After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama struck first on a 69-yard punt from cornerback Cyrus Jones.
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After everything was settled on the field and the Tide walked away with the 31-6 win over Mississippi State, the Tide defense ended the game with nine sacks which are the most since Alabama matched that number in 1998 against Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide, now ranked No. 2, are among the hottest teams in the nation and seem to be headed for a playoff berth this year. But after Saturday’s game, Henry’s hype seems more legitimate with each passing week.
Tide kicker Adam Griffith opened the second-half scoring with a 42-yard field goal to make it 24-3. The defense, however, held up extremely well throughout the entire game, sacking Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott nine times. But the only thing that matters is the final score: 31-6.
Alabama’s defense has given a lot of teams fits since Saban’s arrival. “As long as he is, he does a good job of picking his way through holes”, Tide coach Nick Saban said.
South Carolina, which dropped to 4-7 with its loss to Florida Saturday. After Charleston Southern, Henry will get to showcase that in the Iron Bowl and SEC Championship Game.
Let’s look at the combined rosters of Ole Miss and Mississippi State this season, and see what we find. Orth passed for 163 yards and was intercepted twice. They did so on a few other big plays as well, and that was the difference in this game.
SC avoided the shutout on a trick play with 8:59 remaining. He has a rushing touchdown in 14 straight games dating back to last season. The touchdown pass was the fourth of Cooper’s career. But Henry impressed news with 210 yards rushing, 38 carries, and three touchdown runs. Mississippi State could not manage to avoid giving up big plays. They have a big, physical running back.
Derrick Henry ran for two touchdowns and 204 yards on 22 carries. It seemed like Henry was limited in the first quarter when he had just eight rushing attempts. Prescott is 200-for-300 for 2,351 yards, 18 touchdowns and just one interception this season. Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs completed 15 of 23 passes for 136 yards. The Wildcats are home for games against Charlotte and Louisville to finish the regular season. The Mean Green are 1-4 under interim coach Mike Canales. Prescott rushed for 16 yards on the next play. The loss was the fifth straight for Kentucky.
This time Alabama didn’t get the block, but Saban knew the return potential was there.
Receiver De’Runnya Wilson has 37 catches for 626 yards and 8 touchdowns. The Bulldogs picked up the first down, but Alabama hit the quarterback two more times in the backfield to end the opening possession.
Prescott didn’t score a touchdown, which reflects the kind of day he endured.
However, the issue on Saturday was that Prescott got little to no help and the Alabama defensive front dominated the entire night.
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“We just keep fighting; that’s what we do”, Holloway said.
