When Alabama lost to LSU during the 2019 season, a trip to Starkville awaited the next week. And after Alabama was upset Saturday by Texas A&M, it will travel this weekend to play Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs have not beaten the Tide since 2007 and have been held without a touchdown in four of their past six meetings with Alabama. That includes a 41-0 shutout last season in Tuscaloosa, the first under current coach Mike Leach.
Asked Monday if his team faces any danger of relaxing against Alabama following its first loss in 20 games, Leach was blunt.
“If we relax against the University of Alabama, then we are the stupidest team in college football,” he said. “We may have some very good qualities and we may have some very positive things and stuff like that. But you have to really be a dumb team to relax if you’re playing Alabama or anybody.”
Like Ole Miss earlier this month, Mississippi State will face Alabama coming off its open week. The Bulldogs are 3-2 and beat Texas A&M two weeks ago to drive the Aggies out of the top 25 before they played Alabama.
Entering last Saturday’s game in Kyle Field, Texas A&M had the most votes of any unranked team in the coaches poll, and the second-most in the Associated Press poll.
“The rankings are all out of whack,” Leach said Monday. “Anybody who thinks there’s, like, 30 teams better than Texas A&M is out of their mind. Some day when I’m in your position I’ll go right down the list and tell you which ones.
“You had two good teams play and the home team won. John Wooden used to say, ‘Never be surprised when the home team wins.’ But that’s a heck of an atmosphere there. I love playing in Kyle Field. I think that it’s a heck of a place to play. Two really good teams played and Texas A&M won.”
Mississippi State has received top-25 votes in both polls since beating Texas A&M and will host Alabama in Davis Wade Stadium at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. The Tide is a 17-point road favorite.
“Sometimes there’s a temptation to try to do too much,” Leach said of facing Alabama, now ranked No. 5. “You’ve got to focus on your job, have the discipline to focus on your job and don’t try to do too much. If you try to do too much, it just evolves into street ball.
“You’re just calling random plays. The guy’s just trying to anticipate where the ball is going, just running a variety of directions on both sides of the ball. Everybody is just guessing. Just like when you’re a kid out in the cul-de-sac or in the back yard or in the vacant lot. You try to have it a little more precise and controlled than that.”
Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.
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