Bama Hammer looks ahead with Crimson Keys to this weekend’s matchup: Alabama vs. Mississippi State.
On Saturday, the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (8-1) travel to “Starksvegas” to meet SEC West rival #20 Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-2). Alabama is coming off of a huge, dominating win over LSU while MSU is coming off of a rollercoaster of emotions type of week last week. The Bulldogs beat Missouri on the road last Thursday and then just a day later were mourning the passing of a teammate in freshman Keith Joseph Jr. who died in a car crash.
MSU will be emotional as they play for their teammate while they also need a win to stay in contention for a potential SEC West crown while Alabama needs to continue to win to keep their SEC West and Playoff hopes alive. Alabama holds the lead in the SEC West but needs to win out to ensure a second straight SEC West crown.
Rattle Dak
Just a week after having to face one of the best running backs in the country, the Alabama defense will now be going against one of the best quarterbacks in the country in MSU QB Dak Prescott. Prescott has thrown for more than 2,300 yards and 18 TDs while throwing just one interception. He also leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 418 yards and 7 TDs. While Prescott has thrown just the one interception, he did fumble twice against Missouri last week and the Tide defense picked off three Prescott passes last year. Alabama will need to put pressure on Prescott and beat him up a bit to try and knock him off of his game, but at the same time Prescott is dangerous with his legs and the Alabama defense must keep that in mind.
Nov 5, 2015; Columbia, MO, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott (15) throws a pass against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Faurot Field. Mississippi State defeated Missouri 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs hurt the Tide defense at times with his legs which Prescott will look to recreate. Geno Smith and Eddie Jackson proved that they could step up and be physical at times last week against Fournette, but they will need to continue that this week against a big, physical quarterback. We will likely see pass rushers like Tim Williams and Rashaan Evans a lot more this week as Alabama looks to put heat on Prescott. Reggie Ragland will likely draw the job of spying on Dak in the passing game to make sure that he doesn’t take off running.
Shutdown Wilson
MSU receiver De’Runnya Wilson is Prescott’s favorite target and leads the Bulldogs with 626 yards and 8 TDs through the air while averaging nearly 17 yards per catch. Senior Cyrus Jones will likely be sticking with Wilson for the majority of the game to try and hold the 6-foot-5, 215 lb. monster receiver in check. Brown vs. Jones is a size mismatch with Jones, but Jones is by far the best cover corner on the team and will also play physical no matter the size of the receiver.
We will likely see a lot of combo coverages on Wilson in the game as well, and though the Tide definitely must concentrate on Wilson, they can’t forget about receiver Fred Ross who has caught 51 passes for 548 yards and 2 TDs this season. I don’t feel like Mississippi State can run on Alabama and when the Tide defense manages to make a team one dimensional it usually is a good sign for the Alabama defense.
Henry Continue To Pound
Alabama will also look to limit Prescott’s touches by keeping him off the field with long, punishing drives led by Derrick Henry. Last week’s final Alabama drive lasted more than 9-minutes and featured more than ten punishing runs from the beastly running back. Alabama doesn’t want to wear Henry out but at the same time, they want to continue riding him as he has become one of the most dominating players in all of the SEC. Kenyan Drake’s reemergence last week also bodes well for Henry as he can take a few of the carries off of Henry’s load as well as put pressure on the Bulldog defense by bringing a different dimension to the game than Henry with his speed and shiftiness.
No Letdown
One of the bigger aspects of this game for Alabama will be the emotions of the game. Alabama is coming off of a huge win over the second-ranked team in the country and Mississippi State is coming off the loss of a teammate so emotions are likely still riding high for both teams. Alabama has to manage their focus as well as not allow the Bulldogs likely hyped up emotions overrun the Tide. Alabama has to stay focused and worry about what they are doing and not how energized Mississippi State likely will be.
Next: TIDE REPORT: Saban’s Final Press Conference Before Mississippi State
Alabama faces off with Mississippi State at 2:30 PM on CBS.