The biggest storyline for Saturday's Ohio State at Michigan State game is whether the visiting Buckeyes can snap out of their recent slumber and remain in the hunt for a Big Ten championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
From a historic angle, the matchup will mark a 20-year anniversary of Nick Saban guiding the Spartans to Ohio State and pulling off a 28-24 upset of the No. 1 Buckeyes. That result opened the door for Tennessee to claim the top spot in the rankings and go on to the 1998 national championship, and it also resulted in the biggest victory Saban experienced during his five seasons in East Lansing.
"There are certain games that you play, whether you're an assistant coach or head coach, that you always seem to remember," Saban, who has been at Alabama since the 2007 season, said Wednesday during the SEC coaches teleconference. "Obviously they were No. 1 in the country, and we were kind of a .500 team going to Ohio State late in the year and got behind in the game like 17-7 or even 17-3 or something.
"Our guys just kept playing in the game, made a lot of plays, came back and won. You never forget that, and it's one that will stick with you for a long time."
Ohio State indeed jumped out to a 17-3 lead after the first quarter, and a 73-yard interception return for a touchdown by Buckeyes safety Damon Moore at the 9:51 mark of the third quarter put the Spartans in a 24-9 hole. Yet behind 323 passing yards by Bill Burke, 125 receiving yards by Plaxico Burress and a whopping five field goals by Paul Edinger, Michigan State somehow rallied for victory, closing the game on a 19-0 run.
The Spartans went 6-5-1, 6-6 and 7-5 in Saban's first three seasons leading them, and the stunning of Ohio State was the highlight of a 6-6 fourth year. Though the upset did not affect the stretch run in 1998, it did help catapult the Spartans to a 9-2 record and a No. 9 ranking at the end of the 1999 regular season.
Saban left for LSU after that regular season, and Michigan State went on to beat Florida 37-34 in the Citrus Bowl.
"We had been having an up-and-down year," Saban said of the 1998 win at Ohio State, "and it did a lot to grow the confidence of the team and certainly our confidence as a coaching staff to be able to play and compete against really good teams. I think it had something to do with us continuing to be able to build the program there."
Acrobatic Ruggs
Alabama sophomore receiver Henry Ruggs had four catches for 55 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter of the Crimson Tide's 29-0 win at LSU last Saturday night.
Among his receptions was a one-handed snag that quickly made its way to highlight packages.
"It was a great catch, no doubt," Saban said. "Henry has been a really valuable player for us, and he's made a lot of explosive plays. It was great to see at that moment, because we needed it.
"It kept us going offensively early in the game."
Tide tidbits
The Tide held their second full-pads practice of the week Wednesday, working for two hours at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. Sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been named one of 16 semifinalists for the 2018 Davey O'Brien Award. Alabama has played Mississippi State more than any other opponent and leads the series 80-18-3.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.