3 key storylines for Mississippi State football vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Can Mississippi State’s new offense build upon the momentum it found against South Carolina?

Kevin Barbay and Will Rogers and Tulu Griffin and really the rest of this Mississippi State offense have seen plenty of ups and downs all throughout the early part of the 2023 Mississippi State football season. The Bulldogs haven’t been consistent on offense, but there were notable improvements against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Yes, Mississippi State lost 37-30 a week ago and the Gamecocks provided a bit of a setback for MSU’s bowl hopes. But in that game, MSU found some life on offense. And the Bulldogs desperately needed that.

Barbay made his way to the booth to call plays and the offense rebounded from a dismaying performance against LSU by putting up 519 yards of offense against the Gamecocks. And that sort of offensive explosion was led by Will Rogers and Tulu Griffin, who threw for 487 yards and caught for 256 receiving yards respectively.

Building upon that sort of momentum will be tough though.

Alabama has a stingy defense with a strong front seven that punished just about everyone not named Texas. Just take a look at Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin. They had exactly zero fun in Tuscaloosa last weekend.

Mississippi State will need some strong performances from its offense for the Bulldogs to really have a chance in this game. We’ll see what they can do against the Crimson Tide.