No. 2 Alabama topped Le Le Miss at 63 63–48 in Saturday night’s shootout at Oxford, Mississippi. Ole Miss was led in December 2019 between legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban and his former offensive coordinator Lane Keefin.
Nazi Harris had a 16-yard touchdown run to play in the fourth quarter and the Alabama defense – which was open all night – got the much-needed stop to push the Ole Miss field goal on the next drive. Give Crimson Tide some breathing room. Wide receiver Devonta Smith scored on a jet sweep from 14 yards outside 3 yards out to play to seal things for the tide.
Alabama quarterback Mack Jones completed a 28-of-32 pass for 417 yards to lead the Crimson Tide, while Harris showed off his Heisman Trophy metal with 206 yards and five touchdowns – including 39 yards with a 1:09 to play ice. Game Away.
Alabama’s defense, however, was burned by Kiffin and Co. The rebels added 647 yards, converted 9 — 17 third downs and went 4-of-4 on the fourth down in a game that looked like basketball in the grass. It’s not just a one-time event, as Alabama has conceded at least three points in the last eight games. Before that, he had conceded at least 42 points three times in the last 65 games. He had the most points by an unranked team vs Alabama in the AP Top 25 era (since 1936). It is also bound to the highest number of issues allowed under Alabama soap.
It is important to provide credit where credit is due. Snoop Connor’s career high was 128 yards and two touchdowns, and Jarian Eli added 120 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Matt Carroll, who won the se fisson battle with John Rhys Plumley, had 5 365 yards and two touchdowns as the next party for the California native.
1,370 combined yards is the highest in a game in SEC history.
Let’s break down the top gift from the wild at Oxford:
Private Harris is a monster
Senior NFL Passed the draft and returned to Tuscaloosa to try to win another national title. It’s running like that.
It’s not just statistics. Sure, they’re crazy. But he showed everything in his arsenal on Saturday – balance, vision, explosiveness, heart and strength. Simply put, it’s Alabama this year. When the tide needed to play, they finished 22nd in the Crimson and White.
If the defense starts at Harris, all Jones will do is secondary light. You can’t slow down the talented group of Jones and his huge receivers without opening the opening. It’s Harris ’time to shine.
The only way to beat Alabama this year is when a hot play-collar like Kiffin uses his pieces as skillfully as a world champion chess player. And it happened almost on Saturday.
There is also Mac Jones
Remember when the Alabama quarterback was just a game manager and he was in danger of losing his job to a true fresh stud Bryce Young? Looks like it was ages ago.
Jones has plenty of weapons, but he has consistently placed the ball where his receivers can pull it all season. Devonta Smith and John Matchie III were his two favorite targets against the Rebels, especially after Jalen Waddle hit the ground running in the second quarter.
Yes, it was against Le Le Miss. And yes, the rebels are not very interested in defense. But after replacing Tua Tagoviloa, it is clear that the tide has not beaten any.
Kefin is back with power
Let’s get real about what happened on Saturday night: Kiffin coached the circles around Saban. The student had kept his teacher on the ropes ever since the rebels got the opening kickoff and never looked back. Well, until a bad snap ended Le Le Miss’s drive inside the 25-yard line and forced a field goal – which was the killer in this shootout.
Let’s spin it forward. Caffeine is dangerous. Very dangerous.
Eli, Connor, Coral and wide receiver Elijah Moore are all young stars who have inherited from the Matt Luke regime. Imagine what is coming.
Caffeine’s coaching prowess has come into question over the past decade. Not recruited. High school talent in the state of Mississippi has improved, its program has suddenly re-emerged and Kifin has built its reputation on the recruitment trial.
Miss Ole is back … and he’s not going anywhere.
Alabama’s defense is a huge problem
Working through Miss Le Miss offense is one thing that not only has one of the best offensive coaches in the country at the helm, but also has playmakers all over the field. Ole Miss is another thing to work on after giving up 5.15 yards per game in the first two games of the season against Missouri and Texas A&M, respectively.
Opposing the abusive coordinator will take note of one thing that caused Crimson Tide on Saturday, and one thing that has been a problem in Soap’s career – tempo is a problem. The rebels rushed to the line of conspiracy to push matchup problems against the constant time defense, especially within the red zone, which had to struggle to move forward smoothly.
This is not something that can be fixed overnight. Sure, Saban and defensive coordinator Pete Golding will be able to tell his defense to stay in base defense at any time, pushing the tempo in any offense. Does it matter, though? If a good play-caller has multiple weapons – especially in the backfield – the tide shows that he cannot control the speed and the wrong direction.
‘Just enough’ wins the defense championship
Days like Alabama on Saturday night are among the best defenses in the country. Well, maybe not OK Like Alabama, but there will be nights.
Alabama had a real life against A Le Miss, but he still pushed for a two-yard loss by Connor and then had to settle for a field goal by scoring a quick executed quick with Le Le Miss at 6:55. It was. It qualifies as a “just enough” defense.
Of course, that definition will vary from week to week depending on various factors. The best teams – championship-caliber teams – adapt. Alabama did it against Ole Miss.
