On third-and-16 from his own 14-yard line Alabama sophomore quarterback Brodie Croyle took the snap and immediately looked to his right. Croyle found Zach Fletcher parallel to the line of scrimmage for a quick out that usually gets three or four yards.
Instead Fletcher broke two tackles and raced 86 yards to pay dirt on only the third play from the line of scrimmage as the Crimson Tide (4-6, 2-4) demolished Mississippi State (2-7, 1-4) 38-0.
On the next series quarterback Kevin Fant’s pass was deflected and intercepted, giving the Tide the ball at the MSU 33-yard line. Three plays and 1:20 later Alabama took a 14-0 lead.
Bulldog head coach Jackie Sherrill told reporters after the game that the opening touchdowns took the air out of his ball club.
“At the begging of the game, we did not make the tackle that we needed to and it popped the balloon,” Sherrill said. “We got ourselves in a hole and could not get out.”
The Bulldogs have been digging themselves holes all year. Opponents have outscored MSU 105-45 in the first quarter.
The Crimson Tide tacked on three points in the second quarter with Brian Bostick’s 38-yard field goal and seven more when Croyle and Fletcher connected again for a 32-yard touchdown.
Croyle completed nine out of 14 pass attempts and threw for 183 yards and three touchdowns.
“When (Mississippi State) blitzed, we just know that we have to stay on our routes,” Bama receiver Tyrone Prothro said. “We have confidence that Brodie is going to make great decisions, and he was able to get us the ball.”
The Alabama defense came into Starkville ranked 33rd nationally, only allowing 121.8 rushing yards a game. Bama improved that stat by holding Mississippi State to 24 yards on 20 rushing attempts.
Bulldog tailbacks Nick Turner and Jerious Norwood combined for a total of 14 yards on the ground.
“We didn’t play well today,” offensive guard Chris McNeil said.
“Everything we went over during the week was pretty much what they ran. We just didn’t come out ready to play.”
The offensive line lost at the line of scrimmage again and again. Alabama would only rush four people, but State had a tough time keeping them out of Kevin Fant’s face.
“It’s embarrassing to see Kevin on the ground all the time,” McNeil said.
“As an offensive line, we take pride in protecting our quarterback. It looks bad on us, and we take it personally.”
Fant was sacked four times. He finished 14 of 29 for 100 yards and two interceptions.
Prior to the start of the 2003 season, Sherrill was asked what the trouble area would be for the Dawgs. Without hesitation the 26-year head coach said the offensive line.
The Bulldogs started the season two-deep at every position on the offensive line. Injuries and inexperience have weakened the Dawgs.
“We did not play well up front,” Sherrill said. “That is a problem you cannot have in a game like this.”
Alabama defensive end Antwan Odom produced two of the four sacks on Fant.
“I was just focusing on beating my man off the ball,” Odom said. “The defensive tackles got good pressure up the middle, and I was able to use my counter move.”
Defensively Mississippi State’s front seven could not stop the one man they needed to: Shaud Williams. Williams rumbled for 89 yards on 25 carries including his three-yard touchdown run that put the Tide up 31-0 with less than 13 minutes remaining in the game.
“They’re offensive line beat our defensive line pretty bad,” T.J. Mawhinney said. “Our quarterback was lying on the ground all day, so our offensive line got beat pretty bad too. That pretty much sums up the game. We just got beat in the trenches again.”
“Again” is the key word. Mississippi State has gotten physically man-handled at the line of scrimmage by LSU, Auburn, Kentucky and now Alabama.
The Crimson Tide put its worst beating on State since 1972 when Alabama whipped the Dawgs 52-14. In his post-game press conference Sherrill said the game is the lowest point in his 26-year head-coaching career.
“This game? Yes–as far as being able to counteract some things. We just were not able to come back.”