Defense Helps Tide Roll to 9-0 Record

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- Kenneth Darby ran for 122 yards and No. 4 Alabama returned two turnovers for touchdowns in its 17-0 win over Mississippi State on Saturday.<br> <br> Brodie Croyle was 14-of-22 for 116 yards for Alabama (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference), which forced four takeaways and held the Bulldogs to 26 yards rushing in beating Mississippi State coach and former &#39;Bama player Sylvester Croom.<br> <br> The Tide&#39;s last trip into the state of Mississippi came down to the final play - it needed a last-second field goal three weeks ago to beat Ole Miss - but this time, Alabama&#39;s dominating defense ensured no drama would be necessary.<br> <br> The Tide got rolling on the second-half kickoff. Jimmy Johns jarred the ball from Mississippi State returner Derek Pegues. Matt Miller scooped it up and returned it 15 yards to give Alabama a 10-0 lead 7 seconds into the third quarter.<br> <br> On the Bulldogs&#39; next possession, quarterback Mike Henig fell and flipped the ball directly to defensive lineman Rudy Griffin, who brought it back 17 yards for another score.<br> <br> Henig, a redshirt freshman making his first start, was 9-of-28 for 78 yards with three interceptions for the Bulldogs (2-7, 0-6), who have lost five straight and were shut out for the second time this season.<br> <br> Mississippi State has been outscored by a combined 153-33 in its SEC losses, and the league&#39;s worst offense was no match for the Tide, which has one of the nation&#39;s best defenses.<br> <br> Jerious Norwood, who set Mississippi State&#39;s single-game and career rushing yardage records in the last two weeks, was held to 39 yards on 18 attempts. The Bulldogs were held to 103 total yards. <br> <br> The Bulldogs couldn&#39;t take advantage of two rare mistakes by Croyle, whose first interception since September came on the Tide&#39;s opening drive.<br> <br> Later, Croyle fumbled as he was hit by Willie Evans and Titus Brown returned it to the &#39;Bama 18. The drive stalled at the 10, and with kicker Keith Andrews out (strained groin), a field goal wasn&#39;t an option and Mississippi State was stopped on fourth down.<br> <br> Alabama responded by driving 70 yards to the Bulldogs 20 to set up Jamie Christensen&#39;s 38-yard field goal for the only points of the first half.<br> <br> Croom, a standout lineman at Alabama in the 1970s who was a teammate of Croyle&#39;s father, was a top candidate for the Crimson Tide job, but Mike Shula was hired instead and Croom wound up at Mississippi State.<br> <br> He coached against his alma mater for the second time, and this one seemed far less emotional than the last - a 30-14 win for the Tide last year in Croom&#39;s hometown of Tuscaloosa.<br> <br> © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.