Alabama–Mississippi State football rivalry

Alabama Crimson Tide

Mississippi State Bulldogs

First meeting

November 14, 1896
Alabama 20, Mississippi State 0

Latest meeting

November 12, 2016
Alabama 51, Mississippi State 3

Next meeting

November 11, 2017

Statistics

Meetings total

101

All-time series

Alabama leads, 79–18–3
(81–17–3 on the field)

Largest victory

Alabama, 59–0 (1922)

Longest win streak

Alabama, 22 (1958–79)

Current win streak

Alabama, 9 (2008–present)

The Alabama–Mississippi State football rivalry, sometimes referred to as the 90 Mile Drive^[1]^[2] or the Battle for Highway 82,^[3] is an American college football rivalry between the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the University of Alabama and Mississippi State Bulldogs football team of Mississippi State University. Both universities are founding members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and are currently members of the SEC's Western Division. The two campuses are located approximately 90 miles apart, and are the two geographically closest SEC universities.

In 1935, MSU Coach Major Ralph Sasse, on "orders" from his team, went to Memphis, Tennessee, to select the first bulldog mascot. Ptolemy, a gift of the Edgar Webster family, was chosen and the Bulldogs promptly defeated Alabama 20–7.^[4]

Alabama–Mississippi State is one of the Southeastern Conference's longest-running series, dating back to 1896. Mississippi State is Alabama's most played opponent, while Alabama is MSU's third most played team behind Ole Miss and LSU. Aside from the Alabama–Ole Miss football rivalry, it also has been one of the league's most lopsided with Alabama leading the series 79–18–3 (81–17–3 on the field). Despite this, the Bulldogs have won 8 times in Bryant–Denny Stadium, which is tied with LSU for the most of any program.

Notable games

1940: #11 Mississippi State, 8–0–1 on the season, defeated the 7-1 #17 Crimson Tide 13-0 in Tuscaloosa. The Bulldogs forced 5 turnovers on downs and remained undefeated on the season.^[5]
1941: The Maroons defeated Alabama in Tuscaloosa in September 14–0^[6] on their way to winning the school's only football SEC Championship. Despite Mississippi State's head-to-head win and conference title, and the fact that Alabama finished #20 in the final AP Poll,^[7] Alabama claims a national championship for this season. This has led to many Mississippi State fans and bloggers to clamor for the Bulldogs, who finished 16th in the final poll, to claim the title as well.^[8]
1956: The Crimson Tide snapped a 20-game losing streak by defeating the Maroons 13-12 in Tuscaloosa.^[9]
1974: 7-0 Alabama, ranked #4 at the time and the eventual SEC Champion, defeated 6-1 and #17 Mississippi State in a 35-0 rout in Tuscaloosa.^[6]
1976: The 6-1 Bulldogs, ranked #18, traveled to Tuscaloosa to face the 5-2 and #17 Crimson Tide, where Alabama won 34-17. Had the Bulldogs won, they would have later had to forfeit anyway.^[10]
1980: In what is often named the biggest win in Mississippi State football history,^[6]^[11] the Bulldogs upset the #1 and two-time defending national champion Crimson Tide 6-3 in Jackson, snapping Alabama's 28-game winning streak.^[12] The Bulldogs held the prolific Tide wishbone offense to 116 yards on the ground, one third of its season average up to that point.^[13] Trailing 6-3 in the final minute, Alabama drove to the MSU 4-yard-line before a big hit from Bulldog linebacker Tyrone Keys jarred the football loose, sealing the upset win for the Bulldogs.^[14] After the game, Alabama coach Bear Bryant visited the Mississippi State locker room to congratulate the team for the win.^[9] In 2007, College Football News' Pete Futiak named the game the 91st best ending in college football history since 1970.^[15]
1981: #8 Alabama avenged its loss from the previous year by defeating the #7 Bulldogs 13-10 in Tuscaloosa in the only top-10 matchup between the two teams until 2014.
1986: #8 Alabama, coming off a loss to Penn State the week before, traveled to Starkville to take on the #19 Bulldogs. The Tide won a dominating 38-3 victory, outgaining the Bulldogs by nearly 400 yards. Bobby Humphrey rushed for a then-school-record 284 yards.^[16]
1996: Alabama, 8-1 and ranked #10, fell to the 3-5 Bulldogs 17-16 in Starkville, giving Mississippi State head coach Jackie Sherrill his first win over his alma mater Alabama. Alabama, who missed an extra point earlier in the game, drove to the Mississippi State 39-yard line in the final minute but turned the ball over on downs.^[17] Alabama went on to win the SEC West anyway.
1999: The Bulldogs, 8-0 and ranked #8, traveled to Tuscaloosa to take on the 7-2 #11 Crimson Tide, looking for their fourth straight win in the series. However, Alabama defeated MSU 19-7,^[18] aided by three turnovers, a blocked punt, and what Mississippi State fans considered to be a pair of "questionable" holding penalties.^[6] The win clinched the SEC West for the Crimson Tide and ended the Bulldogs' bid for their second undefeated season.
2006: Mississippi State traveled to Tuscaloosa looking for its first SEC win of the season, while Alabama came in at 6-3. The game featured a pick-6 by each defense, and the Bulldogs stuffed Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson just outside the goal line to end the first half. Anthony Dixon ran for 121 yards, and the Bulldog defense held the Tide out of the end zone in the second half to seal the upset win.^[19]
2007: The Bulldogs clinched their first bowl bid in 7 years by beating #21 Alabama 17-12.^[20] The Bulldog defense held the Tide out of the end zone the entire game, and cornerback Anthony Johnson returned John Parker Wilson's intercepted pass for 100 yards and a touchdown with 4 seconds to go in the first half.
2012: The Bulldogs traveled to Tuscaloosa with a #13 ranking and a 7-0 record, hoping to knock off defending national champion and #1-ranked Alabama. In the buildup to the game, Mississippi State fans used Twitter to display "#WeBelieve 8-0" messages from all over the world,^[21]^[22] even including the Bear Bryant statue outside Bryant–Denny Stadium,^[23] and many bloggers declared it to be the biggest game in Mississippi State's history.^[11] However, the game did not live up to the hype—Alabama won handily, 38-7,^[24] holding the Bulldogs to only 47 rushing yards.
2014: The Bulldogs, undefeated and ranked #1 for the first time in school history, traveled to Tuscaloosa to face the 8–1 #5 Crimson Tide. Mississippi State had earned the #1 spot in all polls including the new College Football Playoff Rankings after defeating three top–10 teams in a row (#8 LSU, #6 Texas A&M, and #2 Auburn). The 99th game of the series between the two schools was considered by many to be the biggest game of the rivalry. After getting their opening points by tackling running back Josh Robinson in the Bulldogs' own endzone for a safety, Alabama went on to defeat the Bulldogs 25-20. Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott, who had been considered a Heisman Trophy frontrunner for much of the 2014 season, became the conference leader in interceptions after throwing three picks during this game.

Game results

Alabama victories	Mississippi State victories	Ties	Forfeits / Vacated wins

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	November 14, 1896	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	20–0
2	November 16, 1901	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	45–0
3	November 8, 1902	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	27–0
4	October 16, 1903	Columbus, MS	Mississippi A&M	11–0
5	October 15, 1904	Columbus, MS	Alabama	6–0
6	October 14, 1905	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	34–0
7	November 3, 1906	Starkville, MS	Alabama	16–4
8	October 21, 1911	Columbus, MS	Tie	6–6
9	October 18, 1912	Aberdeen, MS	Mississippi A&M	7–0
10	November 27, 1913	Birmingham, AL	Mississippi A&M	7–0
11	November 26, 1914	Birmingham, AL	Mississippi A&M	9–0
12	November 27, 1919	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	14–6
13	November 25, 1920	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	24–7
14	November 24, 1921	Birmingham, AL	Tie	7–7
15	November 30, 1922	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	59–0
16	October 31, 1925	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	6–0
17	October 9, 1926	Meridian, MS	Alabama	26–7
18	October 29, 1927	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	13–7
19	October 13, 1928	Starkville, MS	Alabama	46–0
20	October 10, 1931	Meridian, MS	Alabama	53–0
21	October 1, 1932	Montgomery, AL	Alabama	53–0
22	October 14, 1933	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	18–0
23	October 13, 1934	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	41–0
24	October 12, 1935	Tuscaloosa, AL	Mississippi State	20–7
25	October 10, 1936	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	7–0
26	October 28, 1939	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	7–0
27	November 30, 1940	Tuscaloosa, AL	Mississippi State	13–0
28	October 4, 1941	Tuscaloosa, AL	Mississippi State	14–0
29	October 3, 1942	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	21–6
30	November 18, 1944	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	19–0
31	December 1, 1945	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	55–13
32	November 30, 1946	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	24–7
33	October 23, 1948	Starkville, MS	Alabama	10–7
34	October 22, 1949	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	35–6
35	October 28, 1950	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	14–7
36	October 27, 1951	Starkville, MS	Alabama	7–0
37	October 25, 1952	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	42–19
38	October 24, 1953	Tuscaloosa, AL	Tie	7–7
39	October 23, 1954	Tuscaloosa, AL	Mississippi State	12–7
40	October 22, 1955	Tuscaloosa, AL	Mississippi State	26–7
41	October 27, 1956	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	13–12
42	October 26, 1957	Tuscaloosa, AL	Mississippi State	25–13
43	October 25, 1958	Starkville, MS	Alabama	9–7
44	October 31, 1959	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	10–0
45	October 29, 1960	Starkville, MS	Alabama	7–0
46	November 4, 1961	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	24–0
47	November 3, 1962	Starkville, MS	Alabama	20–0
48	November 2, 1963	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	20–19
49	October 31, 1964	Jackson, MS	Alabama	23–6
50	October 30, 1965	Jackson, MS	Alabama	10–7
51	October 29, 1966	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	27–14
52	November 4, 1967	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	13–0

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
53	November 2, 1968	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	20–13
54	November 1, 1969	Jackson, MS	Alabama	23–19
55	October 31, 1970	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	35–6
56	October 30, 1971	Jackson, MS	Alabama	41–10
57	November 4, 1972	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	58–14
58	November 3, 1973	Jackson, MS	Alabama	35–0
59	November 2, 1974	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	35–0
60	November 1, 1975	Jackson, MS	Alabama	21–10
61	October 30, 1976	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	34–17
62	October 29, 1977	Jackson, MS	Alabama	37–7
63	November 4, 1978	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	35–14
64	November 3, 1979	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	24–7
65	November 1, 1980	Jackson, MS	Mississippi State	6–3
66	October 31, 1981	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	13–10
67	October 30, 1982	Jackson, MS	Alabama	20–12
68	October 29, 1983	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	35–18
69	November 3, 1984	Jackson, MS	Alabama	24–20
70	November 2, 1985	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	44–28
71	November 1, 1986	Starkville, MS	Alabama	38–3
72	October 31, 1987	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	21–18
73	October 29, 1988	Starkville, MS	Alabama	53–34
74	November 4, 1989	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	23–10
75	November 3, 1990	Starkville, MS	Alabama	22–0
76	November 2, 1991	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	13–7
77	November 14, 1992	Starkville, MS	Alabama	30–21
78	November 13, 1993	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama^†	36–25
79	November 12, 1994	Starkville, MS	Alabama	29–25
80	November 11, 1995	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	14–9
81	November 16, 1996	Starkville, MS	Mississippi State	17–16
82	November 15, 1997	Tuscaloosa, AL	Mississippi State	32–20
83	November 14, 1998	Starkville, MS	Mississippi State	26–14
84	November 13, 1999	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	19–7
85	November 11, 2000	Starkville, MS	Mississippi State	29–7
86	November 10, 2001	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	24–17
87	November 9, 2002	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	28–14
88	November 8, 2003	Starkville, MS	Alabama	38–0
89	November 6, 2004	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	30–14
90	November 5, 2005	Starkville, MS	Alabama^‡	17–0
91	November 4, 2006	Tuscaloosa, AL	Mississippi State	24–16
92	November 10, 2007	Starkville, MS	Mississippi State	17–12
93	November 15, 2008	Tuscaloosa, AL	#1 Alabama	32–7
94	November 14, 2009	Starkville, MS	#3 Alabama	31–3
95	November 13, 2010	Tuscaloosa, AL	#11 Alabama	30–10
96	November 12, 2011	Starkville, MS	#4 Alabama	24–7
97	October 27, 2012	Tuscaloosa, AL	#1 Alabama	38–7
98	November 16, 2013	Starkville, MS	#1 Alabama	20–7
99	November 15, 2014	Tuscaloosa, AL	#5 Alabama	25–20
100	November 14, 2015	Starkville, MS	#2 Alabama	31–6
101	November 12, 2016	Tuscaloosa, AL	#1 Alabama	51–3
Series: Alabama leads 79–18–3
† Alabama forfeited as part of NCAA penalties. ‡ Alabama vacated wins as part of NCAA penalties.

References

↑ utvolsfootball.blogspot.com: The 25 Best SEC Football Rivalries
↑ Sporting News Blog: SEC Football a History
↑ BleacherReport.com: Croom Looks For Third Straight Win In 'The Battle For Highway 82'
↑ "Mississippi State Traditions".
↑ sparky39762. "Video: 1940 Mississippi State vs Alabama". YouTube.com.
1 2 3 4 Metal Building Dawg (2012-10-23). "History of MSU vs. Alabama". ForWhomtheCowbellTolls.com.
↑ "1941 Final AP Football Poll". CollegePollArchive.com.
↑ Sutton, Justin (2012-06-24). "Mississippi State Football History: 1941-Our National Title?". ForWhomtheCowbellTolls.com.
1 2 Schexnayder, C.J. (2010-11-09). "Alabama vs Mississippi State: A Historical Retrospective". RollBamaRoll.com.
↑ "Bulldogs forced to forfeit 19 football games". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. May 24, 1978. p. 19. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
1 2 The Croom Diaries (2012-10-27). "Is This the Biggest Game in MSU History?". MaroonAndWhiteNation.com.
↑ "Series Preview: Alabama vs. Mississippi State". RollTide.com. 2008-11-13.
↑ Schexnayder, C.J. (2013-03-18). "What the End of A Crimson Tide Dynasty Looks Like". TeamSpeedKills.com.
↑ Anders, Mike. "Mississippi State---Alabama 1980 end of game". YouTube.com.
↑ Futiak, Pete. "The greatest endings in college football history from 1970 to the present". CFN.Scout.com.
↑ "1986 Game Recaps". 1987 Alabama Football Media Guide (PDF). Tuscaloosa, Alabama: UA Athletics Media Relations Office. 1987.
↑ "Mississippi State Stuns Alabama". LATimes.com. 1996-11-17.
↑ "Friday Flashback: Alabama 19, Mississippi State 7 (Nov. 13, 1999) Tide defense forces three turnovers and blocks one punt in the win". RollTide.com. 2009-11-13.
↑ "Mississippi State stuns Bama in Tuscaloosa for first SEC win". ESPN.com. 2006-11-04.
↑ "Miss. State earns second straight win over Bama". ESPN.com. 2007-11-10.
↑ McDaniel, Alex (2012-10-25). "#WeBelieve: Mississippi State prepares for Alabama matchup, sparks Twitter trend". ClarionLedger.com. The Clarion-Ledger.
↑ cristilmethod (2012-10-26). "#WeBelieve at the Today Show". ForWhomtheCowbellTolls.com.
↑ Gribble, Andrew (2012-10-27). "Alabama's Bear Bryant statue the latest to receive 'We Believe' treatment from Mississippi State fans". AL.com.
↑ "Top-ranked Alabama rides fast start to rout of Mississippi State". ESPN.com. 2012-10-27.

Alabama Crimson Tide football
Venues	University of Alabama Quad (1893–1914) Denny Field (1915–1928) Bryant–Denny Stadium (1929–present) Rickwood Field (alternate, 1912–1927) Cramton Bowl (alternate, 1922–1954) Ernest F. Ladd Stadium (alternate, 1948–1968) Legion Field (alternate, 1927–2003)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Auburn: Iron Bowl (James E. Foy, V-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy) LSU Mississippi State Ole Miss Penn State Tennessee: Third Saturday in October
Culture & lore	History Saban era Traditions Big Al "Yea Alabama" A-Day 1922 Penn game Million Dollar Band Walk of Fame Paul W. Bryant Museum The Bear The Bear Bryant Show Porter Cup 1943 Informals
People	Head coaches All-Americans College Football Hall of Fame inductees NFL draftees Starting quarterbacks Statistical leaders Champ Pickens
Seasons	1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
National championship seasons in bold

Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Venues	Davis Wade Stadium (1914–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama Kentucky LSU Ole Miss: Egg Bowl
Culture & lore	Bully "Hail State" Famous Maroon Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Southeastern Conference football rivalry games

Conference

Iron Bowl (Alabama–Auburn)
Alabama–LSU
Alabama–Mississippi State
Alabama–Ole Miss
Third Saturday in October (Alabama–Tennessee)
Arkansas–Auburn
Arkansas–LSU
Battle Line Rivalry (Arkansas–Missouri)
Arkansas–Ole Miss
Arkansas–Texas A&M
Auburn–Florida
Deep South's Oldest Rivalry (Auburn–Georgia)
Auburn–LSU
Auburn–Tennessee
Florida–Georgia
Florida–LSU
Florida–Tennessee
Georgia–South Carolina
Georgia–Tennessee
Georgia–Vanderbilt
Kentucky–Mississippi State
Battle for the Beer Barrel (Kentucky–Tennessee)
Kentucky–Vanderbilt
LSU–Mississippi State
Magnolia Bowl (LSU–Ole Miss)
LSU–Texas A&M
Egg Bowl (Mississippi State–Ole Miss)
Ole Miss–Vanderbilt
Tennessee–Vanderbilt

Non-conference

Alabama–Penn State
Arkansas–Texas
Auburn–Clemson
Auburn–Georgia Tech
Auburn–Tulane
Battle of the Brazos (Baylor–Texas A&M)
Clemson–Georgia
Clemson–South Carolina
Florida–Florida State
Florida–Miami
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate (Georgia–Georgia Tech)
Georgia Tech–Tennessee
Illinois–Missouri
Indiana–Kentucky
Iowa State–Missouri
Border War (Kansas–Missouri)
Centre–Kentucky
Kentucky–Louisville
Battle On Broadway (Kentucky–Transylvania)
Battle for the Rag (LSU–Tulane)
Memphis–Ole Miss
Missouri–Nebraska
Missouri–Oklahoma
NC State–South Carolina
North Carolina–South Carolina
Ole Miss–Tulane
Sewanee–Vanderbilt
TCU–Texas A&M
Texas A&M–Texas Tech
Texas–Texas A&M

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