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Talent abounds when you put the Ole Miss Rebels and the Alabama Crimson Tide on one football field. All signs point to this upcoming game on Saturday as one of the most entertaining to watch.
Before you watch, get to know the 10 best players that will be in the game, based on their 2015 performances only:
10. CB Cryus Jones, Alabama: Jones showed up during last week’s game against Middle Tennessee, making 3 tackles and snagging an interception. Because of that, Ole Miss and Chad Kelly will be on the lookout for this player in the secondary.
9. DB Trae Elston, Ole Miss: For each game of the season so far, he’s recorded a nice pick six with one going for 93 yards against Tennessee-Martin. His mission on Saturday is to continue making interceptions and become a thorn in Jake Coker’s side.
8. WR Quincy Adeboyejo, Ole Miss: This Rebels wide receiver made significant contributions to the offense last week against Fresno State, with 5 receptions and 120 yards. He is also a favorite target for Chad Kelly to go to when it comes to scoring situations. He accounted for three touchdowns of the team’s 73 points last week.
7. TE O.J. Howard, Alabama: So far, the Crimson Tide has been a run-based team. But when Coker does pass, he often passes it to Howard, who not only catches but is able to extend the play after the catch with his legs. So far this season he’s had 7 receptions for 105 yards. Against Wisconsin, he averaged 12.3 yards a catch.
6. WR Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss: Treadwell took a back seat last weekend against Fresno State, but that doesn’t take away the offensive threat he poses to opponents. After two 600-plus-yard seasons, Treadwell has notched 117 yards this year over 9 receptions. He will get chances to score his first touchdown of the season against the Crimson Tide.
5. QB Chad Kelly, Ole Miss: Hugh Freeze finally revealed earlier this week that Kelly got the starting job, which no one was shocked to hear after his performances so far. He’s totaled 557 passing yards and 6 touchdowns. He’s also run for 2 touchdowns, and last week had an 80 percent completion rate. We all wonder, of course, how he will fare against the SEC.
4. LB Reggie Ragland, Alabama: As the foundational rock of the Crimson Tide defense, Ragland will be doing his best to wreck havoc on Kelly’s gameplan and engineer turnovers. So far this season, Ragland has 21 total tackles 1 tackle for a loss, and 1 forced fumble.
3. DT Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss: Nkemdiche has been making some moves on offense lately, but his home is still disrupting the line on defense. So far he’s made 5 tackles, one for a loss, this season. He’s also scored a touchdown both receiving and rushing the ball. It will be interesting to see what role(s) he serves during the Alabama game.
2. RB Kenyan Drake, Alabama: He’s one of two running backs that makes up Alabama’s strong offense. So far this season he’s had 16 carries for 117 yards. He also is a receiving target for his quarterback, notching 7 receptions for 139 yards.
1. RB Derrick Henry, Alabama: The SEC is boasting many strong running backs right now, and Henry is one of them. He was 10 yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard rushing mark last year. This season, he already has 31 carries for 243 rushing yards. Containing him will be Ole Miss’ top priority.
Christine Wang is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. She covers Auburn, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
