TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nobody’s perfect.
The first time Josh Robinson, Mississippi State’s bowling ball of a tailback, carried the ball Saturday, it went for a score…
For Alabama.
Robinson was tackled in the Bulldog end zone for an Alabama safety for the game’s first points.
It proved to be an ominous portend of things to come.
The Crimson Tide rolled out to a 19-0 first half lead, but needed a crucial fourth-quarter drive to hold on to a 25-20 victory.
In doing so, Alabama, rated fifth in the last College Football Playoff standings, ended MSU’s five-week run as the nation’s No. 1 team in both major polls. Of perhaps more importance, the College Football Playoff ratings will feature a new No. 1 team for the first time since the Bulldogs assumed that position three weeks ago. It also ended the Bulldogs perfect season and a 12-game winning streak that began, coincidentally, after MSU’s loss to Alabama last November.
“It’s pretty simple,” said Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen. “(Alabama) did more of the things you have to do to win in this league than we did.”
Thus ended the most magical stretch of success in the Bulldogs’ 114 seasons of football. A win over Alabama would have all but wrapped up the SEC West title and given the Bulldogs their second trip to the SEC Championship game and, presumably, a spot in the coveted four-team playoff to determine the national championship.
But after a day when the Bulldogs were far from perfect, it is now Alabama who is poised to claim its 24th SEC title and a shot at its 16th national championship.
But it wasn’t easy, not even after the Tide threatened to blow out the Bulldogs before a thunderous home crowd of more than 101,000 fans.
Instead, MSU showed the never-say-die attitude that has been a defining quality all season. Trailing 19-3 at halftime, the Bulldogs closed to within six points on a third-quarter field goal and a Dak Prescott touchdown pass in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
Alabama’s only second-half points came on the subsequent drive, extending the Alabama lead to 25-13. Prescott’s second touchdown pass came with just 15 seconds remaining. Too little, too late.
It was the sort of game that moved both coaches to praise not only their players’ efforts but the opponents’ as well.
“(Mississippi State) is a great team,” said Alabama coach Nick Saban. “At halftime, when you play teams like (MSU), they’re going to come out and compete, no matter what. That’s what good teams do. That’s why they’re No. 1.”
How tough was the challenge for the Bulldogs?
“Oh, I don’t know,” Mullen dead-panned. “They’ve got about 35 NFL players, including some NFL players who are sitting on the bench (behind other players), a great coaching staff and 101,000 people in one of the toughest places to play in the country. Other than that, it’s not much of a challenge.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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