Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell walked out of Mississippi State with more than a win. He left as the new favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
Russell powered Alabama to a 56-23 victory with four total touchdowns, and the performance pushed him to the top of the betting board at FanDuel at +350. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is right behind him at +360. Russell had been +1200 at FanDuel after Week 4 and opened the season at +8000 at BetMGM.
The sophomore from Duncanville, Texas, was sharp from the start. He finished 16 of 22 for 285 yards and three passing touchdowns without an interception, then added a 17-yard rushing score on the first play of the second quarter to stretch Alabama’s lead to 21-7.
That marked the third straight game in which Russell has produced at least four total touchdowns. Through five starts, he has 1,414 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes, two interceptions and four rushing scores.
His third touchdown throw, an 8-yard connection with Rico Scott, made it 49-23 early in the fourth quarter and sent Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer to the backup, Austin Mack.
The Crimson Tide got plenty of help around Russell, too. Lotzeir Brooks hauled in four catches for 96 yards, including a 50-yard grab on third-and-6, and Trae'shawn Brown added 66 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby had already seen enough earlier in the week to rave about Russell’s control of the offense. "You see a guy that is really playing well beyond his years right now, and he looks very calm, in complete command," Lebby said.
The day went the opposite way for Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor, whose stock dropped hard. He entered Saturday at +800 at FanDuel, third-best on the board, but slid to +3000 after Alabama forced four turnovers.
Taylor’s trouble started immediately. He lost a fumble on a sack by London Simmons on Mississippi State’s opening drive, then on the next possession Dijon Lee Jr. intercepted him and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. That pick-six was Alabama’s fourth of the season and put the Tide ahead 14-0 just 6:30 into the game.
Taylor finished 19 of 34 for 258 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Alabama sacked him five times. Mississippi State also managed only 18 rushing yards after Fluff Bothwell went down with a lower-body injury on his first carry.
SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum said this week that Taylor may top Dak Prescott as Mississippi State’s best quarterback. Instead, the Bulldogs fell to 4-1.
The rest of the Heisman board shifted, too. Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, who was +350 at FanDuel last week, is now third at +500.
Alabama improved to 5-0 for the first time in DeBoer’s three seasons, and the schedule is about to get a lot more demanding. The next three games are Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A&M, with Georgia coming to Tuscaloosa next Saturday.
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt picked Georgia over Alabama to win the SEC earlier this week, which gives Russell another chance to make his case against a top contender. Smith and Ohio State were set to kick off at Iowa at 3:30 p.m.
ET when the updated odds were posted, so the Heisman race could shift again by Sunday. Nick Saban had called that trip a dangerous matchup for the Buckeyes earlier in the week.
In Other News...
Kamario Taylor Suddenly Faces A Bigger Mississippi State Concern
Kamario Taylors Week 5 showing against Alabama did not give Mississippi State much to build on, and the freshmans foot injury only added to the concern. What had been a promising early storyline for the Bulldogs now looks more complicated, with Taylor trying to work through the kind of issue that can affect both his production and the teams overall offensive rhythm.
Mississippi State will have to watch closely how Taylor responds coming out of that game, because his health is now part of a larger evaluation of where the Bulldogs stand after a rough outing. In a college football season where Heisman chatter can turn quickly, Taylors situation has shifted from upside to uncertainty, and it leaves Mississippi State hoping the injury is only a short-term setback. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Got Another Reminder How Brutal The SEC Has Become
Missouris emphatic 45-17 win over Florida was another reminder that there are no easy weekends left in the SEC, where even a team that had not scored a home win over a top-10 opponent in 16 years could suddenly look overwhelming. Austin Simmons controlled the passing game with 340 yards and two touchdowns, while Jamal Roberts powered the ground attack with 211 yards and three scores, turning the kind of game that can flatten a conference rival into a showcase for how quickly momentum can swing in this league.
For Mississippi State, it is the sort of result that only sharpens the pressure around every SEC Saturday, because the margin for error keeps shrinking as more teams prove they can win big and win fast. Eli Drinkwitzs postgame point about the need to bounce back after losses fits the broader picture here, since the leagues depth now means a bad day can bury a team quickly, and the next challenge often arrives before anyone has time to catch their breath. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Faces Immediate AP Poll Trouble After Costly Missouri Loss
Mississippi States loss to Alabama was part of a busy weekend that could shake up the AP Top 25, but the Bulldogs are watching the bigger picture in the SEC as the conference continues to sort itself out. Missouris win over Florida is the result that may create the most immediate movement, with the Tigers strengthening their case and the Gators suddenly facing the kind of poll pressure that comes after a damaging league setback.
For Mississippi State, the rankings story is less about a single spot and more about how the league cluster around it is shifting after another round of decisive results. The official AP poll comes out Sunday, and there are still teams hovering on the edge of moving up or slipping out, which leaves the Bulldogs with a familiar kind of interest in how the voters weigh recent performance against earlier expectations. [Read more 🡒]