‘Gotta have more cowbell!’ ASU brings ‘annoying’ Mississippi State tradition to practice

TEMPE — Arizona State has a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.

The Sun Devils listened to Bruce Dickinson and really explored their space this week in preparation for Mississippi State.

Will Ferrell would be proud.

Mississippi State’s tradition of incessant cowbell clanging is unlike most across college football, and the Sun Devils are doing everything they can to become numb to it.

The grating sound was pumped into the speakers at practice on Tuesday, and just about every member of the support staff had one or two cowbells of their own.

cowbell sounds being pumped in for asu practice — even during stretches — with some help from the support staff pic.twitter.com/c6rE3Y66GQ

— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) September 2, 2025

“This is getting addicting,” one staffer told another.

Even freshman defensive end Salesi Manu joined in on the fun, clanging from the sideline near practice’s end.

Quarterback Sam Leavitt felt some nostalgia with the cowbells, saying they reminded him of high school vibes.

The only thing he didn’t like was when offensive line coach Saga Tuitele or other staffers held up cowbells directly to center Ben Coleman’s ear.

“That’s not very realistic,” Leavitt correctly pointed out after practice.

cowbells clanging as asu migrates inside pic.twitter.com/YuThbubzt5

— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) September 2, 2025

Running back Kyson Brown said he was annoyed by the sounds, even though he’s originally from Mississippi.

“I wouldn’t say it was hard to communicate, just really annoying,” Brown said. “We implemented those last night in walk-through, so I think they’re trying to make it just like white noise.”

Where does Mississippi State’s cowbell tradition come from?

According to Mississippi State’s website — and legend — a jersey cow once wandered onto the playing field during a game the Bulldogs went on to win.

Students began bringing the bells as a good luck charm, and the tradition stuck.

“When you think of Mississippi State in Starkville, it’s an unbelievable college town, unbelievable atmosphere,” coach Kenny Dillingham said after practice. “There’s a great environment there and we’re trying to simulate that environment as much as we can.

“Obviously, you can’t simulate their fan base and their excitement in that environment, but you can be as close as you can. So we’re just trying to simulate the passion of that city and that place.”

Catch Saturday’s matchup at 4:30 p.m. MST on the Arizona Sports app, ESPN 620 AM or 98.7 FM HD-2. It will be televised on ESPN2.

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