STARKVILLE — Will Rogers had barely picked himself off the turf.
After Alabama linebacker Henry To’oTo’o came flying around the edge to drop Rogers for the Crimson Tide’s sixth sack of Saturday’s game, Rogers rebounded with a 9-yard pass to Makai Polk, setting up third down at the 44-yard line.
Immediately, Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. sprinted past right tackle Scott Lashley and sacked Rogers once again.
It was Anderson’s fourth sack of the game, it was Alabama’s seventh, and it forced the Bulldogs to punt as their third-quarter drive came to an unceremonious end in less than two minutes.
The three-and-out series was a perfect example of how Mississippi State’s offense struggled more than ever this season in a 49-9 loss to Alabama.
The Bulldogs totaled just 299 yards, including negative-1 rushing yard — thanks to the seven sacks — and did not score a touchdown. They were 15 points below their previous worst scoring output of 2021.
But it wasn’t just Alabama’s pass rush that led to Mississippi State’s inability to put the ball in the end zone Saturday. A perfect storm of penalties, pressure and poor communication doomed the Bulldogs’ offense from the start.
Rogers was intercepted on two of his first three drives, including a 40-yard pick-six by Alabama’s Jordan Battle. Rogers finished 35 of 55 for just 300 yards and did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time all season.
“He tried extremely hard to the point where he threw some balls out of character and forced some,” Mississippi State coach Mike Leach said. “He was trying to make too much happen and pressed.”
But the blame lay on Rogers’ targets as well as the sophomore quarterback, according to Leach.
“I did not think he was as precise in his reads as could have been,” Leach said. “I did not think our receivers were consistently where they were supposed to be.”
Leach went as far as to say his receivers practically tried to “invent” their routes and thus had no chance of being found by Rogers, which would almost explain some of the far off-target throws Rogers made.
Alabama’s defensive game plan, at least, can explain Rogers’ two first-quarter interceptions. Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Josh Jobe picked off the first one in Cover 2, while Battle’s pick-six came in a new trips coverage called “thief.”
“Our players did a really good job,” Saban said. “They knew what the patterns were going to be relative to the formations and the receiver locations and they did a good job to play them.”
Alabama limited Mississippi State to just 4 yards per play and stiffened in the red zone. The Bulldogs got inside the 20-yard line twice only for Brandon Ruiz to kick 44-yard field goals on each occasion.
“We also got some good pressure on the quarterback when we were in the red zone, so that also helped,” Saban said. “This is the best we’ve played in the red zone, so I was really pleased. (We) had a good plan and the players did a good job of executing it.”
The Tide’s pass rush gave Rogers and the Bulldogs nightmares throughout the game. Alabama had two sacks apiece in the first and second quarters and three more in the third, sending Rogers running for his life time and time again.
Rogers was sacked twice in three plays in the first quarter and taken down on third down in the second, allowing Alabama’s defense to get off the field.
And while the Tide didn’t need much help stopping the Bulldogs, Mississippi State was charitable anyway. Although MSU finished with fewer penalty yards than its opponent for the first time this season, an ugly second-quarter stretch proved important.
On second-and-6 at the Mississippi State 41 seconds into the period, Lashley was called for a false start, moving the Bulldogs back five yards. On the next snap, Lashley and left tackle Charles Cross were both flagged for holding as Rogers fired incomplete for Jaden Walley. The penalties were declined, setting up third down.
Rogers connected with Makai Polk for a 12-yard gain to move the sticks, but the offensive line wasn’t done impacting the game. Another holding flag on second down made it second-and-20, and two short plays couldn’t pick up the yardage. Mississippi State punted the ball away.
Perhaps it was a sign of things to come.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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