STARKVILLE, Miss. (WIAT) — The cowbells did not faze Alabama at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday night, as the Crimson Tide downed Mississippi State, 40-17.
Alabama never trailed in the game and despite not scoring on its first two drives, secured a 14-0 lead to end the first quarter. Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe kicked off the scoring with a 53-yard touchdown run.
Though the Tide gave up 10 points in the second quarter, it responded with 17 points to go into halftime with a strong 31-10 advantage. Alabama held steady in the second half to walk out of Starkville with a victory, finishing with 357 total yards.
The Tide moves to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in SEC play in the 2023 campaign.
Milroe puts together solid performance
Though Milroe didn’t throw many passes, he made his attempts count. The redshirt sophomore went 10-of-12 for 164 yards.
His speed put the Tide on the board, as he recorded two touchdowns on the ground and averaged 6.3 yards per carry.
Defense forces turnovers
Despite surrendering 17 points, the Tide defense garnered three takeaways.
In the first quarter, Alabama linebacker Chris Braswell intercepted a Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers pass and took the football into the end zone from 28 yards out for a touchdown.
After Alabama went up, 24-10, with just over minute left on the clock, Rogers threw another interception, this time to Tide linebacker Jihaad Campbell. The Tide took over at the Bulldog 31-yard line and tallied another touchdown before halftime.
Rogers added another interception to his name in the fourth quarter when Alabama defensive back Caleb Downs got ahold of the ball in Bulldog territory.
Besides recording turnovers, Alabama notched four sacks and eight tackles in losses that took 22 yards away from Mississippi State. Rogers was held to 107 yards and one touchdown.
Offensive line still shows deficiencies
Alabama allowed four sacks and were tackled for a loss seven times for 30 yards. Two of those sacks came on the first drive of the contest. On the second Tide drive, a snap from center Seth McLaughlin hit one of Milroe’s shoulder pads, causing a fumble that Alabama recovered before punting.
The offense, however, was not called for holding until the fourth quarter. Alabama committed three false starts.
