Georgia enters this week as the clear favorite (7.5 points). But Kirby Smart knows better than to take Mississippi State lightly, not when the game is in Starkville. At Davis-Wade Stadium, the home crowd’s cowbell tradition has been ringing for generations, reaching up to 120 decibels on game days. It started decades ago when a wandering Jersey cow walked onto the field and Mississippi State won. Ever since, the bells have become a symbol of luck and loyalty, as well as a serious distraction for visiting teams.

Kirby already acknowledged the threat as a “tough place to play”. Now, it’s time for Smart to pick an already tested trick to subdue that incoming threat. When Steve Sarkisian took his team into Mississippi State earlier this season, he found a way to handle the noise. So did Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham. This weekend, Smart will have to do the same, as Jeff Lebby is making sure the noise gets even louder.

HC Jeff Lebby is preparing to leverage the home-field advantage and has already bought 500 additional tickets for Mississippi State fans. “We need it in a huge way. I mean, we need 60,000 shaking cowbells and having as rowdy of an atmosphere as there is in the country,” he said to the press. The sound alone can alter a game, disrupting communication and rhythm for visiting teams. However, opponents have found a way to navigate that challenge.

“I went ahead and got 500 tickets,” he added. And for what it’s worth, it’s a clever way to capitalize on the home turf advantage.

Earlier this season, Steve Sarkisian headed to Scott Field, fully aware of the challenge that awaited. Reports surfaced that Sarkisian recreated the Davis-Wade stadium environment at Austin to simulate the cowbells distraction. It followed all week, leading up to the game. And the roster, which had been facing quite a few challenges, emerged victorious, 45-38. Even Kenny Dillingham used cowbells during practice to help his players get accustomed to the noise.

That doesn’t necessarily mean practicing with cowbells ringing in your ear all week suddenly solved Texas’s offensive problems. But it does help when a team is accustomed to that level of distraction. The constant clanging can make on-field communication nearly impossible. Quarterbacks struggle to relay signals, snap counts get lost in the noise, and confusion spreads across the line. Kirby Smart understands that dynamic. “Noise is noise,” he told reporters, per AJC.com.

There’s a reason he respects it. Back in 2000, Mississippi State used that same deafening environment to its advantage against No. 3 Florida. The Gators came into Starkville undefeated at 4-0, but with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, chaos struck. The relentless roar turned a first-and-10 into a disastrous third-and-57, as two shotgun snaps sailed past quarterback Rex Grossman. The Cowboys seized the momentum and went on to upset Florida, 47-35.

This Saturday, Jeff Lebby is counting on that same energy. The first-year head coach is going all in to make Davis-Wade Stadium as hostile as ever. “We’ve got a top-five football team coming into our place,” Lebby said. “It needs to be as electric an atmosphere as there is in college football. We have the ability to do that. We know that, but we need that.”

Georgia vs Mississippi odds

Mississippi State has a good offense with explosive weapons. Against Arizona State, the Bulldogs had a three-point deficit up until the last two minutes in the fourth quarter, 17-24. However, that didn’t deter the offense. In the last 30 seconds, Blake Shapen threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Brenen Thompson, resulting in a 24-20 win.

Recently, against Arkansas, the Bulldogs were 21-35 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. However, Shapen ran for a two-yard TD, and another TD throw and a field goal, all within the last 11 minutes, leading to a 38-35 win. Over the season, Blake Shapen has recorded 15 touchdowns for 2148 yards and a score on the ground.

“They have upgraded the talent level since he’s been there,” said Kirby Smart of Mississippi State. “You look at the group he’s put together defensively, offensively, and special teams. They got really good players all over the field. You know, our guys are going to be up for a great challenge this week.”

However, Mississippi State’s defense can be an issue. Over the course of the season, the State has allowed the second-most rushing yards in the SEC. And Georgia can capitalize on the defense. Georgia is ranked No. 6 in the run game, recording 184 yards per game. However, Coach Smart is cautious. “They (defense) get after it. They’re very disruptive. They confuse you with different packages. They have some different looks they use. They’ve got some long length. I haven’t seen this kind of length in a long time.”

Can Kirby Smart’s roster remain unfazed against the deafening environment?