It was not the greatest comeback in Alabama football history. Yet, the fourth quarter numbers versus the first three quarters are remarkable. We ask how and why?
Saturday night, after three quarters in one of the loudest environments 61,000 can muster, Alabama football was on the brink of crashed championship dreams. Despite strong performances from Rashaan Evans and Anfernee Jennings, the injury-depleted linebacker group had repeatedly surrendered ground to the Bulldogs rushing attack.
On both sides of the ball, Mississippi State had won more line of scrimmage battles than the Tide. Alabama football only trailed by four, 21-17 but the stats through three quarters told another story. The Bulldogs had run 59 plays with a deliberate, time-consuming strategy. The Tide, just 32. Total yards gained was close, favoring the Bulldogs 296 yards to 252. The disparity would have been larger except for a 48-yard run by Damien Harris and 124 yards on two pass receptions by Calvin Ridley.
Another way to measure a football game is the comparison of big plays. Big plays defined as 10 yards or more gained or plays producing points. By that measure, through three quarters Mississippi State had made 12 big plays and the Tide nine.
The biggest imbalance heading to the fourth quarter was time-of-possession (TOP). Dan Mullen’s time-eating design and Todd Grantham’s gambling defense had worked. Alabama football had only maintained the ball for 11:29, compared to 33:31 for the Bulldogs. Mullen’s plan appeared to have negated the Tide’s traditional 4th quarter advantage of fresh legs from player depth.
The fourth quarter began with the Bulldogs at the Tide’s nine-yard line, with a second-and-eight. The situation looked daunting for the Tide. Bulldogs QB Nick Fitzgerald ran but Anfernee Jennings corraled him for only a yard gain. Under pressure, Fitzgerald threw incomplete on third down. The Tide escaped with only a Bulldogs field goal, taking the score to 24-17.
What happened in the next 14:13 of football was a complete reversal of the game’s first 45:37. Alabama football gained 120 yards on the ground and 72 yards in the air while holding Mississippi State to just 33 yards. The Tide ran 25 plays to State’s 14 and built three drives, that netted two touchdowns with a missed field goal in between.
In the first fourth-quarter drive, Josh Jacobs and Jalen Hurts alternated four rushes for 7, 8,13 and 14 yards. State called a timeout to regroup. It wasn’t all easy for the Tide. After the timeout, Hurts was sacked for a loss of five. Then Jacobs rushed for 11 yards. After an incompletion, the Tide had 4th-and-four. State took another timeout. Then Jalen rushed for 13 yards and followed by a rush for seven more. Damien Harris busted a 14-yard run for the TD. The game was tied 24-24.
State managed a first down on its next possession before the Tide defense stiffened. After the punt, three Bo Scarbrough runs of six,10 and 13 yards, followed by a Harris run for 18 took the Tide to the Bulldogs 33-yardline. This time the Bulldogs stiffened. Pappanastos clanged the left upright from 41 yards for zero points.
The Bulldogs gained one yard on three plays and punted. Alabama football took over on its own 32-yardline, with 1:03 left in the game. After a pressured one-yard scramble by Hurts, Jalen threw to Ridley for 15 yards. The next two plays were an incompletion and a five-yard sack. The Tide had 38 seconds and needed to go 57 yards to win. Hurts got the winning score with a 31-yard pass to Ridley followed by a 26-yard touchdown toss to Devonta Smith.
After being outplayed for a little more than three quarters, Alabama football found its championship pedigree. More than a few white-clad players refused to lose. In a hostile environment, not playing its best game, Alabama survived.
There are tougher games ahead. There may even be teams with equal, or due to all the injuries, better talent. We will see, but Saturday night in Starkville revealed a team toughness equal to a championship run.
Next: Tide Offense biggest weakness is not Jalen
Alabama football fans, check in with us often. We will discuss Mercer and Auburn during the week before fully focusing on the Iron Bowl next week.