In a battle of two of the top quarterbacks in the SEC, Keelon Russell let his play do the talking. Alabama‘s defense had a say in the matter, too.
Russell threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a fourth, Kamario Taylor was intercepted twice — with one run back for a touchdown — and the Crimson Tide rode a quick start to a 56-23 rout of Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday.
Behind Taylor, the Bulldogs entered Week 5 with hopes of their first 5-0 start since 2014, when Dak Prescott helped the program reach its first-ever No. 1 ranking. Mississippi State was also looking to snap a 16-game losing streak against Alabama.
About six and a half minutes into the game, those hopes looked as if they’d be dashed early on.
On Mississippi State’s opening drive, Russell lost the ball after a sack by Alabama’s London Simmons, a call that was eventually upheld after video review. That was the first of four Bulldog turnovers on the afternoon.
Three and a half minutes later, the Tide were in the end zone. Russell found Ryan Coleman-Williams near the right sideline, and the junior raced downfield and dove into the end zone. It was 7-0 with 9:41 to go in the first.
On the ensuing drive, an ill-advised throw by Taylor on third-and-five from the 30 ended up in the hands of Dijon Lee Jr., who took it the other way for a score as the Tide opened up a 14-0 lead just six-and-a-half minutes into the contest.
Taylor, though, recovered to engineer a 12-play scoring drive, one that ended with a short two-yard toss to Anthony Evans III to make it 14-7. But the Tide answered back as Russell capped a eight-play drive with a 17-yard TD run to stretch the lead to 21-7.
Alabama left the door open in the second quarter as it fumbled the ball inside its own 10, which Mississippi State cashed in on to draw within 21-14 six minutes into the frame. It stayed that way until late in the quarter, when Russell led the Tide downfield to go up 28-14 with less than two minutes to go before the break.
Mississippi State hit a field goal to cut it to 28-17 going into halftime. The Bulldogs would get no closer. The Tide marched down the field to go up 35-17, capped by a great catch by Rico Scott on Russell’s second touchdown pass of the game. After Taylor’s second interception of the game, Alabama made it 42-17, needing just three plays to find pay dirt once more.
That was the nail in the coffin. Taylor connected with Evans with 2:38 left in the third quarter to make it 42-23. The Bulldogs wouldn’t score again. Russell added his third touchdown pass in the fourth quarter before giving way to Austin Mack, who punched it in from three yards out to make it 56-23 with eight minutes left in the game.
Along with the two interceptions, Taylor was sacked five times. He finished 19-of-34 for 258 yards and three touchdowns before leaving early due to injury. Evans had a career day despite the loss, making 12 catches for 166 yards. The Bulldogs played much of the game without Fluff Bothwell, who was removed after one snap due to a recurring ankle injury.
Lotzeir Brooks led the Tide with four catches for 96 yards. Scott ended the day with two touchdowns on four catches for 56 yards.
Keelon Russell, Alabama defense lead the way as Tide crush Mississippi State to move to 5-0 Saturday Down South.
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