No. 1 Alabama beats Mississippi State 32-7

[November 17, 2008]  TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Javier Arenas ran back a punt 80 yards for one touchdown and set up a score with another long return, helping No. 1 Alabama roll to a 32-7 win over Mississippi State on Saturday night.

The Crimson Tide (11-0, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) didn't need a dominant offensive performance to turn back a team that had given 'Bama fits the past two years.

Kareem Jackson blocked a punt in the end zone for a safety and Leigh Tiffin kicked three field goals to help keep Alabama on track for a perfect regular season leading up to a showdown with No. 3 Florida in the SEC championship game.

Mississippi State (3-7, 1-5) had won the past two meetings with coach Sylvester Croom's alma matter. The Bulldogs, who were knocked out of contention for a second straight bowl trip, had also been the team to end Alabama's last regular-season reign over the rankings back in 1980 when Croom was a Tide assistant.

Arenas effectively wiped out any fears of a repeat 28 years later. He darted through a gaping hole and raced down the sidelines for his fifth career punt-return touchdown early in the second half to break David Palmer's school mark.

Arenas gained 153 yards on six returns and helped spark a 27-point surge over the final 35 minutes

.

Alabama trailed 7-5 when he turned in his first big runback and was in command after his second. His 46-yarder to the Bulldogs' 2-yard line set up John Parker Wilson's 1-yard sneak. It was the Tide's first offensive touchdown against Mississippi State since the fourth quarter of the 2004 game, a span of some 210 minutes of play.

Mark Ingram added another 1-yard score in the fourth quarter.

The Tide turned in a workmanlike performance coming off an emotional overtime win at LSU that clinched the SEC West title.

Wilson completed 10 of 17 passes for 148 yards but and set up scores with long passes to Julio Jones and Brad Smelley. Ingram ran for 78 yards and Glen Coffee had 71 for the Tide.

Mississippi State took the lead on Jamayel Smith's 31-yard pass from Tyson Lee five minutes into the second quarter. The Bulldogs couldn't produce much else offensively.

Lee completed 11 of 28 passes for 132 yards while the league's top run defense held Anthony Dixon to 26 yards on 11 carries.

Alabama's lone remaining game before the Gators is against struggling Auburn in two weeks.

[Associated Press; By JOHN ZENOR]

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