Punt Returns Help Lead Top-Ranked Alabama Past Bulldogs, 32-7

Saturday, November 15

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

6:45 p.m.

Mississippi State

3-7 , 1-5

#1 Alabama

11-0 , 7-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Miss. State

Alabama

Several Standouts In Second Full-Pad Workout

Punt Returns Help Lead Top-Ranked Alabama Past Bulldogs, 32-7

November 15, 2008 | Football

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)
? Postgame Notes (PDF)

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - A pair of big punt returns from Alabama's Javier Arenas sparked the top-ranked Crimson Tide to a 32-7 victory over visiting Mississippi State Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The win kept UA's record at a perfect 11-0 this season, 7-0 in the Southeastern Conference. State, which had claimed the last two meetings over Alabama, fell to 3-7, 1-5.

State gained a 7-5 lead early on in the contest, mounting an impressive scoring drive early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs marched 78 yards in seven plays with Tyson Lee finding Jamayel Smith in the middle of the end zone on a 31-yard strike. MSU led 7-5 with 10:19 to go in the period. A key play to the State drive was a 32-yard dump pass from Lee to Arnil Stallworth to convert a third-and-4 from its own 28.

The Bulldog defense stopped Alabama on the ensuing drive, but State was pinned at its own 2 by a Crimson Tide punt. Unable to mount anything offensively, MSU was forced to punt and UA produced a big result when Arenas struck for the first time, returning the kick 46 yards to the State 2. That setup a 1-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak by Alabama's John Parker Wilson and the Tide led 12-7 with 4:47 to go before the intermission. That's how things stood at the break.

Arenas struck again early in the third quarter and quickly diminished State's hopes for an upset. After 'Bama forced State to punt on the opening drive of the half, Arenas took the kick again, this time finding a seam and sprinting down the sideline to find the end zone on an 80-yard punt return. The Crimson Tide led 19-7 with 12:14 to go in the third and never looked back.

UA extended its lead to 22-7 with 3:51 to go in the third period. A Leigh Tiffin 34-yard field goal was true to cap an eight-play drive. Tiffin tacked on another field goal early in the final quarter, a 35-yarder with 11:14 remaining in regulation.

The Crimson Tide's best offensive drive of the game produced its final points with 7:58 to go in the affair. Two 30-plus-yard pass plays from Wilson to Brad Smelley and Julio Jones led to a Mark Ingram 1-yard touchdown dive.

State's defense held Alabama's offense in check most of the night. The Bulldogs allowed 364 total yards, most of which came late in the game. MSU's offense, however, struggled to find much momentum, gaining just 167 yards on the night, 78 of that coming on the second quarter scoring march.

Alabama got the first break of the game. After pinning State at its own 1 with a punt, the Tide forced the Bulldogs to punt, but a high snap led to a block of Blake McAdams' kick. The ball rolled out of the back of the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 Alabama lead with 10:03 to go in the first quarter.

A miscommunicated MSU snap at the Tide 42-yard line led to UA's next points. The resulting Tide drive went 35 yards on nine plays and set up a 35-yard Tiffin field goal. Alabama led 5-0 with 1:43 to go in the opening period before MSU produced its early go-ahead drive in the second quarter.

MSU now returns home next Saturday, Nov. 22, to host Arkansas at 1:30 p.m. CT in the Bulldogs' 2008 home finale. State closes the regular season at arch rival Ole Miss on Friday, Nov. 28, in an 11:30 a.m. CT affair.