Alabama common obstacle for No. 18 Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State slowly has raised its profile as a very good Southeastern Conference team during coach Dan Mullen’s nine-year tenure.

But there’s always been one consistent roadblock: Alabama.

No. 18 Mississippi State (7-2,

3-2 SEC, CFP No. 16) gets another chance to beat the top-ranked Crimson Tide (9-0, 6-0, CFP No. 2) on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State has lost nine straight to the Tide, including all eight under Mullen.

Alabama didn’t have much trouble with Mississippi State last season, winning 51-3. For the most part, the games haven’t been very close during the Tide’s current winning streak. The Bulldogs will have their hands full again Saturday; Alabama has won eight of its nine games this season by at least two touchdowns, including last week’s 24-10 win over Lousiana State.

Alabama’s defense has remained dominant despite several injuries, especially at linebacker. The Tide lost two more key linebackers — Shaun Dion Hamilton and Mack Wilson — in the LSU game. Hamil-

ton is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, while Wilson is out four to six weeks with a foot injury.

“We get to play them every year. We know them well,” Mullen said. “They’ve got explosive players all over the field. They’ve got one of the top defenses, if not the best defense, in the country coming at you with a lot of depth, rotating a lot of guys through.”

Mississippi State enters the game on a four-game winning streak. The Bulldogs’ only two losses this season came in September in back-to-back games against Georgia and Auburn.

“We are not going to underestimate Mississippi State,” Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans said. “Like I have been talking to you, the quarterback is a dual-threat quarterback. He can hurt you in so many different ways, and I feel like with a quarterback like that, I am sure he is a great leader on this team. You got to respect it.”