Tide 102.9/100.9 Staff Predictions for Alabama/Mississippi State

After a dominating performance against the LSU Tigers down in Death Valley, the Alabama Crimson Tide return home for another defensive match up with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Last season, quarterback Nick Fitzgerald along with coach Dan Mullen was able to keep the game close down in Starkville but quarterback Jalen Hurts was able to get a final game winning drive to keep the Crimson Tide undefeated for the time being. With a new head coach for the Bulldogs in Joe Moorhead and a new quarterback on the Crimson Tide offense with Tua Tagovailoa, how will this game shape out in Bryant-Denny?

Here is who the Tide 102.9/100.9 staff has coming out of this game with the victory.

Martin Houston, Host of The Blitz

After another sound defeat of a west division foe, Alabama returns to Bryant Denny with the mission of staying focused and notching another 10 win season. The Mississippi State front 7 will be the best Bama has seen, but with the lack of Death Valley crowd noise and the experience gained by Tua and company, look for Bama to make quick work of another Top 25 opponent! The Defense has proven to another edition of Saban’s trademark defense. So Bama cruises into a literal bye week with Citadel on the heels of a sound beat down of the Bulldogs.
Alabama 45 - Mississippi State 6

Wimp Sanderson, Co-Host of Inside the Locker Room

Nick Saban has called for the crowd to create a home field advantage. I think the team will be a little flat after emotional LSU week.
Alabama 24 - Mississippi State 7

Barry Sanderson, Co-Host of Inside the Locker Room

Mississippi State plan will be to go slow and keep the Bama offense off the field. This game won’t be decided until the second half. The Tide's talent gap will eventually take over.
Alabama 38 - Mississippi State 13

Gary Harris, Host of The Gary Harris Show

Alabama’s defense stole the headlines last weekend away from the Tide’s offense. That’s bad news for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have struggled to score points this season against good teams and Alabama is the best team MSU will face.
Alabama 31 - Mississippi State 9

Travis Reier, Host of Southern Fried Sports

Joe Moorhead will look to do something Dan Mullen couldn’t in his 10 years at State: post a win over Alabama. With the team he inherited from Mullen, if Moorhead doesn’t end the decade-long losing streak to the Crimson Tide this time around, it might be a while before he or another MSU coach does.
Alabama 38 - Mississippi State 16

Ryan Fowler, Host of The Game

Some parts of me think this team will be a little flat following an emotional game in Baton Rouge. Nick Saban’s message all week has been to get the team refocused following the victory over LSU that required a lot of emotional energy. Several times this week during press conferences and media availability, Saban has mentioned this message. Alabama’s offense will be challenged from a talented Bulldog defense that leads the SEC in several major defensive categories, but not enough to make this game a fourth quarter game. I will be watching the energy level in early parts of the game to see if this team has properly prepared for MSU. I think Alabama will continue the winning streak with another victory over MSU.
Alabama 35 - Mississippi State 13

Ben George, Digital Managing Editor

The Bulldogs come in with confidence after finally getting the offense going the last two weeks, but can they keep it going against the Crimson Tide? I look at the recent history of this series and see Mississippi State has scored more than 10 points just twice in the past 10 years. Want a more current stat? How about that offense has also scored just over 13 points per game against SEC teams this season. Meanwhile, Alabama is hitting its stride on defense to compliment an offense that’s scoring more than 50 points per game. If the Bama defense rattles Nick Fitzgerald early in this game with pressure or a turnover, it could be a really long day for State.
Alabama 45 – Mississippi State 7

James Hardy, Producer

Alabama returns home off a highly impressive 29-0 thrashing of the LSU Tigers inside Tiger Stadium. A season ago, the Bulldogs put a scare into the Crimson Tide with a well-executed game plan. However, Nick Fitzgerald will have to rely on his arm to move the football and will not be able to have much success against a rapidly improving Alabama defense.
Alabama 39 - Mississippi State 7

Josh Smith, Producer

Mississippi State's Nick Fitzgerald will have to be a complete dual-threat quarterback against Alabama. Fitzgerald has become known for keeping the ball on the ground, rushing for 839 yards thus far this season on 155 carries. Mainly, because he simply is not getting the job done through the air. Though he has passed for 1,252 yards along with 10 touchdowns. Fitzgerald has thrown seven interceptions and only has a completion percentage of 50.8 percent. I don't think Mississippi State can keep up offensively with Alabama, but will give them a good fight.
Alabama 38 - Mississippi State 10

Marquis Munson, Brand Manager and Producer

Although the Bulldogs have the best defense in the conference, probably better than LSU, quarterback Nick Fitzgerald hasn't played at the same high level as he did last year. The Crimson Tide defense has played lights out over the last two games and I think they will continue against Fitzgerald and this Bulldogs offense.
Alabama 35 - Mississippi State 6