Nick Saban addresses overcoming the pitfalls that hurt Alabama vs. Ole Miss last year

Nick Saban hasn’t forgotten about last year’s shootout victory vs. Ole Miss and knows the Crimson Tide defense can’t afford to make the same mistakes they did a year ago.

Though the 2020 Alabama team snuck past the Rebels 63-49 in a day where both offenses posted outrageous stats, Saban understands the defensive pitfalls are what led to the Rebels’

“Last year we were a young group, they were going fast,” Saban said about last years struggles to stop the Mississippi offensive attack. “We had trouble getting lined up. We were out of position a lot of times, and because we were out of position we missed a lot of tackles.

Saban says defense has to match Rebels’ speed

Ole Miss put up an eye-popping 647 yards of total offense in Alabama’s trip to Oxford last October. Lane Kiffin found success with nearly everything he called, as the Rebels thrived on the ground and through the air. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral was an impressive 21-of-28 for 375 yards and two touchdowns.

While Saban notes the 2021 Alabama defense is still growing, it’s a unit that has far more experience than a season ago. The Alabama front man knows his defensive group must match the speed that is a staple of Kiffin’s explosive offensive unit.

“I think we have to play fast, we gotta get lined up, everybody has to focus on their responsibility. These guys are really good at executing what they do,” Nick Saban added.

Ole Miss kept the Tide defense guessing, with two running backs both surpassing the 100-yard mark. Snoop Conner finished the day with 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Jerrion Ealy followed up with 120 yards on the ground and another two scores.

Ole Miss will come to Tuscaloosa ranked first in the SEC in total offense averaging more than 650 yards and 52.7 points per game.

Alabama can’t afford miscues or mistakes, Saban reiterated.

You have to be really good on defense executing what you do,” Saban said about defensive discipline. “Mental errors because you aren’t lined up correctly, or if you don’t have good communication is something they will take advantage of.”

Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin have plenty of links and the storylines heading into Saturday are plentiful. Saturday night’s SEC showdown appears to have makings of one of the best games on the 2021 slate so far.