BREAKDOWN: Alabama leads all-time series with the Bulldogs but some classics have been played

Former "Voice of the Bulldogs" Jack Cristil

Many college football series’ that are considered rivalries are one sided, in regards to, wins and losses. Often times, the team on the losing side remembers the wins more than its opposition. Such is the case with the Mississippi State rivalry with its friends from Tuscaloosa.
The Bulldogs will entertain Alabama this Saturday in Starkville with quite a bit on the line for both teams. Mississippi State (4-5, 2-4 SEC) is looking to go to its 10^th consecutive bowl game and 2^nd straight under head coach Joe Moorhead. The Crimson Tide (8-1, 5-1 SEC) will be looking to rebound off a gut wrenching loss to LSU last week in what many are calling the game of the year in college football.

Alabama leads the all-time series in commanding fashion

If you look through the record books, a few numbers will pop out at you. The series, which dates back to 1896, has Bama in the lead 82-18-3 between the two SEC foes. Most of the wins come from 1958-1994, with MSU only winning once in 1980. It’s tough to make up ground trailing an opponent 37-1 during that span.

MSU Head coach Jackie Sherrill

Over the past 20 years, the series has been much more competitive. Former MSU head coach Jackie Sherrill provided a nice punch in the mid-1990’s with the Bulldogs winning 3 in a row over the Tide from 1996-1998, the first time the Bulldogs had won more than 2 in a row in the series since 1914.
Frankly, between 1996-2007, MSU and Bama were tied at 6-6 and it was a great time to be a Bulldog when the Tide came calling. Jackie Sherrill finished 4-9, the winningest coach in school history against the Crimson Tide.
From that point on, Nick Saban has created a dynasty in T-Town and the closest the game has been is 25-20 back in 2014 with Saban calling the shots, including one of the best coaches in MSU history, Dan Mullen, finishing 0-9 against the Tide.
Alabama currently has an 11 game winning streak heading into this week’s game.

There have been a few classic moments between the two teams

While former Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom only took the Bulldogs to 1 bowl game in his tenure and didn’t win many games, one thing he did was beat Alabama.
Twice.
Croom would finish with an overall record of 21-38 and 10-30 in the SEC but finished 2-3 against his former school. Croom is remembered as being the first African-American to play for Bama head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
The two wins were classics.

MSU Head coach Sylvester Croom

In 2006, Quinton Culberson would intercept Bama quarterback John Parker Wilson and return the pick for the touchdown, leading MSU to a 24-16 upset win over the Tide in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The following season, It would be Anthony Johnson returning a Wilson interception 100 yards for a score to lift the Bulldogs to another upset win over the #24 Crimson Tide, 17-12, this time under head coach Nick Saban.
None have been bigger than the 1980 game in Jackson that featured the #1 ranked Crimson Tide against the Bulldogs led by quarterback John Bond. Many forget, this Bulldog team would finish the season under head coach Emory Bellard with a Sun Bowl appearance and a regular season record of 9-2.
Few people gave the Bulldogs a chance, mainly because the Tide came in with both an overall winning streak of 28-games in a row and a 22-game winning streak against Mississippi State.
The defense, led by Bulldog defensive end Tyrone Keys, stopped the Tide before it was about to score with Keys recovering a fumble to secure the 6-3 win in Jackson, Miss.
It was the single biggest win in the history of Mississippi State football history.

Can the Bulldogs break the streak on Saturday?

If MSU has any shot of winning against Alabama, it will be on the back of running back Kylin Hill and the arm of quarterback Tommy Stevens. With a healthy Stevens, the Bulldogs have shown it can score through the air by looking at the games early in the season against Louisiana and Southern Miss.
Throw in a healthy Hill and running quarterback Garrett Shrader and the proper recipe could be made for an upset.
While this Alabama team is fresh off a loss, any letdown inside a raucous Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville could prove to be problematic for the Tide.
Like any Nick Saban led team, I expect Alabama to be laser focused on Saturday.