No. 7 Alabama walked into one of the loudest buildings in the SEC and kept its footing from the start, rolling past No. 16 Mississippi State 56-23 on Saturday in Starkville.
The Crimson Tide had already seen a difficult road atmosphere this season, but this one came with a different kind of noise. More than 60,000 fans packed Davis Wade Stadium, and the cowbells were so constant that the stadium music and PA announcer could not be heard.
Alabama didn’t blink. It opened fast for the second straight week and put up two first-quarter touchdowns.
The early damage started with defense. Mississippi State coughed up the ball on its opening possession, and Ryan Coleman-Williams turned that into a 15-yard touchdown catch-and-run.
Then, right after that score, Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor threw a pick-six to Alabama cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. The crowd kept ringing the bells, but Alabama had already seized control.
“It was kind of annoying, but it's a part of the game,” Alabama wide receiver Rico Scott said after the game. “I guess it's what they do.
I thought it would've been a little louder, honestly. ... It was different, it was my first time being here.
It was fun though. It was a different experience because I didn't know if there was anywhere else in the country that does this.
It was fun, to say the least.”
By the time Alabama started stretching the margin, the noise had started to fade. One of the biggest reasons was the Tide’s work on third down. Mississippi State’s crowd was at its loudest when Alabama faced those situations, but the Tide converted 6 of 9 tries.
Keelon Russell kept that part of the offense humming, no matter the down or distance.
“Just trusting the playmakers out there,” Russell said when asked what the key to that success was. “Trusting the O-linemen to block if it was a run or a pass.
Just trusting those guys to do what they do best. Putting the ball in the playmakers' hands, they're going to do something special.”
The most eye-catching conversion came late in the first quarter. On third-and-19, Russell worked from an empty backfield, had plenty of time thanks to the protection, stepped up and fired a 39-yard strike to Lotzeir Brooks, who made a diving contested catch.
“I feel like [Russell's] always looking for the big play,” Scott said. “Like how we had the third down with Lottie, he called a deep one.
I mean, that's just what Keelon does. You always got to be ready when you're running routes out there with him.
He might scramble, he might go left, right, cross-body, you've just got to be ready.”
Brooks finished with 96 receiving yards on four catches. His opener against East Carolina was quiet, but he has picked things up since then, posting 54, 101 and 78 yards in the three games that followed. As a sophomore stepping into the WR2 role next to Ryan Coleman-Williams, Brooks has delivered a strong first month of the 2026 season.
“That’s Lottie. He comes out here to make big plays every game,” Scott said.
“He's a natural football player. He was talking on the sideline, telling the team he'll get it back after he might've missed a play.
I'm always excited when he's making plays. Him, Ryan, Cederian, Noah, Derek, whoever's out there.”
Scott also did plenty of damage on third down, scoring twice on touchdown catches of 13 and eight yards. His first touchdown stood out, and he said the connection with Russell is nothing new.
“We wanted to emphasize back shoulder,” Scott said. “We felt pretty much that we could keep the DB where we wanted and where Keelon could put the ball.
We practice it. Great throw by Keelon.”
With Georgia coming to Tuscaloosa next Saturday for a top-10 matchup, Scott pointed to the same formula Alabama leaned on in Starkville.
“I would just say, just focusing on this play,” Scott said. “Not worrying about if we get to a go situation.
Just worrying about the third down, worry about the play that's called. Keeping our rules, so whatever the play is, go by the rules of that play.”
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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 🡒]