Upon Further Review: No. 1 Alabama 48, No. 12 Ole Miss 21
As our own Katie Windham put it on our message board: Raise your hand if you predicted a first half shutout for the Alabama defense (I certainly didn't.)
Nearly no one did. The general thinking was that another shootout was more likely, especially considering last year's 63-48 victory at Ole Miss.
So just how different were things from the previous meeting between Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin? Consider the following:
- Alabama went from yielding 647 total yards, to 291, a difference of 356.
- Ole Miss managed just three explosive plays, what Saban defines as a run of at least 13 yards and pass completion for at least 17. The Rebels notched 14 in 2020.
- In time of possession, the Rebels dropped from 31:15 a year ago, to just 22:01.
- It went from 13.1 yards per pass completion to just 7.0, despite having the same quarterback.
Player of the Game: He really needs to share this with his linemen, especially left tackle Evan Neal, but one can't overlook Brian Robinson Jr.'s career performance with 171 rushing yards on 36 carries and four rushing touchdowns.
Play of the Game: On the 16th snap of the opening possession, as Ole Miss was going for it on fourth down for the third time already, the Rebels needed just one yard at the Alabama 6 and handed off to 5-9 running back Jerrion Ealy. He was hit in the backfield by safety Jordan Battle, but was still moving forward until colliding with the wall wearing No. 50, defensive tackle Tim Smith, for no gain. Ole Miss didn't have another drive last more than five plays until it was down 35-0 in the second half.
Stat of the game: A year ago, Ole Miss converted all four of its fourth-down opportunities against Alabama and scored a touchdown on each of those possessions for 21 of its 48 points. On Saturday, the Rebels went 2-for-5 on fourth down, and the two happened on the opening drive when Ole Miss failed to score. The result was zero points.
5 Things to Note
1] An Alabama adjustment
The Ole Miss offensive game plan centered around the idea of trying to wear the Alabama defense down and then take shots downfield. It worked decently during the 16-play opening drive, but then the Rebels only ran 18 plays the rest of the half.
One key defensive change the Crimson Tide made from a year ago was to not substitute when the Rebels went hurry-up, in an attempt to minimize confusion. For the most part it worked.
2] Bryce Young
By completing his first seven pass attempts in the first quarter, Young was on a 27-for-29 stretch over two games, for a completion percentage of 93.1 over the five quarters. Even with his late interception against the Rebels, the sophomore still finished 21-for-27 for 77.8 percent, 241 yards and two touchdowns. It gave him a passer efficiency rating of 169.8, with a season rating of 185.1.
Matt Corral's rating Saturday was 145.6, primarily because he didn't have an interception (lost fumbles aren't part of the formula). It'll probably knock him out of the top 10 nationally.
3] First quarter completion streak
Young has completed 70 percent of his passes in all but one game this season (Florida), giving him a season percentage of 73.2. He also isn't benefitting from glorified end-around runs that count as shovel passes as some of his predecessors.
Last year, Mac Jones set the NCAA single-season completion percentage record at 77.4, which was .7 percent better than the previous holder, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. Jones also did it while playing an SEC-only regular season.
So what did Jones do in the first quarter against Ole Miss last season? Go 10-for-10.
Alabama has competed its last 24 pass attempts in the first quarter against the Rebels, going back to its opening possession in 2019 when pressured Tua Tagovailoa couldn't connect with tight end Miller Forrsitall at the Crimson Tide 26.
However, he did with DeVonta Smith on the subsequent play for a 74-yard touchdown to start the completion streak.
4] Yards after the Catch
If there was a statistical area that suffered from Alabama's 210 rushing yards it was yards after the catch as the Crimson Tide had a season-low 71.
No one is about to complain, especially after last year's shootout.
"It was a combination of we wanted to keep the ball away from them, and the way their defensive structure is with a 32 defense with six defensive backs," Saban said. "It’s hard to throw when they’re dropping eight guys all the time."
Wide receiver Jameson Williams, who had a record-setting three 80-plus yard touchdowns last week against Southern Miss thanks to two kick returns for scores, led the Crimson Tide with 17 yards after the catch.
5] Numbers We're Just Not Used to Seeing
Some of these may turn your head:
- Ole Miss was just 1-for-8 on third downs during the first half. Of course, that helped lead going for it five times on fourth down ... but still.
- The Rebels failed to score on the opening possession for the first time this season.
- The 451 yards allowed were the fewest given up by an Ole Miss defense against an Alabama team since 2014 (396 yards).
- Alabama has now scored 30-or-more points in 31-straight games. Yes, Alabama, which has tied UCF for the longest streak in modern college football history.
- The Crimson Tide has gained 400-plus yards of total offense in 44 of its last 46 games.
- Alabama has been ranked No. 1 or 2 when playing Ole Miss for 11 straight years. One week after losing at South Carolina in 2010, the No. 8 Crimson Tide won at home, 23-10.
