Alabama 10-0 after 'great win' at Mississippi State

Alabama receiver Cam Sims lunges for more yardage during an 18-yard catch Saturday night at Mississippi State. Alabama won 31-24.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide won 31-24.
Alabama receiver Cam Sims lunges for more yardage during an 18-yard catch Saturday night at Mississippi State. Alabama won 31-24. The top-ranked Crimson Tide won 31-24.

Alabama has gone from dominant to resilient in recent weeks, but the victories keep piling up.

After opening the Southeastern Conference portion of their schedule with five wins by a combined 200 points, this month the Crimson Tide have outlasted LSU 24-10 and rallied past Mississippi State 31-24. Saturday night's triumph in Starkville was won on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith with 25 seconds remaining and sealed when Nick Fitzgerald's desperation heave as time expired sailed out of the back of the end zone.

"That was a great win for our team, and I think it was a great example of overcoming a lot of adversity," Alabama coach Nick Saban said Saturday night in a news conference. "We knew this game would be hard, and we talked about thriving in hard situations. At the end of the game, we did a couple of great things on offense, especially the last drive, and we got a couple of stops on defense when we needed to.

"Sometimes you win a game like this and it does a lot as far as everybody coming together."

Alabama improved to 10-0 overall and 7-0 in SEC play entering this week's nonconference game against visiting Mercer of the Southern Conference. The Tide remained No. 1 on Sunday in both major polls.

The Bulldogs entered the fourth quarter leading 21-17 and extended their advantage to 24-17 within the first minute of the period on a Jace Christmann 25-yard field goal. The Tide responded by erupting for 207 yards on 26 fourth-quarter plays that covered three possessions that ended with two touchdowns and a 41-yard Andy Pappanastos field-goal attempt that hit the left upright.

"Coming into this game, we knew this team was really good and that it would come down to a few plays," Alabama junior receiver Calvin Ridley said after his five-catch, 171-yard performance. "I knew I had to make plays and that my teammates would have to make plays. That was the toughest game we've had all year.

"We need to get healthy now."

Ridley had two catches for 46 yards in the fourth quarter, and the trio of Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs and Bo Scarbrough combined on nine carries for 94 yards in the final 15 minutes.

The Tide played Saturday night without four linebackers who are out for the season - Shaun Dion Hamilton, Terrell Lewis, Christian Miller and Mack Wilson. Their assistance could have been used against a Bulldogs attack that slowed its tempo and was bolstered by the 1-2 running punch of Fitzgerald and tailback Aeris Williams, who combined for 163 yards and three touchdowns.

Alabama lost starting guard Ross Pierschbacher to a high-ankle sprain, and he was scheduled to undergo an MRI Sunday, Saban said.

"We've had more games missed by starters this year than any time that I've ever been coaching, and not just at Alabama," Saban said. "It has a trickle-down effect. Other players are getting opportunities now, and what we need to focus on is how we can help them execute and be able to get better.

"They have the ability. What they don't have is the knowledge and experience. We have to help them gain that."

Tide tidbits

Hootie Jones had a career-high 10 tackles, while Rashaan Evans added nine with 2.5 tackles for loss. ... Alabama is 12-for-12 this season in fourth-down conversions.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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