Alabama routs Mississippi State 56-23 behind four Keelon Russell touchdowns
No. 7 Alabama overwhelmed No. 16 Mississippi State 56-23, piling up 483 yards while forcing four Bulldogs turnovers at Davis Wade Stadium.
Alabama rolls early and never looks back
Alabama took Davis Wade Stadium apart on Saturday, beating No. 16 Mississippi State 56-23 in a matchup of two teams that walked in unbeaten. The Crimson Tide led 14-0 before the first quarter hit the nine minute mark and kept piling on from there, leading 28-17 at the half and 42-23 after three.
Keelon Russell ran the show for Alabama, going 16 of 22 for 285 yards and three touchdown passes, plus a 17-yard touchdown run of his own. Trae'shawn Brown added two rushing touchdowns on 14 carries for 66 yards, and Rico Scott caught two touchdown passes. Dijon Lee Jr. turned an interception into a 30-yard pick-six in the first quarter. Alabama finished with 483 total yards, 304 passing and 179 rushing, and moved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in SEC play.
Mississippi State's turnovers dug the hole
Kamario Taylor had a rough day running the Bulldogs' offense. He fumbled on the opening drive when the ball slipped out of his hand on a pump fake near midfield, and Alabama's London Simmons recovered it. Two interceptions followed, including Lee's pick-six, and Taylor finished 19 of 34 for 258 yards with three touchdowns against two picks. He was sacked five times and left the game early in the fourth quarter with the Bulldogs down 26.
Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said Taylor's limited mobility, with an ankle injury still bothering him, changed what the offense could do, saying it "makes it harder." Alabama linebacker Caleb Woodson said the defense knew it had "a better chance to contain him" with Taylor unable to move the way he normally does.
Anthony Evans III kept Mississippi State in it
Receiver Anthony Evans III was the one bright spot for the Bulldogs, catching 12 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns, including a 45-yard score in the third quarter that briefly cut the deficit to 42-23 before a failed two-point try. Mississippi State's running game never got going, finishing with just 18 yards on the ground against Alabama's 179. The Bulldogs also committed four turnovers to Alabama's two and fell to 4-1 overall, 2-1 in the SEC.
A lopsided series stays lopsided
The win was Alabama's 17th straight in the series against Mississippi State, and the seventh in a row decided by 23 points or more. Both teams had entered the week unbeaten, and the result left Alabama looking like one of the stronger contenders in the conference while Mississippi State heads back to the drawing board with its quarterback's health now a real question.
Facts per ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.