Alabama Football – until it only mattered to Nick Saban – had its way with Ole Miss Saturday afternoon. The final score of 42-21 was a three-touchdown margin but the Crimson Tide was so dominating, the score was a bit misleading.
On the Tide’s third, of four first-half touchdowns, the game was over. Early in the third quarter, the Tide pushed its lead to 35-0. Even Lane Kiffin, who was on the edge of desperation throughout the game, must have known it was over.
Very little worked for Kiffin’s offense. In the second quarter, the Black Bear/Rebels/Landsharks gained a net 13 yards.
Grading the Crimson Tide on the day is fairly easy. There were some occasional weaknesses, but the overall performance was outstanding.
Alabama Football Offense
Tight Ends – Ole Miss Grade A
Cameron Latu has been a big part of the Alabama Football offense all season. Going into the Ole Miss game Latu was tied for the team lead with three receiving touchdowns. In the Tide’s first four games, he had eight catches for 119 yards. His 14.88 average yards per catch was fourth-best on the team.
With a slow start for disciplinary reasons, the impact of Jahleel Billingsley. His first catch of the season was a 26-yard touchdown against Florida. Against Southern Miss, he had five catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. Going into the Ole Miss game, Billingsley was No. 2 for the Tide with a 21.83 yards reception average.
Against Ole Miss, Billingsley had four catches for 47 yards. Cameron Latu had one catch, for a three-yard touchdown. The blocking of the tight ends, especially Kendall Randolph was a key component of the Tide rushing success.
Offensive Line – Ole Miss Grade A-
There were no changes on the offensive line for the Ole Miss game with Evan Neal, Javion Cohen, Darrian Dalcourt, Emil Ekiyor Jr. and Chris Owens getting their fifth starts of the 2021 season.
Except for the late-game inclusion of Damieon George Jr. at right tackle, the Tide’s starting five played the entire game. It was their best performance of the season. With a few exceptions, they got a push against Ole Miss, opened running holes and provided good pass protection for Bryce Young.
The late-game, OL failure on 4th-and-1, was one of only a few negatives.