Defense gives Mississippi State football an open door to beat Alabama

The defense for the Mississippi State football team gives the Bulldogs a chance to win this Saturday against Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

The Mississippi State football team hasn’t beaten the Alabama Crimson Tides since 2007. It was the first year of the Nick Saban era, and since he was hired, the Bulldogs have only come close to putting a W in the win column one time. That was last year when the Bulldogs lost in the final two minutes of the game.

Many people across the country will say in the next few days the Mississippi State football team has no chance to win this game this Saturday. But with one of the best, if not the absolute best, defenses in the country, the Bulldogs have a slightly open door to pull off a remarkable upset.

Do not misunderstand this post. There is no way the Mississippi State football team should be considered the favorite. The Bulldogs probably have a 10% or less chance of winning the game in Tuscaloosa.

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But based on what the Bulldogs’ defense has done in 2018, I am confident that unit will keep the team in the game if the offense can just mount anything resembling a decent game plan together.

When the Crimson Tide took on the LSU Tigers this past Saturday, the Tigers were billed as having the best defense Alabama would face. Those people were wrong. The Bulldogs have the best defense Alabama will have to face in 2018.

Here is how the Mississippi State football defense ranks in the SEC.

• Scoring defense: 1st (12.3 PPG, 1.8 better than 2nd place Alabama)
• Rushing defense: 3rd (111 yards per game)
• Passing defense: 1st (167 yards per game, 5 yards better than 2nd place Georgia)
• Total defense: 1st (279 yards per game, 16 yards better than 2nd place Alabama)
• Third Down Conversions: 2nd (29.13% allowed)
• Sacks: 3rd (2.56 per game)
• Tackles For Loss: 4th (7.33 per game)

This is arguably the best defense the Mississippi State football team has ever fielded. They get after the quarterback, lock down the run, and keep their opponents completely in check in the passing game.

There are plenty of questions about whether or not the offense can score points against Alabama’s defense. But Mississippi State should feel confident the defense will give it a puncher’s chance to win the game this coming Saturday.