No. 7 Alabama heads to Starkville on Saturday for a noon SEC showdown with No.
16 Mississippi State, and the matchup comes with a pair of quarterbacks playing at a high level. Alabama is 4-0 after a crushing 49-18 win over South Carolina, while Mississippi State is also unbeaten after rallying past No.
19 Missouri 31-24.
The Crimson Tide’s latest win featured sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell at his sharpest. He completed 77% of his throws across the stretch run against Florida State and South Carolina, and after opening SEC play with two interceptions against Kentucky, he’s been on a heater: 685 passing yards and seven touchdowns in those last two wins. Alabama’s offense has ridden that surge all the way to the top of the country in points per game against Power Four competition at 48.0.
On the other side, Mississippi State has its own star making noise. Kamario Taylor has been the face of one of the program’s best starts in years, as the Bulldogs have opened 4-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since World War II.
The Macon, Mississippi, native leads the SEC with 344.3 yards of offense per game, and he has thrown at least three touchdown passes in every start. That includes road games at Minnesota and South Carolina, proof that the Bulldogs’ fast start is no fluke.
Taylor’s latest statement came in the win over Missouri, when he accounted for 360 yards and three touchdowns in the comeback victory. He has turned Mississippi State into a team that suddenly looks dangerous every week.
This game also brings plenty of history. Alabama owns an 86-18-3 edge in the series and beat Mississippi State 40-17 in 2023. The Bulldogs’ last win in the matchup came in Nick Saban’s first season.
The quarterbacks will grab the spotlight, but the back ends could end up deciding things. Mississippi State owns the SEC’s worst passing defense on paper, though the Bulldogs actually rank ahead of Alabama in yards per attempt and passer rating allowed. Mississippi State has also generated nine sacks in four games, and a steady pass rush could be the key if it wants to keep Russell from dictating the game.
Still, the pick leans the other way. Mississippi State has a home crowd ready for the moment, and the Bulldogs have enough around Taylor to make this interesting, including a better running game and more competitive games under their belt.
But Alabama has a habit of wearing teams down and pulling away late. In what could be the season’s best quarterback battle, the call is Alabama -6.
In Other News...
Derek Meadows Is Becoming An Alabama Concern For A Bigger Reason
Derek Meadows season has taken on an odd shape for Alabama, because the sophomore receiver arrived with some interest but has barely found a foothold once the games started. He had three catches for 44 yards in the opener, then went quiet, while Rico Scott has settled into the tertiary receiver spot behind Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks. For a passing game that always has room for another trusted target, the absence of any real uptick in Meadows usage has become noticeable.
Alabamas coaching staff has not increased his role, and that leaves Meadows in a tricky place as the season moves along. The competition around him is real, his path to steady snaps is unclear, and the longer he goes without earning more work, the more his future with the program starts to feel like part of the conversation. With other players pushing for touches and speculation already drifting toward a possible transfer, this is becoming more than a depth-chart issue for the Tide. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces One Early Kickoff Test Before Mississippi State
Alabamas trip to Starkville comes with one of the more awkward scheduling quirks on the calendar, an 11 a.m. CT kickoff against Mississippi State that will send the Crimson Tide onto the road and into game mode before most stadiums are fully awake. It is the kind of setup that can test a teams routine, especially when travel and an early start are stacked together on the same day.
Bray Hubbard said the Tide are built for that kind of adjustment because their days already begin early with meetings and practice. For a program that leans on structure and pace throughout the week, the short turnaround between arrival and kickoff may be more of a nuisance than a hurdle, but it still adds a layer to a game Alabama will be expected to handle cleanly. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Is Now At The Center Of An Uncomfortable Debate
Nick Sabans post-coaching profile has kept him in the middle of college footballs biggest conversations, and his latest involvement has only sharpened the spotlight. Since retiring after the 2023 season and moving into a broadcaster role with ESPN, the former Alabama coach has remained a powerful voice around the sport, including in his prominent push for the Protect College Sports Act.
Paul Finebaum, though, argued that Sabans presence in that debate may not resonate the way it once did, saying the Hall of Fame coach is out of step with todays players. Finebaum pointed to Georgias Kirby Smart as a sharper fit for the modern college football moment, creating an awkward contrast for a figure whose opinions still carry enormous weight in the sport and especially across the SEC. [Read more 🡒]