SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 15, 2014
No. 4 Alabama 25, No. 1 Mississippi State 20: Blake Sims passed for 211 yards and a touchdown and T.J. Yeldon added 72 yards and a score on the ground as the host Crimson Tide snapped the Bulldogs' 12-game winning streak and bolstered their hopes of earning one of four spots in the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Amari Cooper hauled in eight passes for 88 yards and a touchdown for Alabama (9-1, 6-1 SEC), which has won seven straight and 12 of 14 in the series. Sims finished 19-of-31 and did not commit a turnover as the Crimson Tide won their 14th straight home game and beat a top-ranked opponent in Tuscaloosa for the first time in program history.
The Crimson Tide frustrated quarterback Dak Prescott, who was 27-of-48 for 290 yards and two touchdowns but also threw three interceptions กช all in Alabama territory. Prescott added a team-high 82 yards on 22 carries and De'Runnya Wilson caught eight passes for 91 yards for the Bulldogs (9-1, 5-1).
The Crimson Tide dominated the field position battle early and took advantage when they tackled Josh Robinson for a 5-yard loss and a safety, then turned the ensuing possession into a field goal for a 5-0 lead. Sims and Cooper connected for a 4-yard TD pass to make it 12-0, and Alabama dodged a bullet when Derrick Henry's fumble on the goal line was overturned because the ball crossed the plane before coming loose, making it 19-0.
The Bulldogs produced only six points on their first three trips inside the Alabama 20, coming away with two field goals and an interception in the end zone, but they cashed in on their fourth trip when Prescott hit Fred Ross for a 4-yard TD to cut it to 19-13 with 14:16 remaining. Alabama responded with a 15-play, 76-yard drive that chewed up 6:07 and resulted in Yeldon's 7-yard TD run, and Mississippi State had another failed red zone trip on the ensuing drive, as Prescott had a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage and picked off by Landon Collins.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cooper, who surpassed 3,000 receiving yards in his career, has 26 career TD receptions กช tied with Dwayne Bowe (LSU) and Reidel Anthony (Florida) for the ninth-most in SEC history. กญ Robinson went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season but was limited to 37 yards on 12 carries, his second-lowest output of the season. กญ Prescott has thrown eight interceptions in his last four SEC games after 50 attempts without a pick in his first two conference contests.