Bulldogs Drop 38-7 Decision To No. 4 Crimson Tide

Saturday, November 16

Starkville

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

4-6 , 2-5

#5 Alabama

9-1 , 6-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Alabama

Mississippi State

Erroll Thompson (40) paced MSU's defense with nine tackles, one for loss, a half sack and a hurry Saturday against Alabama.

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Bulldogs Drop 38-7 Decision To No. 4 Crimson Tide

November 16, 2019 | Football

Box Score Box Score Postgame Notes & Quotes Video: Game Highlights Video: Joe Moorhead Postgame Press Conference Photo Gallery

by Mikaela Elizondo, Graduate Assistant/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State was handed a 38-7 setback by No. 4 Alabama on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.

Tommy Stevens hit on 12-of-21 of his pass attempts for 82 yards. On the ground, the quarterback led the Bulldogs' (4-6, 2-5 SEC) rushing attack with a season-high 96 yards on 10 carries, ignited by a career-long rush for 46 yards to Alabama's (9-1, 6-1 SEC) 25 yard line on State's first possession in the third quarter.

Nick Gibson contributed 56 yards on nine attempts while Kylin Hill rushed for 35 yards on 16 carries and found the endzone for the third consecutive game. Hill became the first MSU running back since Josh Robinson (2014) to register 10 rushing touchdowns in a season.

"We knew against a team of Alabama's caliber we were going to have to come in and play a clean game and execute well," said head coach Joe Moorhead. "We had a few things go our way. Certainly spotting them a 14-0 lead within the first few minutes didn't help. I thought our kids played hard and competed until the last whistle, but at the end of the day, we didn't coach or play well enough to beat a team like Alabama."

Alabama raced out to a 14-0 lead 2:36 into the game on a Najee Harris rushing score and touchdown reception.

State responded as Hill hauled himself into the endzone for the Bulldogs' lone score of the game to cap off a 75-yard, 4:17 march. The eight-play scoring drive was highlighted by a Stevens carry for 27 yards and a 19-yard completion to Hill to the Alabama 3-yard line.

Three rushing touchdowns put the Tide ahead by four scores at the 6:08 mark in the second quarter to take a 35-7 lead into halftime.

A Joesph Bulovas field goal brought the score to the final 38-7 margin midway through the third quarter. The Bulldogs held Alabama to a season-low three second-half points.

Mississippi State held a 188-160 rushing yard advantage over the Tide. Saturday's contest marks the second year in a row that the Bulldogs have limited Alabama to fewer than 200 rushing yards. MSU's defense held Alabama's offense to its lowest scoring output since facing Tennessee on Oct. 19, and its second lowest of the season.

Erroll Thompson paced the Bulldogs' defense with nine total tackles, one tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks. Tyler Williams and Jaquarius Landrews followed with eight and seven tackles, respectively. Thompson leads the Bulldogs in tackles with 72, fueled by seven, seven-plus tackle games. Williams' eight stops marks a career-high.

MSU stays at home next Saturday, Nov. 23, hosting Abilene Christian (5-5) at Davis Wade Stadium. The game - the first-ever meeting between the teams - is slated to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised by SEC Network Alternate. State concludes the regular season on Thanksgiving night, hosting rival Ole Miss in the annual Battle for the Golden Egg at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.

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