No. 13 Alabama Downs No. 15 Ole Miss, 24-10
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Backs were against the wall, and Alabama responded.
The No. 13 Crimson Tide took down No. 15 Ole Miss in Bryant-Denny Stadium 24-10, proving that despite what many thought, Alabama’s season is not dead yet.
The defense was the highlight of the day for Alabama, holding the vaunted Lane Kiffin-led offense of the Rebels to just one touchdown and a field goal.
Alabama’s first half was riddled with mistakes, including a few red-zone trips that either came up empty or resulted in just a field goal. But after trailing 7-6 at halftime, the Crimson Tide offense put things together with a couple touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarters to put Ole Miss away.
In his first game since being named the official starter for the season, quarterback Jalen Milroe posted a stat line of 17 of 21 for 225 yards, with one passing touchdown to Jalen Hale, and one interception, albeit in the end zone. Alabama ran the ball 45 times, with Jase McClellan tallying 105 rushing yards on 17 carries and one touchdown.
After trailing 7-6 at halftime, Alabama dominated the second half to improve to 3-1 (1-0 SEC). The Rebels converted just three of 14 third-down opportunities, and were sacked five times.
Coming in, quarterback Jaxson Dart had completed 45 of 68 passes (66.18 percent) for 852 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. Against the Crimson Tide he went 20-for-35 for 244 yards, with an interception on a deep ball, and a rushing touchdown for Ole Miss (3-1, 0-1 SEC).
The Rebels had averaged 526.7 yards per game. It finished with 301, and managed only 56 rushing yards.
With the win, Alabama has momentum heading into a two-game road stretch against Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Next week’s game against the Bulldogs will kick off at 8 p.m. CT.
How it Happened:
Series: Alabama leads 55-10-2
Previous meeting: The Crimson Tide turned a 10-0 deficit into a 30-24 victory thanks to three touchdown passes by Bryce Young in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Ole Miss was carried by freshman running back Quinshon Judkins who ran for 135 yards and two scores but it wasn't enough to beat Alabama in Oxford.
Next meeting: Unknown. The teams won't play next year as the SEC is doing away with divisions.
Last time out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide went on the road to Tampa and beat South Florida 17-3 behind an abysmal offensive effort. Alabama played two different quarterbacks in the contest but never found any rhythm against an inferior opponent.
Last time out, Ole Miss: The Rebels moved to 3-0 by defeating Georgia Tech 48-23. Jackson Dart tallied 387 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns as the leader of a 550 yard total offensive output.
