Mississippi State Football: Bulldogs Get Squashed By Alabama On the Road, 30-6
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Mississippi State failed to get things going despite an admirable defensive effort as it was crushed by Alabama in Tuscaloosa by a score of 30-6 this past Saturday night, maintaining the streak of failing to score a touchdown in Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2014.
The Crimson Tide never trailed at any point in the contest. Alabama’s offense quickly took care of business, with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young throwing 21-of-35 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
Alabama kicker Will Reichard kicked a 50-yard field goal before halftime to put them up 24-0, the same field goal he missed last week when the Crimson Tide lost in the final minutes at Tennessee.
The Bulldogs were sloppy on all sides of the ball. On offense, a potential touchdown pass was negated when wide receiver Tulu Griffin dropped the ball near the end zone.
The Bulldogs did not score a touchdown until the closing seconds of the game, but did not kick the extra point. This is the first touchdown for the Bulldogs in Bryant Denny Stadium since 2014, when Dak Prescott was at the helm of quarterback.
Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers was sacked four times, including a sack that led to a fumble recovered by Alabama’s defense. Rogers twas 30-of-60 passing for 231 yards in Saturday night's loss, with some ill-placed throws on top of several drops by receivers.
Despite his performance, Rogers became the second fastest player to reach 1,000 career completions in FBS history, achieving this in 30 games. He sits behind Luke Falk from Washington State, who achieved it in 29 games.
The Bulldogs' defense also sputtered. Bulldog safety Jackie Matthews was ejected during the second quarter after a call was confirmed for him targeting Crimson Tide wide receiver Isaiah Bond.
They did manage to hold Alabama under 100 rushing yards, the lowest since when Alabama hosted LSU last season, where they were held to just six yards.
Even the Bulldogs’ special teams wasn’t safe from the Crimson Tide’s dominance. Wide receiver Zavion Thomas muffed a punt that was quickly recovered by Alabama.
Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach was not happy about Saturday's loss to the Crimson Tide. In his post game press conference, he mentioned dinosaurs, gas stations, and traveling in his station wagon to explain the Bulldogs lack of execution on the field by "not using their hands enough" and saying that the team "got shoved around" at will.
"I didn't think we played well at all," Leach said. "We've got some guys that are afraid of the jersey that says Alabama on it. You want to scare some of the guys on our team, put an Alabama jersey on and it will scare the hell out of them."
The Bulldogs drop to a 5-3 overall record and a 2-3 record in SEC play this season. With the Bulldogs needing just one more win for bowl eligibility, the team has a lot to clean up on going into their November schedule.
Next weekend, the Bulldogs have a bye week. They return to play the following week on Nov. 5, when they host the Auburn Tigers at home in Starkville, MS.
