Cameron Larkin
The Rebels come into this weekend’s matchup ranked No. 11 with an 8-1 record, while Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide rolls into Oxford off of a devastating loss in Baton Rouge. Ole Miss has the edge over Alabama in the SEC West standings, so this game is paramount to the Rebels’ chances of reaching the conference title game.
Ole Miss will need some help from other SEC teams in order to reach the championship game, but head coach Lane Kiffin and his squad can only focus on their remaining schedule.
There are a few things Ole Miss can take away from Tennessee and LSU on how to beat the almighty Crimson Tide.
In both its losses this season, Alabama got out-rushed pretty significantly. Between quarterback scrambles and great running back play, Tennessee and LSU withered down the Alabama defense as the game went on.
Luckily for the Rebels, they have a running back tandem that is unmatched nationwide in Zach Evans and Quinshon Judkins. They also boast Jaxson Dart, who is in the top four in quarterback rushing in the SEC.
Alabama is 1-2 in SEC road games this year, with its only win coming at Arkansas. Although Vaught-Hemingway is no Neyland or Death Valley, Rebel fans know how to show up for big games.
This Alabama team is Saban’s most penalized team to date, and many of those are false starts caused by crowd noise. This means that the Ole Miss faithful will play an integral role in the Rebels’ efforts on Saturday.
Ole Miss is hot off its bye week, and Kiffin could not be happier about it. The Rebels, plagued by injury, limped to their Week 10 break. However, on both offense and defense, the Rebels will have healthy bodies for the first time in a long time.
Kiffin can substitute quite often and throw numerous different looks at this Alabama team.
It is hard to talk about Alabama without mentioning the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Bryce Young.
Young has been on an absolute tear this season, and it is because of him that the Tide has only two losses. He changes the game in so many ways, so Ole Miss will have to keep him in check on all levels of the field.
If Ole Miss can establish a run game, get the fans involved early and contain Young, its chances of sending Alabama back to Tuscaloosa with its third loss are favorable.
No one should ever count out a Saban-led team, especially one coming off a loss, but Kiffin is very familiar with how that program responds to hardships, so he will have his guys braced for an early punch in the mouth. This highly ranked matchup will come down to whether Ole Miss can weather the storm that is the Crimson Tide.
