Mississippi State Falls To Alabama

Saturday, October 16

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

3-3 , 1-2

#5 Alabama

6-1 , 3-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Alabama

Mississippi St.

Mississippi State Falls To Alabama

October 16, 2021 | Football

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By: Joel Coleman, Senior Writer

STARKVILLE – Under the lights at Davis Wade Stadium, Mississippi State fell 49-9 to visiting No. 5 Alabama.

The Bulldogs got 300 yards of passing from quarterback Will Rogers and more than 50 yards of receiving from Makai Polk, Jaden Walley and Malik Heath, but it wasn't enough to earn victory against the Crimson Tide.

For Rogers, it was the fifth time this season and seventh time in his career that he's cracked the 300-yard mark. He's second in school history in both categories, behind only Dak Prescott. Prescott had seven games with 300-plus yards in 2015 and finished his career with nine total occurrences.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young led the way for his team as he threw for four touchdowns. The Crimson Tide also picked up a pair of rushing scores from Brian Robinson, Jr., and an interception return for a touchdown by Jordan Battle.

Meanwhile Mississippi State's points all came from the leg of Brandon Ruiz. The senior kicker tied a career high with three field goals. He drilled a 44-yarder in the first quarter, which stands as State's longest made kick this season. Ruiz also added a pair of 37-yarders with one in the second quarter and one in the third.

Defensively, three Bulldogs had 10 or more tackles, led by linebacker Nathaniel Watson's career-best 16 stops. The total stood as the most tackles in a game by an MSU player since Brandon Wilson's 18 tackles against Louisiana Tech in 2011. Watson also added a sack for the second straight game.

Linebacker Jett Johnson and safety Fred Peters each set new career highs as well with 10 tackles apiece for State. It's the first time this season the Bulldogs had multiple players hit double digits in tackles.

Notables

Nate The Great

Nathaniel Watson posted a career-high 16 tackles on the night, which is the most tackles by a Bulldog in a single game since Brandon Wilson recorded 18 vs. Louisiana Tech on Sept. 24, 2011. Watson had a season-high nine tackles in the first half alone, while also recording a sack on third down to force a punt. The sack was the second of his career and second in as many games.

Century Marks

Jo'quavious Marks caught the 100th pass of his career, giving him 105 career receptions, which is four shy of the MSU career top 10. On Saturday night, he tied for the team lead with seven receptions.

Malik…Go Long!

Malik Heath caught a 43-yard pass on Saturday night, which was the longest reception of his career and also stands as State's longest play of the year.

Next Up for MSU…

Mississippi State returns to the road, making a trip to the Music City. MSU heads to Nashville, Tennessee, facing Vanderbilt in an October 23 game. The Bulldogs and Commodores are set for a 3 p.m. CT contest that will be televised by SEC Network.