Saban Says Alabama Can't Let Ole Miss Dictate Tempo on Saturday

Nick Saban has made on thing very clear ahead of Alabama's matchup with Ole Miss. The biggest problem he sees for the Crimson Tide on Saturday is stopping the speed of the Rebel offense.

During his weekly radio show on Thursday night, Saban was asked straight up what was the biggest challenge for his team against Ole Miss.

"It's definitely going to be their offense and their quarterback, his ability to execute their offense in a very positive way," Saban said.

The key to stopping that offense: not letting Matt Corral and company dictate the tempo and speed up the Alabama defense. Currently Ole Miss is first in the country in yards per game (635.3) and points per game. As Saban pointed out, even if the Rebels gain half that number of yards, it would still be a pretty successful day on offense.

But if Lane Kiffin has his way, the Alabama defense will quickly be out of sorts.

"These tempo teams that try to go fast, basically what they’re trying to do is dictate the game," Saban said. "They’re trying to get the other team out of sorts. They’re trying to get the other team to make mental mistakes because they can’t get lined up."

Because of the speed in which the offense operates, it's almost inevitable no matter how good a defense is, that they will give up some chunk plays. However, according to Saban, even if they make a play, the defense has to have the disciple to focus on making the next play.

Even though stopping the Ole Miss offense is the biggest challenge, this also puts pressure on the Alabama offense. On the flip side, it means Bryce Young and the Crimson Tide offense also has to make plays of their own to match Ole Miss and keep Corral on the sideline.

"Even though they’re a really good offensive team and have an improved defense, the offense has to control the tempo of the game when we have the ball too so that the other team’s not dictating the game to you," Saban said. "Then you’re on your heels, and things generally don’t go well because you’re not able to decide to stay focused on the next play.”

This will be the first true road test of the season so far for Ole Miss. During Thursday night's radio show, Saban said the fans can make a difference in the game while the Rebels have the ball.

"The crowd can have an impact on the game," Saban said. "It makes it more difficult for their offense to check. It affects their cadence if there's a lot of noise, but this has to be something that is relentless and every play. It can't be every now and then.

"You've got to make every play in the game tough for the quarterback."