STARKVILLE, Miss. – Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo was asked last week if he would publicly object if Mississippi State fans violated the Southeastern Conference’s new policy on noisemakers such as cowbells.
Not a chance.
“Then they would ring them all the time,” Bobo said, smiling, “so there is no sense in complaining.”
Mississippi State’s cowbells are the most famous and recognized noisemakers in league lore. They had been banned – a restriction that hardly was enforced – until the league announced in June that fans would be permitted to bring traditional institutional noisemakers into football games provided they comply with guidelines.
The new policy states that noisemakers may not be used during live action but are allowed before and after a game, at halftime, during timeouts and following a score. In addition to the cowbells, the rule applies to institutionally controlled noisemakers such as South Carolina’s chicken crow over the loud speakers and Vanderbilt’s foghorn.
SEC associate commissioner Charles Bloom said the new policy will not be reviewed until right after the season at the earliest, so the league can’t comment if Auburn filed a complaint after its 17-14 win at MSU on Sept. 9. Cowbells could be heard during live action of the Auburn-MSU game as well as in Saturday night’s 24-12 State win.
“It’s a work in progress,” Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin said moments before kickoff. “We have some people who are really trying to do the right thing and are doing what we’ve asked them to do, and we’ve got some who aren’t checking up like they need to. We’ve got five games to get better at it.
“We’re not as good as we need to be so far.”
King back in backfield
Redshirt junior tailback Caleb King returned to Georgia’s backfield after missing the past two games with a sprained ankle that he suffered in the opening win over Louisiana-Lafayette. King was the third tailback to get a carry Saturday behind starter Washaun Ealey and Carlos Thomas but made his first rush go for 12 yards late in the first quarter, which wound up Georgia’s longest run of the first half.
Quarterback Aaron Murray was Georgia’s leading rusher with five minutes to play with 32 yards before Ealey gained 5 yards to finish with 36.
Odds and ends
Radio announcer Jack Cristil is in his 58th season broadcasting MSU games and has worked 19 of the 22 meetings between the SEC’s sets of Bulldogs. .. Georgia senior linebacker Darryl Gamble intercepted a pass in the second quarter, his first pickoff since returning two for touchdowns in the 2008 win at LSU. … Sophomore defensive end Abry Jones got the first start of his Georgia career. … UGA junior kicker Blair Walsh made two first-half field goals and is 7-for-7 this season.