Despite creative efforts by MSU fans to circumvent the ruling and continue the tradition, the ban was in effect until 2010.
That spring, the 12 schools of the SEC agreed to a compromise on artificial noisemakers, acknowledging the role cowbells play in the history of Mississippi State University by amending the conference by-law. In the fall of 2010, on a one-year trial with specified restrictions, cowbells were permitted in Davis Wade Stadium for the first time in 36 years. And due to MSU fans’ notable adherence to the rules outlined by the league, cowbells have been allowed at MSU home football games since with similar restrictions in place.
(Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
As of now, the current amendment allows “the use of institutionally controlled, computerized sound systems (including music), institutionally controlled artificial noisemakers, and traditional institutional noisemakers at any time, except from the time the offensive center is over the football until the play is whistled dead.”
