Alabama Dominates MSU Despite Injuries to Tua Tagovailoa, Henry Ruggs

Heisman Trophy candidate Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns before leaving with a hip injury in the second quarter Saturday as the No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide recorded a 38-7 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in an SEC clash at Davis Wade Stadium. 

Tagovailoa, a game-time decision with a lingering ankle injury, was active for a second straight week after throwing four touchdowns in a loss to the LSU Tigers last week. The severity of his latest setback is unclear.

The Crimson Tide's defeat at the hands of the Tigers pushed their College Football Playoff hopes to the brink. The Tide need to win their remaining games against the Western Carolina Catamounts and Auburn Tigers while getting help elsewhere to crack the top four by season's end.

While the Tide moved to 9-1 with their bounce-back win, Mississippi State dropped to 4-6 and must now beat the Abilene Christian Wildcats and Ole Miss Rebels to secure bowl eligibility.

Notable Game Stats

QB Tua Tagovailoa (UA): 14-of-18 passing, 256 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

QB Mac Jones (UA): 7-of-11 passing, 94 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT

QB Tommy Stevens (MSU): 12-of-21 passing, 81 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT; 96 rushing yards

RB Najee Harris (UA): 88 rushing yards, 51 receiving yards, 4 TD

RB Kylin Hill (MSU): 35 rushing yards, 21 receiving yards, 1 TD

WR Jerry Jeudy (UA): 114 receiving yards

WR Jaylen Waddle (UA): 35 receiving yards, 1 TD

LB Shane Lee (UA): 10 tackles and 1 INT

Blowout May Be Pyrrhic Victory For Alabama

Although Mississippi State didn't get a ton of respect throughout the week, it represented a far bigger test for Bama than its 4-5 record indicated, especially on the road. The Bulldogs came into the day ranked 27th in the country in ESPN's Football Power Index.

So the Tide's pure dominance Saturday should make an impression on the CFP selection committee.

Unfortunately, losing Tagovailoa for an extended period of time would severely hurt Alabama's chances of making another national championship run, even if it does run the table in the regular season.

The 21-year-old Hawaii native didn't look totally back to full speed during the first half Saturday, but he was nevertheless productive with just four incompletions and multiple great touch throws.

It's fair to question why he was allowed to remain in the game with a 35-7 lead late in the second quarter since he entered the contest with a preexisting injury. Head coach Nick Saban said on the ESPN telecast that he wanted the team to practice the two-minute drill before removing Tagovailoa.

Jones is a talented backup. He looked more than capable of running the Alabama offense when he completed 18 of his 22 throws for 235 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions while filling in for Tagovailoa in a victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks in October.

That said, he's not the same type of playmaker last season's Maxwell Award winner is at full strength. It's a definite downgrade for the Tide offense in the short term.

Alabama's offensive approach was far more conservative with Jones at the helm in the second half. While the lopsided score played a role in that decision, it was likely a preview of what's to come with the team likely to lean more heavily on its rushing attack and defense to win its final two games.

That's especially true with wide receiver Henry Ruggs III leaving after taking a hard hit to the ribs.

Defensive lineman Raekwon Davis also left the game because of an injury.

All told, Alabama felt the pressure to earn some style points with a monster win over an SEC opponent, especially with a game against Western Carolina from the FCS looming next week. Playing its stars once the result was no longer in question came at what could be a major cost.

Now the Tide must await more information about the future availability of Tagovailoa, and those details will go a long way in shaping their championship outlook, for better or worse.

What's Next?

Alabama returns home to Bryant-Denny Stadium to take on Western Carolina next Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.

Mississippi State continues its season-ending three-game homestand against Abilene Christian next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.