Mississippi State’s defense is still the part of this team that keeps it from feeling like a true contender, even as the offense has been one of the biggest surprises in college football through the first third of the 2026 season. The Bulldogs have already allowed 34 points to South Carolina and 24 to Missouri, and in both games they surrendered more than 400 yards. That’s not a disaster, but it’s not the profile of a defense that’s ready to carry a contender, either.
Zach Arnett is back running the unit after building strong defenses in Starkville in the early 2020s before his stint as head coach in 2023 went sideways. Mississippi State didn’t wait long to bring him back this season as defensive coordinator, but the reset won’t happen overnight. The Bulldogs are still coming off some rough defensive seasons, and even with Arnett back in charge, there’s a lot to fix.
What stands out first is how experienced this group is. Nearly all of Mississippi State’s starters are fourth- or fifth-year players, and most came through the transfer portal. It’s an old defense, but age alone doesn’t make it sturdy.
Up front, the biggest name is nose tackle Jaray Bledsoe, a veteran transfer from Texas who gives Mississippi State a massive interior presence. He’s not just taking up space, either.
Bledsoe leads the team with 4.5 tackles for loss and has become a real issue for offenses trying to deal with him inside. That matters because the Bulldog edge rush has been pretty limited, so the pressure has to come from somewhere.
Behind him, linebacker Jalen Smith has been one of the clearer bright spots. After transferring from Tennessee last year, he’s brought sideline-to-sideline speed and currently leads the team in tackles. He’s the kind of player who can keep a defense from completely unraveling when things get hectic.
The secondary is veteran-heavy too, but it doesn’t come with many recognizable names or obvious future NFL types. And like the rest of the defense, it has had its share of struggles.
On paper, and schematically, there isn’t much here that suggests Mississippi State will have a lot of answers for Alabama’s offense. The matchup looks closer to what the Tide saw against South Carolina than anything else.
Still, road conditions could matter. Between playing away from home, the Cowbells, and the possibility of bad weather, Alabama’s offense may not get the cleanest night.
How well the Tide handles all of that without costly mistakes will likely decide its scoring output more than Mississippi State’s defense will. Keelon Russell appears to have sorted out some things over the last few weeks, so Alabama gets the nod at 38.
In Other News...
Alabama Found Two Reasons To Feel Better Before Georgia
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 🡒]
Bryce Underwoods Struggles Leave Michigan With An Uncomfortable Week 5 Reality
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 🡒]