The hype surrounding this weekend's matchup between Alabama and Mississippi State in Starkville starts and stops with the QB matchup between elite young quarterbacks Keelon Russell and Kamario Taylor. Two leading Heisman Trophy candidates going head-to-head in what could be one of the most fun offensive matchups of the entire 2026 season.
But Mother Nature may be refusing to cooperate.
With the current weather forecast calling for heavy rainfall, it could limit both Russell and Taylor's ability to push the ball down the field and force Kalen DeBoer and Jeff Lebby to alter their game plans entirely.
Instead, the spotlight might be on the ground game. If this were last season, that would be bad news for Alabama. But with a seriously improved offensive line thanks to first-year OL coach Adrian Klemm and personnel that better fit DeBoer and Ryan Grubb's system, along with an influx of young talent in the RB room, it might not be the worst thing for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama ranks 31st in the country in rushing yards per game at 188.3 yards through four weeks. That's over 80 yards better than last year, and up 100 spots from where they finished nationally in 2025.
Daniel Hill has taken strides from last season and is the Tide's leading rusher currently, but freshmen EJ Crowell and Trae'shawn Brown have added a different dynamic to the room that Alabama just didn't have a season ago.
Crowell continues to ramp up and leads Alabama at 6.7 yards per carry. He's the most dynamic and explosive in the Tide's backfield, but is still learning the game and getting comfortable being out there when he doesn't have the ball in his hands.
Brown would be Alabama's leading rusher right now if it weren't for two long touchdown runs getting called back by questionable holding calls - one against East Carolina and another last week against South Carolina. The one called back against the Gamecocks was the shiftiest an Alabama RB has looked in the open field since Jahmyr Gibbs was in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama will have to run the ball effectively against Mississippi State on Saturday
Grubb has shown more of a commitment to running the football this year, but he still has the tendency to want to hit a big play in the passing game. It's hard to blame him with a QB like Russell who has special arm talent.
But patience may be a virtue in Starkville on Saturday. With so much potential rain, whichever team deals with it the best by avoiding turnovers and controlling the ball and the line of scrimmage will probably be the one that comes out on top.
That might mean fewer fireworks than many are expecting with elite QB play on both sides, but that's just football. You adapt, and you adjust.
Instead of Russell being at the forefront for Alabama this week with all eyes on this matchup, it could be the coming-out party nationally for Hill, Crowell, Brown, and the much-improved Alabama run game. That might do more to change the narrative about this team than anything Russell could do against Mississippi State.
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