Alabama runs past Mississippi State: Instant analysis

May 12, 2024

Alabama football won its third consecutive game and improved to 2-0 in SEC play (4-1 overall) in a 40-17 win against Mississippi State on Saturday night. This marks the final year that Alabama-Mississippi State is an annual contest, snapping a streak dating back to 1948. The Crimson Tide finished the series with 16 consecutive wins as quarterback Jalen Milroe improved to 5-1 as a starter.

The Crimson Tide dominated in almost every category including total yards, yards per play and turnover margin en route to the win. It set up a big road matchup next Saturday at Texas A&M, which is also on a three-game winning streak and is 2-0 in SEC play after a 34-22 win against Arkansas. With LSU losing to Ole Miss, the winner of next Saturday’s contest in College Station will be in the driver’s seat in the SEC West race.

The Athletic’s instant analysis

Alabama’s running attack paced the offense in the first half

It looked like Alabama found its offensive identity in the second half against Ole Miss last week: power rushing that sets up opportunities in the passing game. That trend carried over into Starkville, at least in the first half. Alabama’s offensive line imposed its will and controlled the pace.

Alabama averaged a sack-adjusted 5.5 yards per carry on Saturday night and the rushing threat was balanced with Jase McClellan (15 rushes for 63 yards), Jalen Milroe (11 rushes for 69 yards) and Roydell Williams (10 rushes for 44 yards) leading the way. A lopsided 25-5 run-pass split in the first half was a box score anomaly, but Mississippi State couldn’t contain the approach as Alabama finished the first half with 157 rushing yards.

McClellan’s strong first half was a key element in the 31-point output. He has started to separate himself in a running back group that was lauded as the best position group on the team. Alabama’s fifth possession of the game, which extended the lead to 24-10 late in the second quarter, best illustrates the trust McClellan has within the offense: he touched the ball on seven of the drive’s 12 plays, recording six rushes for 32 yards (including the two-yard touchdown run) and a 19-yard reception.

The second half was a much different story as Alabama finished with just 94 total yards, averaged less than two yards per carry and failed to find the end zone. The first half was enough that it was insurmountable for Mississippi State to overcome, but the offense is still in search of a complete wire-to-wire game.

Alabama went with its usual starting offensive line but redshirt freshman Elijah Pritchett saw occasional playing time at left tackle as he continued to get a look with true freshman starter Kadyn Proctor. Backup quarterback Ty Simpson also saw snaps in mop-up duty in the fourth quarter.

Jalen Milroe ran in two touchdowns against Mississippi State. (Matt Bush / USA Today)

Milroe’s passes were limited but effective

By the time Milroe attempted his first pass with a little under 12 minutes to play in the second quarter, Alabama already held a 14-0 lead. His 12 pass attempts are the lowest of his career as a starter, but those mixed with the strong day on the ground were more than enough on Saturday.

Each of Milroe’s five pass attempts in the second quarter (all completions) were critical: two came on third downs on the aforementioned 12-play drive to extend the lead to 24-10 and another, the 19-yard pass to McClellan, came on a second-and-7 after Alabama was set back five yards by an illegal man downfield penalty. What was most impressive about Milroe’s passing output was that there were hardly any turnover-worthy throws. Milroe looked composed in the pocket and when he was on the run, he kept his eyes downfield and delivered accurate passes.

Tight ends CJ Dippre and Amari Niblack have emerged as reliable safety blankets for Milroe. Niblack led the team with three catches for 61 yards and was on the receiving end of a pair of Milroe passes, including a 20-yard gain on third-and-11 on the opening second-half drive that resulted in a field goal. When facing a second-and-23 early in the fourth quarter, Milroe stayed in the pocket comfortably, scrambled out but kept his eyes downfield and found Dippre for a 26-yard gain, setting up another field goal to extend the lead to 37-17 with 9:04 to play.

It’s a fair criticism that 12 pass attempts won’t be enough against stiffer competition, like at Texas A&M next week, but Milroe’s ability to take advantage of what the defense gave him, zero turnovers and the possibilities in play-action and in RPOs with the run game humming like it is right now is a positive sign.

Defense came up big in some moments, short in others

One of the biggest pieces of news prior to kickoff was that starting middle linebacker Deontae Lawson, the team’s second-leading tackler, would miss the game due to an ankle injury. Insert sophomore Jihaad Campbell who more than made the most of his opportunity. Campbell led Alabama with 14 tackles and intercepted Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers to set up the final touchdown before halftime. Campbell was vying for a starting linebacker job during fall camp but missed several weeks due to a knee scope. Now healthy, Campbell, Lawson and senior Trezmen Marshall (nine tackles, 1.5 sacks) are a formidable trio in the middle of the defense.

Alabama’s defense accounted for 14 points on Saturday: the aforementioned Campbell interception and a 28-yard pick-six by Chris Braswell. The defense largely kept Rogers in check, who despite throwing for more than twice as many passes as Milroe (27) only accounted for 107 passing yards compared to Milroe’s 164.

However, there were cracks on Saturday in two areas: rush defense and third downs. Mississippi State ran for a sack-adjusted 5.7 yards per carry, its ability to stay ahead of the chains allowed for three drives (totaling all 17 points) of at least nine plays or more. Additionally, it was able to convert third downs, particularly in the second quarter. Alabama held Ole Miss to 1-4 on third downs in the first quarter but converted 3-4 in the second quarter. Alabama called its dime defense (six defensive backs) several times in the first half and each time Mississippi State ran for positive yardage, including a 10-yard rush on third-and-8 that set up its first touchdown of the game.

But the Tide’s defense settled down after allowing an initial second-half touchdown. Mississippi State’s last three possessions went as follows: punt, turnover on downs and interception by true freshman Caleb Downs, the first of his Alabama career.

There were a few close calls that could’ve swayed the game early

Alabama won the turnover battle 2-0 but it could’ve just as easily been 2-2, there were two fumbles in the first quarter that the Tide recovered that could’ve been costly. The first was by Kool-Aid McKinstry early in the first quarter when he didn’t call a fair catch and was immediately hit by a pair of Bulldog defenders and lost the ball, Alabama recovered but had another close call immediately after.

Snapping issues have been one of Alabama’s biggest detriments through five weeks, and that problem persisted on Saturday night. On the second drive of the game, following McKinstry’s muff, and facing a third-and-4, center Seth McLaughlin sent back a snap prematurely that hit Milroe as he tried to communicate with a receiver. Alabama recovered the ball and punted on fourth down, but it was near midfield and could’ve given Mississippi State a possession in plus territory. On the following drive, another bad snap went to Milroe’s feet, when he looked up it appeared to be a broken play but he ran and cut through the defense for a 53-yard touchdown and the fourth score of the game.

(Photo: Matt Bush / USA Today)

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