The Alabama Crimson Tide went into Starkville and left with a dominant road win over Mississippi State, and Keelon Russell was the biggest reason why the cowbells in “Stark Vegas” went quiet. It was a statement victory for Alabama ahead of a massive matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs next week.

Before we look ahead to Georgia, it’s time for this week’s Alabama winners and losers. There’s plenty to like from the win, but the Crimson Tide also has a few things to clean up.

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Winners

WR Ryan Coleman-Williams

When Coleman-Williams showed up to the game wearing a knee brace, there was immediate concern. He didn’t return punts, which turned into a bit of an issue with Dijon Lee handling those duties. He probably had something going on with his knee. Still, he hauled in a big-time touchdown and made an amazing catch along the boundary. The numbers weren’t gaudy, but I thought he had a really good day.

QB Keelon Russell

The headliner. For three weeks now, Russell has made plays that are hard to put into words. His third-and-19 throw to Lotzeir Brooks was majestic. He kept two hands on the football, shuffled up in the pocket, and fired it deep down the field into a tight window. Alabama pulled him early in the fourth quarter because of how dominant he was.

RB Trae’shawn Brown

Brown served as the lead back, partly because of one of our losers below. He ran for over 60 yards and two touchdowns and looked incredible with the ball in his hands.

WR Rico Scott

Scott has quietly been announcing his arrival over the last couple of weeks. On Saturday, he came down with two incredible touchdown grabs.

DL Devan Thompkins

Thompkins might be the most impactful transfer portal addition Alabama made. After a dominant performance against South Carolina, he generated the pressure that forced Dijon Lee’s pick-six, added a tackle for loss, and delivered another big-time pressure in the low red zone.

LB Xavier Griffin

How about the freshman? Griffin led the team in tackles and added a sack and a half. He’s on the field because Desmond Zulu and Justin Hill are injured, and whether he lined up at stack backer or the wolf/banded position, he made plays all day long. He looks like an incredible talent.

DL Kedrick Bingley-Jones

The Mississippi State transfer returned to Starkville and picked up a half sack. He clearly enjoyed it, and credit to him.

LB Caleb Woodson

Woodson rounds out the winners with an interception. We already know what he brings as a TFL magnet and in the run game, so it was good to see him get his hands on the football.

Honorable Mention

RB EJ Crowell

I have to give EJ Crowell a shout-out. When he came in to spell Brown and Daniel Hill in the fourth quarter, he ripped off a run down the sideline that reminded me of Derrick Henry in his second and third years at Alabama. He’s a freshman, and he runs like a mutant out there.

Losers

RB Daniel Hill

The truth is, it’s hard to find losers in a win this dominant. But Hill had two early fumbles that handed Mississippi State a lot of momentum, and that’s why Brown became the lead back. This was still a game in the first half.

Pass Protection

Alabama allowed four sacks while Russell was still in the game. That’s not good enough against a front like Mississippi State’s, no disrespect to the Bulldogs. I understand the Crimson Tide is without right tackle Jayvin James and that Will Sanders is banged up, but it has to be better when Georgia comes to town.

Secondary

Kamario Taylor is an amazing talent for Mississippi State, and he didn’t have his best stuff by any means. Anthony Evans sure did, though. Evans finished with double-digit catches for over 160 yards and made the Alabama secondary look like Swiss cheese. I don’t know if this is a Kane Wommack issue or a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way, we saw it against Florida State too, and Alabama has to be better in zone coverage.

Self-inflicted wounds

Alabama committed way too many false starts, holding calls, illegal formations, and dead ball penalties. This is the kind of stuff that gets overshadowed when you blow out a ranked opponent on the road.

It will catch up to Alabama against Georgia, against LSU down the road, or in the SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff. Call it picking nits, but it is what it is.