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How Alabama tuned out and shut down cowbells at Mississippi State

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How Alabama tuned out and shut down cowbells at Mississippi State


One cowbell sounds like an amplified metal BB rattling around in an empty spray paint can. If there’s thousands of them ringing at once, like when Alabama football visited Mississippi State on Saturday, the singular annoyance factor goes down, but the volume and impact skyrockets.

The listening experience at Davis Wade Stadium is like a 100-decibel rattlesnake, instantly recognizable and quite dangerous. It’s the kind of sound that rings in the ears for hours after leaving the venue.

“It was a great atmosphere,” Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe said. “It was definitely loud.”

Early on in the game, it seemed the noise was impacting Alabama. It was most notable in the first quarter, when Crimson Tide center Seth McLaughlin snapped the ball to Milroe while the signal-caller was looking toward the sideline, clearly unprepared, resulting in a fumble that forced punter James Burnip onto the field and prompted a Nick Saban outburst on the sideline.

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Mississippi State fans are supposed to put the bells away while the opposing offense is set. Before each play a message imploring the Bulldog faithful to rest their bells “And just yell” appeared on the scoreboard.

Attendees kind of listened. A little bit.

Even when Milroe prepared to take the snap, the shrill hum, though slightly lower in volume, often continued.

“Mississippi State brought it in the stands for sure,” Milroe said. “And that allowed us to build a great game plan to combat that. SO it was definitely loud in there, but coming to the sideline, communicating with the team, we came on the same page and we were straight the rest of the game.”

Milroe was right. As the game went along, the Tide seemed to figure out the noise issue and improved across the board.

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Making things easier on that front, was the fact that Alabama was literally running away with the game. Milroe only threw the ball 12 times throughout, and the Tide’s ground game carried the load offensively.

As Alabama pulled away, fans trickled toward the exits. Those who remained seemed less interested in using their bells to benefit a Mississippi State squad that turned the ball over three times and had trouble mustering up an offense throughout.

“A lot of cowbells in the beginning of the half or whatnot, the (first) quarter,” Alabama outside linebacker Chris Braswell said afterward. “Then, as you know, it eventually started to die down and once we got to that fourth quarter it was pretty much empty, you started to see a lot of gray seat covers.”

It was all part of the Crimson Tide’s plan entering the game.

“That what we want to do, we want to empty these stands by fourth quarter, third quarter,” UA safety Jalen Key said. “We want to empty these stands.”

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Alabama moved to 4-1 on the season, 2-0 in SEC play with the win. The Crimson Tide will be back in action Saturday at Texas A&M.

More: Grades for Alabama football’s performance in win over Mississippi State



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Alabama A&M University names construction adviser for new science, student amenities buildings

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Alabama A&M University names construction adviser for new science, student amenities buildings


Alabama A&M University is preparing for construction of two major buildings on campus with a combined value exceeding $140 million. The university recently selected Freedom Real Estate and Capital, a frequent partner for A&M in such projects, to provide advisory services for construction of its new science building and student amenities building. The



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Alabama guard Chris Youngblood finds form in win over Texas A&M

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Alabama guard Chris Youngblood finds form in win over Texas A&M


COLLEGE STATION, TX Nate Oats’ continued faith in Chris Youngblood was rewarded Saturday. The fifth-year guard had his best performance of the season during No. 5 Alabama’s gritty 94-88 win over No. 10 Texas A&M, helping the Crimson Tide notch a massive top-10 victory.

Youngblood finished with a season-high 14 points and tallied five rebounds, one assist and a steal in just 18 minutes on the floor. He was one of four double-digit scorers and made a few big shots in the second half to help Alabama survive on the road.

Most critical for Youngblood, and Alabama’s ability to come away with a win, was his 3 of 6 clip from the 3-point line. While the Aggies made things difficult for the Tide with its pressure defense and ability on the glass, Alabama shot the ball superbly well from beyond the arc in the first half, going 10 of 22 from deep.

Youngblood was responsible for a pair of those makes. His three total triples are the most he’s made in a game for Alabama and he finished in double figures for just the second time this season.

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“It’s the best feeling,” Youngblood after the game. “But what really helped me do that was just getting lost in the game. Like [Oats] said, the blue-collar points and I knew if I focus on that the offense, that’ll come.”

Youngblood’s focus on the blue-collar plays was crucial as the Tide cooled down slightly from 3 in the second half. He played a vital role in Alabama’s 8-0 run that pushed its lead to 15 points with just under 11 minutes remaining. Youngblood first drilled a 3 to make it 65-55, then stole the ball from Aggies guard Zhuric Phelps, converting an and-1 layup on the other end.

When Texas A&M gutted and ground its way back into the game, it was Youngblood who answered the call when Alabama needed it most. Oats has previously praised Youngblood for his ability on the glass, and he grabbed a big rebound off a Phelps miss with 2:51 remaining and the Tide up by 3. He did the same thing on the offensive end for Alabama, putting himself on the line and making two free throws to put the Tide up 90-84.

“I told him we were gonna get him some shots this game,” Oats said. “We kind of tried to put him up with the press to have some other guys handle it, get him open. He goes 3 of 6. He made a bunch of tough plays too. He’s a winner. He’s a competitor. He’s a leader. You want him in.”

Alabama has high expectations for Youngblood. He was billed as a player who would make a big impact on the offensive end after he averaged 15.3 points per game and shot 41.6% from 3, winning Co-American Conference Player of the Year at South Florida.

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Youngblood suffered an ankle injury this offseason after transferring to Alabama. He missed the Tide’s first nine games of the season and has struggled to regain that form since coming back. Being able to step up on the road in one of the Tide’s biggest games of the season will do wonders for Youngblood’s confidence going forward and his performance showcased what kind of a difference-maker he can be on both ends of the floor.

“I thought he did the best job on Phelps tonight and that’s with him still not 100% because he’s still trying to get back from the ankle surgery,” Oats said. “So, his competitiveness, his winning attitude and then, boy it was great to see him drop some shots tonight.”

Going forward, Alabama will continue to depend on Youngblood’s leadership and ability, especially with fellow veteran guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. out for the season with a torn Achilles.

Oats’ confidence in Youngblood never wavered, and that faith was re-paid in a big way Saturday as Alabama notched another big win in the race for the SEC title. As Alabama looks ahead to No. 23 Ole Miss on Tuesday, Oats is confident that Youngblood’s performance isn’t a blip, but a sign that he’s turned a corner at a critical time for the Tide.

“We knew what we were getting with him from South Florida. He’s the conference player of the year. He shoots at a really high clip. He just had to get off that surgery, get himself back comfortable.

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Alabama will take on Ole Miss at 6 p.m. CT Tuesday night inside Coleman Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on ESPN U.



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South Alabama adds former SEC offensive lineman via transfer portal

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South Alabama adds former SEC offensive lineman via transfer portal


South Alabama on Saturday added a transfer portal commitment from former South Carolina offensive lineman Ni Mansell.

Mansell (6-foot-3, 300 pounds) played in two games for the Gamecocks this past season after redshirting in 2023 due to injury and has one season of eligibility remaining. A native of Anderson, S.C., he played three seasons at Mercer — starting 10 games at guard in 2022, with the 2020 season not counting against his eligibility due to COVID.

Mansell (whose full first name is pronounced “Nye-ju-won”) is South Alabama’s fifth portal commitment in the current cycle, joining linebacker Tre’Mon Henry (Southern Miss), defensive end Tirrell Johnson (Harding), wide receiver Brendan Jenkins (Samford) and defensive back Dallas Young (Arkansas). The Jaguars are expected to add a few more portal transfers before spring semester classes begin on Monday.

South Alabama went 7-6 in 2024, beating Eastern Michigan 30-23 in the Salute to Veterans Bowl.

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