STARKVILLE – Mississippi State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop knows his defense is up against the best offense in the country this weekend. He grasps Alabama’s scoring offense would still rank top-25 nationally this season even if the Tide had zero second-half points.

“How about this, this is amazing,” said before diving unprompted into the stat that Alabama averages more than 50 points and nearly 600 total yards per game.

But Shoop, a nominee for the Broyles Award given to the best assistant coach in the nation, isn’t backing down when No. 6 Mississippi State (6-3, 2-3 SEC) plays No. 1 Alabama (9-0, 6-0 SEC) at 2:30 p.m. in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

“We’re going to play our game,” Shoop said. “They’re good, but we’re good too. We’re not going down there and playing on our heels or anything along those lines. We’re going to do the things that got us to this point.”

‘This point’ for Mississippi State translates to the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense and the SEC’s best total defense. Yes, even better than the one the Crimson Tide boasts on the other side. Mississippi State and Alabama are the only teams in the conference that allow fewer than 300 yards per game.

The Bulldogs haven’t faced an offense like Bama’s, though. The Tide average more yards per game than any other team in the country. They score more than anybody else, too.

Alabama has the Heisman Trophy front-runner in sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He has 27 touchdowns and one interception this year. Shoop said Tagovailoa’s receivers comprise the best group of wideouts in the country.

So what does Shoop do to combat that combination?

Nothing new. He said he hasn’t talked about Alabama any differently than any of Mississippi State’s other opponents this season. His confidence is high no matter who lines up across from his players.

“I think we’re built to compete with these guys,” Shoop said. “Our guys are big and strong up front, and we’re fairly talented in the secondary. I think there are some good matchups that we can exploit.”

Shoop wants to turn Alabama’s balanced offensive attack into a one-dimensional threat. He said he wants to eliminate the Tide’s rushing ability. That's a challenge considering Alabama running backs Damien Harris and Najee Harris are both averaging more than 6 yards per carry.

If State’s defensive line takes them out of the game, then Shoop believes MSU’s secondary can do its job against the best skill players State will have faced all season.

Alabama has four receivers — Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III — that average 17.8 yards or more per catch. And don't forget tight end Irv Smith Jr., whose six touchdown receptions are the third most on the team.

The confident Shoop realizes the magnitude of Saturday’s game. An upset over a No. 1-ranked team can change the perception of a program, as well as the direction of many players’ careers.

Shoop doesn’t want the defense to think that way, though. He wants his players to take a narrower approach. They shouldn’t think in the context of a grand scheme or even in the context of an entire game, Shoop said.

He wants them to take it play by play. If the focus gets any wider, Alabama can pummel the Dogs in the first two quarters, as the Tide has done to plenty of opponents this year.

“We don’t need to play perfectly,” Shoop said. “I told the guys that. They don’t need to think about it along those lines. They just need to play one snap at a time.”

Contact Tyler via email thorka@jackson.gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @tbhorka

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