Dan Mullen calls last-second Alabama loss ‘frustrating’ as players ‘played tails off’
By Keith Farner
Published:
Dan Mullen’s Mississippi State team nearly pulled off an upset against visiting Alabama, but a last-second touchdown gave the Crimson Tide a 31-24 victory.
The Bulldogs dropped to 7-3 and 3-3 in the SEC as Nick Fitzgerald completed 13-of-24 passes for 158 yards, and he had 66 rushing yards and a TD.
The deciding score was a 26-yard touchdown from Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith with 25 seconds remaining.
Mullen noted a huge game from Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, who had five catches for 171 yards.
Mullen said Calvin Ridley was hands down the best player on the field tonight. “He made the plays to win the game.”
— Robby Donoho III (@RobbyDonoho) November 12, 2017
I asked Mullen if they did everything they could to win: “No. We didn’t. We had lapses & if those don’t happen then we probably win.”
— Robby Donoho III (@RobbyDonoho) November 12, 2017
Mullen: “It’s frustrating. Our guys played their tails off. Alabama is the No. 1 team in the country for a reason. We’ll get another shot at them next year.”
— Robby Donoho III (@RobbyDonoho) November 12, 2017
Mullen says MSU did a good job controlling tempo. "Just didn't get enough points there at the end."
— Bob Carskadon (@bobcarskadon) November 12, 2017
Mullen says MSU gave up too many explosives plays on defense, but credits Alabama's players for that.
— Bob Carskadon (@bobcarskadon) November 12, 2017
Mullen: "Frustrating. Our guys played their tails off. Played hard for 60 minutes."
— Bob Carskadon (@bobcarskadon) November 12, 2017
Mullen: "Thanks a lot to our fans. They did an incredible job giving us a home field advantage … That's what it needs to be like every Saturday."
— Bob Carskadon (@bobcarskadon) November 12, 2017
Mullen congratulated the MSU fans in attendance: “If our fans keep turning out like they did tonight, they will have a Championship.”
— Robby Donoho III (@RobbyDonoho) November 12, 2017
Mullen: “Our guys love winning. Every loss is tough. When you lose, you feel awful. But you wake up tomorrow and you find a way to win next week.”
— Robby Donoho III (@RobbyDonoho) November 12, 2017
Mullen thanking Veterans. “We live in the greatest country in the world. We couldn’t go out there and play without them.” Ends presser with that & a HailState.
— Robby Donoho III (@RobbyDonoho) November 12, 2017
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
