‘We Came in Here To Beat Alabama’: Ole Miss Defensive Back Miles Battle Explains Team Approach For Every Game
OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebels suffered a heartbreaking 30-24 loss this weekend to the Alabama Crimson Tide, and while the score was close, the Rebels took no solace in the loss.
The Rebels had a lot riding on Saturday afternoon's game as they were still contending for a spot in the SEC Championship Game. Even though their undefeated season came to an end against the LSU Tigers, there was still plenty of fight inside the Rebels’ locker room. Ole Miss might have had an extra week of rest, but it was evident based off of their performance on Saturday that they were still hard at work during their bye week.
Alabama came out on top, but the atmosphere in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was electric. The Rebels’ offense came out hot and the defense played with a swagger that Rebel fans had not seen since their victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. Ole Miss has plenty to be happy about, but since the arrival of head coach Lane Kiffin, the Rebels do not compete for anything less than win.
“We came in here to beat Alabama,” defensive back Miles Battle said. “In a close game like that, we want to be on top. It does not matter about the moral victory.”
Coming down to the wire against a university as highly touted as Alabama is an accomplishment but means nothing to Ole Miss if it does not end in a victory.
“Since Lane has been here, we approach every game with a professional mindset,” Battle said. “The circumstances never matter; we are going out there to win.”
This mindset is crucial for the overall success and longevity of the program, but losing after two weeks of preparation is always going to be difficult.
“It hurts,” Battle said. “We came down to the wire to beat a great university like Alabama. We just have to move on to the next one, watch the film, and go back to the drawing board.”
Despite Alabama being a perfect 4-4 in the red zone, the Rebels’ defense came up big for the offense for the first time in weeks.
“We came out doing our thing early,” Battle said. “We had some mistakes in the end, but I think we put our offense in a position to win.”
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