When Alabama has faltered recently in SEC play, and that has been rare over the last five to six years, it has been predominantly to quarterbacks who have the ability to get outside the pocket and run.
Enter Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott, who is the unquestioned leader of the Bulldogs and fits that profile like a glove.
However, the issue on Saturday was that Prescott got little to no help and the Alabama defensive front dominated the entire night. This was the second straight week that the defensive front has shut down a star on the other side. Last week, Leonard Fournette was kept even more so in check. Prescott, who has 418 yards on the ground and 2,351 through the air on the season, was held to just 16 yards on 26 carries. This was also the first game of his career in which Prescott did not throw or run for a touchdown.
No wonder the Tide rolled to another victory in the SEC West, bringing them a step closer to a division title and a date with Florida in Atlanta.
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Prescott didn’t score a touchdown, which reflects the kind of day he endured. Prescott was ready for an ice bath as soon as the final gun went off. Through three quarters, Alabama sacked Prescott nine times. Prior to the contest, the quarterback had never been sacked more than three times in a single game for his career. Also, he had been sacked just 13 times in nine games coming in.
Even with the beating that Prescott took, he willed Mississippi State to the red zone and to a yardage advantage most of the game. However, each time the Bulldogs got close to the goal line, the Tide defense tightened up and stuffed the signal caller on cue.
The Tide defensive line got penetration all game long. Clearly, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen knew how important scoring in the red zone was when he went for a fourth and 1 early in the contest. However, in keeping with the theme all afternoon, Prescott was stuffed. Mississippi State ran twice as many plays as Alabama for nearly twice as many yards in the first half, but came away with just three points to show for it.
On the opposite end, the Mississippi State defensive line played pretty well, with the exception of two huge runs by Derrick Henry. However, Henry continued the momentum he has gained in the Heisman race in recent weeks. He had touchdown runs of 75 and 65 yards, while showing speed that is completely unfair for a man who is the size of a defensive lineman.
Henry came up big when the team needed him the most. The first touchdown stretched the lead to 21-3 and the final score put the game on ice. This marked the second straight week that Henry surpassed 200 yards, also the third time this season. Henry may have to be even more of a bellcow in future weeks as well, since second running back Kenyan Drake went down with a significant arm injury.
Henry’s big plays and long runs are not uncommon for Alabama this season, but some other big plays in the contest were a tad unique. While the punt return for the Tide’s first score was the sixth non-offensive score of the campaign, the 60-yard touchdown pass and run from Jake Coker to Calvin Ridley was something you don’t see every week. Coker has been very accurate lately, but big plays in the passing attack have come sparingly for the Tide offense. More of them will give Henry even larger lanes to run through if the trend is able to continue for Coker.
With Alabama likely to see a mobile quarterback in Florida’s Treon Harris in the SEC title game, the success against Prescott on Saturday should build some momentum. Additionally, the win on Saturday over another ranked team has once again allowed Alabama to keep control of its own fate for yet another SEC crown and playoff appearance.
