No. 7/7 Alabama Races Past No. 16/16 Mississippi State, 56-23

Saturday, October 3

Starkville, Miss.

11 a.m. CT

Alabama

5-0 , 3-0

Mississippi State

4-1 , 2-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Alabama	14	14	14	14	56
Mississippi St.	7	10	6	0	23

Alabama Wide Receiver Rico Scott (7) catches the ball in the endzone against MSU at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, MS on Saturday, Oct 3, 2026.

No. 7/7 Alabama Races Past No. 16/16 Mississippi State, 56-23

10/3/2026 4:25:00 PM | Football

Box Score Game Book Photo Gallery

STARKVILLE, Miss. - No. 7/7 Alabama football (5-0, 3-0 SEC) claimed victory in its first ranked matchup of this season, cruising to a 56-23 win over No. 16/16 Mississippi State (4-1, 2-1 SEC) inside Davis Wade Stadium.

The Crimson Tide gained 483 yards of offense, scoring a pair of touchdowns in each of the four quarters to reach the half-century mark for the second time this season. Keelon Russell totaled 301 yards of offense and four touchdowns on the afternoon, including 285 yards and three touchdowns on 16-of-22 passing. The quarterback also found the end zone on a 17-yard scramble.

A pair of Tide players scored two touchdowns each on the day, with Trae'shawn Brown twice finding the end zone on the ground and Rico Scott scoring on a pair of receptions. Brown led UA with 66 yards rushing on 14 carries, closely followed by EJ Crowell at 49 yards on three attempts. Six different receivers hauled in multiple receptions, led by Lotzeir Brooks with 96 yards on four catches.

The Alabama defense forced Mississippi State into four turnovers, leading to 21 points for the Tide. Dijon Lee Jr. returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown in the opening quarter to set the tone, with Caleb Woodson also tallying a pick. London Simmons and Zabien Brown each recovered fumbles in the contest, with Simmons also forcing the takeaway on the opening drive of the game.

Freshman Xavier Griffin was the Tide's leading tackler, posting nine stops and one sack with a quarterback hurry. Luke Metz finished the contest with seven tackles, including 0.5 for loss and Bray Hubbard was close behind with six stops and forced fumble. Simmons helped UA post its highest TFL (9) and sack (5) tally of the season, leading the way with 1.5 in each category.

Notes

Alabama now holds an 89-17-3 (86-18-3 NCAA) advantage in the all-time series with Mississippi State. The 109 meetings and 89 wins are both the most for the Crimson Tide against a single opponent.
With the victory, the Tide has defeated Bulldogs 17 consecutive games dating back 2007.
Since the start of 2008, UA is 89-26 against teams ranked inside the Associated Press Top 25.
Kalen DeBoer holds 21 wins against ranked opponents since the start of 2021, the second-most by an active FBS head coach in that span (Kirby Smart, 26).
DeBoer is now 5-1 in true road games against AP top 25 teams as Alabama's head coach. In his time as an FBS head coach, DeBoer is now 10-2 on the road against ranked teams.
In ranked-on-ranked matchups, DeBoer is now 17-5 as an FBS head coach.
Alabama's 56 points are the most scored against a homestanding ranked opponent in regulation in SEC history.
The Tide has scored at least 45 points in each of its first five games for the second time in school history and for the first time since 2018.
The Crimson Tide has gained over 400 yards of offense in 82 of its last 115 games, including in four of five games this season.
The 33-point margin of victory is Alabama's second largest in a conference game under Kalen DeBoer (34, vs. Missouri, Oct. 26, 2024).
Alabama has scored 17 of its 28 offensive touchdowns on the ground. The Tide is only four rushing touchdowns away from matching last season's total.
The Crimson Tide recorded five sacks in the game, its highest output this season.
UA held the Bulldogs to 18 yards rushing, the fourth time in five games that the Tide defense has given up fewer than 100 yards on the ground.
Alabama scored on all seven of its trips to the red zone today, moving to 26-of-26 on the season. The Tide found the end zone on all of its drives that went inside the 20-yard line and now sit at 22 red zone touchdowns this season.
Alabama held Mississippi State to six points in the second half, outscoring the Bulldogs, 28-6, over the final two quarters. This season, UA is outscoring its opponents, 108-32, in the second half, including 62-16 in the fourth quarter.
The Crimson Tide scored a touchdown on its opening drive for the first time this season. UA has won 64 of its last 66 games when finding the end zone on its first possession of the game.
The Tide scored touchdowns on its final six completed drives of the game, including all five in the second half. Alabama has now scored on every completed drive of a half three times this season.
Alabama has now totaled eight interceptions through the first five games this season. The Crimson Tide's eight picks match the most it has forced through five games since 2017 (8).
UA forced four turnovers (two fumbles, two interceptions) on the afternoon, the most for Alabama since Sept. 28, 2024, against Georgia. The Crimson Tide has recorded at least three takeaways in three of five games this season.
The Tide has forced 12 turnovers through its first five games, the most for the program since 2019 (11).
Alabama has returned an interception for a touchdown in four of five games this season. UA's four defensive touchdowns this season leads the FBS.
The Tide's four pick-sixes this season are tied for the second-most in program history, matching totals from 1995, 2015 and 2018. Only the 2016 team (6) has returned more interceptions for touchdowns in a single season.
The Tide has now scored 50 defensive touchdowns since 2015 and have forced at least one turnover in 139 of 159 contests across that span.
Alabama has forced 13 turnovers and four turnovers on downs this season. The Crimson Tide has scored from those takeaways 14 times and gone into victory formation twice. In total, the Tide has converted its 13 turnovers into 66 points and its four turnovers on downs into 25 points.
Ryan Coleman-Williams has scored 16 career receiving touchdowns, tying him for ninth all-time at Alabama with Ozzie Newsome (1974-77).
Coleman-Williams has scored a touchdown in each of his last three games. It is the first the junior has scored in three or more consecutive contests since 2024 (5).
Trae'shawn Brown scored multiple touchdowns in a game for the first time in his career. The freshman has scored a touchdown in four of the first five games of his collegiate career.
Rico Scott hauled in multiple touchdown receptions for the first time in his career. He is the second Tide wideout with two scores in a game this season, joining Coleman-Williams.
Dijon Lee Jr. totaled his first game with at least 100 all-purpose yards, reaching the century mark with 70 return yards from punts and kickoffs and 30 yards from his pick-six.

How It Happened

First Quarter

9:41 - UA | London Simmons recovered a fumble on game's first possession, setting up Alabama with a short field for a six-play, 48-yard drive. Keelon Russell found Ryan Coleman-Williams for a 15-yard reception and the first touchdown of the contest. (7-0, Alabama)
8:30 - UA | Three plays later, Dijon Lee Jr. intercepted a pass from Kamario Taylor and returned it 30 yards to the end zone. (14-0, Alabama)
3:26 - MSU | MSU got on the board via a two-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to Anthony Evans III to complete a 12-play, 75-yard drive. (14-7, Alabama)

Second Quarter

14:53 - UA | Russell scrambled 17 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, capping an eight-play, 75-yard drive. (21-7, Alabama)
9:09 - MSU | One play after an Alabama fumble, Taylor completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Zion Ragins. (21-14, Alabama)
1:56 - UA | Trae'shawn Brown found the end zone on a seven-yard rush to punctuate a seven-play, 88-yard drive. (28-14, Alabama)
0:00 - MSU | The Bulldogs completed an 11-play, 61-yard drive to close the half, as Kyle Ferrie converted a 32-yard field goal as time expired. (28-17, Alabama)

Third Quarter

9:40 - UA | On the opening drive of the second half, the Crimson Tide marched 75 yards in seven plays with Rico Scott finding the end zone on a 13-yard pass from Russell. (35-17, Alabama)
7:07 - UA | Three plays after a Caleb Woodson interception, Brown scored his second rushing touchdown on the afternoon on an eight-yard run. (42-17, Alabama)
2:38 - MSU | Taylor connected with Evans for a 45-yard touchdown at the end of an 11-play, 75-yard drive. The Bulldogs' two-point conversion attempt was stopped by a Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. sack. (42-23, Alabama)

Fourth Quarter

12:02 - UA | Scott hauled in his second touchdown reception of the game, catching an eight-yard pass from Russell after a 10-play, 75-yad drive. (49-23, Alabama)
8:02 - UA | A six-play, 66-yard drive culminated in the Tide's final score of the day, as Austin Mack found the end zone on a three-yard rush. (56-23, Alabama)

Up Next

Alabama will return home on Saturday, October 10 to host No. 2/2 Georgia inside Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Kickoff between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on ABC.