Five storylines to watch ahead of Alabama’s Week 5 matchup with Mississippi State

Nick Saban and the Alabama football team are fresh off a 24-10 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels to start the 2023 SEC schedule. Up next for the Crimson Tide is a road trip to Starkville to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Unlike Alabama, the Bulldogs suffered a tough road loss in Week 4 at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks, 37-30, and have started the season with a 2-2 record and a 0-2 mark in conference play.

While Alabama looks to build off its strong start in conference play, the Bulldogs look to salvage their season with an upset victory over the Tide.

As we await the contest, here are some of the top storylines to watch in Alabama’s Week 5 matchup with Mississippi State.

Jalen Milroe vs. Miss. State's pass defense

Mississippi State’s pass defense has struggled over the past two weeks. LSU’s Jayden Daniels and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler completed a combined 48 of 54 pass attempts against the Bulldog defense. This matchup could provide and pivotal opportunity for Jalen Milroe to gain more confidence in the Alabama passing game.

Alabama's defensive dominance

There’s an old saying that good defense travels and if the defense that played inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday shows up in Starkville this weekend, you have to like Alabama’s chances against the Bulldogs.

Jalen Hale's emergence

Freshman wide receiver had his breakout performance against Ole Miss this past weekend and appears to be the next great playmaker for the Alabama offense. As Milroe and the entire offense continue to create their identity, it will be interesting to see how involved Hale will be.

Continuing to improve in the ground game

Alabama’s strong second-half performance was made possible by the solid rushing attack from the Crimson Tide offense. The offensive line did its job in creating running lanes for the Tide backs and it helped Alabama melt the clock away and create a more balanced attack. Alabama needs to build off the strong second-half performance heading into to Week 5.

Final annual meeting before conference realignment

Mississippi State is Alabama’s oldest rival and following the 2023 season, the annual series will come to an end thanks to conference realignment. Although Alabama has dominated the series, the history and tradition of the annual rivalry will be missed by both the Crimson Tide and Bulldog faithful.

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Story originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire