1. Can Mississippi State handle the physicality Alabama will bring to Davis Wade Stadium?
Last week MSU (4-5, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) prepared for a track meet against Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. At 6:45 p.m. Saturday (ESPN), Dan Mullen and the Bulldogs will take part in a heavyweight fight. Against Bowl Championship Series schools, No. 1 Alabama (9-0, 6-0) is second in the league in rushing (233.14 yards per game). Sophomores T.J. Yeldon (862 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Kenyan Drake (556 yards, seven) help Alabama average more than 6 yards a carry on first and second down. The Crimson Tide are running behind an offensive line that has helped that unit rank 16th, 16th, 30th, and 12th in the country in rushing the past four seasons. In the last four games against Alabama, MSU has allowed Alabama to run for an average of 207.25 ypg. Last season, MSU was one of three teams to hold Alabama to less than 200 yards rushing. Alabama led 24-0 before halftime en route to a 38-7 victory. Yeldon rushed for 84 yards on 10 carries and came out of the game early.
2. How much will MSU sophomore quarterback Dak Prescott play?
MSU coach Dan Mullen ruled sophomore quarterback Dak Prescott “questionable” to play earlier in the week. Mullen said Prescott, who suffered a pinched nerve in his left arm, would be re-evaluated Wednesday. With less than two minutes remaining in Texas A&M’s 51-41 victory last week, Prescott took a solid shot from defensive back Tony Hurd Jr., and was holding his left arm when he took himself out of the game. Prescott was seen holding his non-throwing arm as he left the stadium.
3. Can MSU handle Alabama’s initial attack?
Alabama has trailed in two games this season. Of the Crimson Tide’s 326 rushing attempts, Alabama has only run five rushing plays when it is behind. The Crimson Tide have outscored its opponents 300-54 in the first three quarters, leaving little work to be done after the third quarter. Alabama has thrown just 37 fourth-quarter passes and has rushing for 582 yards on 110 carries in the quarter. Alabama’s second unit has been on the field for 16 drives this season, including the second half against Georgia State and part of the third and all of the fourth quarter against Arkansas. The Tide has outscored its opponents 68-28 in the fourth quarter, but Texas A&M scored 21 of those points. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron is 141 of 201 (70.1 percent) in the first three quarters for 1,785 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has spent a good portion of the fourth quarter on the bench, going 18 of 28 for 256 yards and two scores.
4. Can McCarron back up his coach’s campaign for him to win the 2013 Heisman Trophy?
Not only is McCarron the SEC’s leader in career winning percentage (34-2, .944), but he also has been amazingly accurate in his career and in his last eight games. The senior from Mobile has connected on 67.4 percent of his passes in his career and 69.4 percent (159 of 229) this season, which is eighth nationally and second in the SEC. McCarron has completed 72.3 percent of his passes (149 of 206) for 1,931 yards, 18 touchdowns, and two interceptions in the past eight games.
5. Will Alabama be challenged?
As successful as Alabama has been at Bryant-Denny Stadium under coach Nick Saban, it has been nearly as effective away from home. Alabama has a 17-game winning streak away from Bryant-Denny Stadium, which is the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The 17-game streak includes true road games and neutral-site games and dates back to a 24-21 loss at LSU on Nov. 6, 2010. The streak also includes victories at Texas A&M, over Virginia Tech (Atlanta), Notre Dame (Miami Gardens), LSU (Baton Rouge and New Orleans), Michigan (Dallas), at Penn State, at Florida, at Arkansas, at Kentucky, and at Auburn. The streak is the second longest of its kind in the program’s history behind a 19-game streak that began Sept. 24, 1977, and ended Nov. 1, 1980.
Players to Watch
MSU
Senior OG Gabe Jackson
Davis Wade Stadium will play host to the most NFL scouts Saturday. They will be there to see how Jackson fares against the Crimson Tide’s massive defensive front. Some mock drafts have Jackson projected to be the third first-round pick at MSU in the past four years. His performance Saturday could affect where he is taken in the NFL draft in April.
Junior DE Preston Smith
Smith had three tackles for a loss and two sacks in the 59-26 loss to LSU in Starkville. He had a half sack last week at Texas A&M, and leads the team with 2.5 sacks. It will be critical for Smith and the defensive line to put consistent pressure on quarterback AJ McCarron.
Alabama
Sophomore tailback T.J. Yeldon
Yeldon (862 yards, 12 touchdowns) broke free for the longest run of his Alabama career in a 25-0 victory against Ole Miss, going 68 yards for the touchdown. He is fourth in the Southeastern Conference and 33rd nationally with 95.8 yards per game. He has cracked the 100-yard barrier on four times, including a 149-yard effort at Texas A&M.
Senior linebacker C.J. Mosley
Mosley is a semifinalist for the Lombardi, Bednarik, and Butkus Awards. The Butkus Award goes to the nation’s best linebacker, while the Lombardi Award honors the top interior lineman or linebacker and the Bednarik the top defensive player. He leads the Crimson Tide with 71 tackles and seven tackles for loss. He also has broken up five passes and has four quarterback hurries.
Numbers of the game
10-1
Record of Alabama coach Nick Saban against Mississippi State. The Tide fell 17-12 in Starkville in 2007. Saban was 5-0 against MSU while serving as head coach at LSU from 2000-04.
97
Games in the series between Alabama and MSU, which is the most of any opponent against the Crimson Tide in either school’s history.
1.03
Average turnovers Alabama has allowed in the past 77 games, which is better than Ohio State’s second-best mark of 1.21 (88 turnovers, 73 games).
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