On the other side of the ball, the guys up front also lead the way. It has only given up five sacks, best in the SEC and third in the nation. The Bulldogs’ offensive line - led by projected first-round talent Martinas Rankin - has been exceptional in pass protection this season. State’s sustainable success under Dan Mullen is built from the trenches outward. It’ll be interesting to see how the loss of Hamilton affects Alabama’s defense, especially against a player such as Fitzgerald who can capitalize on defensive mistakes in a variety of ways. Why? Well, the senior is the field general who makes sure everyone is lined up correctly and doing his job. That hasn’t stopped Alabama’s defense from dominating, but the losses from last Saturday’s game against LSU could make an impact in this week’s matchup.Īlabama lost its top two players at the Mike linebacker position when Shaun Dion Hamilton (knee) and Mack Wilson (foot) went down. Alabama’s injuries on defenseįollowing the opening game of the season, the Tide lost their projected two best pass-rushers in Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis. This season, he’s fourth in rushing yards so far (801) and tied for second in rushing touchdowns (12). He rushed 11 times for 15 yards - bringing his total yardage to 160.Īgainst State’s other 12 opponents in 2016, he averaged 303.1 total yards and 3.24 total touchdowns.Īlabama can’t ignore his legs just because of past success, however.įitzgerald was second in the SEC in rushing yards last season (1,375) and first in rushing touchdowns (16). He completed only 30.3 percent of his passes for 145 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception. Last year’s game against Alabama was Fitzgerald’s worst performance of his career - statistically speaking, at least. It was fun to watch and all, but that could end up playing in State’s favor. It was the typical big-hits, grind-it-out, chippy sort of game that we have come to love in the rivalry. The game against LSU last week - like it is most years - was a physically draining one for the Tide. The Bulldogs have been outscored 82-9 over the last two years, but this year could have a different feel to it. It’s been awhile since Mississippi State kept it close against Alabama. The 4-5 Vanderbilt Commodores were handled with ease (59-0), but Texas A&M gave the Tide some trouble at Kyle Field (27-19). On the other hand, both of State’s losses were blowouts on the road - to Georgia (3-31) and Auburn (10-49).Īlabama has only played two games that weren’t at home or on a neutral field. Other than that game last week, the Bulldogs have been dominant at home: Granted, the Bulldogs were wrong - UMass was winning 20-13 at halftime - but no one blames them for devoting their attention to the No. It’s pretty clear that Mississippi State was looking ahead to Alabama, never thinking that game would be in jeopardy. Forget about last week’s game against Massachusetts.
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