#2 Alabama Defends Home-field, Defeats Mississippi State

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 2/2 Alabama football team blanked Mississippi State, 41-0, to take the win in Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday night. It marked the Crimson Tide’s first shutout since downing Mississippi State 24-0 in Tuscaloosa on November 10, 2018. With the victory, the Alabama goes to 6-0 on the season, while the Bulldogs drop to 1-4.

After scoring 41 on the night, Alabama has now tallied 35-or-more points in each of its last 19 games, the longest streak in major college football history. DeVonta Smith hauled in four Mac Jones’ passes for touchdowns, accounting for the bulk of the Tide’s scoring.

Jones and Smith were in synch throughout the game with Smith catching 11 passes for 203 yards to go with his four touchdowns, tallying 159 yards and three scores in the first half. Overall, Jones threw for 291 yards on 24-of-31 passing with four touchdowns. Najee Harris led all rushers with 119 yards on 21 carries, while adding 36 yards on 11 catches.

Patrick Surtain II closed out the scoring with a 25-yard interception return for a score with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter. It was his first interception of the season, fourth of his career and his first pick six. While Alabama’s defense scored for the third time this season, it held the Bulldog offense scoreless for the first time in 2020. Malachi Moore led the Tide with eight tackles while Brian Branch and Dylan Moses both had seven stops apiece. Christopher Allen and Phidarian Mathis both notched sacks on the night.

How It Happened

FIRST QUARTER

• 11:57 – UA | Will Reichard began the game’s scoring with a 40-yard field goal on the Tide’s first drive of the evening.
• 05:04 – UA | Jones found Smith deep behind the coverage for a 35-yard touchdown pass. The score capped off a six-play, 61-yard drive that lasted just under two minutes.
• 02:14 – UA | Alabama scored its second touchdown of the night thanks again to the Jones-to-Smith connection, this time from 53 yards.

SECOND QUARTER

• 14:52 – UA | Reichard hit from 24 yards for his second field goal of the game, giving UA a 20-0 advantage.
• 01:43 – UA | Smith found the end zone once again as Jones led him for an 11-yard score, the duo’s third of the first half. The touchdown catch punctuated an 88-yard drive that lasted 5:35 and 12 plays.

FOURTH QUARTER

• 13:50 – UA | Alabama drove a full 99 yards following Dylan interception in the MSU end zone. The nine-play drive finished with another Smith touchdown from Jones.
• 02:12 – UA | Surtain intercepted MSU’s Will Rogers at the Bulldogs 25-yard line and returned it for a pick six, making the final score 41-0.

Up Next

Alabama will take the week off for its bye. The Crimson Tide will then return to the field on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers. The matchup between the two SEC West foes is set for a 5 p.m. CT kickoff on CBS. Alabama owns a 53-26-5 advantage in the series, including a 28-9-2 mark at Tiger Stadium. The Tide’s last trip to the Bayou resulted in a 29-0 shutout win for UA.