Five things we learned from Alabama's shutout win over Mississippi State | BamaInsider.com
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ā It wasnāt pretty, but it didnāt need to be. No. 1 Alabama continued to roll Saturday as it recorded its second straight shutout with a 24-0 victory over No. 16 Mississippi State. Here are five things we learned from the game.
Josh Jacobs was a man possessed
On a day when his quarterback needed a little help, Josh Jacobs answered the call. Facing a third-and-1 on Alabamaās opening drive, the running back sent quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in motion before taking a snap out of the Wildcat formation. From there, Jacobs barreled upfield for a first down, extending Alabamaās drive and ultimately setting up the Crimson Tideās first score.
The new wrinkle was old hat for Jacobs, a former Wildcat quarterback in high school. Following the game, he hinted that it might not be the last time we see it this season.
āItās smooth,ā he said. āWeāve still got a lot of kinks and wrinkles to it, but itās 2-for-2, so itās alright.ā
Jacobs was just as dominant taking handoffs as he led Alabama with 97 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Forty-six of those yards came during Alabamaās final possession as he took the ball six straight times to help close out the game for the Crimson Tide.
āI know we didnāt score a touchdown at the end, but we took seven or eight minutes off the clock, which is what you want to do in a situation like that,ā head coach Nick Saban said. āJosh was a demon running it on a couple of those runs, and I was really impressed with the way he played today.ā
Listed at 5-foot-10, 216 pounds, Jacobs is one of the most versatile weapons on Alabama's roster. On top of bowling over defenders on offense, he also serves as the Crimson Tideās kick returner and had a 27-yard return Saturday.
āI try to mix it up,ā Jacobs said. āI try to run people over sometimes and juke them, so every time they see me they donāt know. Keep them on your toes. But today, we just wanted to be more physical and set the tone, and thatās all I tried to do.ā
Alabama has an elite defense
Itās time to start talking about Alabamaās defense. Crimson Tide defenders listened this past week as the conversation centered around Alabamaās No. 1 scoring offense against Mississippi Stateās No. 2 scoring defense. Saturday, they did something to change the narrative.
āIt motivated us a lot to go out there and handle our business and do what weāre supposed to do,ā linebacker Dylan Moses said. āCoach called us out in the media throughout this past week, and we played with a chip on our shoulder. I feel like it was an obligation to get that done.
Saturdayās shutout came after a 29-0 victory over LSU the week before. It marked the first time Alabama recorded back-to-back shutouts since the 2012 season when the Crimson Tide recorded consecutive 49-0 wins over Western Carolina and Auburn. Alabamaās defense hasnāt allowed a score in 152 minutes and 18 seconds of play, dating back to a second-quarter touchdown pass against Tennessee on Oct. 20.
āIt means a lot. It means we can do it,ā defensive tackle Quinnen Williams said of Saturdayās shutout. āIt means that we have to be consistent and canāt be complacent in what we do. We know we can play great defense, we just have to keep it going.ā
Alabama didnāt have the same push without Brown
It was the type of vintage performance that used to define Alabama. After electing to receive the opening kickoff, the Crimson Tide kept the ball on the ground, running it down Mississippi Stateās throat for a nine-play, 73-yard drive capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run from Damien Harris.
After stopping Mississippi State on a three-and-out, Alabama drove 83 yards on 13 plays, this time ending with a 1-yard run from Jacobs. During those first two drives, Alabama piled up 89 yards on 16 attempts, an average of 5.56 yards per carry.
āAt that point, we dominated them I feel like,ā offensive lineman Jedrick Wills Jr. said. āWe were doing what we wanted to do ā running the ball, throwing the ball, moving down the field.ā
Then things changed.
Starting left guard Deonte Brown left the game with a turf toe injury following Alabamaās second possession and was replaced by Lester Cotton. With its 6-foot-4, 344-pound piledriver on the sideline, the Crimson Tideās running game stalled. Following the injury, Alabama gained just 53 yards on 29 carries to finish with 142 yards, its second-lowest total this season.
āDeonte has played really, really well for us these couple games he has started,ā Saban said. ā⦠I canāt comment on how Lester played until I watch the film, but we have confidence that he can play and play well. Heās been a starter here for a long time, so we donāt feel like it should have had an impact.ā
Following the game, Saban said Brownās injury āmay be a little bit more of an issue for him, especially for next week.ā Fortunately for Alabama, it gets a much easier test next week in FCS opponent The Citadel comes to Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Alabama can get by without a stellar performance from Tagovailoa
It was a day to forget for Tagovailoa, and not just because of the several hits he took from Mississippi State defenders. Before leaving the game with an injury late in the third quarter, the Heisman contender completed 14 of 21 passes for just 164 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Tagovailoaās interception, his second in as many weeks, was one of two turnovers on the day as he also fumbled a handoff exchange to Harris in the second quarter. The two mishaps marked the first multi-turnover game of Tagovailoaās career and most likely reopened the Heisman race which he had previously been running away with.
Even during one of his worst performances of the season, the sophomore quarterback did enough to get the job done. Tagovailoaās 138.5 quarterback rating Saturday was still more than 30 points higher than Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgeraldās rating. Tagovailoa also made a few big throws when it mattered, including a 25-yard pass to tight end Irv Smith Jr. on the opening drive to set up a 1-yard touchdown from Jacobs one play later.
Special teams was actually special
Just when Alabama fans were beginning to lose hope on special teams, the Crimson Tide reeled them back in.
The crowd in Bryant-Denny Stadium sarcastically erupted following Joseph Bulovasā successful extra-point try after the opening touchdown. The applause was much more sincere later in the game when the redshirt freshman kicker knocked a career-high 49-yard field goal through the uprights. After missing two extra points last week against LSU, Bulovas put together a perfect performance against Mississippi State, providing a reason for optimism moving forward.
Things also improved in the punting game where walk-on Mike Bernier pinned the Bulldogs at the 1-yard line in the second quarter. Alabama was also able to fall on a muffed punt later in the quarter to set up its third touchdown. Bernier averaged 36.6 yards on five punts with a long of 43 yards on the afternoon.
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