Need more cowbell? BYU reeling going into road matchup with Mississippi State


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*Game 7*: BYU (1-5) vs. Mississippi State (3-2)When**: 10 a.m. MDT

Where: Starkville, Miss.

TV: SEC Network

Radio: KSL Newsradio 1160 AM/102.7 FM

PROVO — In a land of biscuits and gravy, collard greens and pickles and Kool-aid, BYU will face another singular tradition when it tries to snap its five-game losing streak on the road against Mississippi State.

Cowbells.

Rated one of the top home-field advantages in college football, fans of the Bulldogs (3-2) have made it a regular tradition to intimidate the opposing team with the loud shrill of the ringing farm item at Davis Wade Stadium.

BYU players, who have a 2-1 all-time record against Mississippi State that includes last season’s 28-21 double-overtime win in Provo, love it.

“I watched their game against LSU, and I thought it was pretty cool,” BYU cornerback Troy Warner said. “I don’t know if I will like playing against it, but we’ll see.”

Mississippi State is led by junior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, a dual-threat standout who completes 53 percent of his passes for 783 yards and eight touchdowns with another 343 yards and five scores on the ground.

“The quarterback has another year under his belt, and he’s a lot more effective — especially in the run game,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “They’ve had some really good success with him running it with him under center.

“It’s an SEC team that is physical and is used to big games. We’re going into their house … and we’re going into a hostile environment with a lot of cowbells.”

Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald (7) throws a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Auburn, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald (7) throws a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Auburn, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

More cowbells.

The Bulldogs are coming off back-to-back losses and a bye week, including setbacks to No. 13 Auburn and a 31-3 loss to No. 4 Georgia. The two teams have one common opponent: BYU opened FBS play this year with a 27-0 loss to then-No. 12 LSU — a team Mississippi State defeated 37-7.

The Cougars (1-5) are off to their worst start to a season since 1970, but Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen isn’t taking them lightly. Mullen, a former offensive coordinator at Utah, knows teams can turn around in a week — and one like the kind of streak BYU has been on is the most susceptible to such a turnaround, he said during his weekly press conference with local media.

“They’re a team that has had their backs against the wall, and they’ve been in some tight games,” Mullen said. “They’ve struggled, but they play great defense.

“The turnovers have hurt them, like anything. One of the things you have to look at is their self-inflicted errors. If you take away self-inflicted errors, they haven’t struggled as much. So what if they show up and don’t do that? I’ve watched enough teams to know teams can correct their mistakes.”

BYU is 2-1 all-time against the Bulldogs, including a 1-0 all-time record after current running backs coach Reno Mahe caught 10 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-38 win in 2001. The Bulldogs and rival Ole Miss are the only SEC squads that BYU has defeated in a true road game in program history.

The cowbells didn’t faze the Cougars then. Mullen hopes they will Saturday.

“I hope they have seven false starts that our crowd inflicts on them,” said Mullen, referencing the number of penalties committed by the Bulldogs in a 49-10 loss to Auburn. “That’s a benefit and a tribute to our fans and the opportunity that they create for us.”

Still, more cowbells.

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