PhillyGirl
Member
http://www.rollbamaroll.com/2014/11/14/7196901/hope-for-the-best-alabama-versus-mississippi-state
Did anyone expect the SEC West to come down to this game? Dan Mullen and Dak Prescott did, and that's what makes this game so scary for fans of the Crimson Tide.
"We had to overcome to win...When the defense went out there after the fumble, I told them, āThis is where you show you know how to win. We got to stop them right here.' When the offense went out there with 50 seconds left to go in the game, I said, āThis is where you show that you know how to win. We got to go kick a field goal with no timeouts.' The players did a great job in the face of those circumstances, and it continued into overtime...We made it a little more difficult than we needed it to be, but we have to be proud of the players for the way they competed - the resiliency they showed, and how they finished the game." - Nick Saban
A team that struggled to find its identity throughout much of the 2014 found it last Saturday in the most unlikely of places: with its back against the wall in one of the fiercest places to play in all of college football. That identity can be summed up in one word (for those who are into the whole brevity thing): resiliency.
Alabama may not have played its best game of the season versus perennial foe and fellow contender LSU last Saturday night. The Tide may not have even been the best team on the field for most of the four-quarter slugfest that trickled into overtime on a stellar autumn night in Baton Rouge. Even the most ardent Bama supporter couldn't argue that the team played nothing close to the type of flawless just-do-your-job football demanded of the players by head coach Nick Saban.
But none of that mattered in the waning moments of a game that will go down as yet another classic in an era of classics between the two heavyweight power-punchers. What mattered was that, when cornered, the Crimson Tide shook off the ring rust, took LSU's best punch on the point of the jaw, and landed the knockout blow when it mattered most.
Resiliency...it is a powerful thing. And with the schedule the Tide will face in two of its remaining three games, it will need that kind of resiliency to close out a "rebuilding" year with a chance at a spot in the first-ever College Football Playoffs.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Alabama was supposed to win that game against LSU. The Tide entered the game with LSU as a roughly 6-point favorite in most betting houses, despite the challenge of playing in Baton Rouge against a salty LSU team that was floating on newfound confidence derived from its win against Ole Miss two weeks prior. Few outside of Cajun Country gave LSU a chance of beating Alabama, as on paper, the Tide seemingly had the superior team.
As is often the case, what happened on paper became nothing more than grill-chimney kindlin' once the ball was kicked. LSU wouldn't accept its fate as an also-ran, and the Tide did all it could to accommodate the Tigers' upstart efforts. A perplexing offensive game plan that saw the Tide pass 46 times, coupled with fumbles, dropped passes and a lack of assertion in the running game...these things fed right into the energy and delusion that is Death Valley at night, leaving the Tide splayed and ready for ready for dissection with 50 ticks left on the clock.
That's where that resiliency came in handy for the Tide. Rather than accepting the seemingly inevitable outcome after LSU kicked a field goal to take the lead with less than a minute remaining, the Tide rose. Quarterback Blake Sims, who had found it difficult to pass against the LSU secondary, finally began to connect with mere seconds left in the game. Foggy-headed for much of the game, his decisions on the final drive before overtime were as crisp as his passes. Receivers who seemed mortar-handed before became geckos with sticky fingers.
In other words, when the time came to perform, the Tide refused to allow its competitive flame to be extinguished by so much bourbon and Tony Chachere's in that purple-and-gold bayou hell. The team that seemed not to know its own strength finally awakened, and forced the inevitable down the throats of the home-standing Tigers.
That, quite simply, is the definition of resiliency.
It's a good thing Alabama found that identity against LSU, as they will need that same resiliency this week against the unblemished and number 1 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs. Bringing back memories of 2008 Florida, this is not your daddy's Mississippi State squad. They are fast, physical and ferocious. And they have an identity of their own...confidence. They are confident that this is their year to bury Alabama, to seize the SEC West for the first time in recent memory and to plant the cowbell atop the College Football Playoff mountain. They will offer the Tide its most comprehensive challenge of the year, and it will take a nearly perfect effort from Alabama to derail the Bulldogs' fast train out of Starkville.
Will Bama's emotional victory over LSU propel the Tide with newfound confidence, or will the Bulldogs do to Bama what they've done to all other comers this season? Time will tell...let's take a closer look.
Alabama offense versus the Mississippi State defense
At first glance, this seems like a bit of a mismatch. Though the Bulldog front seven is probably (as Saban said this week) the most physical front seven the Tide will face all year, the Bully secondary is among the worst in the nation, ranking 120th in pass defense while allowing 300.6 yards per game.
Alabama should be able to fire away at the Mississippi State secondary, with Amari Cooper healthy and DeAndrew White seeing a late season surge. O.J. Howard will see the ball when mismatches are there to be exploited. In fact, Alabama's offensive game plan against LSU would have made more sense against MSU, as unlike the floundering Bulldog secondary, LSU had the leading pass efficiency defense in the nation before last Saturday's game.
This year, unlike in previous seasons, Alabama has not depended on the run to set-up the pass, but rather, vice-versa. Because of Alabama's struggles in run blocking, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin has used his affinity for the pass to open up running lanes later in games where the line of scrimmage was decidedly controlled by the defensive front seven early on. Sure, the ends justify the means, but the pass-first philosophy Kiffin has employed at Alabama has been shocking to fans of the Tide, to say the least.
Though Mississippi State doesn't feature the talent or skill of LSU's secondary, the stats are somewhat deceptive when it comes to the MSU pass defense. There's not much one can do to candy-coat the 120th ranked pass defense in the nation, but despite that figure, the Bulldogs wield the nation's 8th ranked pass efficiency defense. This indicates that teams are often stymied by the strong MSU rush defense, and typically attempt more passes than usual as a result. Even though those passes may be completed, the Bulldogs limit gains and explosive plays so that those receptions do minimal damage in the overall landscape of the game. Make no mistake, the secondary is the weak link for the Bulldog defense, and Alabama should exploit it. But it won't be like the Tide is throwing against the Texas A&M secondary, either. Kiffin will have to use formations and motion to create mismatches, and Amari Cooper will need to be spectacular to give Sims confidence and open the door for the Tide's other offensive weapons.
In this game, however, the passing game is the most likely scalpel that Sims will use to slice the secondary of Mississippi State. That said, Alabama should also be able to run against the physical front seven the Bulldogs bring to the table to some degree, though much of that will hinge upon whether or not T.J. Yeldon is 100% after suffering an ankle strain in the waning moments of the LSU game. The Bulldogs have the 22nd ranked rushing defense in the nation, partially due to stellar play along the deep defensive line (including future NFL'ers Kaleb Eulls and Chris Brown) and linebackers who combine physical freakishness with veteran football savvy (Bernardrick McKinney and Beniquez Brown.) The running lanes will be tough to come by unless Alabama does something it hasn't done all year: dominate the point of attack on running plays.
The good news is that Alabama's offensive line appears healthy, and if nothing else, the unit proved it can get the job done in the final moments of the LSU game.
One thing to watch will be how Alabama performs in the red zone. Though Mississippi State's defense is ranked only 89th in the nation in total defense, the Bullies have the nation's top-ranked red zone defense. The Bulldogs are stingy inside the 20, and Alabama's red zone offense hasn't necessarily been the strength of the team this year (ranked 61st in CFB.) Alabama will need the kind of explosive plays they've seen against other similarly ranked passing defenses (like the aforementioned Aggies) at Bryant Denny Stadium this year, as the going between the goal line and the 20 will be tough, to say the least.
The battle up front on passing downs will be important, too, as Mississippi State is fifth in the nation in team sacks. Alabama conversely is 12th nationally in sacks allowed. Something must give, as both teams do what they do consistently well. Alabama will need the offensive line's best game of the year to dominate the Bulldogs up front, thus opening the gates to the offensive playground for Sims and the wide receiving corps.
Did anyone expect the SEC West to come down to this game? Dan Mullen and Dak Prescott did, and that's what makes this game so scary for fans of the Crimson Tide.
"We had to overcome to win...When the defense went out there after the fumble, I told them, āThis is where you show you know how to win. We got to stop them right here.' When the offense went out there with 50 seconds left to go in the game, I said, āThis is where you show that you know how to win. We got to go kick a field goal with no timeouts.' The players did a great job in the face of those circumstances, and it continued into overtime...We made it a little more difficult than we needed it to be, but we have to be proud of the players for the way they competed - the resiliency they showed, and how they finished the game." - Nick Saban
A team that struggled to find its identity throughout much of the 2014 found it last Saturday in the most unlikely of places: with its back against the wall in one of the fiercest places to play in all of college football. That identity can be summed up in one word (for those who are into the whole brevity thing): resiliency.
Alabama may not have played its best game of the season versus perennial foe and fellow contender LSU last Saturday night. The Tide may not have even been the best team on the field for most of the four-quarter slugfest that trickled into overtime on a stellar autumn night in Baton Rouge. Even the most ardent Bama supporter couldn't argue that the team played nothing close to the type of flawless just-do-your-job football demanded of the players by head coach Nick Saban.
But none of that mattered in the waning moments of a game that will go down as yet another classic in an era of classics between the two heavyweight power-punchers. What mattered was that, when cornered, the Crimson Tide shook off the ring rust, took LSU's best punch on the point of the jaw, and landed the knockout blow when it mattered most.
Resiliency...it is a powerful thing. And with the schedule the Tide will face in two of its remaining three games, it will need that kind of resiliency to close out a "rebuilding" year with a chance at a spot in the first-ever College Football Playoffs.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Alabama was supposed to win that game against LSU. The Tide entered the game with LSU as a roughly 6-point favorite in most betting houses, despite the challenge of playing in Baton Rouge against a salty LSU team that was floating on newfound confidence derived from its win against Ole Miss two weeks prior. Few outside of Cajun Country gave LSU a chance of beating Alabama, as on paper, the Tide seemingly had the superior team.
As is often the case, what happened on paper became nothing more than grill-chimney kindlin' once the ball was kicked. LSU wouldn't accept its fate as an also-ran, and the Tide did all it could to accommodate the Tigers' upstart efforts. A perplexing offensive game plan that saw the Tide pass 46 times, coupled with fumbles, dropped passes and a lack of assertion in the running game...these things fed right into the energy and delusion that is Death Valley at night, leaving the Tide splayed and ready for ready for dissection with 50 ticks left on the clock.
That's where that resiliency came in handy for the Tide. Rather than accepting the seemingly inevitable outcome after LSU kicked a field goal to take the lead with less than a minute remaining, the Tide rose. Quarterback Blake Sims, who had found it difficult to pass against the LSU secondary, finally began to connect with mere seconds left in the game. Foggy-headed for much of the game, his decisions on the final drive before overtime were as crisp as his passes. Receivers who seemed mortar-handed before became geckos with sticky fingers.
In other words, when the time came to perform, the Tide refused to allow its competitive flame to be extinguished by so much bourbon and Tony Chachere's in that purple-and-gold bayou hell. The team that seemed not to know its own strength finally awakened, and forced the inevitable down the throats of the home-standing Tigers.
That, quite simply, is the definition of resiliency.
It's a good thing Alabama found that identity against LSU, as they will need that same resiliency this week against the unblemished and number 1 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs. Bringing back memories of 2008 Florida, this is not your daddy's Mississippi State squad. They are fast, physical and ferocious. And they have an identity of their own...confidence. They are confident that this is their year to bury Alabama, to seize the SEC West for the first time in recent memory and to plant the cowbell atop the College Football Playoff mountain. They will offer the Tide its most comprehensive challenge of the year, and it will take a nearly perfect effort from Alabama to derail the Bulldogs' fast train out of Starkville.
Will Bama's emotional victory over LSU propel the Tide with newfound confidence, or will the Bulldogs do to Bama what they've done to all other comers this season? Time will tell...let's take a closer look.
Alabama offense versus the Mississippi State defense
At first glance, this seems like a bit of a mismatch. Though the Bulldog front seven is probably (as Saban said this week) the most physical front seven the Tide will face all year, the Bully secondary is among the worst in the nation, ranking 120th in pass defense while allowing 300.6 yards per game.
Alabama should be able to fire away at the Mississippi State secondary, with Amari Cooper healthy and DeAndrew White seeing a late season surge. O.J. Howard will see the ball when mismatches are there to be exploited. In fact, Alabama's offensive game plan against LSU would have made more sense against MSU, as unlike the floundering Bulldog secondary, LSU had the leading pass efficiency defense in the nation before last Saturday's game.
This year, unlike in previous seasons, Alabama has not depended on the run to set-up the pass, but rather, vice-versa. Because of Alabama's struggles in run blocking, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin has used his affinity for the pass to open up running lanes later in games where the line of scrimmage was decidedly controlled by the defensive front seven early on. Sure, the ends justify the means, but the pass-first philosophy Kiffin has employed at Alabama has been shocking to fans of the Tide, to say the least.
Though Mississippi State doesn't feature the talent or skill of LSU's secondary, the stats are somewhat deceptive when it comes to the MSU pass defense. There's not much one can do to candy-coat the 120th ranked pass defense in the nation, but despite that figure, the Bulldogs wield the nation's 8th ranked pass efficiency defense. This indicates that teams are often stymied by the strong MSU rush defense, and typically attempt more passes than usual as a result. Even though those passes may be completed, the Bulldogs limit gains and explosive plays so that those receptions do minimal damage in the overall landscape of the game. Make no mistake, the secondary is the weak link for the Bulldog defense, and Alabama should exploit it. But it won't be like the Tide is throwing against the Texas A&M secondary, either. Kiffin will have to use formations and motion to create mismatches, and Amari Cooper will need to be spectacular to give Sims confidence and open the door for the Tide's other offensive weapons.
In this game, however, the passing game is the most likely scalpel that Sims will use to slice the secondary of Mississippi State. That said, Alabama should also be able to run against the physical front seven the Bulldogs bring to the table to some degree, though much of that will hinge upon whether or not T.J. Yeldon is 100% after suffering an ankle strain in the waning moments of the LSU game. The Bulldogs have the 22nd ranked rushing defense in the nation, partially due to stellar play along the deep defensive line (including future NFL'ers Kaleb Eulls and Chris Brown) and linebackers who combine physical freakishness with veteran football savvy (Bernardrick McKinney and Beniquez Brown.) The running lanes will be tough to come by unless Alabama does something it hasn't done all year: dominate the point of attack on running plays.
The good news is that Alabama's offensive line appears healthy, and if nothing else, the unit proved it can get the job done in the final moments of the LSU game.
One thing to watch will be how Alabama performs in the red zone. Though Mississippi State's defense is ranked only 89th in the nation in total defense, the Bullies have the nation's top-ranked red zone defense. The Bulldogs are stingy inside the 20, and Alabama's red zone offense hasn't necessarily been the strength of the team this year (ranked 61st in CFB.) Alabama will need the kind of explosive plays they've seen against other similarly ranked passing defenses (like the aforementioned Aggies) at Bryant Denny Stadium this year, as the going between the goal line and the 20 will be tough, to say the least.
The battle up front on passing downs will be important, too, as Mississippi State is fifth in the nation in team sacks. Alabama conversely is 12th nationally in sacks allowed. Something must give, as both teams do what they do consistently well. Alabama will need the offensive line's best game of the year to dominate the Bulldogs up front, thus opening the gates to the offensive playground for Sims and the wide receiving corps.
