COLUMN: Mississippi State, either abide by the rules or the cowbells have to go

This has to be said even though it will draw the wrath of every person who dons the Maroon & White. . . . 

. . . . the cowbells, the way they are being used now, are an unfair advantage and should be banned if things don’t change.

(Note: I’m writing this after a Rebel win in the Egg Bowl, so it’s not a loser’s lament. I’m also writing this a few days after so I can be sure I’m not overreacting.)

Two years ago, when the Rebels invaded Starkville, Mississippi State fans did a great job of abiding by the rules the conference has laid out for them to be able to be the only team in the SEC allowed to use artificial noisemakers, their beloved cowbells.

I actually wrote in part of my postgame column that I saw no real harm for the Bulldog faithful to ring the cowbells when they followed the rule of no ringing after the opposing team’s center put his hands on the ball to start a play.

In that contest two years ago, I can’t remember a time when they went against that arrangement and a compliment was in order.

There was also an excellent effort by their administration to make a public service announcement to “ring responsibly.”

The fans’ reaction to the rule and the reminders on the PA system were admirable and I said so, even though it levied quite a bit of criticism from some Rebels.

Truth is truth.

The ringing last Thursday night, however, was so out of line and against the rules that it was shocking to hear, especially in critical times.

Truth is truth.

Right out of the gate, when Ole Miss went for it on 4^th-and-1 on their first possession, the ringing never stopped during the whole sequence of the play. And it was loud.

One person I talked to who was on the sidelines said it was louder than the 100,000 rabid Volunteers jammed into Neyland Stadium in Knoxville and he also added “much louder.”

A friend of mine in the stands said most of the people around him were ringing two bells – double fisted – and they never let up regardless of the circumstance of the game and despite their leaders’ attempts to ask them not to ring them during certain times.

After the game, Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin said of the Ole Miss-Mississippi State rivalry, “Now I get it.”

Was he talking about the MSU player who got in his face late in the game during a push and shove among some players? A player mouthing off at an opposing coach is something I have never seen before, by the way.

Or was it because of the cowbells? One has to believe part of his newly found “understanding” includes the incessant and irreverent ringing of the bells.

To be fair, there were times when the MSU faithful did abide by the rules, but not during the crucial times and on crucial plays for the Rebels.

I don’t know what MSU’s real stance is behind the scenes. Are the PSA’s just lip service and privately they are telling their fans to ring the hell out of them whenever they want to and specifically on critical plays?

“Ya’ll behave now.” Wink, wink.

I don’t know if MSU, as it has been suggested to me from another source …

… just pays a fine at the end of the year and thumbs their collective noses at the conference and its directives concerning the cowbells.

It’s not right to speculate on either of those suggestions, but one must wonder out loud how it got so out of hand with the State fans and those bells. How their disregard of the rules given them when the cowbells were “approved” has manifested into what was heard Thursday night. 

So here is the bottom line, and this will certainly be met with resistance, maybe even anger on different social media platforms, by MSU fans. Let the Facebook, Twitter, etc. carnage begin, I’m like Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind – I don’t give a damn.

What’s the old saying? You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. These “eggs” are the bells, the “omelet” is either abide by the rules or banning. Simple.

It’s going to require nerve or guts or as they say in Mexico – cover your eyes ladies – cajones.

First and foremost, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey should boldly step in and give the director of SEC officials a forceful directive to enforce any in-game penalties of unsportsmanlike conduct and order him to tell his officials to have the guts to throw the yellow flag on the out of line bell clangers. Do it or be suspended, he should include.

It says here a couple of 15-yard penalties at critical times against the Bulldogs would stop the illegal bell shenanigans. Cold. They won’t be dumb enough to hurt their team if they realize the conference is serious, the officials are empowered and they are not afraid to enforce the rules.

If not, a much larger fine should be imposed, one that will really hurt the coffers of MSU athletics and not just a hand slap amount. Real money.

And if none of that works, the SEC presidents need to revisit the matter of the cowbells and vote to ban them similar to the artificial noisemaker limitations at the other 13 member schools of the Southeastern Conference.

As I wrote two years ago, the cowbells used properly, while personally I think are absurd but is their tradition which I don’t begrudge, are fine.

But abused, as the rules and regulations of their usage were Thanksgiving night, dictates those things need to go. It’s an unfair advantage that should not be allowed.

It’s only fair to every other member of the SEC.