Tight end CJ Uzomah has long made his feelings clear on Mississippi State's cowbell tradition.
Those feelings remain as Uzomah and the No. 2 Auburn Tigers prepare for a showdown with No. 3 Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississipppi.
"No, that's never going to change," Uzomah said. "Those things are awful."
Davis-Wade Stadium may hold just 55,082 people, but the Tigers know the State faithful will make their presence known in this Top-5 matchup.
"We know the implications are huge," Uzomah said. "We know that it's going to be a big game and that the crowd is going to be in it."
Head coach Gus Malzahn said the team's experience at Kansas State earlier this season, where the Tigers won 20-14 over a then No. 20 Wildcats squad, will be helpful come Saturday.
However, Malzahn reiterated there's only so much preparation Auburn can do, even if they may have a few cowbell recordings on hand.
"You know you pump in crowd noise and everything that comes with that," Malzahn said. "You just do the best you can."
Offensive lineman Shon Coleman said one of the biggest issues with the cowbells is unit communication.
"Going into a hostile environment like that, communication is always going to be a key," Coleman said. "We work through practice throughout the week to make sure everything is good and clicking as far as communication."
Coleman echoed his head coach's belief that the team's trip to Manhattan, Kansas has been an important experience for the Tigers.
"We had to go in and that really helped me out just getting through that game and knowing how it feels to go on the road and get a win out of two ranked teams," Coleman said.
Malzahn said he fully expects another close matchup against head coach Dan Mullen and the Bulldogs.
"The last three times that I've coached against these guys it's gone down to the last play," Malzahn said. "We're going to have to play well."
Uzomah, the hero of last year's 24-20 victory in Jordan-Hare Stadium, said the team is used to playing on the big stage after last year's improbable run to the BCS National Championship.
"Playing in big games is something that we've come to enjoy and something that we're used to," Uzomah said. "We play in the SEC, the best conference in college football."
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