'We Just Didn't Finish': Ole Miss Receiver Malik Heath Reflects on Loss to Alabama
OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss Rebels suffered a tough 30-24 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide over the weekend, ending their 14-game win streak at home and chances of an SEC Championship appearance all in one fell swoop.
It looked like the Rebels had a shot at taking down the Crimson Tide for the first time since 2015 at halftime, but the Ole Miss offense failed to find the endzone in the fourth quarter. All Alabama had to do was kick two field goals to take control of the game.
Ole Miss receiver Malik Heath was a big reason why the game was in the Rebels' favor for three quarters as he led the team in receiving yards for the second time this fall with 123. Heath spoke with reporters about his performance and what was working for him versus Alabama.
"Just great throws and great ball placement with the back shoulder fades," Malik told reporters. "Coach [Kiffin] told me throughout the week that I need to be ready to make a play. [Alabama's] right side corner has been weak all year, so we just have to be ready to play ball."
The Jackson, Miss., native was ready to answer the call and made a handful of drive-extending catches on Saturday. Heath and his quarterback, Jaxson Dart, were on the same page for the entire game until the Rebels' last offensive drive. Dart completely missed the senior wideout in the red zone as the two appeared to have a miscommunication.
Heath explained what happened on his final target of the game.
"I tried to go outside [first], ended up slipping back inside, me and the quarterback just weren't connected right there," Heath said. "That's my fault, I should've taken the outside release."
Ole Miss has struggled to finish games offensively all year, and that trend continued against Alabama. Heath gave his honest opinion about the Rebels' fourth-quarter struggles.
"In my opinion, I think we had everything we wanted; we just didn't finish," Heath said. "When you're at the 15-yard line getting ready to beat Alabama, you have to finish that. We're getting everything we want and driving the ball down the field; we're just not finishing drives."
You can follow Ben King on Twitter at @BKing_2023.
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