Rapid Reaction: No. 2 Alabama survives upset bid on Hurts' late TD pass
Auburn’s evening couldn’t have started any better.
Minutes after the Tigers put the finishing touches on No. 1 Georgia, Mississippi State took a 7-0 lead on No. 2 Alabama.
No doubt, the drinks were flowing, but that’s when the SEC’s lead bartender rang the bell. Last call was coming, just later than expected.
A whole lot later.
Jalen Hurts hit DeVonta Smith on the game-winning touchdown with 26 seconds left, allowing No. 2 Alabama to survive 31-24.
But it’s the how and why that play was necessary that held the nation’s attention most of Saturday night.
Alabama hadn’t trailed since falling behind Texas A&M 3-0 a month ago. Damien Harris erased that in one play.
Clearly, the Tide are slipping. They needed four plays to go 75 yards and tie the score in Starkville.
Then they fell behind again. Same way, too: another touchdown run from Aeris Williams. That was Mississippi State’s second rushing touchdown of the first half, just one shy of matching the total rushing TDs Alabama had allowed all season.
This time, they needed five plays to go 75 yards and tie the score again.
A strange first half it was: not only did MSU rush for the two touchdowns, Nick Fitzgerald completed two passes for 20 yards or more. He ranked just 10th in the SEC in that area entering the game.
But it was even stranger when Alabama had it. Jalen Hurts threw for 151 yards in the opening half — 124 of it going to Calvin Ridley on two long catch-and-runs. Hurts’ season-high in the SEC was a modest 198 against Tennessee. Ridley’s first-half yardage topped his season-high by 32 yards.
Oh, and that vaunted Bama run game, the one that entered the game ranked No. 9 in the country? It was held to 40 yards on 16 tough carries.
Reasons for concern?
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— Michael Casagrande (@ByCasagrande) November 12, 2017
The second half was more of the same, only this time Mississippi State erased an early deficit when Fitzgerald bulled his way over from the 2-yard line to take a 21-17 lead.
They stretched that lead to 24-17 early in the fourth quarter.
Then Alabama responded with perhaps its signature drive of the season: 10 plays, 82 yards, capped by Damien Harris’ 14-yard touchdown.
That game-tying score was only possible because of Hurts, who converted a 4th-and-4 with a 13-yard scramble.
Alabama’s defense finally held — what an odd statement — forcing Dan Mullen into a decision on 4th-and-3 at Alabama’s 42-yard line.
Mississippi State punted, giving Hurts and Co. another shot.
Alabama went to work immediately. Five consecutive runs pushed the ball to Mississippi State’s 31. A pass interference gave Bama 1st-and-10 at the 16, but the Bulldogs stiffened, stuffing Hurts multiple times to set up a 42-yard field goal attempt.
Andy Pappanastos’ kick clanked off the left upright, keeping the score tied at 24 with just over two minutes left.
MSU took over, but went nowhere.
Overtime seemed imminent.
Then Hurts hit Ridley, again, moving the ball across midfield. A costly sack pushed the Tide back into their territory.
Knowing a blitz was coming, Bama dialed up a slant to Ridley over the middle. Ridley took it 31 yards to the 26.
On the next play, Hurts hit Smith for another slant. Smith broke one tackle, spun and ran for a game-winning touchdown.
Alabama survived.
And now the entire state can celebrate the fact that the Iron Bowl is a mere two weeks away.
Difference between the Tide and any other team in football, they don’t get blown out and they find a way to win
Heck of a game MSU. I know you lost but you got to be proud of that effort. MSU played hard all game and your coaches had a great game plan to keep the sticks.moving and keep Bama’s offense off the field… heck of a game.
Dam ole Bama just don’t turn the ball over, figured if we could get 1 or 2 we could find a way to win it. Hard fought win right there, we just couldn’t keep em out the end zone in the last minutes
I was surprised Fitz didn’t turn it over… I thought for sure we would get a pick but it was and excellent game plan and play calling Mullen
No doubt the opportunity was there, y’all just missed a few and we got lucky a time or 2
Hail State. It was nice to watch a game on my feet for the last play. First time since Tampa last year. Well done Dawgs.
We gave em hell just came up short . Was a Good game, had my corn hole so tight I couldn’t break a breeze
Bama
The win had absolutely nothing to do with your backward uneducated sidewalk alum a$$
Backwards. If you are going to insult us please at least spell correctly hill billy boy.
Hillbilly is one word.
Ever heard of function? Dumba$$…
LMAO… Punctuation not function.
Bama
You did not graduate from the University of Alabama. You should never comment on anything to do with the University…ever!
Based on that logic you shouldn’t comment on any collegiate sport because looking at your post history I am not sure you finished highschool.
As your boy says…”Strggle Win”!!! Not impressed!!! My Gamecocks would kick your ass 6 ways to Sunday!!! Y’all SUCK!!!
Like you did TAMU?… 10-0…
Your limp cocks would be killed by MSU and Bama
We would kick your butts like we did last time we played y’all!!!
That was 7 years ago…. man you’re reaching
You are a punk.
I hope you replied to the wrong person, because you sure are mistaken if that was directed to me.
Steven Garcia even tried giving the game away and we still spanked your butts!!!
You sure are proud of that win… What did SC win that year?
How did you like getting your ass kicked last time we played y’all?
Coming from a fan of a team that allowed Florida to stay in the game, pathetic.
The kind of punk that gets messed up in Prison. And you know it.
There’s a chunk in the armor! Uh oh time to get scared! Are we really as good as we think we are?! Just wish you were coming to Columbia next week. Let’s play an extra game so we can spank your behinds! Think Saban is up for it?
LMAO…
It’s past your bedtime. Drink some warm titty milk and go to sleep.
This jabroni right here bahahahaha
Ignorance is bliss boy!
Heck of a game. MSU gave em about all they could take. As usual, Hurts was cool under pressure with the gm on the line. Looks like it’ll be the Iron Bowl for all the marbles in the West. I know one thing, given the way Aub looked today, the Tide better get healthier in a hurry.
One hell of a game by MSU, if there’s ever a time for a moral victory, then this is it. I hope we got our shi**y defense out of our system in time so we can beat Auburn comfortably, but I have a feeling that it will be a similar game.
I hope we get rid of whatever bug struck us today, and we work out the kinks against Mercer. Roll Tide and good luck to the rest of your season MSU!
So close. Definitely one helluva game. Next year in Ttown should be another.
The coaches lost this game at the end for MSU. That was horrible time management and play calling at the end. He should have ran the ball instead of passing the ball in that situation. I’m not even a coach and even I know a running situation when I see one. And don’t get me started on that blitz they shouldn’t have called. All and all the team preformed way better than I expected but Dan Mullen and Todd lost this game.
Coaches are a lot of the reason we had a shot in the first place. Having to waste two timeouts in the third sucked but better to burn a timeout than take the penalty at the time.
I mean, I didn’t mind the timeouts being called. I understood that. I just hated the passing play on an obvious running down and that last play Todd called that allowed the last Bama touchdown. Other than those two plays, I thought we played well, especially against a team who everyone was saying was going to blow us out before the first quarter was in the books.
Dude, the coaches did what they had to. State doesn’t have the depth to go wide open for 4 quarters against the depth AL has. That’s why they slowed the game down. They did damn good.They were tired at the end. Alabama’s depth meant they were not quite as tired. All considered, a damn good effort. Next year. Any time I see this much fear and fatigue in coach Nick I’m almost as happy as I can be.
Alabama is a fares!!! When you are 3 deep in 5* players at every position and have the best coach in college football history it should never be this close!!! Y’all suck!!! I just wish we played y’all this year!! We would kick your ass like the last time we played y’all. Not impressed!!!! Y’all suck and will lose if you get the chance to play for the championship! Get out of the way because the Gamecocks are going to take over!!!
Why are you even on this article? Didnt you guys just struggle with Florida at home?
Not as much as y’all did with mighty Miss St! Y’all are sooo disappointing! With the talent y’all have it’s just a bad taste!!! “Struggle In”!!!
Lol… how many interceptions did Bentley throw?… Florida is horrible
OR maybe it’s was this close because MSU is far better than most people expected and gave Alabama the best game they had so far.
get real. Bama would smoke USC. To be honest I’m pretty confident my Tigers would kick your ass right now.
Haaa! That’s classic!!! We would love another “W” for bowl consideration!!
We got beat by Deebo, when we were playing like crap back in week 2. Neither of those things are a factor right now.
Oh.. ok, like we haven’t gotten better this season. We still beat y’all without our best receiver and running back.
You’re what second in the east?… The west is destroying the east this year…
Just ignore it, it might go away.
Lol….I think this guy is really an Ohio State Suckeye in disguise….or Steve Spurrier bored outa his gourd….
Even though it’s an L, Hail State. Best game this year.
Great game State! I was impressed with the fight in y’all and your offense and defense is legit.
Proud of Alabama finding ways to win. Knowing the rest of the world is salivating to see you lose is quite a bit of pressure. I imagine Mr. Wright had already had a separate article being composed and ready to post it as soon as the bulldogs did pull of the unimaginable victory. Nonetheless, Bama continues to win. In fact I think if any other team faced the injuries the Tide has they wouldn’t have beat a quality team like MSU. Credit Dan Mullen and company but how about remember how MISS St. looked last weekend. They obviously were preparing for the Tide for a solid two weeks. I don’t blame them but at the same time give Alabama the credit they deserve. Georgia collapsed under the weight of being #1 cause Auburn smelt blood and Georgia realized it could blood. Much like Rocky vs the Russian “he’s cut”. Ohio State got throttled by Iowa. I-O-W-A. Take a moment to think of the pandemonium that would have taken place if that was Bama and Iowa was MSU. It’s the media, the rat poison, who look for, going to use a creepy word here, juicy, storyline to write about. In ten years from now everybody will look back at the dynasty Alabama has and you will never, EVER, see another like it. College football has too much parody. Therefore, quit wishing for the moment the Tide falter and the dynasty fades and appreciate the best damn thing the sport has ever seen. Write about the greatness more often and less about the flaws. Cause every other team has more flaws than Bama and yet every where you look, college game day, SDS, ESPN, etc it’s all about the things Alabama can’t do or the things they hope Alabama doesn’t do. Roll…Tide! Made this a long post, cause it’s my last one. See you all, LSUMC, that retard bluechip or another Tenn guy, Mountain dog, and the mysteries #17…Rammer jammer baby!
Close games happen and bama has them.every season. We tend to swing one way or the other to often based on one game as a fan…. In CFB each game is really it’s on result. Look at whats happened this season . Auburn beat UGA but lost to LSU who got beat by troy… You never know whats gonna happen in a game and a win is a win at the end of the day.
There are no moral victories. We had a good opportunity and couldn’t close the deal. Just as Nick said there are things that need to be fixed, same is true for MSU. Same breakdowns in coverage, same dealing with injuries. Difference is Bama got it done, State is still missing talent at a couple of key positions and didn’t get it done.
As long as Mullen stays, we will expect to be in these games and expect to start winning them more and more.
And you’ll always lose because Mullen can’t win a big game.
That’s not true. Mullen has done a lot for MSU. In the years he has been there MSU has been competitive in MOST of its games. MSU isn’t a tradition power house and Mullen definitely has them going the right way.
Don’t even bother. He’s just a troll that has nothing good to say, especially about MSU. We could have won this game and he would have still said something negative about MSU.
Yeah I’m a “troll” because I give you facts you don’t want to hear. Mullen can’t win big games. Sorry about your feelings
Oh I remember you. You had an Ole Miss avatar originally, talked a ton of trash, then changed it to the SEC logo and then claimed you weren’t an Ole Miss fan.
As if nobody was going to notice.
Oh, you haven’t bothered my feelings. I have to first value your “facts” or whatever you want to call them first before that happens. I always figured we would probably lose this game so it was expected. Try again. lol
Hahaha no you state educated moron. He had a similar name as me but I figured you’re on the border line of mentally handicapped because you went to State you wouldn’t be able to tell. I went to a far more prestigious school than any of you inbreds and I wouldn’t be caught dead in that incest pool of a state
I love how you can’t dispute my facts because you know I’m right hahaha. I hope Dan stay at that pathetic school. They’ll always be average as long as he’s there and you’ll never win a big game
No, I just have better things to do than to waste my time arguing with a troll over a college football game. You can think whatever you want and bash MSU all you want. I don’t really care and I’m pretty sure no one else cares.
Bama won and we lost. Okay. That’s in the past now and it’s time to move on to Arkansas.
Again still can’t deny my facts. Haha this is hilarious
The facts are that you’re sitting here arguing on the internet like an idiot.
The old saying goes, “Arguing on the internet is like running in the special olympics. You may win, but you’re still retarded.”
Hahahahaha. You STILL can’t dispute them because you know I’m right. This is pathetic. I love when moronic fans start to realize they’re wrong
Not to mention the injuries we suffered earlier in the game. Regardless of how I feel about the ending, I can’t complain too much because we still played an A+ game and lead most of the game vs mighty Alabama. Hopefully we can learn from this and try to complete with them next year in T-Town.
Yeah and Bama had pretty much all their linebacking corp injured. Haha that’s why you’ll never win a big game because you make excuses
Yeah. As proud as I am of the effort, in the end it’s still a loss. To be taken seriously State has to start winning some of the games it’s not supposed to win. Almost is still a loss.
Not all losses are the same though. MSU can build off of this. What is UT supposed to do with their’s?
Hats off to Bama. Man, it’s hard to go undefeated in the SEC but they just keep rolling. State did play a heck of a game though.
Wise Auburn fans had to know that Alabama losing to Miss State would NOT be good for them. Their resume has to be built on beating two #1’s if they are to have a chance to get into the playoffs. Alabama falling to #5 or #6 after a loss to state would have been a disaster for Auburn’s chances.
Not really. Whoever wins the SEC is in.
Great game, great atmosphere! State played really well. Mullen had a smart game plan. Alabama finished the game, State didn’t. Bama’s big game experience helped them (and their jimmys and joes) SEC West has so many good teams.
Enjoyed the game immensely even if the final outcome hurt. It was a huge effort for MSU but in the end Alabama showed why they are Alabama. Looks like Auburn could be a tough test, though, especially at Jordan-Hare.
As far as coaching criticisms go, Mullen and Grantham made great calls that supported really good strategy all night. But not every play call works out. That’s true for any coach in any game. The entire MSU coaching staff deserves nothing but praise for the way they prepared the team and the game plan. Congrats to the Tide faithful for a big win against a highly motivated team in a very hostile environment. And on a weekend whey anything could (and did) happen.
Great game! Congrats to both teams.