Ole Miss Coach Chris Beard Wants More For Rebels Than Just Beating No. 4 Alabama

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Chris Beard wants more for his program this season than a simple road win at Alabama.

Jan 14, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard coaches his team against Alabama at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

The No. 21 Ole Miss Rebels picked up a historic win over the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide on Tuesday, and while that game marked a program first for the Rebels, head coach Chris Beard isn't satisfied yet.

The win over the Tide was Ole Miss' first road victory over an AP Top 5 team in program history. After the game, Beard was asked how monumental this win was for what he is trying to build in Oxford, and his answer tried to keep things in perspective of the bigger picture of what he hopes to accomplish.

"In my mind, it's not [monumental]," Beard said. "This was the fourth SEC game. We're trying to put ourselves in position to win every night, execute a game plan. The whole 'this is the first time,' when you get a job, you go in the arena, and you don't see a Final Four banner, you say, 'We're going to have to do some firsts around here.'

"That stuff really means nothing to me. Not to disrespect the question, but we didn't come here to win a game in January. We came here to be one of those teams that has a chance to win six games in March in three weekends. Long ways to go, but tonight was a good SEC road win, no doubt about it."

The win did prove, however, that Ole Miss can compete with some of the nation's best, even on the road. The Rebels are now 4-0 in SEC play and 15-2 overall on the year, and considering how stacked the conference appears to be this season, there are plenty of opportunities for resume-building wins from here on out.

Still, for the Ole Miss fan base, winning this game on the road was a big deal on Tuesday. The focus now for the team, however, has to be on an upcoming road battle against No. 15 Mississippi State on Saturday in what will be another stiff test for Beard's program that is building championship aspirations in Year 2 of his tenure.

Tip-off between Ole Miss and State is set for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

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