This Saturday night, for the third time in the past five seasons, the Mississippi State Bulldogs will play a late October conference game against an undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide.
Only this time, for the first time since MSU’s clash with the Tide in the 1999 season, the Bulldogs will come into this pivotal SEC game undefeated and highly ranked, as well.
The importance of Saturday night’s game in Bryant Denny Stadium cannot be overstated. MSU head coach Dan Mullen said Saturday’s contest of undefeated teams is exactly where he wants the Bulldogs to be at this point of every season.
“(This is) obviously a big week, and a great opportunity for our guys,” Mullen said. “We look at this as a championship-caliber game for us.”
Mullen also said the importance of games like Saturday night’s is something he envisioned when he became State’s head coach.
“When we came here, we certainly wanted to be in this position,” Mullen said. “The winner of this game is in first place in the SEC West. We haven’t been in that position before, and that’s something we wanted to build on.”
Despite a perfect 7-0 record and a No. 11 ranking, according to the latest BCS poll, the Bulldogs, who are 3-0 against SEC teams, are huge underdogs against the Crimson Tide. After being listed by most online gambling websites as a 21.5-point favorite two weeks ago against the Missouri Tigers and a 20-point favorite against the Tennessee Volunteers last week, Alabama opened up as a 24-point favorite against MSU, a number that surprised many people and angered a large portion of State’s fan base.
Although MSU is receiving minimal respect from Las Vegas websites and the national media, Mullen said being a substantial underdog will not play a role in Saturday’s game.
“I don’t know what it affects, because I’ve never set any odds for any games,” Mullen said. “It really has no effect to me on the course of the game.”
Even though large portions of the general public believe MSU is better than being a 24 point underdog to top-ranked Alabama, the Bulldogs will certainly be facing an uphill battle Saturday night.
Much like recent years under head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide has arguably the best defense in college football. Alabama ranks first in total defense, rushing defense and passing efficiency defense.
On offense, Alabama features one of the most balanced attacks it has had in recent years. Junior quarterback A.J McCarron has had a breakout season, passing for 1,476 yards with 16 touchdowns and no interceptions through seven games.
In the backfield, the Tide boasts one of the most dynamic running back tandems in the country. Junior Eddie Lacy and true freshman T.J. Yeldon have combined to rush for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns, and each receives an equal amount of carries over the course of every game.
For underclassmen at MSU, such as sophomore center Dillon Day and freshman linebacker Benardrick McKinney, Saturday night will be their first trip to Bryant Denny Stadium, where the Tide have lost just twice since the 2007 season.
While playing in a big game at one of the most hostile environments college football offers, Day said it is important for underclassmen to look to juniors and seniors for guidance and advice.
“It’s my first trip there; it’s Justin (Malone)’s first time there. It’s a lot of our first trips,” Day said. “But Tobias (Smith) will be with us and Gabe (Jackson) will be with us, and they’ve all played there, so they’ll help us over there and get us used to it.”
McKinney said the only thing he will be focused on is making plays to help MSU’s defense.
“We just have to go out there and do our assignments,” McKinney said. “The coaches are putting us in the right position to make big plays. We just have to execute our plays.”
Saturday night’s showdown in Tuscaloosa is slated to kick off at 7:30. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.