The Tide Turns: Alabama Tops Ole Miss, 24-10
Now that’s more like it.
Behind a stout defense and a dominant second half, 13th ranked Alabama quieted the negative outside noise that has dominated the early Tide season by topping Lane Kiffin’s 15th ranked Rebels, 24-10 on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa. The Bama defense, which outside of the 4th quarter against Texas, has played well this young season and on Saturday, the unit limited quarterback Jaxson Dart and the potent Ole Miss offense to 301 total yards and just 10 points. In their first three games, the Rebels have averaged over 50 points per game, yet they ran into a hungry Bama D that is looking like a formidable unit.
The offense behind quarterback Jalen Milroe overcame a frustrating first half where the Tide drove deep into Ole Miss territory three times only to come out of the half with just two Will Reichard field goals. The pinnacle of frustration occurred in the second quarter. With Ole Miss leading 7-3 and backed up on their own 5 yard line, Fraser Mason’s punt was blocked by Ja’Corey Brooks and the ball went out of bounds at the Rebel’s 1 yard line giving the Bama offense a chance to find their footing. A bad snap on first down dropped the Tide back to the 14 yard line and after two sacks, Bama had gone backwards 22 yards and had to settle for a 40 yard Reichard field goal as they went into the half trailing 7-6. Ole Miss outgained the Tide 153 to 117 yards, yet both offenses underperformed and looked stuck in the mud. The second half would prove to be a different story for the Bama offense.
Alabama took the opening kickoff and marched 70 yards on 9 plays that culminated in Reichard’s third field goal of the day, a 23 yarder to give the Tide a lead that they would not relinquish, 9-7. The end of the drive was bizarre as the officials did not communicate and messed up the down and distance, costing Alabama an entire down. On their next drive, Dart would march the Rebels to their own 49 before throwing a pick at the Bama goal line. Terrion Arnold, who has had an up and down season so far, returned his first interception of the year to the Bama 41. Milroe and the offense took advantage, marching 59 yards on 6 plays as the sophomore quarterback connected with freshman wideout Jalen Hale from 33 yards out for Bama’s first touchdown of the day. Milroe was shaken up after the play, yet the Tide went for 2 and got it on a 3 yard Ty Simpson quarterback keeper to put Alabama up 17-7 with 6:29 left in the third. On the Rebel’s next possession, Dart would march the Rebels right down the field, yet their 14 play, 58 yard drive would stall at the Bama 18 and Caden Davis’ 35 yard field goal cut the Tide lead to 17-10 with 34 seconds left in the quarter. Milroe led perhaps his best drive of the season, marching the Tide 75 yards on 6 plays which was capped off with a Jace McClellan 8 yard score to put Alabama up 24-10 at the 12:10 mark of the 4th. At long last, the much maligned Bama offensive line got their footing and opened up holes for McClellan in the second half, as the senior recorded his second straight 100 yard effort, gaining 105 yards on 17 carries. The line gave up 9 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 4 sacks in the first half to the Rebel D, yet they allowed 0 in both categories after halftime. Alabama and Ole Miss would then trade punts before the Rebels got the ball on their own 27 with 8:10 remaining in the game. The Rebels took 6:09 off the clock and their 15 play drive, which included converting on two 4th down conversions (including a 4th and 23) stalled on the third 4th down attempt from the Bama 18. The Tide would run out the clock to win their 15th straight SEC opener.
This was a huge win for Alabama against a strong Ole Miss team. The Tide defense continued their strong play as they limited Dart to a 20-35 day for 244 yards and no touchdowns. Likewise, Rebel sophomore tailback Quinshon Judkins, largely considered the conference’s best back, was limited to 56 yards and no touchdowns. The story of the day was the Tide offense. The first half looked like a continuation of the second half against Texas and the disastrous performance last week against South Florida, yet the unit turned on a switch and came to life in the second half. For the game, Milroe played well and outside of a bad interception in the end zone in the 2nd quarter where he made the incorrect read, he was accurate and effective. For the day, Milroe went 17-21 for 225 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Offensive coordinator Tommy Reese called his best half yet, putting Milroe and the offense in position to succeed. Likewise, the Bryant-Denny crowd was oddly quiet throughout the first half, as it seemed like Ole Miss was a play away from breaking the game open early. Yet, all seemed back to normal in the second half as the Tide rolled, bringing the crowd enthusiastically back into the game.
Tide Nation can now take a deep breath as Saban and company clearly hasn’t packed it in for the ‘23 season. If the defense continues to impress and if Reese can produce similar results as the Ole Miss second half, Alabama could grow into a good team. The next three games will tell a lot as the Tide travels to Starkvegas to take on Mississippi State followed by a huge challenge against Texas A&M on the road before returning home to take on a talented Tennessee squad. Meanwhile, Kiffin has now lost all five contests against Saban and the Tide and will need to turn the page quickly in order to remain a factor in the SEC West race.