Way back in the dog days of summer, when everyone was undefeated, it was discovered during a lunch with Ray Dillon that he and his wife are graduates of Mississippi State.
He didn’t volunteer the information. In fact, he had to be asked, but he quickly admitted that his wife, Debbie, is a proud owner of at least one cowbell.
Michael Marion, who runs Verizon Arena, has his cowbell in his office, and in 2008 when Mississippi State was assigned to his venue he rang his cowbell hard and loud. A day before the tournament started. Noisemakers are not allowed during NCAA Tournament games.
That’s a good thing, because if the ringing of the bells can be annoying to those who aren’t Bulldog fans at a football game - and they can be - it is hard to imagine what they would be like in an enclosed arena.
MSU fans, at least the ones I’ve met, are hard-working people who love their Bulldogs through good and bad, and right now times are closer to bad than good.
Granted, it’s not as bad as what Saturday’s opponent, the University of Arkansas, is enduring with its current seven-game losing streak.Mississippi State has lost only three in a row.
So it didn’t come as a shock that the Bulldogs are a two-point favorite even though the game will be played in Little Rock.
Insulting, yes. Shocking, no.
War Memorial Stadium, the Razorbacks’ home away from home, has always been a hostile environment. Games that could have been lost were won, and usually with a sold-out crowd on hand.
Granted, with an 11:21 a.m. kickoff there won’t be much time for tailgating, but sometimes it has to be just about football, doesn’t it?
Arkansas’ head coach, Bret Bielema, is trying to find some positives for his final recruiting pitches, and a big,loud crowd for a game that is being played strictly for pride - at least by the Hogs - would be a good boost for the first-year coach.
This group of Razorback seniors has faced a mountain of controversy that it didn’t deserve, and it shouldn’t leave behind the legacy of owning the longest losing streak in school history.
Mississippi State has not mathematically been eliminated from being bowl eligible, but it needs to win its final two games against Arkansas and Ole Miss to get to the needed 6-6.
If you can believe Dan Mullen, MSU’s head coach, the Bulldogs aren’t sure if quarterback Dak Prescott, who leads the team in rushing with 722 yards and has passed for another 1,542yards, will be ready. He missed last week’s game against Alabama after suffering a stinger to his nonthrowing arm against Texas A&M.
Last year’s starter, Tyler Russell, started against Alabama but was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter, paving the way for freshman Damian Williams to gain some SEC experience.
Of course, it seems Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen has been banged up most of this season, and maybe the extra week off gave him and others some time to heal.
It would be a nice touch if the seniors could lead the team onto the field to a proper ovation from the fans. Nothing official or formal, senior day has come and gone (with a loss), but just a gesture that could allow them a fond farewell before their final game in the state.
There are some seats still for sale, and Mississippi State probably turned back part of its allotment because it is hard to get motivated to travel when your team is 4-6, but there is no excuse for Razorbackers not to be there.
The loyalty of fans is judged during tough times, not good times. Hopefully the ones who are on hand for the maroon and white know they only get to ring their cowbells at home games.
Sports, Pages 18 on 11/21/2013