BULLDOGS, INDEED
Mississippi State falls at Alabama, but team hangs tough to show it’s still worthy of playoff talk
When Alabama opened a 19-0 lead on No. 1 Mississippi State on a touchdown run by Derrick Henry on Saturday, many observers surely believed the No. 5 Crimson Tide were rolling toward a blowout victory and prime position in the race to the fourteam College Football Playoff.
My mind went straight to a similar scene in Tuscaloosa four seasons ago.
Might the unbeaten Bulldogs be prepared to unleash a comeback reminiscent of the one unbeaten Auburn staged in 2010? Led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, that Tigers team stormed back from a 24-0 secondquarter deficit and won 28-27, setting the stage for a national title.
As his defense tightened the screws on Alabama, Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott — the 2014 version of Newton (or Tim Tebow, if you prefer) in the Southeastern Conference— slowly began to bring his team back. It was 19-3, then 19-6, then 19-13 after a touchdown pass from Prescott to Fred Ross in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
It looked doable, maybe even probable. But the Tide didn’t let it happen. They answered with a backbreaking 15-play, 76-yard touchdown drive and held on for a 25-20 victory, leaving both teams at 9-1 and a college-football superpower in the driver’s seat in the ferocious SEC West.
‘‘It was one of the greatest drives in Alabama history, probably,’’ coach Nick Saban said.
Alabama is securely among the top four, to be sure, because of it. But what happens now to the Bulldogs? That’s the question as this first playoff season moves toward its crescendo.
If the Tide can weather a loss to Ole Miss, if No. 2 Oregon can withstand a defeat at home against Arizona, if TCU can rise to No. 4 despite falling short at Baylor, then why shouldn’t Mississippi State be allowed a wrong-way result on the home turf of the most dominant program in the sport?
Prescott had an up-and-down outing, passing for 290 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 82 yards but also throwing three interceptions, including one in the red zone in the fourth quarter. But what about that Bulldogs defense, which held Alabama’s offense far below its typical output? What about that comeback, when most teams— most good teams — would’ve caved in such an intimidating environment?
Mississippi State has a layup next against Vanderbilt before a giant Egg Bowl on Nov. 29 at Ole Miss. If the Bulldogs finish 11-1, who’s going to argue they aren’t one of the best four teams in the land?
‘‘We should feel awful,’’ Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. ‘‘You should have a sickness in your stomach.
‘‘We should embrace this feeling to make sure this feeling doesn’t happen again. We’ll feel sick tonight, but then we’ll get over it. Except for being undefeated, every goal is still ahead of us.’’
Which is as it should be. Mullen’s team isn’t as good as Auburn was in 2010. Turns out nobody else is, either. Defending champ Florida State has been a shadow of its 2013 self, struggling through ugly starts and ceaseless off-field negativity. Every other title contender has come out on the short end at least once.
All the Bulldogs did wrong was lose a tough one in Tuscaloosa. Even the Tide can respect that.