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What we learned: Smith ties Alabama record as Tide rolls over State
Nick Saban turned 69 on Saturday while Alabama’s defense appeared to turn the page on past problems. The Crimson Tide’s 41-0 win over Mississippi State didn’t offer any Halloween scares as Alabama now rides into its open week with its perfect season still intact.
Now that we’ve had enough time to process Alabama’s victory over Mississippi State, let’s break down what went right and what went wrong. Welcome back to Monday Morning Quarterback where we revisit key sequences, evaluate players and analyze trends in Alabama’s performance.
GOOD: Phidarian Mathis pass-rushing ability
On a night reserved for ghosts and ghouls, the scariest thing inside Bryant-Denny Stadium was the 6-foot-4, 312-pound monster in the middle of Alabama’s defensive line. Earning the start at nose guard, Phidarian Mathis registered a team-high 95.1 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus, tallying two tackles, a sack and two pass breakups with a quarterback hurry.
The nose guard position generally draws double coverage from the offensive line. However, Mathis’ sack Saturday came when he was matched up straight on against Mississippi State center Cole Smith.
Big mistake.
Mathis made easy work of the 6-foot-3, 305-pound lineman, punching past him at the line before charging into the backfield to chase down Bulldogs quarterback K.J. Costello for his first sack of the season. While the Alabama defensive lineman got to the quarterback just once on the night, he finished with a team-high 93.7 pass-rushing grade, the highest mark a Tide defender has registered this season.
BAD: Alabama’s penalties
Saban was fuming. With less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, the head coach ripped off his headset in anger after freshman defensive tackle Tim Smith was flagged for offsides on a fourth-and-1 to extend Mississippi State’s final drive.
Alabama had a 41-0 lead at that point, but the head coach didn’t care. Smith’s penalty was the Tide’s 10th of the night, the most it has been flagged all season. While that didn’t prove costly against an anemic Mississippi State offense, the Tide learned last season that those types of sloppy errors can prove costly in tighter matchups.
