Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Alabama Crimson Tide looked like arguably the best college football team in the country last week and will look to continue that momentum as they are on the road this week with a trip to Davis Wade Stadium to another formidable SEC foe in the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Derrick Henry emerged as the possible Heisman Trophy favorite for Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide last week, but they’ll need another big performance from A’Shawn Robinson and their defense to take down the Bulldogs. Meanwhile, Dak Prescott will look to continue his recent string of dominant performances to pull off a big upset for Dan Mullen’s Mississippi State team.
Details for Saturday’s game are below:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 14
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Starkville, MS
Stadium: Davis Wade Stadium
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: CBS Sports SEC Live
Radio: Here
Ticket information: For Mississippi State Bulldogs ticket info click here. For Alabama Crimson Tide ticket info click here.
Keys to Victory
There’s no question after how Derrick Henry terrorized the LSU Tigers last week in Alabama’s dominant victory that the Crimson Tide will need to get their star running back going early and often in the offense. However, it’s how their defense responds to a dynamic and mobile quarterback in Dak Prescott that could swing things for Alabama. Yes, they stifled Brandon Harris last week, but Chad Kelly torched them in Alabama’s only loss on the season against the Ole Miss Rebels. Making sure they contain and pressure Prescott will be vital for the Crimson Tide’s success.
The biggest key for the Bulldogs in this matchup stands in contrast to the Crimson Tide. The Mississippi State offensive line is a bit banged up going into this matchup, which is disconcerting as they come up against one of the most fearsome front sevens in all of college football. How the offensive line holds up and how much time they give Prescott to make his reads and throws and also potentially get loose to pick up yards with his legs is going to be the thing that will make or break the Bulldogs in this game, along with how their vastly underrated defense handles the ever dangerous Henry.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Alabama Crimson Tide -8
Moneyline: Alabama Crimson Tide -110, Mississippi State Bulldogs -110
O/U: 50.5
Prediction
It’s impossible to pick against the Crimson Tide after what they did to LSU last week. However, Prescott is playing at an incredibly high level right now and could cause Alabama some problems. I think this game surprisingly turns into a bit of a shootout and is much closer than people expect. In the end, though, I still have to stick with Alabama to pull out the victory.
Final Score: Alabama Crimson Tide: 31, Mississippi State Bulldogs: 30