Alabama showed no signs of a hangover from last week’s physical road game against LSU, soundly thumping Mississippi State, 51-3, behind Jalen Hurts’ production and the team’s defense.

Alabama wanted to work on the passing game, especially since Mississippi State’s secondary isn’t particularly strong, and the Tide did so with great success. Hurts produced 447 yards of offense with 100 yards rushing and 347 yards passing. He had five of Alabama’s six touchdowns, passing for four touchdowns and rushing for one touchdown.

It was far from a perfect game for Hurts as he threw an interception and had a careless fumble. On the interception, Hurts had receiver ArDarius Stewart open but underthrew the ball, leading to the pick.

Earlier in the game, it appeared he missed Gehrig Dieter on a crossing route and Calvin Ridley for what likely would have been a touchdown. Despite missing Ridley on that play, he found him a few plays later for a 4-yard touchdown reception.

Stewart was the most productive receiver in the game with the most receptions (8), receiving yards (156) and receiving touchdowns (3). While he did receive good blocks on a shovel pass for a touchdown, Stewart’s speed and athleticism were evident in allowing him to race to the end zone on the 67-yard score.

Alabama’s running back corps isn’t completely healthy, so giving the group some rest in this game should prove beneficial. Bo Scarbrough should return for the Iron Bowl, but his knee, currently supported by a brace, needs rest. Damien Harris was healthy enough to play but appeared to be less than 100 percent. B.J. Emmons is out indefinitely. For this game, Hurts and Joshua Jacobs produced enough in the running game to carry Alabama in combination with the passing game. Jacobs had a 43-yard run, displaying his impressive vision, cutting past defenders to make it upfield.

Defensively, Alabama continued to show several major strengths and its major weakness. The unit played well on key third and fourth downs and contained Mississippi State’s running game for the most part. After rushing for 365 yards last week against Texas A&M, Mississippi State was held to just 94 rushing yards by Alabama.

The team did allow a few big completions, notably a 41-yard gain in the first half that could have resulted in a field goal, but kicker Westin Graves missed the 47-yard attempt.

Anthony Averett has progressed considerably since the start of the season and had a number of big passes broken up, although he was flagged for obvious defensive pass interference.

The defense applied pressure on Fitzgerald throughout the game. A few times in the game, it was clear Fitzgerald was shaken up by all of the hits he suffered throughout the game. Ryan Anderson had a key sack of Fitzgerald on Mississippi State’s lone scoring drive of the game. His sack on 2nd-and-6 moved MSU back to a much more challenging 3rd-and-16.

Hurts’ mistakes and the secondary giving up big plays, those two things remain a concern for the top-ranked team in the country with a talented Auburn team looming. However, overall, Alabama looks impressive with a stifling defense and plenty of talented playmakers on offense.

Alabama entered this game as a huge favorite for a reason, and it took care of business while the others in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings did not.