Alabama went into halftime with a 19-3 lead over #1 Mississippi State and didn’t look back. The Crimson Tide would go onto win 25-20, with the Bulldogs making a late push.
Mississippi State played a great game, but at the end of the day Alabama was just too much for them. I think that the Bulldogs deserve to stay ranked in the top four and I love the way the play. I was at the game and their fans are true class acts, they cheered for their team and when they lost they held their heads high. There is still a chance these two teams could meet again and I really hope they do.
Alabama scored their first points via the safety in the first quarter, with Trey DePriest tackling Josh Robinson in the end zone. Alabama would also added a field goal by Adam Griffith, to give them the 5-0 lead at the end of the first. Griffith would miss a field goal later in the game. He’s a really talented kicker, but something got into his head and he just doesn’t have any confidence.
Alabama would go onto score two touchdowns in the second quarter, on a one-yard Derrick Henry run and a touchdown pass from Blake Sims to Amari Cooper. Cooper made two impressive catches in the game, which you can watch below.
Mississippi State would add a field goal right before the half, to make it a 19-3 game. The Bulldogs were inside the 10-yard line, but a penalty pushed them back and prevented them from scoring a touchdown.
The second half belonged to the Bulldogs and they looked like a completely different team. They would kick a field goal in the third and add two touchdowns in the fourth. Both touchdown came on passes from Dak Prescott, who had struggled most of the game and ended up throwing three interceptions. Prescott also ran for 82 yards. The Crimson Tide shutdown the Bulldogs running back Josh Robinson, he rushed for just 37 yards on 12 carries. De’Runnya Wilson had another big game and he proved to Alabama that they should have recruited him. Wilson finished with 91 yards receiving on eight receptions.
If you looked at the stats after the game you probably would think that Mississippi State won. But, they lost in one key category, turnovers, the Bulldogs turned the ball over three times, while Alabama didn’t turn the ball over once.
Blake Sims looked great once again for the Crimson Tide, he threw for 211 yards and a touchdown. His running ability came up huge late in the game, with Mississippi State trailing by only six. Sims took Alabama down the field to score a touchdown, and he made some key runs to get first down and keep the drive alive.
One thing I have noticed different about Alabama, is that Christion Jones fair catches everything now, which is probably a good thing.
Alabama will host Western Carolina next week, with Auburn coming to town the following week.
Mississippi State will host Vanderbilt next week and will have to travel to Ole Miss the following week.
Here are a pair of catches from the great Amari Cooper.
