The Mississippi State football team returns to action on Saturday after coming off of its bye week with some much-needed rest and preparation for the final stretch of the season.
In their previous game, the Bulldogs defeated the University of Kentucky, and they’re hoping to carry that momentum into the upcoming game against No. 21 Alabama.With the Bulldogs (5-4, 2-3 SEC) coming off a bye and the Crimson Tide coming off a hard-fought loss to LSU over the weekend, many are wondering if the Bulldogs can pull off yet another upset against a ranked conference foe.
When posed with the question at his mid-week press conference on Tuesday, Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom said he’s given the notion little thought.
“That will be interesting,” Croom said. “I think the biggest factor in this game is who goes out there and hits the hardest and doesn’t turn the ball over. On game day, on all these other things, I don’t put a lot into that because it’s a lot of pride and emotion involved in this.”
Croom said he didn’t think the loss to LSU stay on the minds of the Crimson Tide for long and that he expected them to bounce back and be a formidable opponent.
Croom, an Alabama graduate and former Tide center, said he feels good about his team going into the game and is thankful there are not a lot of injuries plaguing his squad.
Croom added that while this is a big week for his program because of the opponent, the outcome of the game could also determine Mississippi State’s bowl eligibility.
The Bulldogs are one win away from becoming bowl-eligible for the first time since the 2000 season.
Alabama possesses a tremendous amount of talent at the wide receiver position, starting with senior wide out D.J. Hall. Hall leads the Crimson Tide with six touchdowns and also sits atop the Southeastern Conference with 93 receiving yards per game.
“They’re excellent receivers. Any of them can beat you on a single play,” Croom said. “They are speedy and are very disciplined in their routes. They use a lot of double moves, and they can get over the top of you.”
Croom said the key to keeping the receivers from gaining huge sums of yards is for his defense to keep the ball in front of them.
Alabama (6-3, 4-2 SEC) ranks sixth in the SEC in scoring offense, averaging 32 points per game, while the Tide defense surrenders only 23 points per contest.
As for his team, Croom said that he is grateful his team had last week off but saying if they did have to play last week, he was not sure everyone would have been able to play. He added that he felt his team needed a break mentally.
“There is no question: This is the healthiest we’ve been all year,” Croom said. “We’ve been going for so long, and we work hard. We’re a physical football team, so we go hard every day and take a lot of pride in that. So, yes we definitely needed a break.”
Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban praised his team for its efforts in the 41- 34 loss against LSU but said the team has to move on quickly and prepare for a good Mississippi State team.
“We can’t be wounded. We’ve got to get ready for the next game,” Saban said in his mid-week press conference.
“Mississippi State has obviously beaten some good teams this year. Sylvester [Croom] has done an outstanding job there. They play with a lot of discipline, and they’re a physical team.”
Saban also praised Bulldog starting quarterback Wesley Carroll, saying that he has gotten better as the season has progressed.
Carroll sits on 137 consecutive passes without an interception, needing only two more attempts before becoming the all-time record leader. While he’s aware of his streak, Carroll said it’s more about winning than the record for him.
“As long as we’re winning, I don’t care about that,” he said. “[The record] plays no role in how I’m going to perform. I’m going to keep playing the way I’ve been playing, stay focused and eliminate mistakes, and the rest will take care of itself.