Alabama coach Nick Saban said Monday that going on the road to Mississippi State this Saturday could be a tougher test than the team's previous two games.
The Crimson Tide won a closer-than-expected contest, 17-3, on the road at USF two weeks ago, a game in which the offense struggled.
Last Saturday, Alabama hosted then-No. 15 Ole Miss, pulling away in the second half to win 24-10.
But unranked Mississippi State (2-2, 0-2) gives Saban pause.
"This is actually a bigger challenge for us than the last two games, in my opinion, in terms of this team being very physical, very aggressive on defense," he said.