STARKVILLE — Dan Mullen showed some real emotion Thursday night as walked out of Memorial Stadium.
The Mississippi State football coach had just watched his team beat Missouri 31-13 Thursday night to improve to 7-2 and 3-2 in the Southeastern Conference. As he waved to fans, he took pictures with a few of them who were waiting for the team to come off the field.
“Winning in the SEC’s hard, and winning on the road in the SEC’s really hard,” Mullen said. “It’s not easy to do in this league. To come into this environment, a tough place, Thursday night, weather, really late, late, late night kickoff, to get a win, I’m juiced. We work hard to try to get some wins. When you get it, I love it.”
MSU, which climbed four spots to No. 20 in this Week’s The Associated Press poll, will look to build off that victory at 2:30 p.m. Saturday (WCBI) when it plays host to No. 3 Alabama (8-1, 5-1 SEC) at Davis Wade Stadium. SEC Nation, SEC Network’s on-campus pre-game show, will broadcast at 9-11 a.m. Saturday live from the Junction on the MSU campus. MSU also is ranked No. 20 in this week’s Amway coaches poll. It was No. 20 last week in the College Football Playoff poll. This week’s College Football Playoff poll will be released at 6 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN).
After a 30-17 loss at Texas A&M on Oct. 3, MSU has defeated Troy, Louisiana Tech, Kentucky, and Missouri. Alabama, which is riding a six-game winning streak, is coming off a 30-16 victory against then-No. 4 LSU on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Since losing to Ole Miss on Sept. 19 at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama also has beaten Louisiana-Monroe, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Tennessee.
The Bulldogs had a couple of extra days to prepare for the Crimson Tide, but Mullen let his team have the weekend off. They returned to practice Sunday.
“We’ve got to continue to get better as a team,” MSU senior quarterback Dak Prescott said. “We’ve got to play a better game next Saturday than we did (Thursday).”
Prescott has thrown for 2,351 yards and 18 touchdowns. He has thrown one interception and is completing 66.7 percent of his passes. The Haughton, Louisiana, native also has rushed for a team-high 418 yards and seven touchdowns.
As a starter, Prescott has beaten every team in the SEC except Alabama and South Carolina. Mullen also has beaten every team except Alabama and South Carolina.
Last season, MSU was ranked No. 1 when it met Alabama, but MSU lost 25-20 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Overall, Alabama leads the series 78-18-3.
The Bulldogs are allowing 17.2 points per game and haven’t allowed a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Junior defensive lineman Chris Jones said defensive coordinator Manny Diaz emphasizes never giving up, no matter where the ball is. For the most part, the Bulldogs have listened.
In the last four games, MSU has allowed 66 points (16.5 average).
“I wouldn’t say it’s starting to click. I feel like it’s been clicking,” Jones said. “We’re all coming together. We are all fixing our mistakes and we’re getting better every game.”
Jones has 32 tackles (six for loss) and two-and-a-half sacks. Junior linebacker Richie Brown leads the Bulldogs with 73 tackles.
Alabama is averaging 33.1 points (sixth in the SEC) and 423.2 yards per game (fifth). Junior running back Derrick Henry (1,254 yards) leads a rushing attack that is averaging 195.3 yards per game. He is averaging 139.3 yards per game, and is tied for the national lead with 17 touchdowns.
MSU is 10th in the league against the run (167.67 ypg). It is allowing 201.7 only passing yards per game. Alabama has thrown for 227.9 ypg. Senior quarterback Jake Coker has thrown for 1,807 yards and 11 touchdowns (seven interceptions).
MSU will try to combat Coker with an injury-riddled secondary. Senior safety Kendrick Market and senior cornerback Will Redmond are out for the season with torn anterior cruciate ligaments. Those injuries have created openings for freshman safety Jamal Peters and redshirt freshman safety Brandon Bryant.
“We’ve got young players who have been there and done that,” MSU junior safety Kivon Coman said. “They’ve been ready to step in, and they’ve been doing a great job.”
Coman is third on the team with 52 tackles. He also has an interception. Senior cornerback Taveze Calhoun is tied for the team lead with two interceptions.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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