4-Point Play: An apology to Starkville and Mississippi State

It’s time to make peace with Starkville. I’ll admit, I was the hatingest hater who ever hated. And after yet another drive down covering the Cats for KSR, I was ready to make it my life mission to never go back. This was the final straw, the point of no return.

Driving home, though, I realized my emotions were misplaced and Starkville and Mississippi State themselves unfairly received the brunt of my criticisms. In reality, they can’t help that the two-plus hours from Southwest Tennessee down through Tupelo and into Starkville are often mistaken for the path to hell. It’s not the town or school’s fault you have to drive through a barren wasteland with no cell service or even the crappiest of fast-food joints, the same view for miles upon miles upon miles. That experience leaves a bad taste in your mouth — that, plus the gas station pizza — before you can even reach your desired planned destination.

That’s how you get grouchy pregame thoughts pre-written from the hotel in Tupelo, designed to be an hour closer to home the next day. The idea is you leave Humphrey Coliseum as soon as possible after the final buzzer, working in the passenger’s seat on the short drive back so your hike home to Kentucky the next day isn’t so painful. It’s a cheat code for all efficient travelers planning to get in and get out for Mississippi State road games, basketball and football.

Before we continue, a message from today’s great partner, our friend Andy Luedecke at MyPerfectFranchise. Andy is a huge college sports fan and franchise veteran, having owned multiple franchises and businesses. Using his expertise, he helps others find their American Dream through a very thorough consultation and evaluation process.

If you are wanting to find a way out of corporate America, wanting a side-hustle business, or a way to diversify…..reach out to Andy, as he’s got a ton of knowledge in this world and best of all, his services are 100% free to you – always! After you finish this post, you can learn more or reach Andy at [email protected].

Separating travel and final destination

And then you drive into campus and it’s not just pleasant, but downright beautiful. The buildings are layered between rolling hills and ponds, athletic facilities all tastefully placed on top of one another in an avenue-of-champions sort of way, Dudy Noble Field — home of the 2021 national champion MSU baseball team — anchoring the area. The newly-renovated Hump is right next door with state-of-the-art practice facilities for football and baseball a stone’s throw away, Davis Wade Stadium just across the street. It’s an area that just screams the importance of athletics around there — as it should be.

Sunny and a perfect 77 degrees, the walk to the arena was as good as it gets. The baseball game was in the fifth inning, so you got those sounds and smells navigating through the sold-out basketball crowd working its way into Humphrey Coliseum. Finding the media entrance, everyone inside was pleasant and friendly, not only welcoming blue enemies into their home, but showing us — KSR videographer Steven Peake was along for the ride — around with a mini tour of the facilities. And that included a $20 meal voucher, an eight-buck jump from what we get back in Lexington. They were speaking right to our hearts.

Seeing The Hump at its peak

Now, the last time I had been to The Hump was the Dontaie Allen game in 2021, my only basketball experience in Starkville. That was with no fans or human interaction, so yeah, it sucked. Just as all of those games did. It was an empty cave with the sound of Pendleton County’s finest ripping shots through the net echoing through for the 24 of us in attendance to hear. What a time to be alive.

This one couldn’t have been more different, every seat in the 9,100-capacity venue filled with white t-shirts and towels, then butts shortly after. Students arrived in the early afternoon to do their part, followed later by the rest, many coming over when the baseball game a few feet away got out of hand. Before long, the place was packed from top to bottom, creating a top-notch atmosphere with some help from the in-house DJ.

Between the lights, flames, music and fan energy, The Hump was the place to be. Another Super Bowl for the Cats to deal with on the road.

Students have been here since 1:45. Many of them say it’s the longest they’ve ever waited to see a basketball face. pic.twitter.com/ZlcJw8BFEg

— Steven Peake (@StevenPeakeKSR) February 27, 2024

Oh yeah, the basketball was a blast, too

Then the game happened, a back-and-forth instant classic that could only have one winner. Clutch shot after clutch shot, it was a battle of two very good SEC teams who will have their own shots in March. John Calipari compared it to a matchup you’d find in the regional, not a generic mid-week game in league play.

“We walk out of here, that is not a first- or second-round NCAA game,” he said. “You’re in the third round, that’s who you’re playing. They’re that good. They’re in the 20s in the NET. They beat Tennessee here. They beat Auburn here. This was a big-time win. We’re going to celebrate. To beat them and how they’re playing right now, big time.”

It was The Reed Sheppard vs. Josh Hubbard Show, the former fortunately getting the last laugh with a buzzer-beating floater from the free throw line to win it. Some MSU fans hit the exits with the Cats up eight in the final minute, leading to Go Big Blue chants from BBN members who somehow managed to sneak in. But it doesn’t take away from the start-to-finish environment and game itself. The Hump deserves credit for that.

And venue officials weren’t sore losers, either. They didn’t mind us recording our Rapid Reaction from the spot Sheppard drilled his game-winner, setting up our lights, cameras and chairs right there at the charity stripe to break down the heartbreaking result for the home team. Then after wrapping up postgame duties, they were cool with us grabbing a ball to goof off for a few minutes — a no-no in some other arenas, certainly after losses.

https://twitter.com/JackPilgrimKSR/status/1763022805442965812

https://twitter.com/JackPilgrimKSR/status/1762698834184929336

We finally packed up, said our goodbyes and hit the road on a high for our hour ride back to Tupelo, celebrating by gulping up national tears following a second straight statement win for the Cats. Back at the hotel, we watched ESPN highlight the win and finish, then rewatched the game ourselves with glee. Man, what a blast. Too excited to sleep.

A ridiculous off-road excursion

Reality hit when that alarm went off way too early in the morning, that stupid long drive back home ready to smack us back down to Earth. Memories of the endless nothingness from 24 hours before crept back in, the buzzkill of all buzzkills. And then it somehow got worse, the GPS rerouting us through the wilderness on tight two-lane roads for eternity. Our phones essentially laughed at us when we checked for service, praying a flat tire didn’t leave us stranded for dead.

We finally found a shred of civilization with a single bar of phone signal conveniently around the time Peake had a meeting he had to attend via Zoom. He planned to give it his best shot right as we came up to a firetruck blocking off the middle of the road, a car accident way up ahead holding things up. A local recommended a detour of a few rights and lefts, but if we hit Meemaw’s Cafe, we’ve gone too far. Works for us. GPS kinda-sorta figured out where we were and rerouted us to get around the mess, it said, a 1.3-mile single-lane road welcomed by a DEAD END sign.

But the GPS showed a clear path with an exit on the other side that would get us back on our merry way. Eh, why the hell not? A digital map is easier to trust than a rusty old sign, surely.

Along we went through Old McDonald’s Farm singing E-I-E-I-O with every bump, hill and literal mound of horse ****. This road (if that’s what we want to call it) wasn’t paved or gravel, and it barely passed as a dirt path with our mirrors narrowly fitting between the fence and treeline.

“Are you even on a road, Steven?” Drew Franklin asked on the Zoom call, watching the ridiculousness unfold — kind of forgot Peake was still on one, to be honest. Or how there was enough signal to even participate.

That answer is an easy no, Drew. Instead, we were trying to balance driving slow enough to keep the undercarriage from blowing out beneath us, but fast enough to avoid birdshot pumps from the geezer in his front-porch rocking chair. Easier said than done.

That 1.3 miles felt like 13, but by the grace of God, we made it. Dirt finally transitioned back to pavement and we were back to — well, still the middle of nowhere, but better suited for survival. And the laughs the rest of the way back made it all worthwhile.

Starkville gets teased for being the armpit of the SEC, but I don’t think that’s totally fair. In reality, it’s the travel experience getting to and from Starkville that probably deserves to be the butt of the jokes, not the town or Mississippi State itself.

And there is even some charm in the drive if you know where to find it.

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Learn more about Andy Luedecke and franchise ownership through these resources:
Andy’s Story
Why a Franchise
Service Based vs Brick and Mortar
Semi Absentee Ownership
The Process and How It works

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