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The Rebels’ 43-37 victory over the Tide on Saturday night was big enough to bring the goal posts down again had it been in The Grove.
The victory is just what Ole Miss (3-0) needs to match its improbable 7-0 start last season because the Rebels’ next four games are set up pretty nicely. They’ll certainly be the favorite vs Vanderbilt, at Florida, vs New Mexico State and at Memphis.
5 TAKEAWAYS
Chad Kelly with big plays: It wasn’t always pretty for Kelly, but he made big plays his best friend in the hostile confines of Tuscaloosa. Kelly only completed 16 passes, but he averaged nearly 20 yards (19.9) per completion. It’s true that one of them was a gift: Quincy Adeboyejo’s 66-yard touchdown off a tipped pass is a play of the year candidate. However, Kelly deserves credit for his last two touchdown tosses: a 71-yard flip on a run-pass option in which Kelly was barely behind the line of scrimmage, and his beautiful 24-yard pass with touch to Laquon Treadwell.
State of Alabama: Alabama and Auburn both got throttled in the same week. Think about that for a second. When was the last time that happened? When was the last time each of those schools picked up losses this early in a season? While the Tigers’ forecast the rest of the way looks much bleaker, the Tide still have to play catch-up in the ever competitive SEC West.
Ole Miss program: For the first time ever, Ole Miss has picked up back-to-back wins over Alabama. That’s going to do wonders on the recruiting trail for Hugh Freeze and the Rebels, especially when their counterparts in Mississippi State haven’t beat Alabama since Saban’s first season there in 2007. The poise Ole Miss showed also speaks volumes. ESPN’s College GameDay was in town, it was under the lights, the game was filled with momentum swings, but the Rebels weathered it all.
Tide turnovers: Coincidentally, the section of this article is called “5 Takeaways.” Turnovers always play a factor, but they were even more crucial in this one. Alabama turned it over three times in the first half, leading to all 17 points to spark Ole Miss early. The Tide would finish with five turnovers, very uncharacteristic for Saban’s teams in Tuscaloosa. In fact, Saturday’s error-prone effort was just the fourth time Alabama has turned it over five times in a game since 2000.
Alabama defense: Once the most feared unit in the country, Alabama’s defense has regressed in recent seasons. The Tide went five seasons — 2008 to 2012 — without allowing a team to score more than 40 points. Opponents have hit that mark five times since, leaving Alabama’s hallmark a shell of its former self. It’s true that Ole Miss benefited from turnovers, but it also connected for several big plays that the Tide of old (well, more like a few seasons ago) wouldn’t have allowed.
REPORT CARD
Offense: A- — The Rebels offense started off by successfully capitalizing on the early opportunities it was handed. From there, it gained confidence in coming up with the big plays when it needed them most. Ole Miss finished the game with 433 total yards. Most importantly, the unit stayed aggressive throughout the game and didn’t commit a single turnover when the opposition was giving the ball away plenty. Only reason I give an A- is because of an inability to run the ball better, but that’s nit-picky.
Defense: C — Ole Miss allowed 503 yards, while letting Alabama convert over 50 percent of third downs (11 of 20). No one will criticize the unit too much for letting Derrick Henry go for 127 yards and averaging 5.5 yards a carry because he’s a Heisman candidate, but Jacob Coker’s 58 rushing yards and his ability to spread the ball around kept Alabama in it. Still, similar to the offense, the Rebels defense came up with the big plays when it needed them most, played physical and got enough pressure on Coker to give him happy feet at times.
Special teams: A — This unit was huge for Ole Miss. Gary Wunderlich was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, while punter Will Gleeson downed 3-of-5 punts inside the 20.
Coaching: A+ — There were plenty of times where Hugh Freeze could’ve taken his foot off the pedal. We’ve seen it time and time again, leading to monumental upsets. Freeze didn’t fall into that trap and trusted Kelly in big moments. They say teams are a reflection of their coach, and if that’s the case, Ole Miss showed a lot of composure with Alabama refusing to fade.
Overall: A — Ole Miss not only won, but they controlled the game from the start while getting a win in one of the toughest places to play in the country.
GAME PLAN
Offensively, Ole Miss tested the Alabama defensive front up the middle a few too many times, and without much success. The Rebels obviously made an adjustment at halftime and attacked the sidelines and the secondary more. Good play-calling led to key touchdowns, such as the quick sweep to the outside for a 1-yard TD run by Jordan Wilkins on 4th-and-goal, and Kelly’s 73-yard TD pass to Cody Core on a run-pass option in the fourth quarter. Defensively, Ole Miss used a lot of stunts to put pressure on Alabama’s quarterbacks.
GAME BALLS
QB Chad Kelly: Not bad for a quarterback making his first career SEC start at Tuscaloosa. Amazingly, Kelly only completed 18 passes, yet he amassed 341 passing yards. That’s an average of just under 20 yards per completion (18.9). Kelly was responsible for four touchdowns (three passing, 1 rushing) in a superb effort.
Ole Miss receivers: While Kelly made big plays, his receivers certainly bailed him out at times. Adeboyejo’s opportunistic grab off a tipped pass before going 66 yards to the end zone was a key play that gave the Rebels momentum quickly in the second half after only holding a 17-10 lead at the break. Meanwhile, Core and Laquon Treadwell hauled in nice grabs, including a pair of touchdowns.
DT Robert Nkemdiche & LB Denzel Nkemdiche: The Nkemdiche brothers left their mark on this game. Robert manned the middle, recording 6 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a half sack. Meanwhile, his brother Denzel led the team with 10 tackles to go with 1.5 tackles for loss, a half sack and a pass breakup.
INJURY REPORT
Both teams made it through the game without any major injuries to report.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
