Alabama had three big plays on special teams against Mississippi State.
Joseph Bulovas kicked a 49-yard field goal with 9:11 to go in the game, his longest career kick, for UA’s final points. Alabama recovered a fumbled punt return in the second quarter, leading to the Crimson Tide’s third touchdown for a 21-0 lead. Punter Mike Bernier pinned MSU on its 1-yard line early in the second period. Bernier punted five times for a 36.6-yard average.
The only negative play for UA in the kicking game came on a penalty incurred for a kickoff out of bounds.
Penalty-free
Alabama wasn’t flagged at all Saturday. UA came into the contest as the eighth-most penalized team in the SEC, averaging 54.4 yards per game in penalties.
“You always want to play penalty-free,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “I was disappointed early on (in the season) when I thought we were getting too many penalties – I’m not saying they shouldn’t have been called, I’m just saying we needed to play with more discipline when it came to those types of things.
“It’s good that we didn’t get any penalties today. I’m pleased about that.”
