BAMA-MSU: Tide blows out all the candles for Saban's birthday in big win

Alabama handed Mississippi State a shutout and a birthday present to Nick Saban on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. (Unv. Alabama Media Relations)

By GRAHAM DUNN

Birthdays are supposed to be fun.

For Nick Saban, that means pitching a shutout. It’s a rare gift of “not giving” and Alabama hadn’t enjoyed one since the last time Mississippi State had visited Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2018.

Alabama’s 41-0 win over State on Saturday accomplished that, even if didn’t punch every button. But it was close.

“All and all, this was a good game for us,” Saban said. “It’s great to play at home, and it’s great to win on your birthday. I was really happy about that present as much as any.”

Checking history, winning on Halloween (i.e. Saban’s birthday) had happened just once for college football’s greatest coach, at Michigan State in 1998.

The best gift of the night was watching the Crimson Tide defense swarm a lethargic State offense to the tune of just 200 yards in total offense. The Bulldogs didn’t record their initial first down until their sixth possession of the game and had just one in the first half.

“We sold them on the fact that if you are going to play this game the way we played the game, you are going to have break on the ball, vice the ball and you are going to have to tackle well in space,” Saban said. “So, I think for the most part, we did a really good job on that. We made them do it in practice – of course it’s not ever the same in practice relative to the guys they practice against. We told them to tackle high, to get more than one player there to clean it up, attack the ball and try and get turnovers. Players really responded well and did a good job of that.”

The Alabama offense was typical scoring on all but two possessions of the first half. When Najee Harris wasn’t building on his third 100-plus yards rushing game of the season, Mac Jones was usually hitting Devonta Smith for a touchdown. It happened four times, pulling Smith even with Amari Cooper for the school record for career touchdown catches at 31.

“It’s a blessing to be mentioned among the greats,” Smith said.

The shut out was the first suffered by a Mike Leach-coached team. But the Bulldogs’ first-year coach had warned his fan base earlier in the week to be prepared for a difficult end to the season, considering the defections they have suffered in the last few weeks.

“I think that Alabama is a team that has been put together for over a decade,” Leach said. “They have a culture that is extremely hard-working and competitive that permeates their entire program. We’re a program that is trying to get there.

“The good news with us is that we’ve got some great young guys that will be around for a while. This is a great starting point for them. Some of them probably wouldn’t be starting now if it weren’t out of necessity. I think in the end, the reps and experience is going to pay off. It’s kind of like I told these guys. Everyone can work harder than they think they can, focus harder than they think they can. Alabama through their process, they’ve learned and discovered that. We’re just getting started here and need to discover some of those same things.”

Alabama will take a week off before the annual showdown with LSU. It’s a welcomed break considering the bumps and bruises the team has been dealt in six conference games.

“We’ve got a lot more work to do,” Jones said. “We’ve made the right steps but it’s something we want to improve on. We can’t be content. It’s been a tough stretch so the off week will help.”