No. 2 Alabama topped Ole Miss 63-48 in a Saturday night shootout in Oxford, Mississippi. It was the first matchup between legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban and his former offending planner Lane Kiffin, who was worked with to lead Ole Miss in December 2019.
Najee Harris had a 16-yard touchdown run with 7:01 to play in the fourth quarter and the Alabama defense– which was exposed all night– got a much-needed stop to require an Ole Miss basket on the taking place drive to give the Crimson Tide some breathing space. Pass receiver DeVonta Smith scored on a jet sweep from 14 backyards out with 3:16 to play to seal things up for the Tide..
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones completed 28-of-32 passes for 417 backyards to lead the Crimson Tide, while Harris flaunted his Heisman Trophy guts with 206 backyards and five goals– including a 39-yarder with 1:09 to play to ice the game away..
Alabamas defense, nevertheless, got torched by Kiffin and Co. The Rebels racked up 647 lawns, converted 9-of-17 third downs and went 4-of-4 on 4th downs in a game that looked more like basketball on lawn. It isnt just a one-time event as Alabama has quit a minimum of 42 points 3 times in the last 8 games. Prior to that, it had permitted at least 42 points three times in the last 65 games. It was the most points by an unranked group vs. Alabama in the AP Top 25 period (given that 1936). It likewise connected for the most points Alabama has allowed under Saban.
Its essential to give credit where credit is due. Snoop Connor had a career high 128 lawns and 2 goals, and Jerrion Ealy included 120 yards and 2 goals. Quarterback Matt Corral, who won an offseason battle with John Rhys Plumlee, had 365 backyards and two goals in what worked as a coming out celebration for the California native..
The 1,370 integrated lawns is one of the most in a single video game in SEC history.
Lets break down the leading takeaways from a wild one in Oxford:.
Najee Harris is a beast.
The senior passed up on the NFL Draft to come back to Tuscaloosa to attempt to win another national title. Hes running like it.
He showed off whatever in his arsenal on Saturday– balance, vision, power, volatility and heart. Just put, he is Alabama this year.
All Jones will do is light up a secondary if defenses start to key on Harris. You cant slow down Jones and his talented group of broad receivers without opening the box. Thats Harris time to shine..
When a hot play-caller like Kiffin masterfully utilizes his pieces like a world champion chess player, the only method that Alabama can be beat this year is. And it nearly occurred on Saturday..
Is Mac Jones.
Keep in mind when the Alabama quarterback was only a video game manager and in danger of losing his job to real freshman stud Bryce Young? That appears like it was ages ago..
Jones has a lot of weapons, but he has regularly put the ball right where his receivers can transport it in all season. DeVonta Smith and John Metchie III were his 2 preferred targets against the Rebels, especially after Jaylen Waddle limped off the field in the 2nd quarter..
Yes, it protested Ole Miss. And yes, the Rebels arent too interested in defense. However after needing to replace Tua Tagovailoa, its clear that the Tide have not missed a beat..
Kiffin is back with authority.
Lets be real about what happened on Saturday night: Kiffin coached circle Saban. The pupil had his teacher on the ropes from the minute the Rebels received the opening kickoff and never ever looked back. Well, until a bad snap ended an Ole Miss drive inside the 25-yard line and forced a basket– which was a killer in this shootout.
Lets spin it forward. Kiffin threatens. Really dangerous.
Ealy, Connor, Corral and pass receiver Elijah Moore are all young stars who he inherited from the Matt Luke routine. Envision whats coming..
Kiffins training expertise has actually come into concern (unnecessarily) over the last years. Recruiting hasnt. The high school skill in the state of Mississippi has improved, his program is unexpectedly attractive once again and Kiffin developed his track record on the recruiting trail.
Ole Miss is back … and it isnt going anywhere..
Alabamas defense is a massive problem.
Its something to get worked by an Ole Miss offense that not only has among the finest offending coaches in the nation at the helm, however likewise has playmakers all over the field. Its another thing to get worked by Ole Miss after quiting 5.15 yards per play in the very first 2 games of the season versus Missouri and Texas A&M, respectively..
Opposing offending planners will see the something that afflicted the Crimson Tide on Saturday, and the something that has actually been an issue throughout Sabans profession– tempo is a problem. The Rebels consistently hurried to the line of scrimmage, specifically inside the red zone, to require match problems against a Tide defense that had a hard time to merely line up..
This isnt something that can be fixed overnight. Sure, Saban and protective planner Pete Golding could inform his defense to line up in a base defense anytime an offense pushes tempo. Will it matter, though? If a great play-caller has multiple weapons– particularly in the backfield– the Tide revealed that it cant deal with the rate and misdirection..
Just enough defense wins championships.
The best defenses in the country are going to have days like Alabama had on Saturday night. OK, possibly not exactly like Alabama, but there will be off nights..
Alabama had an actually off night versus Ole Miss, but it still forced a two-yard loss by Connor and after that Ole Miss fumbled a hastily carried out snap with 6:55 to play to opt for a field goal. That was it. That qualified as “simply enough” defense..
Of course, that definition is going to change on a week-by-week basis based upon a wide variety of elements. The very best teams– championship-caliber groups– adjust. Alabama did that against Ole Miss
.
Alabamas defense, nevertheless, got torched by Kiffin and Co. It isnt simply a one-time occurrence as Alabama has actually given up at least 42 points 3 times in the last eight video games. It likewise connected for the most points Alabama has actually enabled under Saban.
Alabama had an actually off night versus Ole Miss, but it still forced a two-yard loss by Connor and then Ole Miss fumbled a hastily executed snap with 6:55 to play to settle for a field goal. Alabama did that versus Ole Miss
.
