Coming into Tuscaloosa Saturday afternoon, Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom said he entertained a myriad of thoughts. He reflected on how lucky he was to have led the life he had from his playing days at Alabama to his more than 30 years in football to his current rebuilding project at MSU.
However, after his Bulldogs outlasted the Crimson Tide 24-16 to earn the school’s first SEC road win since 2000, only two thoughts stood large in Croom’s mind.
“Don’t let them put that ice on me, and I wish my dad was here,” an emotional Croom said after the game. “This win is the best win we’ve had since we’ve been here, no question.”
The Bulldogs dominated the time of possession in the second half, keeping he ball away from the Alabama offense for 10 minutes of the final quarter, thanks mainly to rushes early by freshman Anthony Dixon, then crucial rushes late by junior walk-on Justin Williams.
Dixon led the Bulldogs with 121 yards on 25 carries, while Williams ran for only 27 yards but had two key first-down runs of 6 and 8 yards to keep the clock moving on MSU’s final drive.
“That’s what it has been about the whole time, having pride and having character,” Croom said. “Justin wasn’t even recruited. It wasn’t ability that won out there. It was character.”
The Tide outscored the Bulldogs 6-0 in the second half, but State’s defense never let up. The Bulldogs allowed Alabama only 94 yards of offense in the final half, and did not allow a drive of more than 20 yards in the entire fourth quarter period.
“We knew going in that Alabama was a good hard-nosed offense, kind of like our offense,” defensive end Titus Brown said. “We knew we had to play physical. Those tackles are pretty good; we just had to find a way to win.”
Brown, a Tuscaloosa native whose father died earlier this season, said the game was emotional and draining, but his pride in his family made him keep going.
“That’s a lot of my strength,” Brown said. “I write my dad and my mom and all my siblings’ names on my wrist. I look at those guys and that gives me the willpower to go play one more play. If I got tired, I just kept saying ‘one more play, one more play.'”
The Bulldogs led the Tide 24-10 at the half, thanks to two touchdown passes by sophomore quarterback Mike Henig and an interception returned for a touchdown by senior linebacker Quinton Culberson.
Culberson was named the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week on Sunday.
“We didn’t play well enough to win,” Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson said. “They won more plays than we did. Our defense kept it close, but we didn’t make the plays we needed to make to win.”
The 24-point output was the highest for the Bulldogs in a first half this season, but in the locker room Croom told his team it was far from over.
“When you play Alabama, that second half is coming-the onslaught is coming,” Croom said. “That’s the pride they have in those crimson jerseys. I know because I wore one. But we have that same pride in that maroon jersey now.”
Henig, an Alabama native, said it was a huge thrill to come into a place like Tuscaloosa and leave with a victory.
“I know a lot of people that go to Alabama,” Henig said, “so I’ll be able to call them tonight and talk to them a little bit. But for me to come home and play and throw two touchdowns, we just came in and played hard.”
Beating the Tide has been a goal for the struggling Bulldogs ever since Croom was hired as head coach in 2003.
With all the injuries and adversity the team has been through this season, several players dedicated their play in the contest to their coach.
“We all knew that Coach Croom wanted this bad,” Dixon said. “So all this week I’d been making up my mind that I’m going to go out there and run super hard.”
Croom wasn’t the only Bulldog who wanted to beat the Tide for personal reasons.
Senior offensive lineman and Butler, Ala., native Brian Anderson said that a win like today was all the team had to play for.
“I needed this bad,” Anderson said. “I know the Ole Miss win was big last year, but me being from Alabama, this one is tops. I’ve got guys I’ve been knowing since I was way little that are huge Alabama fans. I’m going home next weekend, and I hate to do it, but I’m going to put it in their faces.”
The Bulldogs will be off next weekend before returning for their final home game of the season against No. 11-ranked Arkansas (8-1, 5-0) on Nov. 18.