The Crimson Tide devastated the Ole Miss Rebels Saturday night 52-7, and left Oxford riding high. The Tide improved their record to a perfect 7-0 (4-0 in the SEC), while the Rebels fall to 2-4 overall (0-3 in SEC play).
Tide RB Trent Richardson was clearly the player of the game, rushing for a career-high 183 yards and four touchdowns. AJ. McCarron was outstanding for the most part, as he continued his streak of games without an interception. AJ was 19-24 passing for 224 yards and one touchdown.
The Tide defense only allowed seven points and smothered the Ole Miss offense. Every time it seemed Ole Miss had a little momentum, the Tide defense would step up and shut them down. Though the halftime score wasn’t impressive, Alabama seized control in the second half and turned the game into a rout.
In the pre-game analysis, I stressed the need to contain both Rebel QB Randall Mackey, and the Ole Miss return specialists. As we suspected, the Rebels made no attempt to run between the tackles, and relied on Mackey to make plays with his feet. Actually, Mackey played well, considering he was facing the number one defensive unit in the country. Mackey and WR Nicholas Brassel were as good as advertised, and easily the best offensive players Ole Miss fielded Saturday. But it takes more than two exceptional players to win a game against a complete ball club like Alabama. The Highs this week for Alabama were in abundance, and the Lows were few and far between.
HIGHS
The running game. This is an all-inclusive high, not just one for the running backs. Trent Richardson gets the game ball from me, but this is hardly a one man show. The offensive line opened up holes consistently, and Trent, Eddie Lacy, and Jalston Fowler all reaped the rewards. The running game is the heart and soul of this Tide squad, and they have made monumental strides since the first game of the year.
Over 600 yards total offense. The Tide showed up on the ground, rushing for an astounding 389 yards and six TD’s. AJ McCarron threw for 224 yards and one TD. Crimson Tide receivers were all over the field, and every starter got involved, hauling in at least one catch. Both Tide tight ends, Brad Smelley and Michael Williams, were instrumental in the success of the offense, posing matchup nightmares all night for the Rebels defense. Everyone on the offense showed up and got a piece of the action, giving future defensive coordinators a truckload of work to do in the film room.
Eddie’s back. I touched on the situation with Eddie Lacy, and keeping an eye on his offensive reps. And he did receive some much-needed playing time. The worst thing for a young player is to lose the momentum created early in the year, due to missing playing time to rest a nagging injury. The Tide staff got him the ball fairly early in the game, and ran him just enough to keep him in sync with the O-line. The offense didn’t miss a beat, and Lacy is right on track to be very healthy for the Nov. 5th showdown with LSU.
Running back depth. When freshman Dee Hart went down with an ACL injury in the spring, far too many “experts” questioned our depth at the position. With attrition from graduation and the NFL draft looming, this is a legitimate concern that can’t be ignored. Fowler put to rest any doubts about the Crimson Tide’s future at running back tonight. He ran for 125 yards on only 9 carries, averaging 13.9 yards per carry.
Highest High: Trent Richardson tied Shaun Alexander with his sixth straight game with 100 yards rushing and made a huge statement in the race for the Heisman; he has my vote.
LOWS
Kicking game. This made the list last week, and would have every other week, had I done a write up on those games. Coach Saban sent Cade Foster out there to attempt a 53-yard field goal instead of just going for it on fourth down. The only explanation I have for the decision is — actually I have no idea. Even more worrisome is the lack of distance on kickoffs, which gives every return specialist we face much better odds of breaking one. I don’t want to keep harping on it, but with LSU’s special teams unit just around the corner, the burden falls completely on the coverage units for the Tide to pick up the slack.
Another Slow Start. The Tide defense came out slow and found themselves on their heels, allowing the Rebels to march down the field on the first drive of the game. Tide players said that first-quarter focus and intensity were stressed all week in practice. Perhaps they needed one more slow start to wake them up. When you give up a touchdown in the first two minutes – and not another point after – it’s tough to be looked at as a negative, but against better competition it could be the difference in the game.
One Big Question. History shows that every championship team has a game or two decided in the final minutes. They are tested, and asked to display resilience. This Crimson Tide team hasn’t allowed any opponent to finish a game within fifteen points of them, which begs the question: just how resilient are they?
It hardly matters when you totally dominate your opponent, but it’s a valid question. We don’t know how this team plays when it’s legitimately on the ropes, because it hasn’t happened. It usually takes a hard-fought slugfest of a ball game to bring a team together, and allow them to reach another level. The LSU game will be the one that makes or breaks this season. Does the lack of having to pull together as a team and pull out a close win hurt the Tide or help them?
Overall, it was a dominating performance against a struggling team, and the Tide handled their business. Some I spoke to mentioned the big plays made by the Rebels receivers, but it wasn’t enough to be on the lows list. My pregame review warned of the explosive Ole Miss playmakers; it was no surprise they made plays.
The Crimson Tide defense doesn’t face another quarterback as elusive as Mackey for the rest of the season, and the D-line showed great poise and discipline when it mattered most. The Alabama pass rush continues to improve, and I’ve been amazed at the progress this unit has made since the spring. When we look ahead at the remaining offenses on the schedule, the Tide has to feel good about their chances.
AJ made the lows last week with several questionable decisions, but played extremely well this week. The staff has done an excellent job putting him in favorable situations, and always gives him an outlet to dump the ball off. Kenny Bell and DeAndrew White continue to impress, mature and make plays in this offense. The Crimson Tide has yet another win on the season and the 24-hour celebration period is almost gone.
What were your highs, lows and overall thoughts from the game? Let us know in the comments.