Alabama Football: 3 takeaways from bounce-back win over Mississippi State

3. Bama’s defense responds

Coming into this year, nobody thought Alabama’s defense was gonna hold back the team. They brought back eight starters on a unit that allowed an average of 19.4 points per game.

In its first three SEC games, a different story was told about this unit. Alabama gave up 91 points with the final three points resulting in a loss to A&M. The Tice have been punched in the mouth recently, but did a fantastic job taking care of business tonight.

Bama had seven sacks, three interceptions tonight and did not allow a touchdown. The second interception was a pick 6 by Jordan Battle.

Will Anderson Jr. stepped up with six tackles and four sacks on the night. After a week in which Anderson was visibly disappointed by the effort of the team, the sophomore from Hampton set the example for the rest of the defense.

The Bulldogs are a team known for being one-dimensional on offense, but tonight Alabama took away the one thing Mississippi State does best.

The high pressure from the front seven caused mistakes and inaccurate throws from Will Rogers. With no running game to lean on, this resulted in five punts and three turnovers.

After a week in which it gave up 41 points, Alabama’s defense responded with a ferocious performance.