One of the biggest games of the college football Week 5 slate is between No. 16 Mississippi State and No. 7 Alabama. This SEC affair is a big early-season contest. There was a lot of buzz for this game due to the quarterbacks lining up. Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor has been the talk of college football, but Bama's Keelon Russell hasn't been a slouch.
Entering a hostile environment can be difficult, yet Russell took the game by the horns early on and took the limelight from Taylor.
Keelon Russell made a statement quickly vs. Mississippi State
On the first drive of the game, Taylor attempted to pump fake but fumbled the ball. Alabama recovered, and Russell wasted no time taking advantage. He led the Crimson Tide on a six-play, 48-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Coleman-Williams.
On the following drive for the Bulldogs, Taylor's struggles continued as he threw an interception to Alabama cornerback Dijon Lee Jr., who returned it for a touchdown. In the blink of an eye, Alabama jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
Russell kept the positive play on Alabama's next drive, engineering an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown. On that drive, Russell kept the Crimson Tide on the field with an impressive 39-yard completion to receiver Lotzeir Brooks on a 3rd-and-19.
Three plays later, Russell ran in a 17-yard touchdown. On their first two offensive possessions of the game, Russell ran and threw a touchdown, which is a continuation of what he's done this season.
Keelon Russell deserves just as much hype as Kamario Taylor
Coming into the game, Taylor was the main talking point, but Russell is showing he has something to say about that. In 2026, he's completing 70 percent of his passes for 1,129 yards and eight touchdowns. On the ground, he's compiled 168 yards and another three scores.
In back-to-back games against Florida State and South Carolina, Russell has thrown for 300-plus passing yards and three passing touchdowns. He's also scored on as a runner in each game.
Russell has been very impressive this season, and he's put his talents quickly on display against Mississippi State. Of course, things can flip in an instant in college football, but Russell came into this contest ready to roll.
Despite Russell and Alabama going into this game as the favorites, it seems like they weren't the ones being discussed as much. It was more about Taylor's emergence and what Mississippi State can do.
Alabama certainly took that personally, and their start to the game showed that. For the Crimson Tide to come away with the win, they'll need Russell playing at his best. The Bulldogs have shown that they can rally from a double-digit deficit, so Alabama will need to keep their foot on the gas.
They can't afford to let up, and they know that coming into a fiery environment in Starkville. Russell's start to the game is proving to everyone that he's in the same tier as Taylor, and it's time everyone in the nation knows it.
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