Starkville, Miss. – Jalen Hurts hit DeVonta Smith for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 25 seconds remaining to lift No. 2 Alabama over No. 16 Mississippi State 31-24 on Saturday night.
Alabama (10-0, 7-0 SEC, AP No. 1) won its 10th straight game against Mississippi State, but this one was much more difficult than most of the others.
"We did a good job of staying together, being one and staying cool and calm," Hurts said.
Mississippi State (7-3, 3-3, AP No. 18) pushed ahead 24-17 early in the fourth quarter on Jace Christmann's 25-yard field goal, but Alabama responded to tie it at 24 when Damien Harris ran for a 14-yard score with 9:49 left. Alabama had a chance to take the lead with about two minutes left, but a 40-yard field goal attempt by Andy Pappanastos banged off the left upright.
Mississippi State went three-and-out on the ensuing drive and Alabama took over with 1:09 remaining. That was more than enough time for the Tide, which drove six plays and 68 yards in 44 seconds.
Alabama coach Nick Saban wasn't particularly pleased with parts of his team — especially on defense.
"Sometimes you need hard," Saban said. "If we're going to beat really good teams, if we're going to compete, we've got to learn how to compete in close games where every play counts. Where you've got to play every play for 60 minutes."
The game was tight throughout, with neither team leading by more than a touchdown.
