PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Tua Tagovailoa remains the clear Heisman front-runner after Alabama’s 29-0 statement victory at LSU. He has sailed through SEC play so far, completing 99 of 151 passes (65.6 percent) for 1,778 yards, with 19 touchdowns and one interception (which did come last Saturday. For the season, he has directed 72 drives, with 45 resulting in touchdowns (62.5 percent) and six ending in field goals. In those drives, the Tide offense is 36 of 57 (63.2 percent) on third-down chances. Against LSU, Tagovailoa threw a pass in the fourth quarter for the first time this season.
–LB Mack Wilson made a leaping interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter against LSU, giving the Crimson Tide at least one takeaway in 51 of its past 53 games, dating to the start of the 2015 season. Alabama has forced 90 turnovers (62 interceptions, 28 fumbles) in that span, returning 21 of those takeaways for touchdowns. Wilson had four tackles, including one for loss, vs. LSU.
–WR Jerry Jeudy, a sophomore, caught eight passes for 103 yards against LSU and is having an All-American kind of season. He has topped 100 receiving yards in three of the past four games, averaging 22.6 yards per catch, which ranks third in the nation.
–RB Damien Harris, a senior, went for 107 yards against LSU, his second 100-yard game of the season as he has shared time with Najee Harris (84 carries, 572 yards) and Josh Jacobs (59 carries, 284 yards). Damien Harris has rushed 87 times for 542 yards, giving him 2,736 career yards to move into ninth place in school history.
SERIES HISTORY: Alabama leads Mississippi State 80-18-3 (after vacated games and forfeits). The Crimson Tide has won 10 in a row, including 31-24 last season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I think we’ve made some improvements. A lot of young players, a lot of guys that didn’t have a lot of experience. The knowledge and experience they’ve gained throughout the year has really helped their confidence and also playing together, communicating better, understanding the importance of those types of things and being a consistent unit where everybody’s sort of doing their job, and that’s going to give us the best opportunity to be successful.” — Coach Nick Saban, on his defense.
