Michael Southern
Special to TideSports.com
After basking in the warm glow of the spotlight for almost six weeks and enjoying the thrill of being the No. 1-ranked team in the country, the Mississippi State Bulldogs received a reality jolt Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
With a national television audience watching and media members anxious to see if dual-threat quarterback Dak Prescott could cement his Heisman Trophy candidacy, the Bulldogs watched their fairy-tale season take a wicked turn with a 25-20 loss to the fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
In the postgame press conference, Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said he wanted his team to remember the pain the loss inflicted.
"We should feel awful right now," Mullen said. "Everybody should feel awful. We should embrace that sickness that's in our stomach right now. It's a feeling I can't explain it to you unless you've been out there on the field and playing in these types of games and been a part of it. We want to make sure that doesn't happen again.
"Those were two of the best teams in the country out there battling. There's absolutely no doubt about that."
Prescott, who propelled into the Heisman Trophy race with superhuman performances against Texas A&M and Auburn, became mortal against a crafty Alabama defense. Prescott still finished with 290 yards passing and two touchdowns, but his three interceptions prevented the Bulldogs from completing a second-half comeback.
The most painful turnover occurred in the third quarter when Prescott threw an end-zone interception to Cyrus Jones. The Bulldogs were at the Alabama 15-yard line and trailing 19-6 when he made the mental miscue.
"We lost the red-zone scoring and that was something we focused on going into the game," Prescott said. "I can't turn the ball over the way I did. That was just a stupid turnover. Great play on their part, but I put that on me.
"That was just a mistake. I can't make an excuse or a reason for that. It was a stupid throw and I can't do that."
Prescott spread the ball around, and former Northridge High standout Malcolm Johnson finished with four receptions for 74 yards, which included a 30-yard catch in the third quarter that garnered the respect of Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
"(Johnson) is probably as good a tight end as we've played against all year," Saban said.
Despite the heart-breaking loss, Prescott felt Mississippi State should remain in contention for one of the four coveted spots in the College Football Playoff.
"I think there's a good chance we could see (Alabama) again," Prescott said. "I still think we're one of the best four teams in the country. We just played one of the other best four teams in the country." https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1704918
Special to TideSports.com
After basking in the warm glow of the spotlight for almost six weeks and enjoying the thrill of being the No. 1-ranked team in the country, the Mississippi State Bulldogs received a reality jolt Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
With a national television audience watching and media members anxious to see if dual-threat quarterback Dak Prescott could cement his Heisman Trophy candidacy, the Bulldogs watched their fairy-tale season take a wicked turn with a 25-20 loss to the fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
In the postgame press conference, Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said he wanted his team to remember the pain the loss inflicted.
"We should feel awful right now," Mullen said. "Everybody should feel awful. We should embrace that sickness that's in our stomach right now. It's a feeling I can't explain it to you unless you've been out there on the field and playing in these types of games and been a part of it. We want to make sure that doesn't happen again.
"Those were two of the best teams in the country out there battling. There's absolutely no doubt about that."
Prescott, who propelled into the Heisman Trophy race with superhuman performances against Texas A&M and Auburn, became mortal against a crafty Alabama defense. Prescott still finished with 290 yards passing and two touchdowns, but his three interceptions prevented the Bulldogs from completing a second-half comeback.
The most painful turnover occurred in the third quarter when Prescott threw an end-zone interception to Cyrus Jones. The Bulldogs were at the Alabama 15-yard line and trailing 19-6 when he made the mental miscue.
"We lost the red-zone scoring and that was something we focused on going into the game," Prescott said. "I can't turn the ball over the way I did. That was just a stupid turnover. Great play on their part, but I put that on me.
"That was just a mistake. I can't make an excuse or a reason for that. It was a stupid throw and I can't do that."
Prescott spread the ball around, and former Northridge High standout Malcolm Johnson finished with four receptions for 74 yards, which included a 30-yard catch in the third quarter that garnered the respect of Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
"(Johnson) is probably as good a tight end as we've played against all year," Saban said.
Despite the heart-breaking loss, Prescott felt Mississippi State should remain in contention for one of the four coveted spots in the College Football Playoff.
"I think there's a good chance we could see (Alabama) again," Prescott said. "I still think we're one of the best four teams in the country. We just played one of the other best four teams in the country." https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1704918
