Cameron Larkin
We have all heard what the mass media thinks about this Ole Miss versus Alabama matchup this Saturday. Major sports personalities continue to weigh in on this top-15 matchup, but all of these predictions and analyses are made from a distance. What do student journalists think about the matchup between the Rebs and the Tide? They are, after all, the ones who report wholly on Alabama athletics.
Alabama versus Ole Miss has a storied history — one packed full of all-time great quarterback showdowns. Recent matchups like Bryce Young versus Matt Corral and Jalen Hurts versus Chad Kelly have produced thrillers.
This year, we have Jaxson Dart versus Jalen Milroe.
Milroe, who was benched against South Florida in Week 3, regained the starting job in the days leading up to this game. It is no secret that he did not perform spectacularly in Bama’s loss to Texas, but he looks like the best available option for the Tide. Fans have to wonder, however, where Milroe’s head is at during this QB competition.
Abby McCreary, the sports editor for the University of Alabama’s Crimson White student newspaper, said, “Of course not starting will have an impact on a player’s mentality, but I think Milroe will handle it in a really positive way.”
McCreary maintains an optimistic outlook on Milroe’s performance.
“During the USF game, he still played an active role in being a leader and supporting his team, so I think we’ll see a greater sense of leadership and confidence in his team this weekend,” she said.
For some teams in college football, a 2-1 record through three games is successful. This is not the case for Head Coach Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide. A loss to Texas and a nail-biter against South Florida certainly has fans worried and wondering what the rest of the season will hold.
McCreary said, “Everyone’s obviously disappointed. Texas was brutal, and USF was just really surprising. I think we’re trying to stay positive for this upcoming weekend, but we all just want to see Alabama football at its normal level of competition.”
Each team has its strengths and weaknesses, but the key to this matchup, and what will probably determine the victor, is which team can exploit the most weaknesses more often.
There are a lot of on-field issues with Alabama, more than there have been during Saban’s tenure, but one underrated aspect of this game could come back to bite the Tide: Alabama has dominated the season series against the Rebels as of late, which could lead the Crimson Tide to maybe feel overconfident about this game, especially since it is at home.
McCreary said, “I think Alabama needs to focus on not getting too confident at home. It’s easy to look at the history and the fact that we rank higher, but Alabama was upset by Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa in 2015.”
This would be a vital, resume-building win for either team. Alabama needs this win to prove it is still one of the top dogs in the country; Ole Miss needs it to jump into the conversation of top-tier football programs.
“For Alabama, I think it would restore a lot of faith in the program. We’re coming off two rough games, so the Crimson Tide needs a win at home, especially over Defensive Coordinator Pete Golding, just to show we’re right on track,” McCreary said. “For Ole Miss, I think a 4-0 start to the season, especially if that fourth win is an upset win on the road, would be the first step to a potentially big season.”
