If the Bulldogs were ever going to have a chance to upset the Crimson Tide on the road they were going to have to come out swinging. Mississippi State was able to drive the ball into Alabama territory twice in the first quarter, but the results were less than ideal: a missed field goal and a turnover on downs.
Ardarious Stewart busted a sweep past the front seven for a 67 yard touchdown to put Alabama up 17-0. Mississippi State’s answering drive ended in yet another incomplete pass on fourth down. Any momentum that the Bulldogs were carrying from last week came to a swift end in Tuscaloosa.