Alabama football’s report card vs. Mississippi State
Offensive Line: A
It’s the same story for this offensive line. They are great when the ball is snapped. They give Najee Harris running lanes, and Mac Jones had a clean pocket for most of the game. However, they had a few presnap penalties, and those have been killers for the unit as a whole.
The only play that jumps off of the page was the fourth-down attempt in the first half. Najee did not have a major crease, and that was a great chance for the offensive line to flex on the Mississippi State defense.
However, they are still one of the best offensive lines in college football. They will easily compete for the Joe Moore Award, and they just might win it. if they keep playing as they did in this game, they will at least be a finalist.
Defensive Line: A-
Alabama football had a unique front against Mississippi State. They rushed three and dropped eight into coverage for most of the game, and this was very effective. The key to this is that Alabama’s defensive line gets pressure with limited rushers, and they did so. Christian Barmore and Phidarian Mathis played well in this one, and each got pressure on the quarterback. Alabama won’t be able to consistently drop eight into coverage, but it was good to see it work against the Bulldogs.