Alabama Football: Run games will be key against the Bulldogs

Alabama football takes on a Mississippi State team good at running and stopping the run. How much will the Tide’s rushing game be a factor?

Alabama football has several challenges on Saturday as it looks for win No. 10. Mississippi State is a good team; good enough to be ranked No. 16 in the latest CFB Playoff Selection Committee, Top 25.

Even so, the greatest challenge for the Crimson Tide this week is being human. After last week’s big win, the normal human response is to let satisfaction replace hunger. We will not call it complacency. That is rarely ever the correct word to describe a Nick Saban coached, Alabama football team. Instead, define it as a slight easing up, a tad loss of focus. That is the risk for the Tide. Come out a bit flat. Make a foolish mistake or two and find itself not dominating a team it should easily beat.

Let’s set that premise aside for a moment. Do the Bulldogs present any specific matchup problems for Alabama football? If so, they will revolve around Mississippi State running the football and stopping the Crimson Tide from running effectively.

Bulldogs’ sophomore running back, Kylin Hill is questionable for Saturday’s game. He is No. 9 in the FBS at 6.62 average yards-per-carry. Quarterback, Nick Fitzgerald averages over 100 rushing yards-per-game. If Hill is not healthy, the Bulldogs will rely on senior, Aeris Williams who rushed for 98 yards against the Tide last season, at 4.4 yards-per-carry average.

The Mississippi State passing attack is average, at best. If they cannot consistently run on the Tide, the game will not be close. While the Tide stuffed the LSU run game, the Bulldogs are strong in the interior of the offensive line and could have more success. Tough and physical Bulldogs’ center, Elgton Jenkins has solid guards on either side of him, in Deion Calhoun and Darryl Williams.

The Mississippi State defensive front, led by Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat is stronger than LSU. The Bulldogs don’t have a Devin White but linebacker Errol Thompson is a run-thumper. Admittedly, MSU stats are inflated due to some weak opposition but the Bulldogs are No. 1 in the FBS, allowing a total of only nine TDs on the season.

How could the Tide run game be key against MSU? By not relying on it too much. The Crimson Tide could be best served to attack Mississippi State’s weakest link which is its secondary. Although Alabama football looked impressive running on LSU, a heavy dose of Tua’s arm is the best recipe for putting this game on ice early. So, by extension, a winning plan for the Crimson Tide is stop the run and don’t focus too much on its own rushing yards.

Would the Bulldogs counter with lots of blitzes? Probably, but the Crimson Tide offense has several weapons to negate blitz packages. Just to be safe, give Jedrick Wills a little help with Montez Sweat.  Sweat has 10 of the Bulldogs’ 23 sacks this season.

One more point on stuffing the Bulldogs’ run game is Nick Fitzgerald has never put up big numbers on the Crimson Tide. He is rushing at an almost 5.5-yard average this season. In 2016, his average against the Tide was 1.4 yards and in 2017, it was only 3.1 yards. And that 76-yard TD run he made to beat TAMU – the Aggies left such a hole in their defense, the team bus could have driven through it.