Playing the number one team in America is a big deal, which only gets bigger, the later in the season the game is played. So, when Alabama played its oldest and geographically nearest rival, as the tenth game of the 2014 season, and that rival had been occupying the top spot in the college football rankings for several weeks, it was one of the biggest of big deals.
The atmosphere in Bryant-Denny Stadium matched the significance of the game. The stadium was packed, the crowd was loud, and from what I could tell, nobody left early unless it was on a stretcher. Whether television was able to convey the scene adequately, I don't know, but the Alabama home crowd was a factor in the game. Enough so, that Coach Saban not only waived his appreciation to the fans as he trotted off the field at game's end, he mentioned the vocal support in both his post-game presser and radio network interview.
Mississippi State deserved its ranking. The Bulldogs are big, they play hard, are well coached, and have a leader in QB Dak Prescott who is a fierce competitor. But the 2014 Crimson Tide is also big and hard-playing. Alabama is well coached, and the Tide roster is loaded with talented, relentless competitors. Bama proved it has a few more of those star-quality players than State. Against the number one team in the county, Alabama showed that those annual recruiting-class rankings may not be the product of exact science, but they basically get it right.
You could not have arranged for this game to have been played in better weather. The temperature was brisk, the sky was deep blue, and the brilliant afternoon sunshine lent a vibrance to the crimson uniforms worn by the players and the band.
You could also not have arranged for a more thrilling arc to the story of the game. The Tide defense scored first, when Trey DePriest dropped State's featured running back, Josh Robinson, in the end zone for a safety. The offense added a 36-yard, Adam Griffith, field goal to make the score 5-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw the Tide control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The offense scored two touchdowns [Amari Cooper, Derrick Henry] while the defense frustrated State's very potent attack, holding the Bulldogs to a lone field goal with :03 to play in the half.
The third quarter, however, was like the middle rounds of a heavyweight boxing match, as State punched its way back into the game. Alabama could not move the ball on offense, and could not get off the field on defense. Forty five seconds into the final stanza, State scored a touchdown to cut the Tide's lead to a mere 6 points. The Dogs' touchdown came on a five-play 38 yard drive, set up by a 23 yard punt return; the only flaw in an otherwise stellar effort by the Tide punt team.
State had succeeded in erasing a 19 point Alabama lead, and, with almost the entire fourth quarter to play, was positioned to go ahead with a touchdown and PAT. All MSU had to do was exactly what it had been doing for all of the third quarter; hold the Tide offense in check and grind out another touchdown against Alabama's weary defense.
Nick Saban described what came next as "One of the big drives in Alabama history." Alabama has a lot of history, and that history includes a lot of big drives. Considering the circumstances of this game, it is hard to argue that the 15 play, 76 yard touchdown drive directed by Blake Sims does not belong on the short list of Big Drives.
Ten of those 15 plays were running plays. Five of those, including the last four in a row, which gained 30 yards and the TD, were by TJ Yeldon, whose availability to play was a game time decision. But it was Blake Sims who led the drive, and converted three possession downs. I am not the first commentator to make the observation, but it is a fact: At the beginning of the season, Blake had not even won the starting QB job. Today, he is the indispensable man in the Alabama Offense.
State was better than Alabama in several statistical categories: first downs [26-17], total offense [428-335], rushing yards [138-124], pass completions [27-18] penalties [4-7], time of possession [31:55 - 28:05]. Two categories, however, leap from the page of the stat sheet: turnovers [MSU 3 (int) Bama 0] and punting average [Tide: 45.6 Dogs 34.4]. Alabama enjoyed a field position advantage for most of the game, forcing State to drive in order to score. This created opportunities to pressure Dak Prescott contributing to three drive-stopping interceptions.
Of course, the score is the most meaningful statistic. Alabama 25 Mississippi State 20 is a big statistic and here is how I grade this big game:
Offense: B+ Blake completed 19 of 31 pass attempts for 211 yards. Amari Cooper led all receivers with 8 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. His longest reception gained 50 yards and looked like a touchdown from where I was sitting in the South Zone. DeAndrew White added 40 yards on 4 receptions. Ardarius Stewart and Yeldon both caught 2 passes and 7 different receivers caught passes in the game.
Yeldon was the Tide's leading rusher with 72 yards on 16 carries. Derrick Henry gained 36 yards on 11 attempts while Blake carried 4 times for 18 yards.
The Tide offense mounted five sustained drives [40,43, 61, 51, 76] producing a punt, one FG and three TDs.
Defense: A- The defense had a hard time getting off the field on third-downs, and let the opportunity to win the game with a stop on 4th and 7 slip through its hands. MSU was only able to convert 5 of 15 third-downs, but converted three times on 4th down. Nevertheless, holding State to 20 points was huge. In addition to the three interceptions, the Stop Troops forced State to settle for field goals when they needed touchdowns, denied the Pups any play longer than 30 yards and held the State offense in check most of the night.
Nick Perry was the leading tackler with 12 [9 solo], Reggie Ragland was credited with 10 [7 solo] and Trey DePriest recorded 9 [4 solo]. Jarren Reed was credited with 8 tackles, and four players each made 7 tackles [Landon Collins, Eddie Jackson, A'Shawn Robinson and Dalvin Tomlinson].
Alabama made 5 tackles for lost yardage including a sack [Tomlinson], made 3 interceptions [Cy. Jones, Collins, NIck Perry], broke up 6 passes and hurried Prescott 6 times.
Special Teams:
Punting: A+ JK Scott was a difference-maker. He averaged 45.6 yards per punt, had a long of 56 yards and dropped 5 of his 7 punts inside the MSU 20.
Placekicking: C Griff was good from 36 in the first quarter, missed from 37 in the 3rd quarter and made the two PATs he attempted.
Kickoffs: A Griff averaged 63.2 yards on 5 kick offs. The coverage team played extremely well and Christion Jones gained 92 yards returning 4 MSU kicks.
Coaching: A Alabama had 436 all-purpose yards, and was penalized 7 times for 61 yards. The participation report lists 51 players who saw action against the Bulldogs. Blake Sims' development as a player is a tribute to excellent coaching.
When it comes to excellent coaching, however, here is one statistic that is really big: With a record of 5-2, Nick Saban holds the record for wins against opponents ranked number 1 at the time of the game. Before coaching the Tide to a win over number one-ranked Mississippi State, Saban was tied with the likes of Lou Holtz and Tom Osbourne. He now stands alone in the college coaching fraternity with the most wins over the best teams in the land. Four of Saban's five wins over number 1 ranked teams have come since he has been the head coach at Alabama.
Back in June, The Commissioner's Long Suffering Wife and I were trying to figure out what games we would be able to attend this fall. It turned out there was only one: Mississippi State. We were happy just to be going to Tuscaloosa for a game against an SEC opponent. The "big games" against Florida, A&M and Auburn just didn't work for our crowded calendar. Who knew that Mississippi State would come to town holding and deserving the number 1 ranking? Who could have guessed that Alabama vs. Mississippi State - 2014 would forever be a Big Game?
A reporter asked Blake Sims what he says to his teammates as they take the field needing game-winning drives. "I pretty much say, 'Let's be champions.' "
If the 2014 Crimson Tide are going to be champions, it will be Blake Sims that leads them. And in college football, that is as big a deal as deals can get.
Roll Tide, Y'all
The Commissioner
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