Alabama picked up its finest win of the season in Starkville, defeating No. 16 Mississippi State 56-23. The Tide dominated, held on to an early 14-0 lead, and by no means actually seemed again.
I wish to begin by giving this Alabama crew credit score; they performed one among their most full video games of the 12 months and did a terrific job containing Kamario Taylor. If something, Keelon Russell seemed like the higher quarterback. Russell was 16/22 with 3 Touchdowns, however extra importantly, he seemed phenomenal on the deep ball. He added one other landing on the bottom and, most significantly, completed the sport with zero turnovers.
That was the distinction maker on this recreation. Mississippi State was extremely sloppy on either side of the ball and didn’t seem like a ranked crew at house. All week lengthy, media members like Josh Pate lectured AP voters on why Mississippi State wasn’t a top-10 crew, and that by no means made sense to me.
Mississippi State beat two average-to-below-average SEC opponents, and, as traditional, the media overrates them simply due to their convention. Kamario Taylor could make any play, however he’s additionally one of many predominant causes the Bulldogs misplaced at the moment. Once you’re dealing with a Bama offense that’s clicking on all cylinders, there’s simply no method to get well from a three-turnover efficiency.
We might already seen that this Mississippi State protection was flawed. Alabama wasn’t the primary crew to do no matter they happy; that is simply what they’re. I am not saying Mississippi State shouldn’t be within the prime 25; even their present rating appeared okay, if not barely excessive. I simply suppose we had been manner too fast to crown them as a possible playoff crew.
However, Alabama is perhaps the actual deal. The protection struggled to decelerate the Bulldogs, however well timed turnovers made their efforts appear stronger than they could be. Subsequent week will probably be their largest check of the 12 months towards a Georgia crew that has run proper by means of their straightforward schedule to this point.
I’m lots decrease on Georgia than most, and with Bama coming in as three-point underdogs at house, I feel it is a great place to select the Tide. Georgia hasn’t confronted a passing assault with a pulse by means of their first 5 video games, and Keelon Russell appears like a possible Heisman finalist. Whoever comes out of this one will probably be within the driver’s seat for a regular-season SEC crown.
