There was some thought that No. 1 Alabama would be in for a bit of a letdown this week against No. 16 Mississippi State as they return home for an early afternoon game following a big win over rival LSU last week. While we might not be to letdown status in Tuscaloosa, the Tide were not quite their dominant self on offense as they started fast before easing off the pedal for a comfortable 21-0 lead over the Bulldogs on a crisp fall day in the South.
Heisman front-runner Tua Tagovailoa was efficient throwing the ball around as expected, finishing with 127 yards and a touchdown through the air and adding a handful more on a several scrambles that made the fans at Bryant Denny Stadium hold their breath with each carry against one of the nation’s best defenses.
Almost unanimous. pic.twitter.com/hXXkHc25X4
— Michael Casagrande (@ByCasagrande) November 10, 2018
There were some blemishes for the Tide’s offense, make no mistake though. They turned the ball over on a botched handoff, saw Tagovailoa get sacked twice and had a three-and-out to go along with their two punts The flip side was the ground game was fairly strong all things considered, with Josh Jacobs running for 45 yards and a score while Damien Harris chipped in with another 33 yards and a touchdown of his own.
As close as the score is -- all things Alabama-in-2018 considered -- MSU still has to wonder how the margin wasn’t worse. The Bulldogs have to were well into the second quarter before they got their first 1st down of the game, missed a short field goal and their defense allowed three touchdowns in the first half after giving up just nine all season prior to the game.
Nick Fitzgerald didn’t have a great performance behind center in throwing for just 61 yards and taking four sacks. The vast majority of the team’s offense came on one 38 yard run by Kylin Hill just before halftime and there was not a ton to write home about on that side of the ball. Penalties were also a killer, with six flags for 45 yards by the Bulldogs, including one questionable call wiping out a touchdown.
There’s still another two quarters to go but this is looking like yet another Alabama victory in the exact same fashion that you’re used to seeing the past few years out of the Tide.