Alabama-Mississippi St Preview Capsule

No. 3 Alabama (8-1, 5-1 SEC) at No. 20 Mississippi State (7-2, 3-2), 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

Line: Alabama by 7ˆ½.

Series Record: Alabama leads 78-13-3.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Alabama is trying to tighten its grip on first place in the SEC's Western Division with a victory in Starkville. Mississippi State could turn the race into a mess with a win and vastly improve its outside chance at capturing the title.

KEY MATCHUP

Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott vs. Alabama's defense. The Bulldogs ask a ton from Prescott, who has established himself as the greatest player in school history. He's thrown for 2,351 yards and 18 touchdowns and also run for a team-high 418 yards and seven touchdowns. Alabama will counter with a defense that's been among the league leaders all season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Alabama: RB Derrick Henry. The 6-foot-3, 242-pound back has been a workhorse all season with 1,254 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns. The most impressive part is he seems to be getting better as the season progresses - he had 38 carries for 210 yards and three touchdowns against LSU last week.

Mississippi State: WR De'Runnya Wilson. The 6-foot-5 Wilson had two touchdown catches against Missouri last week and will be the Bulldogs' main threat when they try to make a play downfield and stretch Alabama's secondary.

FACTS & FIGURES

Alabama's Henry is averaging 173.6 yards rushing per game in the Tide's five games against nationally-ranked opponents. ... Alabama QB Jake Coker has completed 74.4 percent (93-for-125) of his passes for 1,021 yards and three touchdowns over the past five games. ... Alabama has 13 interceptions this season, which ranks first in the SEC. Mississippi State's Prescott has thrown just one interception all season. ... Prescott has a 21-8 record as the starting MSU quarterback over the past three seasons. ... Mississippi State's defense has only allowed 12 points in the fourth quarter all season, including zero touchdowns.