SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 28, 2012
No. 1 Alabama 38, No. 12 Mississippi State 7: A.J. McCarron went 16-for-23 for 208 yards and two touchdowns and extended his school-record streak to 272 passes without an interception and the Crimson Tide got another dominant defensive effort to remain unbeaten with an impressive win over the visiting Bulldogs.
T.J. Yeldon rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown for Alabama (8-0, 5-0 SEC), which has won its first eight games by an average of 32.5 points heading into next week's SEC West showdown at No. 6 LSU.
The Bulldogs (7-1, 3-1) forced Alabama into three consecutive three-and-outs in the second quarter - the first time anyone has done so against the Crimson Tide since Texas in the 2010 BCS title game - but couldn't muster many more stops, nor any momentum on offense.
Mississippi State's best chance to get back in the game came in the third quarter, when the Bulldogs drove 97 yards from their own 2 before Robert Lester intercepted a Tyler Russell pass in the end zone to preserve a 24-0 Alabama lead.
The Bulldogs entered the game having scored at least 27 points in each game this season but managed only 256 total yards and didn't score until backup quarterback Dak Prescott's 2-yard touchdown pass to Robert Johnson with 4:39 left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Alabama, which led 24-0 at halftime, has scored at least 20 points in the first half of every game this season. … The Crimson Tide have won the past five meetings by a 155-34 margin and lead the series 75-18-3. … Alabama has allowed 300 total yards only once in its past 22 games.