Alabama Continues SEC West Domination
Beats Mississippi State 31-6
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The Alabama Crimson Tide (9-1, 6-1 SEC) handled the Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-3; 3-3 SEC) yesterday in a key match up of top-25 teams. Bama sacked State quarterback Dak Prescott nine times in front of a crowd of 62,435 to see their Dogs fall 31-6.
The Tide defense held the Bulldogs at bay until Bama could get in gear. The young men banged down the quarterback and runners for 12 plays for loss. Prescott could only muster 14 rushing yards on 26 attempts. For the first time in 36 games the 'Dogs were unable to score a touchdown, which was the longest streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
The nine sacks of State quarterback Prescott were the most sacks in a single game since head coach Nick Saban came to Alabama back in 2007. It should be noted that the nine were also the most sacks allowed by a Dan Mullen-coached Mississippi State team.
6' 3", 242-pound running back Derrick Henry was once again the beast we knew him to be. Henry recorded his seventh 100-plus yard game of the season, and third 200-plus yard game. He also extended his consecutive games with a rushing touchdown to 15, giving him the sole lead, and the most in the past 10 years. He has 19 rushing touchdowns on the season. Two of Henry's touchdowns last night were on long break-aways, one for 74 yards and another for 65.
Alabama convincing won 31-6, but the stats didn't actually match the scoreboard. Alabama was out-gained by Mississippi State 393 total yards to 379 yards. The Bulldogs also led in first downs with 20 as compared to 13 for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama's senior quarterback Jake Coker finished the game with 144 passing yards, one touchdown, as well as one interception. Over all he was 15 of 25 passing. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley led the team in receptions with five for 76 yards and a touchdown.
The nine sacks of State quarterback Prescott were the most sacks in a single game since head coach Nick Saban came to Alabama back in 2007. It should be noted that the nine were also the most sacks allowed by a Dan Mullen-coached Mississippi State team.
6' 3", 242-pound running back Derrick Henry was once again the beast we knew him to be. Henry recorded his seventh 100-plus yard game of the season, and third 200-plus yard game. He also extended his consecutive games with a rushing touchdown to 15, giving him the sole lead, and the most in the past 10 years. He has 19 rushing touchdowns on the season. Two of Henry's touchdowns last night were on long break-aways, one for 74 yards and another for 65.
Alabama convincing won 31-6, but the stats didn't actually match the scoreboard. Alabama was out-gained by Mississippi State 393 total yards to 379 yards. The Bulldogs also led in first downs with 20 as compared to 13 for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama's senior quarterback Jake Coker finished the game with 144 passing yards, one touchdown, as well as one interception. Over all he was 15 of 25 passing. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley led the team in receptions with five for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Allie LaForce spoke with coach Saban on the field immediately following the Alabama Crimson Tide's 31-6 win over Mississippi. She asked Saban about the first half versus the second half performance. Saban said, "Well we did a better job of executing in the second half so we were able to keep the ball a little bit. You know, they threw for a lot of yards today but we stopped them when we needed to on defense. But, it's tough with these guys, especially with Dak (Prescott) and his ability to run the ball."
Saban continued, "I'm pleased with the win. We didn't play our best game of the year, but we've got a lot to improve on."
Allie then asked Saban how Bama was able to be so dominate. He said, "Well, you know, we thought that the one place we thought where we had a little advantage in this game was our front guys against their offensive line and we needed to do it with four guys rushing. They did a fantastic job of rushing the quarterback."
Paul Finebaum, just minutes after the end of the game, tweeted, "Just another dominating performance by Alabama. This is a team on a national title mission.
Kirk Herbstreit tweeted last night just before midnight that his top four this week are Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma State.
Following the game and meeting with the guys in locker room Saban addressed the press. He said, "We're always pleased with a win, especially on the road. Mississippi State played a really good game. They have a really good team. Dak Prescott is a tough guy to defend. I know they gained a lot of yards today, but our defense did a really good job of not allowing a lot of points. We got them stopped inside the five (yard line) and a couple times in the red zone, which I think is important. We didn't play well on offense in the first half, but I think we played better in the second half. Kind of a weird game in that every touchdown was a big play. I'm proud of our team. We've got a lot of things we can learn from in this game."
Defensive back Cyrus Jones commented, "It was a great victory. We knew this was a tough place to play against a great team. They have a great leader, Dak Prescott. We just knew it was going to take a 60 minute fight. We just tried to come out and execute it as best as we could. I think we did a well enough job to get the win." Concerning returning the punt for the touchdown Jones said, "I just tried to get out there and make a spark for the team. I wanted to make a play because that is what they have me back there for. I wanted to do my job."
Linebacker Reggie Ragland said, "Our guys prepared the right way and did their job. Our guys were rustling and making plays. The guys came in on third down and got to them. They kept them in the pocket. Our guys were collapsing on them while our guys in the back end were covering them."
Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen addressed reporters following his team's loss. He said, "Give (Alabama) credit. They're an excellent football team. We knew that coming in. How the game works is very simple — you follow a plan to win. They did, we didn't. We played great defense. I thought we played fantastic defense for a good portion of the night. You hold a great back like Derrick Henry to, basically, 140 yards on two of his carries. You're looking at 69, 60, 74 and 65-yard touchdowns. You're not going to win doing that. We had the ball in the red zone and weren't able to punch it in a couple of times and settled for field goals. On special teams, we gave up the punt return for the touchdown. Give them credit for following a plan to win. We have to move forward, find a way to get better as a team, continue to improve and get ready to go play again next week."
Unfortunately Alabama running back/receiver Kenyan Drake was injured in yesterday's game. He has a broken right arm and would be out about three weeks according to Saban. Both Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough came in to play a few snaps following the injury.
Also injured was linebacker Reuben Foster, who led the team in tackles last night with 10, had two pass breakups and a pair of quarterback hurries. He was seen leaving the stadium in a cast on his right hand. Saban said, "Reuben Foster hurt his wrist but was able to go in the game. I'm assuming he'll be okay but we don't know that for sure."
Freshman Minkah Fitzpatrick was also injured yesterday and missed the second half of the game. Saban said it was a sprained knee and that Fitzpatrick could miss about a week.
This next Saturday, November 21st, Alabama hosts Charleston Southern in a non-conference game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be televised by The SEC Network and is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.
Paul Finebaum, just minutes after the end of the game, tweeted, "Just another dominating performance by Alabama. This is a team on a national title mission.
Kirk Herbstreit tweeted last night just before midnight that his top four this week are Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma State.
Following the game and meeting with the guys in locker room Saban addressed the press. He said, "We're always pleased with a win, especially on the road. Mississippi State played a really good game. They have a really good team. Dak Prescott is a tough guy to defend. I know they gained a lot of yards today, but our defense did a really good job of not allowing a lot of points. We got them stopped inside the five (yard line) and a couple times in the red zone, which I think is important. We didn't play well on offense in the first half, but I think we played better in the second half. Kind of a weird game in that every touchdown was a big play. I'm proud of our team. We've got a lot of things we can learn from in this game."
Defensive back Cyrus Jones commented, "It was a great victory. We knew this was a tough place to play against a great team. They have a great leader, Dak Prescott. We just knew it was going to take a 60 minute fight. We just tried to come out and execute it as best as we could. I think we did a well enough job to get the win." Concerning returning the punt for the touchdown Jones said, "I just tried to get out there and make a spark for the team. I wanted to make a play because that is what they have me back there for. I wanted to do my job."
Linebacker Reggie Ragland said, "Our guys prepared the right way and did their job. Our guys were rustling and making plays. The guys came in on third down and got to them. They kept them in the pocket. Our guys were collapsing on them while our guys in the back end were covering them."
Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen addressed reporters following his team's loss. He said, "Give (Alabama) credit. They're an excellent football team. We knew that coming in. How the game works is very simple — you follow a plan to win. They did, we didn't. We played great defense. I thought we played fantastic defense for a good portion of the night. You hold a great back like Derrick Henry to, basically, 140 yards on two of his carries. You're looking at 69, 60, 74 and 65-yard touchdowns. You're not going to win doing that. We had the ball in the red zone and weren't able to punch it in a couple of times and settled for field goals. On special teams, we gave up the punt return for the touchdown. Give them credit for following a plan to win. We have to move forward, find a way to get better as a team, continue to improve and get ready to go play again next week."
Unfortunately Alabama running back/receiver Kenyan Drake was injured in yesterday's game. He has a broken right arm and would be out about three weeks according to Saban. Both Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough came in to play a few snaps following the injury.
Also injured was linebacker Reuben Foster, who led the team in tackles last night with 10, had two pass breakups and a pair of quarterback hurries. He was seen leaving the stadium in a cast on his right hand. Saban said, "Reuben Foster hurt his wrist but was able to go in the game. I'm assuming he'll be okay but we don't know that for sure."
Freshman Minkah Fitzpatrick was also injured yesterday and missed the second half of the game. Saban said it was a sprained knee and that Fitzpatrick could miss about a week.
This next Saturday, November 21st, Alabama hosts Charleston Southern in a non-conference game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be televised by The SEC Network and is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
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Southeastern Conference Football Scores
Two SEC teams stepped outside the SEC for contests yesterday, both winning against far inferior opponents. As usual, there were a couple of upsets inside the conference.
Here's a look from around the Southeastern Conference and how the teams fared:
Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 31-17
Florida Gators defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 24-14
Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Auburn Tigers 20-13
Tennessee Volunteers defeated North Texas 24-0
Vanderbilt Commodores defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 21-17
Texas A&M Aggies defeated Western Carolina 41-17
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The University of Alabama men's tennis team now has won 18 total matches during the CCB Collegiate Invational being held at the Country Club of Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama. 10 of those 18 wins came yesterday.
Those in the winner's circle for the Tide yesterday were junior Hayes Brewer, sophomores Matthew Rossouw, Sam Edwards and Danny Kerznerman, redshirt freshman Langford Hills and freshman Spencer Richey,
Play resumes today at 9 a.m. featuring the final round of singles matches.
Tide Men's Tennis Scores Wins
The University of Alabama men's tennis team now has won 18 total matches during the CCB Collegiate Invational being held at the Country Club of Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama. 10 of those 18 wins came yesterday.
Those in the winner's circle for the Tide yesterday were junior Hayes Brewer, sophomores Matthew Rossouw, Sam Edwards and Danny Kerznerman, redshirt freshman Langford Hills and freshman Spencer Richey,
Play resumes today at 9 a.m. featuring the final round of singles matches.
