SEC Can Begin Crackdown on Cowbells

Although the NCAA had eliminated a rule that allowed officials to assess a penalty if an offense was unable to call signals because of noise, the governing body has granted the Southeastern Conference a waiver to put the penalty structure back into place. Talk about consistency in the rules book, eh? This means the SEC can once again try to silence cowbells used by Mississippi State fans, beginning with Saturday's game against Auburn in Starkville. The first time a referee detects significant use of the artificial noisemakers, he will issue a warning through the public address system. If a second incident occurs, a five-yard penalty will be assessed against the offending team. Any subsequent incidents will result in 15-yard penalties.