For the 2018 University of Alabama football season, TideSports’ Terrin Waack will provide select stellar stats, obscure facts and notable quotes from the most recent game to show how the Crimson Tide uses “The Process” against its opponents.
No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 16 Mississippi State 24-0 at Bryant-Denny Stadium last Saturday in front of 101,821 people.
Stellar stats
• The AP Top 25 Poll was released Sunday. Alabama is the No. 1 team for the 79th time since 2009. That’s the same amount as all other schools combined.
• The Crimson Tide has now won at least 10 games in every season since 2008. Nick Saban’s first season (2007) was the last time UA didn’t break double-digit wins.
• Alabama has shut out an AP-ranked opponent in back-to-back games for the first time in program history. LSU was fourth last week. Mississippi State was 18th.
• Nine-plus quarters have passed since an opponent scored on Alabama’s defense. Tennessee did in the third quarter three weeks ago. The Vols’ fourth-quarter touchdown was an interception return, so technically it wasn’t the Crimson Tide defense’s fault.
• Alabama wasn’t called for any penalties.
Obscure facts
• Neither team did well on third down. Mississippi State converted just one of 13. Alabama found success on four of 12.
• The Crimson Tide entered the game with the fewest sacks allowed in the Southeastern Conference at six. Then, it gave up four to the Bulldogs.
• Both quarterbacks finished with negative rushing yards because of getting sacked. UA’s Tua Tagovailoa had minus-24 rushing yards. MSU’s Nick Fitzgerald had minus-23 rushing yards.
• For the first time this season, Alabama did not finish with at least 500 yards of total offense. It had 305.
• Tagovailoa was intercepted for the second time this season. Both of the players who picked him off have Jr. in their name. Willie Gay Jr. did it for Mississippi State. Todd Harris Jr. did it for LSU last week.
The spread
OddSharks.com had Alabama as a 22-point favorite. The Crimson Tide did cover, for the fourth game in a row. It won by 24 points.
Quoting Nick Saban
On running back Josh Jacobs’ performance…
“Josh was a demon running it on a couple of those runs. I was really impressed with the way he played.”
Quoting the Crimson Tide
Tight end Irv Smith Jr. on the team’s mindset at this point in the season…
“You want to get better as a player. If you’re not getting better then what are you doing?”
Quoting the opponent
Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead on Alabama’s talent level…
“That’s a heck of a ball club right there. And from a program standpoint, that should be what motivates us every single day. You want to know what the best team in the SEC looks like? And a team to compete for a national championship? That’s it. So, we wake up every day, and that’s what we’re chasing and that’s the standard and the type of team we want to become.”
GAME LEADERS
Top 3 rushers
1. UA: Josh Jacobs, 20 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown
2. UA: Damien Harris, 14 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown
3. MSU: Kylin Hill, seven carries for 47 yards
Top 3 receivers
1. UA: Irv Smith Jr., five receptions for 70 yards
2. UA: Jerry Jeudy, six receptions for 45 yards
3. UA: Jaylen Waddle, three receptions for 26 yards
Top 3 passers
1. UA: Tua Tagovailoa, 14-21-1 for 164 yards and a touchdown (sacked four times)
2. MSU: Nick Fitzgerald, 11-20-0 for 125 yards (sacked five times)
3. UA: Mac Jones, 3-6-0 for minus-1 yard
Top 3 defenders
1. MSU: Willie Gay Jr., nine total tackles (an interception)
2. MSU: Johnathan Abrams, nine total tackles (two quarterback hurries)
3. UA: Quinnen Williams, six total tackles (a sack)
NEXT UP
The Crimson Tide (10-0) is back in Bryant-Denny Stadium to host The Citadel (4-6) on Saturday. The game will kick off at 11 a.m. and air on SEC Network.
