DeVonta Smith Catches 4 TDs as No. 2 Alabama Dominates Mississippi State

No. 2 Alabama continued its scorching start to the year with a 41-0 victory over Mississippi State, continuing a streak of wins over unranked teams at Bryant-Denny Stadium dating back to 2007. 

The Tide are now 6-0 under head coach Nick Saban for the fifth consecutive season and in prime shape to earn another College Football Playoff berth.

The biggest question following Saturday's result is whether or not the team performed well enough to unseat Clemson as the No. 1 team in the country after the Tigers stumbled during a 34-28 victory over Boston College without quarterback Trevor Lawrence (COVID-19). 

Alabama feasted on MSU's defense as the third-best passing game in the country tallied 499 yards with quarterback Mac Jones showing off once again.

Notable Performers

DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama Crimson Tide: 11 catches, 203 yards, 4 touchdowns

Mac Jones, QB, Alabama Crimson Tide: 24-31 passing, 291 yards, 4 touchdowns

Najee Harris, RB, Alabama Crimson Tide: 21 carries, 119 yards

Will Rogers, QB, Mississippi State Bulldogs: 24-37 passing, 147 yards, 2 interceptions

Jo'Quavious Marks, RB, Mississippi State Bulldogs: 9 carries, 32 yards

DeVonta Smith Goes Off With Jaylen Waddle Out

Anyone wondering how the Crimson Tide would recover after losing star wideout Jaylen Waddle with a broken ankle had their questions answered early on against Mississippi State.

DeVonta Smith made sure of that.

The senior receiver hauled in six catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone en route to a 203-yard day. 

It's the second time in his career recording at least four scores in one game after Smith tallied five touchdowns last season against Ole Miss—making Smith the only player in SEC history with two games of at least four touchdowns. Whatever it is about the state of Mississippi that brings out the best in Smith's game, it couldn't have come at a better time for Alabama. 

Waddle had helped the Crimson Tide develop one of the best offenses in the nation earlier this season. Smith appears ready to help keep it there with Waddle sidelined. 

The Tide averaged 8.8 yards per completion as they picked up 26 first downs en route to 499 total yards of offense. Amazingly, that's still below Alabama's season average of 566.4 yards per game. It may be hard to figure out where the team could've picked up any more. 

Quarterback Mac Jones played a nearly flawless game with his biggest mistake—a near interception in the third quarter—instead falling as an incomplete pass. 

With Clemson's struggles on Saturday, this was the Tide's chance to make their case as the No. 1 team in the country ahead of the bye week. 

Given how quickly Alabama recovered after losing arguably their biggest playmaker in Waddle, the Tide can feel confident they did everything in their power to leap over their ACC rival.

Mississippi State Silenced After Costello Injury

Even in the best of circumstances it wasn't clear the Bulldogs had the strength on either side of the ball to keep up with Alabama. It's not exactly a shock given how much churn the program has seen during the first season under head coach Mike Leach.

Yet losing its most important player in quarterback K.J. Costello to an injury after he took a knee to the head in the second quarter made things significantly worse. 

The offense was already struggling to find a rhythm at the time of the injury, having already gone three-and-out in it's first five possessions. That led to true freshman Will Rogers stepping in with his team down 20-0 and in need of instant scoring. 

Rogers couldn't provide it. 

MSU went into halftime with 38 total yards of offense and just one first down. The second half produced better results, even if there weren't any points. 

The Bulldogs only made it into the red zone once all day and the trip ended with Rogers getting picked off in the end zone. 

There was little MSU could do but use the time to give younger players reps against top competition and work to develop the players it believes are sticking around. 

Leach can earn forgiveness for a game like this but those opportunities don't come around often. He'll have to own this loss as he works to rebuild the program. Saturday showed just how far he has to go. 

What's Next

Alabama enters a bye week with plenty of time to prepare for a grudge match with LSU at 6 p.m. ET on CBS on Nov. 14. The Tigers defeated the then-No. 2 Tide, 46-41, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in one of the best games of the 2019 college season.

Mississippi State, meanwhile, welcomes Vanderbilt to Starkville next Saturday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. ET on SEC Network.