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Alabama Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Mississippi State in Week 11

By Matthew Bartlett

TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 04: Jalen Hurts #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs the offense against the LSU Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 04: Jalen Hurts #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs the offense against the LSU Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Alabama football is looking to keep its perfect season alive with a tough road game against No. 16 Mississippi State on Saturday.

Alabama 9-0 (6-0 SEC) picked up their first win over a ranked opponent in Week 10 when the beat No. 19 LSU 24-10. The Crimson Tide will look to defend their No. 2 overall ranking on the road against Mississippi State.

Mississippi State enters this year’s matchup riding high again. Even after playing a closer than expected game against UMass, Mississippi State 7-2 (3-2 SEC) sits in third place in the SEC West. With games remaining against Arkansas and Ole Miss, Dan Mullen‘s squad has a chance at a nice finish and another great season in Starkville.

Last season the Crimson Tide drew the Bulldogs after their stunning upset of then No. 4 Texas A&M. Mississippi State was knocked from the mountain top experience quickly by being blasted by Alabama 51-3 in Tuscaloosa.

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s Alabama vs. Mississippi State game:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 11
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Starkville, Miss.
Venue: Davis Wade Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

Nick Fitzgerald is the engine that drives the Mississippi State offense. When he’s playing well the Bulldogs offense is explosive and able to move the ball with relative ease both through the air and on the ground. Yet when he get’s bottled up the offense disappears. Fitzgerald has 13 touchdowns passes and seven interceptions in seven wins but just one touchdown pass and four interceptions in two losses.

Alabama must trust a patchwork group of linebackers to shut down Fitzgerald on the ground. The Crimson Tide lost linebackers Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis in their season opener. Shaun Dion Hamilton and Mack Wilson both went down in the Tide’s victory over LSU. As deep as Alabama is the depth in the middle of the field is going to be an issue.

If Mississippi State is going to have any success they need to be able to win the line of scrimmage and expose that weakness. It might not matter how well they do against the Alabama defense if Jalen Hurts and Damien Harris continue to gash teams like they have all season.

Prediction

Alabama plays two kinds of games when favored by a large margin. When they’re playing a cupcake they toss the spread out the window and coast down the stretch. That’s how teams like Chattanooga and Colorado State keep things close against the Tide.

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Then there are games when Alabama is a big favorite over a team they feel threatened by. In spite of their slow start against UMass, Mississippi State is leaps and bounds better a FCS or Group of Five squad. In those games Saban puts his foot to the gas and doesn’t let up til his team has pulverized his opponents. That’s what happens to Mississippi State on Saturday.

Final Score: Alabama 47, Mississippi State 14

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