Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell must avoid getting himself involved in this mess.
The Alabama Crimson Tide will face their toughest test yet this Saturday when they head on the road to battle the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Mississippi State has gotten off to a 4-0 start and just beat Missouri last week, and much of the Bulldogs' success is due to an explosive offense led by quarterback Kamario Taylor, an early Heisman Trophy candidate.
Taylor has thrown for 1,192 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 69.2 percent of his passes thus far. He has also rushed for 185 yards and a score.
The sophomore signal-caller has been sensational, and it creates a tantalizing showdown with Alabama's own rising quarterback, Keelon Russell, here in Week 5.
Russell has put together back-to-back tremendous performances in wins over Florida State and South Carolina, most recently going 21-for-27 with 365 yards and four touchdowns while also tallying 35 yards and a score as a rusher.
The redshirt freshman hasn't been quite as dominant as Taylor this season, but he has still been very impressive overall, having totaled 1,129 yards, eight touchdowns and a couple of picks while completing 70.9 percent of his throws. He has also rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns.
So, as you can see, the matchup between Russell and Taylor is incredibly exciting. But Russell has to be careful not to make Saturday's clash about that.
The key for Alabama this weekend is not necessarily for Russell to outplay Taylor; it's for the Crimson Tide to go into Starkville, play sound defense and escape with a critical SEC victory. And if Russell posts better numbers than Taylor in the process, great.
But because Russell is so young, he may be tempted to get into a shootout with Taylor. That's where Kalen DeBoer needs to come in and ensure Russell does not become entangled in a vain battle.
Chances are, Russell will be just fine. But there is unquestionably going to be some external pressure, as many eyes are certainly on the Russell vs. Taylor storyline. That's especially considering how similar both quarterbacks are.
Russell can't worry about that, though. He just needs to focus on taking care of the football and making the right plays, which is exactly what he did over the last couple of weeks.
Mississippi State has a couple of terrific cornerbacks in Kelley Jones (who could be a first-round pick next spring) and Jett Jefferson, both of whom possess incredible size at 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-1, respectively. That's where Russell's attention needs to be; on ensuring he can make his throws around those two giants in the secondary.
If it becomes more of an individual contest between Russell and Taylor, Alabama could find itself in some trouble on the road.
