You know the routine. The pundits and rival fans spend all week hyping up Alabama's opponent. In this case, it was undefeated and 16th-ranked Mississippi State. They say Alabama is on upset alert.
Then the game starts, Alabama rolls to a 33-point win, and the narrative flips. Mississippi State was never that good anyway. The QB was clearly banged up. Alabama still hasn't proven anything. You can set your watch to it.
But the truth of the matter is, regardless of the overall quality of this Mississippi State team, Alabama dominated the game from start to finish. It was clearly the superior team. It is clearly a legitimate title contender.
Let's discuss the winners and losers in the aftermath of Alabama's 56-23 win in Starkville.
Winner: Ryan Grubb
Credit where credit is due: Alabama's offense is rolling so far this season, and OC Ryan Grubb deserves a lot of the credit. Crimson Tide fans have frequently been frustrated with Grubb during his two seasons as the play-caller, but the truth is he's a heck of a football coach. The issue last season was more personnel-based. He's got the dudes to run his system now, and you're seeing the clear results.
Alabama has scored 45+ points in all five games so far this season. They are the first team to do that since Oklahoma in 2019.
Grubb took some heat early in the season for putting too much on Keelon Russell's plate and not making things easier for him. But that decision has led to Russell growing up quickly. He has the sophomore QB already playing like the best player in the country.
A tip of the cap to Grubb is well deserved.
Winner: Keelon Russell
You start to run out of superlatives for Russell at this point. There was some concern heading into this game about how he would handle a difficult road environment after struggling in the first half against Kentucky in his first start away from Bryant-Denny Stadium. Those concerns quickly proved to be unfounded.
Aided by a quality run game, Russell completed 16-of-22 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. He added a rushing touchdown to boot, went over 300 yards of total offense again, and more importantly, avoided any crucial turnovers.
After five weeks, Russell is now at a 91.0 QBR, which ranks 3rd in the country. He's tied for the second-best Heisman Trophy odds right now with Miami's Darian Mensah, behind only Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith.
Next week against an elite Georgia defense will give Russell another opportunity to show the world who he is.
Winner: Trae'shawn Brown
With Daniel Hill putting the ball on the turf twice and the staff still slow-playing EJ Crowell, Alabama put a lot on freshman Trae'shawn Brown in Starkville. He delivered.
Once just a 3-star recruit who was on his way to Boise State before a late offer from Alabama, Brown has been a revelation for the Crimson Tide this season. He led Alabama with 14 carries for 66 yards and punched in two touchdowns against Mississippi State.
He's up to 42 carries for 211 yards and leads Alabama with five rushing touchdowns on the year.
Winner: Rico Scott
It's always fun to see guys who work their tails off get rewarded with production. Rico Scott has kept his head down and worked to have this opportunity this year. He's busted his butt as a blocker to open up opportunities for others, and against the Bulldogs, Scott had his opportunity in the sun.
He caught four passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns in the Crimson Tide's 33-point win on Saturday afternoon. That included a heck of a catch from Russell on a back-shoulder fade on third-and-long:
WHAT A CATCH BY RICO SCOTT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dKNO1u3NZv
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 3, 2026
Winner: Xavier Griffin
One of the top recruits from Alabama's excellent 2026 recruiting class, it was always a matter of when, not if, 5-star LB Xavier Griffin would make an impact this season. Kane Wommack and the Tide's defensive staff have thrown a lot at him right away, utilizing him immediately as a freshman in a Jihaad Campbell-type role.
With injuries to Justin Hill and Desmond Umeozulu, Griffin has seen an increased workload the last couple of weeks. Against Mississippi State, he had his breakout moment.
Griffin led Alabama with nine tackles and recorded his first career sack to key a defensive effort that consistently frustrated Kamario Taylor and the prolific Bulldogs' attack.
Expect Griffin's role to continue to ramp up, even when Hill and Umeozulu get back on the field. He's too talented to be left on the bench.
Loser: Daniel Hill
It wasn't the homecoming that Mississippi native Daniel Hill hoped for. He took the first carry of the game for an eight-yard, tone-setting run out of the I-formation, but promptly fumbled the football when contacted. Fortunately, it was recovered by Michael Carroll. He wasn't so lucky the next time.
Hill put the ball on the ground again in the second quarter, just two plays after Alabama recovered a Mississippi State fumble. This time, it was recovered by the Bulldogs, who scored a touchdown on the very next play to cut the Alabama lead to seven.
Hill ended up with only five carries for 22 yards, ceding the way for Brown to be the lead back. With how talented Brown and Crowell are, Hill can't afford to be loose with the football. That's a recipe for him to continue to lose his share of the carries.
DeBoer made sure to note that they have a lot of trust in Hill in the postgame and that wouldn't change, but turning the ball over is the quickest way to lose opportunities.
Loser: Yhonzae Pierre
I want to quickly note that I thought Yhonzae Pierre played a good game yesterday. He draws a lot of attention and consistently gets held, opening up opportunities for others to go and make plays. But I know he has to be frustrated by his lack of statistical production so far this season when he had high goals for himself.
Pierre did not record one of Alabama's five sacks yesterday afternoon. For the season, he has just 1.5 through five games.
Again, that's not indicative of the way he's playing. He's playing at a high level, and the production is going to come for the Eufaula native.
Next week against Georgia would be a great time for that production to come.
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