TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The Crimson Tide celebrated Coach Saban’s 69th birthday with a shutout win over Mississippi, 41-0. Bryant-Denny proved too scary for the Bulldogs, and the Tide all but decided the game in the first quarter. Alabama got off to an early start, kicking a field goal on their first drive to go up 3-0. They would follow that up with two touchdowns to get comfortable at 17-0. They kept their foot on the gas the whole way home, scoring on four more drives to win the game
This game was not close, Mississippi State tried but could only muster 200 total yards of offense and zero points. This was easily the best game of the year by Alabama’s young defense, piling up 6 TFLs, 2.0 sacks attributed to Christopher Allen and Phidarian Mathis, one interception by Dylan Moses, a forced fumble caused by Tim Smith, and a pick-six scored by Patrick Surtain II. The defense as a whole suffocated the Mississippi offense, and held the Bulldogs to 12 first downs on just 163 passing yards, 37 rushing.
Not to be outshined, the 3rd best offense in the country got to work, racking up 499 yards on Mississippi’s 15th total defense, which leads the SEC. Mac Jones threw for 291 yards and 4 touchdowns, playing another near-perfect game. Najee Harris and Trey Sanders combined to form a potent rushing attack, rushing for 119 and 80 yards respectively, but no touchdowns. The best player on the field today, Devonta Smith, hauled in the four offensive touchdowns scored today, tying Amari Cooper for total receiving touchdowns in a career with 31, he also became the only player in SEC history with multiple games with four receiving TDs. Smith got loose for 203 yards receiving, hauling in 11 catches on 15 targets for an 18.5 YPC average.
Special teams played another key role in today’s matchup, Bolden and Sanders both played well in their return rolls, and kicker Will Reichard has made most fans forget the kicking woes Alabama has suffered, his clean 6/6 field goal percentage helped Alabama build an insurmountable lead on the Bulldogs.
Alabama hasn’t missed a beat, and while Jaylen Waddle is missed, the offense has remained dominant. The offensive success has continued while our Crimson Tide defense only gets better with each game. On a Halloween night that is sure to be remembered, the Mississippi State Bulldogs thought they were the only ones who heard about the full moon, dropping 0 points to make sure everyone else knew, too. What a nice present to give to Nick Saban on his birthday! The Tide will look to remain undefeated next week, against the 2-3 LSU Tigers. Roll Tide!
