Russell outduels Taylor in battle of SEC headliners as Alabama rolls — SkimNews
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- Keelon Russell threw three touchdowns in Alabama's 56-23 win over Mississippi State, catapulting past Kamario Taylor as the Heisman Trophy frontrunner.
- Kamario Taylor had entered Saturday as the SEC's top Heisman Trophy candidate through four games before being surpassed by Russell in their head-to-head matchup.
- Alabama rolled to the 56-23 victory over Mississippi State, decisively ending the Bulldogs' unbeaten run through conference play.
- Russell, a sophomore quarterback, turned the direct meeting between the two Heisman contenders into a showcase performance with three scoring throws.
- Mississippi State fell to 56 points allowed after entering the game as the conference's Heisman-driver team, squandering Taylor's early-season momentum in one afternoon.
Why it matters: Russell seized the Heisman narrative in a single head-to-head meeting, ending Taylor's four-game grip on the SEC's top-candidate label and resetting the conference's individual-award race. The 33-point margin also reasserts Alabama as a national title threat while damaging Mississippi State's résumé before the season's back half.
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