No. 2 Alabama Manhandles No. 17 Mississippi State
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Alabama's 100th all-time meeting against Mississippi State ended the way the majority of them have gone over the years:
With a win.
Despite a slow start, the Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs for the eighth straight time in a 31-6 win Saturday.
Alabama had nine sacks in the victory, the most in a single game since Nick Saban took over as coach in 2007. The Crimson Tide also had numerous other hits on Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott to slow the Bulldogs offense.
Alabama opened up the scoring on Cyrus Jones' 69-yard punt return touchdown in the second quarter, not long before Calvin Ridley's 60-yard touchdown from Jake Coker put the Crimson Tide up 14-0 midway through the second quarter. Derrick Henry's 74-yard run up the middle gave Alabama a controlling 21-3 halftime lead.
In the fourth quarter, Henry sealed Alabama's win he scored on a 65-yard run. The junior running back had his third 200-yard rushing game in four games against the Bulldogs, with 204 yards and two scores on 22 carries.
With the win, Alabama improves to 9-1 (6-1 SEC) on the season.