The Grove Report Staff Gives Predictions For Ole Miss vs. Alabama On Saturday Afternoon
No. 12 Ole Miss is heading to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, this weekend to take on the No. 1 Crimson Tide, and with this game, Lane Kiffin has a chance to put his stamp firmly on the program.
Ole Miss last beat Alabama in 2015, a game that was also in Tuscaloosa, en route to a Sugar Bowl berth. Since then, however, Ole Miss has been mired in NCAA sanctions, something it recently emerged from with Kiffin as its head coach.
Take a look at how the staff of The Grove Report sees this game going on Saturday.
READ MORE: Ole Miss Releases Uniform Combination For Saturday's Game In Tuscaloosa
Jeremy Brener
The Ole Miss offense is going to give Alabama bigger challenges than it has seen all season. Last year, Ole Miss put up 48 points on Alabama, the most any team scored against them since 2003. And the offense is even better this year. Alabama doesn't like playing shootouts, and Ole Miss is all about it. If Matt Corral can take control of the offense like he's done all season long, Alabama could be in trouble.
Prediction: Ole Miss 42, Alabama 38
John Garcia
Optically, there is a lot to like about Ole Miss' chances against Alabama this weekend relative to most programs facing the Nick Saban-led juggernaut. The Rebels sport the Heisman front-runner, the nation's No. 1 offense and a defense that has surprised in its ascent from one year to the next in addition to Lane Kiffin's familiarity with 'The Process' and how it operates. On the flip side, Alabama has looked mortal in struggling to stop Florida's rushing attack and not being so light-out on offense compared to recent years.
Still, this is Alabama and it's in Tuscaloosa, which always brings an added element of difficulty. Saban is aware of Ole Miss's history as the offensive program he has yet to figure out, including last year in a shootout victory despite an Ole Miss defense that was historically bad. Ole Miss, of course, has to protect the football and run the football to stay in the game and it isn't hard to imagine the Rebels lighting up the scoreboard in Bryant-Denny again. It means fate will again lie on the Ole Miss defense.
The secondary has experience and the pass rush has flashed at times in 2021, but is there a game changer in the front seven? A Sam Williams or Lakia Henry will have to more-than-flash if the Ole Miss defense is going to slow down Alabama's pass-first attack, easier said than done with the different types of weapons UA sports on the outside. Jameson Williams is hard to contain over the top while Jahleel Billingsley can stretch the field at tight end and John Metchie is almost the balance in between. All have considerable experience, too, so the better option for Ole Miss may be first-year starting quarterback Bryce Young -- though he has yet to be rattled in 2021. Alabama is more tested and more talented in what should be a fun one on Saturday.
Prediction: Alabama 37, Ole Miss 24
Carleigh Holt
Both teams are undefeated right now, and the stakes are high as Nick Saban plays his former apprentice in Lane Kiffin. The Rebels will probably be behind the Crimson Tide the whole game, but I think they'll really show up in the 4th quarter to win. I think this will be the most talked about game in the SEC for a while, too.
Prediction: Ole Miss 48, Alabama 46
Matt Galatzan
Ole Miss heads into Tuscaloosa looking to knock off the No. 1 Crimson Tide for the first time since 2015. For some reason, the Rebels are as big of underdogs in Tuscaloosa as Tulane was in Oxford. Something is wrong there.
Ole Miss not only covers the spread here, but Lane Kiffin becomes the first Saban assistant to knock off the the king.
Prediction: Ole Miss 48, Alabama 45
John Macon Gillespie
I've volleyed back and forth on this game for a while now, and I probably will continue to do so until the final whistle sounds on Saturday.
I'll say this: I have a strange feeling about it. I think this Ole Miss team has what it takes to make this a game and even win the game in Tuscaloosa against the top-ranked team in the land. I can't put my finger on it, but something feels like an upset to me.
Even so, the game is in Tuscaloosa, and I can't bring myself to pull the trigger on an Ole Miss win. Don't be surprised, however, if they do just that.
Prediction: Alabama 42, Ole Miss 37
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