Parrish Alford: Mississippi State, South Carolina helped fans feel united in uncertain days after 9/11

Sep. 8—STARKVILLE — If 9/11 is your "I remember where I was when this happened" moment, and for many of us it is, then you likely have a secondary memory.

Most of us recall the next day or the next big event.

Maybe that was a college football game.

I was in my sixth season of covering Mississippi State for the Daily Journal when the towers were attacked.

I'll be back at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday night for the 20-year anniversary of that tragic day.

First, that day.

I had gotten my children to school and preschool when I headed to American Family Radio, where I was part of a couple of sports shows. Along the way I tuned into the news and heard about planes flying into the towers.

Stunned, wobbly and uncertain, I walked into the AFR offices. As I made my way to the back studio I heard an AFR employee tell a caller, "Yes ma'am, The Pentagon."

My initial reaction was anger. I thought, "You can't give out wrong information at a time like this. You have to be right."

Then the thought occurred to me that the terror wasn't finished, and I thought, "My God, the Pentagon."

We all went through the motions that day because we didn't know what else to do.

For me the motions included a regular Tuesday Jackie Sherrill press conference. Coaches carried on, too.

We listened to Jackie talk and wrote stories about a football game that would not be played ... at least not then.

It was played on Sept. 20, a Thursday night game back when that meant something because there weren't a dozen other games that night.

It was the first college football game after the attacks.

Mississippi State took on South Carolina. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 16 at the time, lost 16-14 and began the spiral to a season that would finish 3-8.

That night, though, eyes were on Starkville not to see what the Bulldogs looked like but what college football would look like.

There was extra security.

The air space over the stadium was a no-fly zone.

The only bags allowed inside were ladies' purses.

Cowbells were not allowed.

There were plenty of patriotic displays, and after the National Anthem was sung one voice yelled, "Go to Hell bin Laden!" It was a one-time-only reprieve for Ole Miss.

There was a sense of unity, much unlike today's political landscape, but there was also a sense of vulnerability.

The continental U.S. had seen domestic terrorism with the Oklahoma City bombing but had not been hit like this from terrorists.

Nothing happened that night, and the Bulldogs and Gamecocks, perhaps, were able to help Saturday's full slate of games play with greater confidence.

Hopefully we stay safe this Saturday night, and as a country we somehow find that unifying event that doesn't cost American lives.

PARRISH ALFORD is the college sports editor and columnist for the Daily Journal. Contact him at parrish.alford@journalinc.com.