Mississippi State
7-1 , 3-1
#1 Alabama
8-0 , 5-0
#1 Alabama Hands #13 MSU First Loss Of 2012, 38-7
October 28, 2012 | Football
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Simply put, it just wasn't Mississippi State's night.
For No. 1-ranked Alabama, however, little went wrong, and as a result the Crimson Tide rolled to a 38-7 win against No. 11 Mississippi State on homecoming night at Bryant-Denny Stadium in a battle of the unbeaten.
The loss snapped the Bulldogs' nine-game winning streak, the third-longest in the nation, while Bama upped its streak to 12 straight to remain perfect on the season at 8-0 overall and 5-0 in SEC play.
And it didn't take the Tide long to establish its dominance.
The defending national champions scored on their first three possessions and went into the half up 24-0.
By the time the Bulldogs (7-1, 3-1) found the end zone, the Tide was comfortably ahead, 38-0.
Still, MSU showed fight throughout and got on the scoreboard late when backup quarterback Dak Prescott connected with Robert Johnson for a 2-yard scoring strike.
On the night, Johnson finished with four catches for 23 yards, both career highs.
Offensively, the Tide's heralded defense limited the Bulldogs to just 256 yards. On the ground, LaDarious Perkins paced MSU with 38 yards on 15 carries, while Tyler Russell completed 15 of his 30 passes for 169 yard and one pick, just his second of the year.
Alabama manufactured 414 total yards. A.J. McCarron continued his consistency in the air, completing 16-of-23 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns.
His two scoring passes came in the first half, covering 57 yards to Kenny Bell and 9 yards to Michael Williams. Then there was running back T.J. Yeldon, who grounded out a game high 84 yards on 10 carries. He also recorded the night's first touchdown on an 11-yard run.
The Bulldogs look to get back into the win column next Saturday at Scott Field when SEC newcomer Texas A&M pays a visit. Official game time will be announced Sunday.
Team Stats
MS 0, UA 7
UA - T.J. Yeldon 11 yd run (Jeremy Shelley kick), 9 plays, 59 yards, TOP 4:32
MS 0, UA 14
UA - Kenny Bell 57 yd pass from AJ McCarron (Jeremy Shelley kick) 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 3:13
MS 0, UA 21
UA - M. Williams 9 yd pass from AJ McCarron (Jeremy Shelley kick) 8 plays, 73 yards, TOP 2:33
MS 0, UA 24
UA - Jeremy Shelley 34 yd field goal 6 plays, 36 yards, TOP 1:13
MS 0, UA 31
UA - Eddie Lacy 27 yd pass from Phillip Ely (Jeremy Shelley kick) 3 plays, 28 yards, TOP 1:54
MS 0, UA 38
UA - Kenyan Drake 3 yd run (Jeremy Shelley kick), 8 plays, 43 yards, TOP 4:41
MS 7, UA 38
MS - Robert Johnson 2 yd pass from Dak Prescott (Devon Bell kick) 9 plays, 63 yards, TOP 3:35
