Nick Saban wanted Alabama to leave no doubt in Starkville, and the Crimson Tide answered with a fourth quarter that emptied Davis-Wade Stadium and turned a tight game into a rout.
Alabama rolled past Mississippi State 56-23, turning a contest that still had life in it for stretches into something much more one-sided by the finish. The Tide were up 42-17 midway through the third quarter, and once that margin stretched, Mississippi State fans started heading for the exits.
A few drifted out in the third. By early in the fourth, the stands were clearing fast.
The final score hides how close Alabama came to putting the game away even earlier. Penalties and turnovers kept Mississippi State hanging around before Trae'shawn Brown’s eight-yard run pushed the Tide to 41 points and a 25-point cushion.
Mississippi State was also dealt a major blow with one of the SEC’s top running backs, Fluff Bothwell. He had just one carry early, gaining one yard. The Bulldogs were already dealing with Kamario Taylor, who was not at full strength at the start and was in worse shape when he left in the fourth quarter.
On the other side, Kane Wommack’s defense delivered a punishing performance, finishing with five sacks and four more tackles for loss. The game had the feel of a physical grind, and Alabama steadily took control by leaning into that edge.
Keelon was sensational, but the bigger story was Alabama’s ability to wear Mississippi State down. That was the exact script Saban had pushed for before kickoff.
“There’s a difference between winning the game and defeating the other team. We’ve got to take their hope away. What I want to see in the fourth quarter is no fans in the stands, with no hope of winning this game.”
Alabama did just that.
At 5-0, the Crimson Tide keep moving forward with a team that started the season short on experience but has kept getting sharper. The uneven moments from the first few weeks were hardly a shock. What is turning heads now is that Kalen DeBoer has a team that is starting to look like Alabama at its best.
And after the game, DeBoer made sure to spread the credit around, praising the players and position groups across the roster. A lot of the attention centered on Keelon, but one of DeBoer’s other comments may have carried the most weight.
He said, "I think we're really a very strong football team, physically, ... I know it's become an identity for us.
We talk about it every single day, and those guys, you know, are believing it. And today, I thought we went and cut it loose."
In Other News...
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Before Alabama turns its attention to Georgia, there were a couple of encouraging signs worth noting from the latest game. Keelon Russell gave the offense a lift by throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns while adding a score on the ground, and the run game got meaningful help from a deeper group of backs, including Traeshawn Brown and EJ Crowell.
Xavier Griffin also stood out on the other side of the ball, leading the team in tackles and helping make several key defensive plays. Just as important for a defense looking to steady itself, Alabamas run front was much firmer against Mississippi State, holding the Bulldogs to 18 rushing yards and giving the Tide something concrete to carry into a bigger test. [Read more 🡒]
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Keelon Russells rise has become one of the more notable developments around Alabamas early-season start, and the quarterbacks recent stretch has only sharpened the attention. After throwing four touchdowns in the spring game and then piling up 10 passing touchdowns and 970 yards over three games, he has helped steady a team that rolled to a 56-23 win and moved to 5-0.
For Alabama, that kind of production matters not just in the standings but in the broader SEC picture, where quarterback play can change the feel of a season quickly. Around the country, other programs were dealing with their own storylines in Week 5, but Russells emergence has given Alabama a promising answer at the position and left the rest of the league watching what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Has A Real Shot To Climb After Saturdays Top 25 Chaos
Saturdays college football slate did Alabama a favor, even before the next AP Top 25 poll gets posted. USC barely survived an upset scare, Ohio State and Missouri both had results worth watching, and a few teams around the country did enough to create the kind of weekend that tends to shake up the middle and upper tiers of the rankings.
For Alabama, the bigger point is simple: the Crimson Tide have a real path to move up if the voters decide the chaos mattered as much as the resumes. The poll will be refreshed soon, and with conference play still unfolding, there is a decent chance the order gets jumbled in a way that opens the door for Alabama to climb if enough teams ahead of it wobble. [Read more 🡒]