More Than Just Hot Air : Mississippi State’s Sherrill Serious About Helium Charge

Mississippi State Coach Jackie Sherrill was suspicious. Were those punts by Auburn’s Terry Daniel so long because they might have had some help?

So, Sherrill asked the Southeastern Conference to check for helium in the footballs Daniel was kicking for a 48.3-yard average, best in the nation.

The Birmingham Post-Herald and The Huntsville Times reported that Sherrill accused Auburn of using doctored footballs after Daniel punted twice for a 56.5-yard average in Mississippi State’s loss to Auburn on Oct. 9.

The ball was confiscated the next Saturday after Daniel’s first punt against Florida went 55 yards, the newspaper said.

“I haven’t inflated any balls with helium,” Daniel said. “I’m innocent. At first I thought it was a joke, but when I had one of the coaches tell me the ball had been sent to the SEC, I was kind of surprised.”

An SEC spokesman said that officials had investigated the report and found no wrongdoing.

“It’s a closed matter,” he said. “There will be no further involvement by the conference.”

Sherrill, citing SEC policy, declined comment.

Auburn Coach Terry Bowden told the Post-Herald: “It’s amazing what you encounter that you’ve never encountered before. I don’t want to get into a mudslinging deal. . . . This is a dead horse we’re kicking here.”

After the ball Daniel kicked on his first punt against Florida was confiscated, his second punt went 71 yards, the longest in the SEC this year. Daniel, however, said the wind was at his back, and that his next two punts, against the wind, went for only 44 and 37 yards.

He found the helium issue a gas. “I’d like to put helium in one,” he said, “just to see how far it would go.”