With games against Charleston Southern and at 5-4 Auburn in the Iron Bowl, Henry may not have another chance to impress Heisman voters until the SEC Championship game – of course the Tide have to win its annually rivalry finale to get to Atlanta.
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After a sputtering first quarter that saw Alabama need to stuff Dak Prescott on a fourth-and-goal to keep the game at 0-0, Cyrus Jones’ 69-yard punt return opened the big-play floodgates and sent the Tide on its to a 31-6 victory in Starkville.
No player had rushed for 200 yards against Mississippi State since Alabama’s Kenneth Darby did it in 2004.
Alabama’s offense is led by workhorse and Heisman Trophy candidate Derrick Henry, who leads the SEC in carries (218).
“Our punt return has been very productive the last few games”, Saban said.
Though I may bemoan Jake Coker, I do not believe that Mississippi State will pull out a win this week.
His candidacy was bolstered by 204 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns on Saturday, including a fourth-quarter 65-yard run against a Mississippi State defense that had grown about as interested in making contact as fifth-grader at his first dance.
There is simply no other program in the country – and maybe in modern history since scholarship limits were imposed – that rotates nine defensive linemen and can relegate a former No. 1 national recruit to afterthought status. He’s never beaten an Alabama football team.
The root of that comes from Alabama’s menacing, suffocating and harassing defensive front. For the season, Alabama has recorded 38 sacks and that number is more than any Saban-coached Alabama team.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s defense had another terrific game despite finishing at a disadvantage in total yards (393-379), time of possession (33:30-26:30) and first downs (20-13). He worked as Florida’s offensive line coach back in 2006, which allowed him to see the likes of Jarvis Moss, Ray McDonald and Derrick Harvey everyday in practice. What distinguishes Bama’s line is its depth.
“It wasn’t like they were fancy blitzes”, Mullen said.
Prescott got introduced to almost that entire conga line while on the ground Saturday.
But it was the Crimson Tide who enjoyed an 18-point halftime lead thanks to three huge plays and a top-rated defense that turned the Bulldogs away four times inside Alabama territory, twice in the red zone. One of just a handful of SEC players to ever top 100 touchdowns for his career, Prescott has nothing to hang his head about in going 0-for-4 vs. Alabama in his career.
Alabama’s Jonathan Allen had a team-high three sacks while A’Shawn Robinson added 2 1/2 sacks and Ryan Anderson had two. “When big guys get exhausted, when their tank is empty, it usually stays that way”.
Granted, this performance comes with somewhat of a caveat.
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However, what the Tide does not have is a great quarterback, whilst Mississippi State does, and that may well be what it takes to beat this Alabama football team. While Mississippi State has one of the better defenses in college football, particularly against the run, they’re going to have their hands full with the 6’3 240 pound running back who seems to be getting better by the week. “My guys got punched in the face”, Hevesy said.
