Amidst a raucous Starkville atmosphere, the Crimson Tide overcame early jitters and turnovers to dismantle the Bulldogs, powered by Trae’shawn Brown’s breakout performance and Keelon Russell’s poise.
The scene was set perfectly in Starkville.
Two young quarterbacks in their first seasons as starters were backed by two massive hype trains. Davis Wade Stadium was packed, and the Bulldog faithful rang their cowbells aggressively as kickoff approached.
But that was as good as it went for Mississippi State.
The Alabama Crimson Tide walked into Starkville, fresh off an 85-mile bus drive, handled their business with a 56-23 win, and then drove back home.
By the end of the game, Davis Wade was empty. The fans who ended up staying were either Alabama fans or dejected Bulldog fans that couldn’t look away.
And from that beatdown, we came away with four observations in Alabama’s fifth win of the season.
The First Half Was Ugly
It was about the kind of half you expected from this game.
A rabid environment with two young teams going at it. Naturally there were going to be mistakes.
At first, it seemed like it was going to be all Alabama. Kamario Taylor fumbled the ball after it slipped out of his hand and Bama recovered, ultimately leading to a touchdown. The next drive for the Bulldogs, Taylor threw a pick six to cornerback Dijon Lee.
It was only then that head coach Jeff Lebby decided to go about it a different way. After going down
14-0, Mississippi State started running no-huddle sets, which seemed to get the Bulldogs going for a 12 play, 75 yard touchdown drive.
Overall, there were four turnovers in that first half.
With the bells ringing and both quarterbacks making their first starts in Starkville, the jitters were evident on both sides.
The Run Game Did Its Part
If you read our keys to the game, establishing the run was paramount.
You saw it. I saw it. Everyone saw it. The proof was in the numbers.
Alabama had 179 rushing yards. Mississippi State had 18.
The heavy lifting was done by Trae’shawn Brown who didn't just find the endzone twice, but he didn’t post a run that was pushed behind the line of scrimmage.
Daniel Hill, the running back room’s elder statesman, did have some troubles to start the game. He fumbled twice, with one leading to a Bulldogs touchdown.
Which is why Brown managed to get a majority of the carries.
On a personal note, I have been incredibly impressed with Brown. The three-star true freshman was the last signing of the 2026 class, and he’s arguably Alabama’s RB1.
Brown does lack in size, as he’s only 5-foot-10, 206 pounds, but he makes up for it in his shiftiness when moving through traffic.
Keelon May Be Him
Keelon Russell is as good as advertised.
With every game, we're seeing the composure that made Russell so highly regarded as a recruit.
Understandably so, the first few games were a learning curve for the redshirt freshman. But the passes he makes are getting crisper, his decision making is quick, and the way he can scramble has opened up Alabama’s offense by a country mile.
The only two interceptions he’s thrown was at Kentucky – his first career road start. Since then, he’s completed his passes at a 75.7% clip, and no interceptions.
There was one instance that stood out from this game.
Alabama was at its own 31, at 3rd and 19. When Russell received the snap, he took his time, shuffled his feet in a clean pocket, heading toward the line of scrimmage. Russell threw a back-shoulder heave to Lotzeir Brooks who was heavily guarded by Tanner Johnson.
That didn’t matter. The ball was so precise that only Brooks could catch it. It ended up being a 39-yard pass, which ultimately led to the Tide scoring their third touchdown of the game.
The Progression of Dijon Lee
One of Alabama’s curious cases has been the work of Lee.
A former five-star recruit, Lee played significant minutes last season and earned the trust of DeBoer and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack. And coming into this season, Lee was going to get a much larger role.
But it hasn't been an easy season for Lee, who has dealt with busted coverage and avoidable penalties.
There were instances where Lee had struggled, like the muffed punt recovery or the misread on Zion Ragins’ touchdown. But there were plenty of positives.
Lee had himself his first career pick-six for the Tide’s second touchdown of the game, and the booming hit he delivered to Marquis Johnson.
This was a pivotal game for Lee’s growth, and it’s a great setup for next week when the Tide plays Georgia.
