Alabama Scores Eight Touchdowns and Buries Mississippi State 56-23
Eight touchdowns. Eight, in 56 points, which is as clean a bit of arithmetic as you will see. Alabama beat Mississippi State 56-23 and moved to 5-0 while the Bulldogs fell to 4-1.
Alabama never trailed. Keelon Russell hit Ryan Coleman-Williams for 15 yards in the first quarter, and just over a minute later Dijon Lee Jr. took an interception back 30 yards for a 14-0 lead. Mississippi State got to 14-7 and then 21-14, but Trae'shawn Brown's 7-yard run made it 28-14 and a late Kyle Ferrie field goal closed the half at 28-17. In the third quarter Alabama added a Rico Scott touchdown catch and a Brown run to go up 42-17. State made it 42-23 on a 45-yarder before the quarter ended, then Scott scored again and Austin Mack ran one in from three yards for the final 56-23.
The turnover column is worth a look: Mississippi State threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles, and Alabama lost two fumbles of its own. The Bulldogs also ran 30 times for 18 yards. Alabama had 487 yards to State's 302, with 304 of its own through the air and 183 on the ground. Take away the pick-six and it is still a 49-23 game, so the turnovers were not the whole story.
The fantasy angle is the sneaky part. Anthony Evans III, on the losing team, led everyone with 40.6 points on 12 catches and 166 yards. Russell scored 37, and Kamario Taylor, who threw three touchdown passes, added 25.7 despite two interceptions and a lost fumble.