STARKVILLE, Miss.—The cowbells were raucous enough to keep it interesting, but ultimately, they were not enough to knock Alabama from the ranks of the unbeaten.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide (10-0, 7-0 SEC) outlasted Mississippi State, 20-7, in front of the fourth-largest crowd in Davis Wade Stadium history.
“It’s always good to win an SEC game, especially on the road,” coach Nick Saban said. “We typically struggle when we come over here and play.”
Special teams was the most consistent force for Alabama Saturday night, as Cade Foster and Cody Mandell both had strong performances.
Foster kicked a 33-yard field goal to cap off Alabama’s first drive and hit a 35-yarder in the fourth quarter.
Mandell was asked to punt four times and made the most of his time on the field, averaging 55 yards per punt. His longest punt was 63 yards, and he pinned the Bulldogs inside their own 20-yard line twice.
“He’s doing great as a punter,” sophomore safety Landon Collins said. “I’m trying to get downfield for him as much as possible because he says he’s booting it to me.”
AJ McCarron found tight end Brian Vogler for an 18-yard touchdown just before the half, giving the Crimson Tide a 10-0 lead at halftime. That was Vogler’s first career touchdown reception. However, Vogler was spotted on crutches after the game, and Saban said he sustained an ankle sprain.
McCarron threw another touchdown pass to Kevin Norwood in the third quarter and finished the day 18-32 for 187 yards. But he also threw two interceptions, bringing his season total to five.
“That’s not the kind of football that we need to play if we want to be able to be the kind of team we’re capable of being,” Saban said.
In the third quarter, Mississippi State quarterback Tyler Russell kept the ball and met a pile of Alabama defenders near the goal line. The ball popped out, but a Bulldog offensive lineman fell on it in the endzone. It was that kind of night in Starkville.
T.J. Yeldon rushed for 160 yards on 24 carries and pushed his season total to 1,022 yards. He has rushed for at least 1,000 yards in both of seasons at tailback for the Crimson Tide.
But he and Kenyan Drake both fumbled the ball, bringing Alabama’s total to four turnovers.
Senior linebacker C.J. Mosley said the team must improve as the regular season is coming to a close.
“Whether it was a lack of communication in the game, people just not ready to play, when you play away in the SEC, they’re going to be on you, they’re going to be ready to play,” Mosley said. “We’ve got to learn from our mistakes.”
