Three Star Recap: Belt To Ass — Bama turns Mississippi State showdown into showcase, 56-23

The much-anticipated shootout turned into a shoot down.

Once again, Alabama did not play a complete game, and if we never repeat another snap of the second quarter on either side of the ball, I can die a happy man. Once again, it did not matter. Because, once again, Alabama took a talented, scrappy, motivated opponent and turned them to kibble with a defense that forces mistakes, and will let you have yards but not develop momentum or keep up with the Tide.

Once again, we were awed by Keelon Russell who notched another four touchdown game, completing well over 70% of his throws, and without a single turnover. Once again, we saw the Tide’s lines come out and simple destroy their opponent at the line of scrimmage. Once again, we saw the nation’s best tight end room gleefully maul everything within a seven-yard radius of the snap. Once again, we saw a deep running game chew yards and keep defenders on their heels. Once again, we saw the nation’s deepest, fastest, and most versatile wideouts get separation to snatch to seemingly everything out of the air on one snap, then throw their bodies around to block on the outside on the next. Once again, the kicking game was perfect.

And once again, Alabama is back to kicking people’s asses.

For the fourth straight game, and the first time it has been accomplished in a decade by anyone, Alabama’s offense scored 45+ in five straight games, and made those underdog dreams cruel nightmares…

Children the world over fear two words more than anything: “Daddy’s home.” It means that there is a reckoning coming. It will be swift. It will be decisive. And the dread of the punishment is often as bad as that moment of certainty.

As if we needed reminding, because the rest of the nation apparently did, Daddy is home.

So it was written, so it shall be done: 56-23.

Win. Alabama’s defense.

Mississippi State entered this game second in the SEC in rushing yards (217 YPG), and they were 4th in yards per carry, at an excellent 5.55 yard clip. That, the tempo, Kamrio Taylor’s accuracy and deep ball touch, and Anthony Evans make this offense difficult to shut out of the endzone. The Crimson Tide were having none of it. State lost its leading rusher in the first quarter, but MSU has another great running back, and Kamario Taylor entered as the second-best running QB in the SEC, on par with Russell’s productivity. Next man up should have given the Bulldogs a cushion. But there was simply no where to run. A week after sleeping at the wheel, the DL was dominating up front. It was not a one trick pony either. Because while ‘Bama did not generate many sacks today, the DL unit alone notched seven quarterback pressures, often doing little more than bullying their man across the line.

The secondary faced its toughest test of the season today. No question. Anthony Evans is playing like the best WR in the game not named Jeremiah Smith. You can’t cover him in man, he runs routes too well and Taylor is too good to shut him out of soft spots in zone. And indeed, he again had an outstanding afternoon. But MSU has a duo of other wideouts who are in the SEC T30 in yards and yards per catch. Their output today? Seven grabs for 72 yards and just one TD. Mississippi State was relegated to a one-dimensional team, and that singular dimension could not get it done: Taylor barely completed half his passes (55%). A player who entered with just two interceptions on the season walked out with twice that many…and a score going the other way on Dijon Lee pick six. A player who can make things happen with his legs, and is a terror in the open field, rushed for -36 yards, and no scores.

It sure as shit wasn’t always pretty. The breakdowns and miscommunications and execution errors we’ve come to expect were again in play. The defense committed a trio of silly (and pretty soft) penalties on one drive alone. But they set the tone early, they adjusted out of the locker room after a discombobulated second frame, and then they absolutely squeezed and squeezed until Clanga waived the white flag and simply gave up.

Place. Ryan Grubb.

We give Grubb some deserved criticism around here. Like all offensive coordinators, he swears he is the smartest man in the room. He gets far too cute too often. But for those criticisms, look at the results: 48 points, 45 points, 50 points, 49 points, 56 points. Three of those were against SEC teams, and two on the road.

And today was his masterclass on the season. The Tide displayed absolutely no tendencies for MSU to bite into. The staff had ‘State on their heels from the jump, with a superb mixture of run and pass. Multiple tight ends looks were followed up with empty sets. He didn’t call a single buffoonish trick play or slow-developing misdirection play. And because the running game was working so well, the play-action was there all day for the Tide.

Ball distribution was also off the charts. All five of ‘Bama’s backs saw meaningful action on their way to 180 yards rushing. Another five players got touches out of the backfield. And nine receivers saw targets, including four tight ends.

His work with Russell today may have also been some of his best. It was a slow first half for the phenomenal Redshirt freshman, just 6/10 at the break in front of a very raucous MSU crowd, and facing one-sided officiating. But Grubb settled Keelon down, adjusted protections, and out of the locker room, Keelon was 10 of 12 for another 170 yards, and two more touchdown throws en route to a 16/22 (73%) 285 yards, 3 TD/0 interception day. Russell also ran strategically; even factoring in yards lost because of sacks, KR added 16 on the ground and another score.

We were mistaken in our preview about no one leaving as the Heisman favorite. That may have been true five hours ago. It’s not true any longer. Keelon left Davis Wade as the SEC’s unquestioned best signal caller and the Heisman frontrunner. That is in no small part to Grubb’s coaching, development and adjustment. This was his best game as the offensive coordinator of the Crimson Tide, and but-for calling off the dogs, and an unsteady second quarter, the Crimson Tide could have hung 77 or so on the Bulldogs. No joke. Today was the most points Alabama has ever scored on the road against a ranked opponent…and it could have been so much worse.

Say what you will about him personally, there’s probably no one else in the country who more understands the passing game or who develops its young quarterback better.

Show. Anthony Evans III

People came into this game hyping Kamario Taylor, and there is a lot to like about his game. But after watching that, you walk away with one certainty: Wideout Anthony Evans III is the the Bulldogs best player, the SEC’s best wide receiver by a country mile, and if you slapped a Michigan or USC jersey on him, he would easily be in the Heisman discussion.

What a phenomenal player. You can’t defend him; he’s the complete package. And we must give him his roses after a game where snagged 12 catches on 15 targets for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

Honorable Mention: EJ Crowell — Keep fumbling, Daniel Hill, and No. 13 is going to take your job. Every week he’s breaking out a big play and getting better and better. Are we sure he shouldn’t be RB1?

UP NEXT: No. 4 Alabama meets No. 2 Georgia in Tuscaloosa, for another Game of the Century of the Year. And, after watching the Bulldogs’ offense struggle with Vandy and Arkansas, and how efficient Blaze Berkowitz was todady — a zero-star out of Nowhere, Oklahoma — you have to feel pretty good about that matchup.

But for now, enjoy this pantsing. We’re in a brave new world, and ‘Bama is back

Roll Tide