Mississippi State (2-2) looks to get its first SEC win of the season in its upcoming matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide (3-1), who visit Starkville on Saturday.
Mississippi State has not beat Alabama since 2007, and often times, the game has not been close. Mike Leach referred to the Bulldogs being scared of the helmet last year after their 30-6 loss to the Crimson Tide.
It is clear that there is a mental hurdle when facing Alabama for the Bulldogs, considering teams that MSU beats still play Alabama closer than they do. It will take several factors for MSU to pull the upset, and here are the biggest three.
1. Do not be intimidated by the jersey.
The Bulldogs always play timid and conservative against the Tide, and it always yields similar results. MSU needs to be the aggressor early in this game to show the fans at Scott Field and Alabama themselves that they are here to win. Simply put if MSU players think they will lose then they will lose and it will be ugly.
2. Establish a run game.
Against South Carolina, the Bulldogs offense came to life and quarterback Will Rogers found his deep ball. If MSU wants to take advantage of the big play again they must run the ball effectively and force Alabama to put more men inside the box.
3. Have better coverage in the secondary.
Matt Brock has been playing more zone coverage this year than in years past. Losing Emmanuel Forbes is a blow but if you give cushion in a blitz heavy scheme it leads to easy throws over the middle.
The Bulldogs need to be aggressive in coverage and force quarterback Jalen Milroe to beat them with the deep ball instead of easy passes over the middle. Being aggressive in coverage will require MSU corners to flush these last two weeks and play to their potential.
Alabama is already vastly more talented than the Bulldogs, but it has shown vulnerability this year. MSU needs to expose those flaws and play with an edge on Saturday if they want to have a chance to do something no team has done since 2007.
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