Game of the week: 5 things to know about Alabama-Ole Miss
Each Friday during the season, we’ll spotlight the best game that weekend. This week, it’s No. 12 Ole Miss (3-0) at No. 1 Alabama (4-0).
Alabama has won five in a row in the series, and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is attempting to become the first former Nick Saban assistant to beat his old boss. Saban is 33-0 against coaches who used to work for him.
The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS; Brad Nessler will handle the play-by-play and Gary Danielson is the analyst.
RELATED: Coaches break down Alabama-Ole Miss
Here are five things to know about the Alabama-Ole Miss game, plus the predicted final score from the On3 national staff.
1. The quarterbacks
Ole Miss’ Matt Corral and Alabama’s Bryce Young are the runaway Heisman leaders at this point. Corral has accounted for 14 touchdowns in three games, Young for 15 in four. Young is completing 72.1 percent of his passes and averages 9.2 yards per attempt; Corral is completing 68.8 percent and averaging 10.5. Corral is much more of a running threat, a facet of his game that came to the fore last season, and you can expect a handful of called quarterback runs by him Saturday. Young is mobile but hasn’t done anything of note on the ground. To this point, Corral has taken excellent care of the ball; he hasn’t thrown a pick. He was too much of a gunslinger at times last season, occasionally trusting his arm too much; that’s why he threw 14 interceptions in 2020 and had a barely 2-1 TD-to-pick ratio (29 to 14). This will be the first time this season Corral will face a truly talented defense; he threw for 365 yards and two TDs (with no picks) and completed 75 percent of his passes vs. the Tide last season in a 63-48 loss. Both starting quarterbacks are from the Los Angeles area: Young went to Santa Ana Mater Dei and Corral played his senior season at Long Beach Poly after starting for two seasons at Westlake Village Oaks Christian.
2. Ole Miss’ defense
The unit was rancid last season, surrendering 6.67 yards per play. Alabama, for instance, rolled up 723 yards and averaged 10.2 yards per play; Florida averaged 8.9 yards per play and South Carolina (South Carolina!) averaged 8.1. The defense has been solid this season, allowing 4.81 yards per play, which ranks 37th nationally. But Alabama’s offense will pose a much greater test than those of Louisville, Austin Peay and Tulane. The secondary has looked appreciably better; again, though, this will be the most talented offense the Rebels have seen and looking appreciably better against the likes of Louisville and Tulane isn’t necessarily a good indicator of how a secondary will handle Alabama’s receivers. And Ole Miss has just one pick through three games. Ole Miss has a good group of edge rushers led by Sam Williams, an Alabama native who leads the Rebels with four sacks. The right side of Alabama’s offensive line is spotty, so that’s something to keep an eye on. Maryland transfer Chance Campbell has been a steadying force at linebacker and leads the Rebels with 19 tackles.
3. Alabama’s ground game
This is far from the dominant rushing attack Alabama had last season with Najee Harris. In two games against Power 5 opponents (Miami and Florida), the Tide has managed just 238 yards on 66 carries — a paltry 3.6 yards per carry. That should be a bit worrisome for Alabama. Running left, behind T Evan Neal and G Javion Cohen, would seem to be the best prescription for what ails the ground game. Then again, RBs Brian Robinson and Jase McClellan aren’t in Harris’ class (in McClellan’s case, not yet anyway). Obviously, if this is a shootout, Alabama will feel comfortable with Young slinging the ball around. At the same time, if the offense again is one-dimensional, as it was in the two-point win at Florida, that’s not a good sign. Alabama rushed for a season-high 306 yards and seven touchdowns (and averaged 7.9 yards per carry) against the Rebels last season.
4. Ole Miss’ offensive line
Alabama’s defensive line got pushed around by Florida’s offensive line, and the Gators controlled the clock by rushing for 244 yards on 43 carries. Florida was especially effective between the tackles, so keep an eye on Ole Miss C Ben Brown and whether he is able to control the Alabama defensive interior. The Rebels ran it 57 times against the Tide last season, and if Ole Miss has success on the ground similar to Florida’s, the Tide is in deep trouble because Ole Miss’ passing attack is far more explosive than the Gators’. Ole Miss is averaging 6.2 yards per carry and has 11 rushing TDs; it also has a deep stable of backs, two of whom (Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Conner) rushed for 100 yards against the Tide last season. One thing to watch: Ole Miss has allowed six sacks, and Alabama figures to let edge rusher Will Anderson do some hunting Saturday. Overall, though, the Tide’s pass rush has been a disappointment thus far, and it would behoove Saban and defensive coordinator Pete Golding to come up with a wrinkle or two to keep Corral uncomfortable.
5. Recent history
Ole Miss is 2-28 all-time in Tuscaloosa and 10-52-2 all-time against Alabama. But the teams didn’t play in the 1950s or early ’60s, when Ole Miss was one of the best programs in the nation, and this has been an annual series only since 1992, when the SEC broke into divisions. One of the most famous games in SEC history came October 4, 1969, when Alabama won 33-32 in Birmingham, Ala. It was the first SEC regular-season game to be televised in prime time (and just the third regular-season game overall), and the Tide rallied late to beat Archie Manning and Ole Miss. Manning was magnificent in defeat: He was 33-of-52 for 436 yards and two touchdowns, and ran 15 times for 104 yards and three more scores in one of the greatest individual performances ever; at that point, no player in NCAA history had thrown for 300 and rushed for 100 in the same game. Alabama QB Scott Hunter was 22-of-29 for 300 yards, and the combined 55 completions set a then-NCAA record for most completions in a game.
On3 predictions
Mike Huguenin: Alabama 52-47
Ivan Maisel: Alabama 44-31
Charles Power: Alabama 48-41
Matt Zenitz: Alabama 45-38