Mississippi State
2-3 , 0-3
Alabama
4-1 , 2-0
Bulldogs Drop 40-17 Decision To No. 12 Alabama
September 30, 2023 | Football
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State battled against No. 12 Alabama but ultimately fell 40-17 in an electric Davis Wade Stadium Saturday night.
The Maroon and White faithful had the chance to erupt early on as the Bulldogs opened the game with two huge sacks via Jett Johnson and Donterry Russell on the Crimson Tide's first series, however Alabama found the endzone twice in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead.
State freshman Kyle Ferrie put the Bulldogs on the board early in the second quarter with a 31-yard field goal. After Alabama answered with a field goal of its own, State drew closer when it scored its first touchdown of the night on a 15-yard rush from Mike Wright to cut the Crimson Tide's lead to seven.
Alabama was able to stretch its lead to three scores courtesy of a couple of scoring drives prior to halftime, however MSU continued to fight.
The State offense stormed down the field 75 yards to open the second half and Will Rogers connected with running back Jeffery Pittman for a 2-yard touchdown pass to cap off the drive. Just like that, the Bulldogs were down only 31-17, but State got no closer.
Pittman and Jo'Quavious Marks led the Bulldog rushing attack with a combined 107 rushing yards, while wideouts Zavion Thomas and Lideatrick Griffin totaled 140 all-purpose yards in the contest.
Johnson and Nathaniel Watson led the way for the MSU defense, as the dynamic duo combined for 26 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Russell also had an impressive outing against the Tide, recording five tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
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Next up for State…
The Bulldogs face Western Michigan on Saturday, October 7 in Starkville. That game is set to kick off at 11 a.m. CT and will be televised on the SEC Network.
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Team Stats
ALA 7, MSU 0
ALA - Milroe,Jalen 53 yd run (Reichard,Will kick), 3 plays, 70 yards, TOP 01:21
ALA 14, MSU 0
ALA - Braswell,Chris 28 yd interception (Reichard,Will kick)
ALA 14, MSU 3
MSU - Ferrie,Kyle 31 yd field goal 12 plays, 62 yards, TOP 06:07
ALA 17, MSU 3
ALA - Reichard,Will 48 yd field goal 6 plays, 46 yards, TOP 02:30
ALA 17, MSU 10
MSU - Wright,Mike 15 yd run (Ferrie,Kyle kick), 9 plays, 64 yards, TOP 03:33
ALA 24, MSU 10
ALA - McClellan,Jase 2 yd run (Reichard,Will kick), 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:19
ALA 31, MSU 10
ALA - Milroe,Jalen 10 yd run (Reichard,Will kick), 3 plays, 31 yards, TOP 00:26
ALA 31, MSU 17
MSU - Pittman,Jeffery 1 yd pass from Rogers,Will (Ferrie,Kyle kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:49
ALA 34, MSU 17
ALA - Reichard,Will 38 yd field goal 12 plays, 54 yards, TOP 06:12
ALA 37, MSU 17
ALA - Reichard,Will 34 yd field goal 6 plays, 18 yards, TOP 03:29
ALA 40, MSU 17
ALA - Reichard,Will 48 yd field goal 4 plays, 4 yards, TOP 01:30
