Throughout his years as coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Nick Saban has never allowed his team to overlook an opponent, no matter who they were.
Most of the time there was no need for it, considering how much better Alabama is than its completion, but that practice will come in handy on Saturday when the team faces off against the 11th ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Both teams enter the game 7-0 and are undefeated in SEC play. Alabama has four wins in the conference while Mississippi State has three.
The Bulldogs are the most talented opponent Alabama has faced this season and will be the first real chance for a team to derail an undefeated season for the Crimson Tide.
"At this time of the season, it's kind of like you're running the 100-yard race and now you're getting down to about 70 meters and you've got 30 meters to go," Alabama coach Nick Saban said Monday, according to the Associated Press. "And a lot of people are close, right on your heels and you've got to be able to finish the race."
Senior quarterback A.J. McCarron has been a steady and solid performer this season, throwing for 1,476 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has been the model of efficiency, completing over 68 percent of his passes and throwing zero interceptions while leading the nation in passer rating.
According to the Associated Press, McCarron has a 239-pass streak without throwing an interception
If the Bulldogs pull off the upset, they would take over first place in the SEC West and take the inside track to the conference title game and then perhaps the national championship game.
"For our guys, to me, the respect issue comes down to our guys respect themselves, they respect each other," Mullen said. "And that's really the only respect you need in a football team."
Quarterback Tyler Russell has been nearly as good as McCarron for the Bulldogs. He has passed for over 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns with only one interception.
"What people outside our building say about us is their opinion. We have to worry about what we think about each other inside. And I think our guys have a lot of respect for the leaders on our team," said Mullen. "And they respect how everybody on the team works, and they respect each other and they respect our program. So they give great effort in those regards because of those things, and that's really all that matters."
Alabama has been at its best against Mississippi State in the past few years. According to ESPN the team has outscored Mississippi State 117-27 over the past four meetings.
"They have improved a lot over the past three years," Alabama linebacker Nico Johnson said. "We're not taking them lightly because they're a good team. I don't think they get the credit they deserve. We're going to come in with the mindset of they want to knock us off, so we're gonna try to get after them the best we can for a 60-minute game."
The Bulldogs have been one of the best teams in the nation rushing the ball, running for over 180 yards per game. Running back LaDarius Perkins has gained 724 yards on the season and scored eight touchdowns.
"It's always been a great game because they are great at running the ball," Tide linebacker C.J. Mosley said. "They have a great offense and a great defense. They have one of those defenses that gets a lot of turnovers, too, and we're right there with them on turnovers. It ought to be a great day."
The Bulldogs are off to their best start in recent years and haven't won 10 straight games since the 1940 season, according to the Associated Press.
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