Mississippi State’s run at the top is over. The Bulldogs suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of Alabama on Saturday, which will drop them from the top of the polls on Sunday. What did we learn in the 25-20 loss to the Crimson Tide? Here are five major points from the game.

  • Dak Prescott is not an elite-level passer. The former Heisman front runner had one of his worst throwing days of the season. While he did total 290 yards through the air, he was just 27-for-48 throwing the ball. His 3 INT were all damaging, especially the two in the second half. A third quarter pick short-circuited a promising drive, and a ball he couldn’t get high enough over the line of scrimmage ended the chances of a comeback.
  • Dan Mullen wasn’t up to par. In his biggest game as MSU’s head coach, Mullen flopped. State’s play calling in the first half was head scratching at best; the Bulldogs tried to line up and methodically run the ball right at Alabama, with little to no success. Even late, when Mississippi State had one last shot at a comeback, the Bulldogs weren’t moving with any tempo.
  • De’Runnya Wilson can be a go-to receiver. While Mississippi State’s offense struggled much of the day, Wilson had one of his best games of the season. While he was held out of the end zone on a slant route at the end of the first half, Wilson still had a career-high 8 catches while racking up 91 yards. Prescott threw to him in all kinds of situations, from out routes to balls over the middle.
  • This game wasn’t as close as the final score indicates. From the opening drive, it never felt like the Bulldogs had much of a chance. A safety in the first quarter proved to be a bad omen, as State’s running game struggled for the afternoon against a physical defensive front.
  • Shut down the run game and State struggles. This is a bit of a no-brainer, but it was brought to the national forefront on Saturday. Prescott was stymied for the entire first half, eventually breaking a couple of decent runs as the State offense finally began to resemble itself. Josh Robinson was unable to do anything with 13 carries, and State’s offense suffered because of it.