Overview
The Crimson Tide makes the short trip to Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Ole Miss Rebel/Black Bear/Ackbars this weekend. Alabama comes in riding high after their second shutout of the season, with a record of 6-0 (3-0 in SEC play). Ole Miss comes in at 2-3 (0-2 SEC), after a tough win over an always-scrappy Fresno State.
It’s often a struggle for a team this talented to stay motivated going into games against weaker teams. That will be the biggest challenge this weekend; to come in fully-focused and be dominant for sixty minutes. The Tide needs to open the game with more intensity than last weekend, and handle their business.
The Rebels look to be outmanned in every facet of the game, but don’t let Coach Saban hear you say that. After the shutout against the Vanderbilt Commodores last week, Saban had a lot to say about the lack of focus and intensity in the first half, before before praising the team for their second half response.
Ole Miss didn’t have the best shot at coming away with a win, even before the suspension of four Rebels, including star running back Brandon Bolden. But they still have a lot to prove. They want to show the nation they belong on the same field as Alabama, and they’ll be fighting the whole way.
Alabama defensive line vs the Ole Miss offensive line
The upper hand here goes to Alabama, as the Rebels have struggled all year to find consistent play from its offensive line not to mention Thursdays’ suspension of two starters on the O-line. Last week was by far their best showing, and they are hoping to continue that theme this week. Ole Miss quarterback Randall Mackey is a scrambler, and it’s going to be a tall order for the O-line to hold blocks long enough for him to get the ball down field. Expect screens to the backs and receivers, in an attempt to get the ball out of the Mackey’s hands as fast as possible. At only 6′ tall Mackey prefers to work from the shotgun. The Rebels have the tallest group of O-linemen in the country and he sometimes struggles to see the throwing lanes.
The Bama defensive line has been improving every game, and playing much better than many expected. For me the bright spot has been Bama DE Jesse Williams and DT Nick Gentry. Williams has become extremely adept at shooting the gap to make contact behind the line of scrimmage. Fifth-year Senior Nick Gentry is playing at a very high level, and has become a leader on this defense. Now a fixture on obvious passing downs, Gentry is making the most of his final year. Bama will have to be disciplined in containing Mackey, who is now the lone starter at quarterback, and always a threat to make plays with his feet. The Bama D-line will have to be relentless in their pursuit of Mackey in the shotgun yet disciplined in their assignments in order to be successful.
Alabama defensive backs/linebackers vs Ole Miss running backs & receivers
When this Tide unit is focused and on point, there aren’t many offensive units in the country that look to have the edge on them. The struggle here will be whether or not those guys can maintain the necessary intensity for four quarters. Make no mistake about it; the Rebels have some excellent skill position players, several of which were recruited by the Tide. One of the Rebels most dangerous players is WR Nicholas Brassell, the 6’0″ 175 lb Freshman has done it all for the Rebels this year. If the Tide secondary is caught sleeping, Brassell or fellow freshman WR Donte Moncrief are very capable of putting up points.
Don’t look for Coach Nutt to try and run between the tackles on Saturday. He will likely use his backs much the same way Florida did. The Crimson Tide will look to hold the corners this weekend, and keep the elusive playmakers inside the box. Mackey will scramble around looking for guys to break their routes and help him out. It will be a challenge to keep him contained long enough for the pursuit to get there. And the secondary will have to stick to the receivers long after they break off their route.
Alabama special teams vs Ole Miss special teams
If the Rebel defense can hold strong and force Alabama into some punting situations, it may be their best shot at putting up some points and gaining momentum. Ole Miss has received some exceptional production from their return units as of late, and RB Jeff Scott leads the NCAA in punt return average with 23.0 yards per return.
Alabama has benefitted greatly from the outstanding play of freshmen special teams cover units this year. Bama doesn’t give up much after the catch on returns, and they have some young bucks that are making monstrous hits on return men. On the other side, the Tide should force Ole miss to punt early and often, giving Marquis Maze plenty of opportunities to make the highlight reel. I would have to give Alabama the slight edge here for their relentless special teams cover units.
The Rundown
The Tide will try to fight complacency, play focused and come back to Tuscaloosa injury-free. Word is that CJ Moseley could make it back for this game. If so, the staff will not put too much on him, other than much-needed reps. Also keep your eyes peeled for Eddie Lacy, who sat last week with a toe injury, and will likely split reps with Jalston Fowler. I fully expect Alabama to run the ball right at Ole Miss and dare them to stop it.
I also expect to see McCarron run more of the no-huddle offense, to get those bugs worked out. I’m interested to see which receiver shows up and shows out this week. Will it be White again or will Bell re-emerge and continue to make his case?
With Tennessee coming to town next week, the most important issue will be to keep everyone healthy going into the off-week, in preparation for the showdown with LSU.
For Ole Miss this is game is a chance to compete with the best in the division, and show everyone they belong. The team and the coach have taken a beating in the media and on the field thus far. A win, or at least a competitive showing against Alabama would do wonders for their program.
Prediction: Alabama 42 – Ole Miss 6
We’d love to hear what you expect to see in this game, what the key matchups are, and whether Ole Miss has a chance. Let us know in the comments.