MOBILE, Ala. – Mississippi scored the first three points and the last 10 points Saturday afternoon in the 23rd annual Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Football Classic.

It was the 21 points the squad from the Magnolia State gave up in between that proved to be their undoing, however.

Coty Blanchard and Daryl Norris each threw second-half touchdown passes as Alabama claimed a 21-13 victory at historic Ladd-Peebles Stadium.The victory improved Alabama to 16-7 all-time in the game against the neighboring rival.

Blanchard, from Class 4A state champion Cherokee County, hit Maudrecas Humphrey of Class 6A champion Hoover for a 21-yard touchdown to put Alabama on top 7-3 late in the third quarter.

Norris, from Daphne, hooked up with Murphy’s Solomon Patton – a University of Florida commitment – for a 50-yard score early in the fourth quarter.

“We played hard, and we had a good week of practice but we just had some bad luck in the second half,” Mississippi head coach Anthony Hart of Lafayette County said. “They made a few plays more than we did.”

Dale Trimble, of Gadsden City and Alabama’s Most Valuable Player, returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown moments after Patton’s score to make it 21-3 and all but seal the win for Alabama.

But Mississippi battled back, as Will Scott of George County booted his second short field goal of the game with eight minutes to play to make it 21-6, and then Mississippi added a 38-yard scoring strike from Domique Sullivan of Taylorsville to Marquise Triplett of Louisville with 1:22 to play to cut the deficit to the final score.

Mississippi recovered the on-side kick, but couldn’t put together any offense for a final attempt to tie or win the game.

“We came out and played much better in the second half,” Alabama head coach Josh Niblett of Hoover, whose team trailed 3-0 at halftime, said. “We made some breaks and took advantage of them.”

Scott was named Mississippi’s MVP after kicking field goals from 27 and 29 yards.

“We felt a lot more comfortable in the second half,” said Blanchard. “In the first half, we were trying to make things happen a little too much. At halftime, they talked to us about getting settled and letting things play out.”