Alabama’s 56-23 rout of Mississippi State had a little bit of everything, but the biggest takeaway was the simplest one: the Crimson Tide looked like a team putting all the pieces together at once.
In Starkville, the quarterback matchup between Keelon Russell and Kamario Taylor was supposed to draw the spotlight. Instead, Alabama spent most of the afternoon overwhelming Mississippi State on both sides of the ball and turning the game into its most complete showing of the season.
The defense up front set the tone early and never really let go. Taylor spent the day under constant pressure, was sacked five times, and looked uncomfortable from the start.
Alabama’s pass rush also helped force two interceptions and directly produced another turnover when London Simmons forced a fumble. By the end, Mississippi State had been held to 0.6 yards per carry, a number that says plenty about how thoroughly Alabama controlled the line of scrimmage.
Seven different players finished with at least a half-sack, with Red Morgan the only defensive back in that group. Terrance Green, Simmons, and Kedrick Bingley-Jones were a steady problem inside, while Devan Thompkins and Yhonzae Pierre worked the edge and Isaia Faga and Fatutoa Henry got in on the action as well.
Among all that disruption, one defender stood out for more than just the box score. The freshman led Alabama with nine tackles and picked up his first career sack, putting together the kind of complete performance that matched the recruiting hype.
He had flashed before, but this was the first time he put it all together in one game. It looked like the kind of outing that hints at a very high ceiling, and one that makes it easy to see why his five-star label carried so much weight.
On offense, Daniel Hill had a day he’d probably like to forget. Playing in his home state, against the school his nephew plays for, and in a stadium he grew up attending, the setup seemed perfect for a breakout.
Instead, the junior carried just five times for 22 yards, fumbled twice, and one of those miscues led directly to a Mississippi State touchdown after the Bulldogs recovered in the red zone. Hill now has averaged 2.9 yards per carry over his last two games.
That stands in contrast to Richard Brown, who kept building on his strong start. The three-star freshman handled 14 carries, more than Daniel Hill, EJ Crowell, and AK Dear combined, and scored twice.
Brown now leads the team with five rushing touchdowns. With Crowell not yet ready to be a three-down back and Dear still working his way into the rotation, Brown looks like he has the clearest path to becoming the feature back.
Dijon Lee’s afternoon was a roller coaster. Early on, after a 30-yard pick-six, he looked like he had delivered the kind of jolt Alabama needed after two rough weeks that saw him get beaten in man coverage by Duce Robinson and Nyck Harbor in back-to-back games.
But the good feelings didn’t last. A second-quarter muffed punt followed, then a touchdown allowed on a sequence that wasn’t solely on Lee, since the defense was already in a bad spot and Kane Wommack should have called timeout before the snap.
Lee later added a 47-yard kick return, but the bigger picture still points to three straight weeks of visible struggles from a player who was expected to be one of the roster’s most impressive talents.
The passing game also seems to be settling into a hierarchy. Keelon Russell and Ryan Grubb appear to have a clear idea of where the main targets are going, and it hasn’t left much room for Derek Meadows or Cederian Morgan.
Both are big, physical receivers who seemed capable of carving out meaningful roles before the season, but through five games they’ve combined for just four catches, 65 yards, and a touchdown. Meadows has three of those receptions, with his best moment a 31-yard catch against East Carolina nearly a month ago.
He’s still on the field as a blocker, and at 6-foot-5 his presence usually signals a run. Morgan’s only catch so far is a 21-yard touchdown against Florida State, a play that mattered in the moment but has not led to much more playing time since.
For now, Ryan Coleman-Williams, Lotzeir Brooks, and Rico Scott have the top three receiver spots locked down. Marshall Pritchett and Kaleb Edwards have also done their jobs as big targets while adding the run blocking this offense needs. As for Noah Rogers, the door isn’t closed, but it still looks like a long shot for him to break into a major role.
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 🡒]