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Alabama Football: 3 Bold Predictions for brawl with Mississippi State

By John Mitchell

BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 03: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs for a third quarter touchdown while playing the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alabama won the game 29-0. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 03: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs for a third quarter touchdown while playing the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alabama won the game 29-0. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Alabama Football is chasing history following a bludgeoning of LSU in Baton Rouge. They’ll look to take their next step toward perfection against Mississippi State.

Mississippi State has often been a thorn in the side of Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide over the years. Always played the week after a physical and supremely hyped game against LSU, the Bulldogs’ brand of physical football is tough on aching bodies.

Only two games in the series have been decided by less than two touchdowns since 2008, but Alabama fans will tell you the yearly battle with Mississippi State is more akin to a root canal than a football game. It is typically a slugfest, with the Crimson Tide breaking through in the second half to gain some comfort, but rarely does Alabama dispatch of the Bulldogs in a fashion like they have all of their opponents this season.

Last season’s game in Starkville was the most ardent example of a dental visit for the Tide. Reeling from numerous defensive injuries, Alabama got all they wanted from Mississippi State last season; Nick Fitzgerald plunging into the line-of-scrimmage repeatedly wore down a thin Alabama defense.

The Bulldogs knocked Alabama down over-and-over again, but could never quite deliver the knockout blow, and Jalen Hurts led the Crimson Tide to a fourth quarter rally, capped off by an eventual game-winning touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith with 25-seconds remaining.

This iteration feels eerily similar as Alabama comes in nursing some nagging injuries, albeit on the other side of the ball this time around. Both quarterbacks, Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, are far from 100%. Based on how Hurts was moving around pregame before the LSU game, it seems unlikely that he will be able to go this weekend.

RB Najee Harris and WR Henry Ruggs III suffered injuries last week, and may or may not play on Saturday. Harris is almost certainly out with a sprained ankle; Ruggs’ prognosis is more positive, but it’s far from a certainty that he will be able to go.

A fast and physical Mississippi State defense could make life tough for Alabama, particularly with the injuries of some key skill position guys.

Following a 19-3 loss to LSU, Mississippi State has gotten things back on track with comfortable wins over Texas A&M and Louisiana Tech. Will they be able to ride that momentum and pull a shocker in Tuscaloosa as a 25-point underdog?

Or will Alabama continue flirting with history, further distancing themselves from everyone else in college football?

Let’s take a look at three bold predictions for this matchup:

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