Cowbells, road trips, how Alabama handles logistics of Mississippi State game

Daniel Hill knows what Alabama football is getting into when it makes the drive down Highway 82 to Mississippi State Saturday morning.

Hill is from Meridian, Mississippi. His father played for the Bulldogs. His nephew, JJ, plays for Mississippi State. Hill grew up going to Mississippi State games. He was recruited to play for the Bulldogs.

So when it comes to the cowbells and the raucous atmosphere waiting for Alabama, Hill has an idea of what to expect, and he things the Crimson Tide is doing everything it can to prepare.

“I know how loud the cowbells get,” Hill said. “It’s going to be a tough environment to play in, but we practice with noise every day in practice. Music, noise, so I feel like we’ll be prepared and ready to go.”

It’s an atmosphere Kalen DeBoer has never seen in person. From people who have seen Davis Wade Stadium in action, “it’s going to be an absolute crazy environment,” DeBoer said, one that he said Alabama will be ready for, “probably (with) a lot of cowbells.”

“You hear them for awhile,” Alabama defensive back and Mississippi native Bray Hubbard said. “Defensively , we really don’t have to worry about it much. If they gain a couple yards, they’re going to ring them. If they gain 10 yards, they’re going to ring them. No matter what, they’re going to ring them.

“That’s kind of their way of yelling is ringing cowbells.”

But Kedrick Bingley-Jones is used to the Cowbells. The Alabama defensive lineman played two seasons at Mississippi State before transferring to the Crimson Tide.

“I try to tell my teammates you really can’t simulate it,” Bingley-Jones said. “It’s going to be loud. It’s going to be a hostile environment. I mean, we just have to keep our composure and be able to go in and execute.”

Since the two programs are separated by just over 90 minutes of drive time, Alabama is bussing over to Starkville early Saturday morning before an 11 a.m. kickoff.

“We’re a morning practice team,” DeBoer said. “We’ve had some success with those morning games but we got to go on the road and travel that morning, so it’s gonna be a little different. Different set up that way, too. Just being intentional. Challenging our guys. These guys all care. They care so much. They’ll put the work in. They’ll be intentional. They’ll bank some sleep some extra hours to make sure they’re ready to go on Saturday.”

Comparing it to Alabama’s drive from Montgomery to Auburn for road Iron Bowl games, Hubbard said that is not out of the ordinary for this Alabama team, one that is already used to getting to the facility at 6 a.m., an hour before meetings start throughout a game week.

“We’re used to getting up early and getting our engines going for an early practice,” Hubbard said.

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter or Instagram @colingaytnews. 

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Cowbells, road trips, how Alabama handles logistics of Mississippi State game