Just in case anybody forgot or wasn’t aware, the 7-0 Mississippi State Bulldogs face their toughest test, not only for this season, but for this century Saturday as they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama.
The head coaches from both schools have commented on the teams’ similarities, most coming from the receiver vs. secondary matchups.
The MSU defense has played well this year, anchored by one of the best secondary units in the country. As a team, the Dogs have 12 interceptions (10 coming from the defensive backs) and lead the nation with a plus-16 turnover margin.
MSU cornerback Johnthan Banks has his name littered on every award watchlist you can imagine and with good reason. The senior tied the all-time school record with 16 career interceptions last weekend and leads the nation among active players in career pick offs. Banks has four picks this year, which is quite a remarkable stat considering how opposing quarterbacks do not throw to his coverage very often.
Darius Slay, Nickoe Whitley and Corey Broomfield round out the skilled secondary, all with some interceptions of their own, and Whitley leads the DBs in tackles with 45. Among the defensive backs, they share a total of 139 games of experience.
Going against the defense, Alabama boasts a deep wide receiver roster with eight players consistently seeing playing time. Freshman Armani Cooper leads the Tide in receptions (28) and yards (425) and has five touchdown catches this season. Behind Cooper, Mississippi native Kevin Norwood has 247 yards receiving and leads the team averaging 17.6 yards per catch.
Alabama also utilizes its running backs Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon in screen situations and spreads out the defense to create explosive plays.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Tide’s secondary possesses remarkable similarities to that of State’s. Alabama has 13 interceptions this year and seven forced fumbles.
DBs Vinnie Sunseri, Dee Milliner and Robert Lester have totaled 71 tackles and are only allowing 137 yards per game. In fact, Alabama leads the SEC in scoring defense, rushing defense, passing defense and total defense.
The Tide’s secondary will have its hands full with the MSU receiving corps, however, as State ranks third in the SEC in pass offense, four spots ahead of the Tide.
Chad Bumphis leads the team with 479 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Chris Smith, who had a career day against Middle Tennessee with seven receptions and two touchdowns, has 293 yards receiving. Quarterback Tyler Russell has spread the ball among his targets, collecting 1,573 passing yards this year and finding 15 different receivers.
Overall, I’ll give a slight advantage to Bama’s secondary over State’s receivers. For the Dogs, I will take its defense to dominate Bama’s receivers.
The Bulldogs and Tide reflect a similar approach to the game, with the result of both teams being 7-0. Win or lose, this weekend’s matchup is the most highly anticipated of the season, and it will certainly be one for the ages.