Our staff at BamaInsider.com will provide coverage all week long between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Mississippi State. Kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. CT this Saturday from Starville, Mississippi, TV is ESPN.
Nick Saban Presser before Mississippi State
WEDNESDAY INSIDER REPORT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala., — Alabama worked outside Wednesday as it held its third practice in preparation for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State. Players were dressed in full pads and worked under sunny, 48-degree weather. Here are some notes from the media viewing period.
— For a second straight day, Tua Tagovailoa (ankle) was dressed in full pads while wearing running shoes. Wednesday, the left-hander was able to do a little bit more as he threw a few passes early in the viewing period. Although, for the most part, Tagovailoa was still limited in front of the media.
“He’s got soreness in his ankle from playing in the game,” head coach Nick Saban said earlier in the day during the SEC teleconference. “Just like a lot of players this time of year, you’ve got to manage the practice. You’ve got to manage the reps. Just like last week, it’ll probably be a game-time decision as to whether he can or can’t play. I don’t even know for sure if he’ll be able to practice fully today. We expect him to be able to do some things, but we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s just kind of day-to-day.”
— Trevon Diggs still has a brace on his left leg but seemed to be moving fine during positional drills with the defensive backs.
— Anfernee Jennings has a big brace on his left leg but was able to participate in drills with the outside linebackers.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Mississippi State by the numbers
Alabama by the numbers
559 — Alabama allowed 559 total yards against LSU, the most it has given up since the 2014 Iron Bowl when it allowed Auburn to rack up 630 yards.
200 — DeVonta Smith became just the second player to record multiple 200-yard receiving games for Alabama, reeling in seven receptions for 213 yards and two touchdowns against LSU last week. The junior previously set the Crimson Tide’s single-game record with 274 yards and five touchdowns on 11 receptions against Ole Miss. Amari Cooper is the only other Alabama player to record multiple 200-yard games through the air, reaching the mark three times during the 2014 season.
169 — Alabama held Mississippi State to 169 yards of total offense during last year’s 24-0 victory inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. It marked the 50th time the Crimson Tide has held an opponent to under 200 yards since the start of the 2008 season.
25 — According to head coach Nick Saban, Alabama had 25 missed tackles against LSU.
11 — Alabama has won its past 11 games against Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide’s last loss to the Bulldogs came in 2007 when it suffered a 17-12 defeat in Starkville, Miss.
Mississippi State by the numbers
640 — Mississippi State recorded 640 yards of total offense during its 54-24 victory over Arkansas two weeks ago. That total marked a school record for most in an SEC game. The Bulldogs also ran for 460 yards against the Razorbacks, marking another single-game school record in conference play.
384 — Over his past two games, Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill has rushed for a combined 384 yards, the most in the nation through Weeks 9 and 10.
217 — Mississippi State ranks third in the SEC and No. 22 nationally averaging 217.0 rushing yards per game. Alabama ranks No. 33 nationally, giving up 131.67 yards per game on the ground.
5 — Mississippi State receiver Osirus Mitchell has five touchdown catches of 20 or more yards this season, which is tied for second nationally and most in the SEC.
3 — Three of Mississippi State’s eight 600-yard games in school history have come during head coach Joe Moorhead’s two seasons with the Bulldogs. Moorhead has led Mississippi State to a 12-10 record over his first 22 games.
Tuesday Insider report: Tua does not throw during media availability
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama moved indoors Tuesday as it took part in its second practice in preparation for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State. Players were dressed in full pads for the workout. Here are some notes from the media viewing period.
— Tua Tagovailoa (ankle) was present at practice but wasn’t doing much. He stood to the side looking over what appeared to be a playbook with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian as the rest of the quarterbacks took part in drills. Mac Jones led the unit followed by Taulia Tagovailoa and Paul Tyson.
— Trevon Diggs was also limited during the workout. The senior wore a brace on his left leg and did not take part in drills with the rest of the defensive backs.
— Jerome Ford did not practice with the rest of the running backs during practice but rejoined the unit when it moved into team drills. Najee Harris led the backs followed by Brian Robinson Jr., Keilan Robinson and Chadarius Townsend.
Monday Insider Report: Tua gets the day off, plus Trey Sanders spotting
TUSCALOOSA, Ala., — Alabama worked outside Monday as it held its first practice in preparation for Saturday’s game at Mississippi. State. Players were dressed in shirts and shorts and worked under cloudy, 64-degree weather. Here are some notes from the media viewing period.
— Tua Tagovailoa (ankle) was not present during the viewing period. Earlier in the day, head coach Nick Saban said the team would likely keep the starting quarterback out a day before starting him up on Tuesday.
“He’s a little sore, as to be expected,” Saban said. “We did all the medical research that you could do on him to find out if he did any damage or hurt himself in any way, shape or form, and he did not. So we’ll manage the soreness. We may give him a day off today and sort of start him back tomorrow a little bit. We’ll just have to manage it day to day and he should respond each and every week. The situation that he’s in is very much expected, and he doesn’t have any further issues.”
— Running back Trey Sanders (foot) and Joshua McMillon (knee) were both inside on the stationary bikes. Both are still expected to be out for the year.
Nick Saban previews Miss. State, talks tackling against LSU
Podcast: Making sense of Alabama's loss
Alabama announces players of the week
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama coaches selected six players of the week following the Crimson Tide’s top-five matchup with then-No. 2/1/2 LSU last Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Najee Harris and DeVonta Smith on offense; Anfernee Jennings, Jared Mayden and Xavier McKinney on defense; and Jaylen Waddle on special teams all earned the recognition for their play against the Tigers.
Najee Harris
DeVonta Smith
Jared Mayden
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