STARKVILLE, Miss. — Alabama put together its most complete performance of the season in its 56-23 drumming of Mississippi State. The pre-eminent storyline around the game — the quarterback battle between Keelon Russell and Kamario Taylor — was overshadowed by the sheer dominance displayed by the Crimson Tide for almost the entire game.

Russell's numbers were great, but not superhuman. No receiver cleared 100 yards, no running back cleared 70. No defensive player had individual numbers that matched the peaks of prior weeks. Instead, the theme of the game, displayed often throughout this piece, was that the sum of Alabama's parts came together to show what a truly cohesive performance looks like.

That's not to say it was a perfect game — there's plenty to pick apart. We'll dive into the highs and lows in this week's Tide Up, Tide Down, BamaCentral's reactionary postgame series that evaluates some of the best and worst players, moments, and trends from Alabama's season.

Tide Up: Defensive Front

The defensive front was the reason Alabama dominated this game.

It's the reason Kamario Taylor was running for his life, taking five sacks and looking the most uncomfortable he has all year. It's the reason he forced two balls that were picked off, and it directly caused a third turnover, thanks to London Simmons' forced fumble. It's the reason Mississippi State was held to an eye-popping 0.6 yards per carry; it's the reason Alabama's defense shut down what had been one of the most efficient offenses in the conference.

Seven different players recorded at least a half-sack, with Red Morgan being the only defensive back to do so. These guys physically dominated an inferior offensive line and set the tone for Alabama's dominance on both sides of the ball.

Terrance Green, Simmons, and Kedrick Bingley-Jones were constant forces inside, Devan Thompkins and Yhonzae Pierre set the edge, and even players like Isaia Faga and Fatutoa Henry joined in on the fun. It was simply a dominant day for a unit that continues to exceed expectations.

But if there was one player who really deserves some individual recognition, it's this guy.

Tide Up: Xavier Griffin

It all came together against the Bulldogs for the freshman, who led Alabama with nine tackles and recorded his first career sack.

He'd shown plenty of flashes in the games leading up to this, but today we saw the first look at what a complete game from Griffin looks like, and the returns were incredible. His ceiling is as high as anybody on the team, and his five-star status was clearly warranted (not that there is any doubt).

Will he be this elite every game this season? Likely not. But make no mistake, this is one of the future faces of Alabama football.

Tide Up: Trae'Shawn Brown

The three-star freshman continues to shine. He logged 14 carries on the day, more than Daniel Hill, EJ Crowell, and AK Dear combined. Brown found the end zone twice and now leads the team with five touchdowns on the ground.

With Crowell still not ready to be a three-down back (whether because of health concerns or struggles in pass protection), and Dear still very much working his way onto the field, Brown may have the clearest path to becoming this team's feature back.

Especially with the following in mind...

Tide Down: Daniel Hill

Playing in his home state, against the school that his nephew plays for, at a stadium that he regularly attended growing up, the stage was set for Hill, just three weeks removed from his first-ever 100-yard game, to have a career day.

That didn't happen.

The junior rushed a season-low five times for 22 yards and fumbled on two of those carries. One was recovered by Michael Carroll, but the other gave the Bulldogs the ball in the red zone and led to a touchdown. Hill now has averaged just 2.9 yards per carry over his last two games, going back to his eight-run, 15-yard showing against the Gamecocks.

In week one, Hill, Brown, and Crowell were all listed as the RB1 (alongside Kevin Riley). After his performance in Lexington, Hill had separated himself and was named the sole lead back the next week, a role he's held ever since. That could be changing.

Tide Down: Dijon Lee

Lee was penciled in on Tide Up less than seven minutes into the game. Seriously, for the bulk of the first quarter, the only thing written down was "Tide Up: Dijon Lee."

After his 30-yard pick-six, how could he not be? That appeared to be a much-needed spark for a player who had struggled mightily over the previous two weeks, getting burned in man coverage by Duce Robinson and Nyck Harbor, consecutively.

Then came the second-quarter muffed punt. Minutes later, a touchdown was surrendered on a play that cannot be fully attributed to Lee, as the entire defense was behind the eight-ball, and a timeout should have been called by Kane Wommack pre-snap. Still, we've now had three straight weeks where Lee, thought to have been one of the most impressive talents on the roster, has had visible struggles.

He somewhat redeemed himself following that sequence, thanks to a 47-yard kick return, but it doesn't erase the bad moments. Lee should be one of the best players on the team. Whether the flaws are in the system, his development and coaching, or mental consistency, he isn't playing like that right now.

Tide Down: Receiving Depth

There are only so many targets to go around.

It appears that Russell and Ryan Grubb have figured out where they want the lion's share of those targets to go. Derek Meadows and Cederian Morgan are very talented football players. As big-bodied, physical receivers on a team with a QB willing to take shots, they could absolutely have earned significant roles on this team. Entering the season, it even seemed likely.

But through five games, they have combined for four receptions, 65 yards, and a touchdown. Meadows has three of those four, but the only noteworthy one came nearly a month ago, a 31-yard haul against East Carolina. He's on the field regularly as a blocker with his 6-foot-5 frame, but his presence typically signifies a run.

Morgan's only reception to date was a 21-yard touchdown in the first half against Florida State. That catch came in a legitimately important moment of that game, but the freshman has seen the field sparingly since.

Ryan Coleman-Williams, Lotzeir Brooks, and Rico Scott have the top three receiver spots secured, and Marshall Pritchett and Kaleb Edwards have checked the boxes as the team's big targets, while also providing the invaluable run blocking that nobody else can replicate.

The jury's still out on whether or not Noah Rogers can work his way into a full, substantial role. His odds are higher than Meadows' and Morgan's, but it looks like a long shot right now.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok for the latest news.