During a pregame interview with CBS Sports, moments before the game, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin told fans to “get your popcorn ready.” Then, Ole Miss became the punchline in a 42-21 loss against Alabama on Saturday.
The Alabama Crimson Tide held the Ole Miss offense to just 291 yards, less than half of their season’s average being 635.5 yards per game. Alabama’s defense didn’t allow Ole Miss more than 78 rushing yards (2.3 per attempt) as they dominated both sides of the football. In the first half alone, the Crimson Tide denied Ole Miss on 3 fourth-down conversion attempts, and defensive lineman, Phidarian Mathis, forced a fumble that led to a touchdown. DeMarcco Hellams, Crimson Tide defensive back, led the team in tackles with a total of 11. Alabama’s linebacker Will Anderson was agonizing for the Rebels offense thanks to 2.5 of his 9 tackles behind the line, one being a sack. Matt Corral, Ole Miss starting quarterback, was pressured by unblocked blitzers and defenders bigger than the lineman throughout all four quarters. Corral was eventually able to put Ole Miss on the board in the third quarter with a rushing touchdown for 10 yards. The Rebels were dominated by the Alabama defense, and it was not hard to see. Alabama linebacker, Henry To’oTo’o even said, “Whenever you get off the field as a defense, it’s huge to be able to swing momentum to your side and get the opposing offense off the field and get the ball back to our offense.”
The Alabama offense was able to do what they pleased against a struggling Rebel’s defense. Registering 451 yards on Saturday, with 241 of those in the air and 210 more were taken on the ground. For an enhanced understanding, Alabama’s 50 runs earned them 210 total yards. Whereas if Ole Miss had run 50 times with their game average, they would have only gained 115 yards. Bryce Young, Alabama’s starting quarterback, completed 21 of 27 passes for all 241 yards, including two touchdowns and one nasty interception. Ole Miss defensive back, Keidron Smith, came away with Corral’s interception pass for the Rebel’s only turnover. The Rebels, Otis Reese, led with a career-high 11 tackles, but that was not enough for such a dominant offense. Ole Miss’s defense dared Alabama to firmly run the ball on them and Alabama running back, Brian Robinson Jr. did just that. Robinson led the offense with 171 rushing yards and four touchdowns, his statistics would have beaten the Rebels single-handedly. Jahleel Billingsley was an important target for Young with four catches for 47 yards. It was a successful offensive night for one of the two teams.
From the opening drive on, the game looked like what it was hyped up to be, an offensive shootout. Ole Miss has a team with talent, no doubt about that. Matt Corral had some great passes, receivers had great catches, and all three running backs were not easy to tackle. However, Alabama outcoached the Rebels on offense, defense, and special teams. The Crimson Tide made it clear they are the best team in college football and plan to take on Texas A&M next weekend.
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