Top-ranked Alabama football has had trouble with Ole Miss in the past. Here are five reasons why the Crimson Tide will take care of the Rebels with ease this year.
Last year, Alabama trounced Ole Miss 66-3 in a game that ended a streak of close contests between the two SEC West rivals. The Crimson Tide poured on the score, rolling things up on the Rebels before a partisan crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
In the three years prior between 2014 and 2016, however, things were very different for Alabama against the Rebels. Ole Miss won two out of the three contests between the divisional foes, with all three games ending with a margin of victory less than a touchdown.
This year, Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide take to the road for their showdown against Ole Miss. And once again, they will walk away winners to remain on the path to defend their College Football Playoff national championship. Everything is in place for yet another blowout as Alabama puts the recent past in the rearview mirror and builds a new reputation against the Rebels.
What will Alabama need to do to execute that game plan and emerge victorious in Oxford on Saturday? Here are five reasons why the Crimson Tide will prevail easily over Ole Miss in Week 3 action.
5. Jaylen Waddle and Josh Jacobs will help flip field position on returns
Alabama has boasted one of the best return units in the country to start the 2018 season. Whether on kickoffs or on punts, the Crimson Tide have been adept at getting blockers in front of their return men and flipping the field position for their offense.
A big part of that success has been Jaylen Weddle’s prolific work on punt returns. Weddle currently ranks in the top 20 nationally in return yardage, averaging 12.3 yards per return. What could make it even uglier for Ole Miss on Saturday, though, is the fact that the Rebels are ranked 106th nationally in net punting.
In a similar fashion, Josh Jacobs could play a key role in setting up the Alabama offense with good field position. Ole Miss gives up an average of 21.5 yards per opponents’ kick returns, ranking in the bottom third of the FBS. Jacobs could make them pay in a big way, as he already boasts two return touchdowns in 2018.
Between Waddle and Jacobs, the Alabama offense is going to enjoy shorter fields as they turn the screws on their SEC West rival. Special teams will prove critical to Alabama’s success as they remain undefeated in Week 3.
4. Isaiah Buggs and Dylan Moses will rack up sacks for Crimson Tide
There are few things that the Alabama front seven loves more than hosting parties in the backfield. The Crimson Tide rank in the top 40 in both sacks and tackles for loss as a group, and they could vault up that chart with a big performance against Ole Miss on Saturday in Oxford.
The Rebels will present a solid challenge on that front. Ole Miss is allowing an average of 1.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss per game. With Alabama’s defense posting 2.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss on average, something will have to give. And it will more likely than not be the Rebels offensive line that wilts under the pressure.
For Alabama, the catalysts in the front seven are defensive end Isaiah Buggs and outside linebacker Dylan Moses. Buggs and Moses both have two sacks so far this season, and both players could end up doubling their stat line for the season in Saturday’s contest on the road. Nose guard Quinnen Williams could also get in on the action, as he leads the team in tackles for loss.
When most people think of Alabama under Nick Saban, defense is probably the first thing that comes to mind. That will certainly be the case when the Tide face off against Ole Miss this week.
3. Deionte Thompson will deal Jordan Ta’amu his first interception of 2018
In taking over for Shea Patterson this season at quarterback, Jordan Ta’amu has done a solid job of moving the football and maintaining possession. Ta’amu is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, while averaging more than 12 yards per attempt along the way.
Most importantly, Ta’amu has thrown seven touchdown passes without a single interception to this point. The Ole Miss quarterback is one of just 16 passers around the country who have attempted at least 50 passes and who have yet to throw a pick. The senior has put up solid numbers in his first attempt to take over the starting role.
Of course, Ole Miss has also played Texas Tech and FCS Southern Illinois so far this season to get to 2-0. The secondary fielded by Alabama is an entirely different beast than what the Red Raiders and Salukis put on the field. Studded with blue-chip talent across the board, the Crimson Tide defensive backfield is going to render Ta’amu mortal on Saturday.
The prime candidate to mete out the first turnover blemish to Ta’amu this season is Deionte Thompson. At this early juncture of the season, the redshirt junior is leading the way for the Crimson Tide in pass breakups and he is one of three players on Alabama with a pick. He will have at least one interception in this divisional contest.
2. Nick Saban is a mastermind that will outcoach Matt Luke
After Hugh Freeze was fired last year, Matt Luke stepped up as the interim head coach at Ole Miss. Luke guided the Rebels through the whirlwind season to finish with a 6-6 record. They were ineligible for a bowl appearance, but they reached .500 in the standings after taking down rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.
With the victory over the Bulldogs, not only did the Rebels reach .500 in the standings but they also decided to lift the interim tag from Luke. So far this season it has worked for Ole Miss, who now has a 2-0 record entering the showdown against Alabama.
In recent years, the Rebels have done a good job of giving Alabama fits. Last year, though, Ole Miss saw their spell break as the Crimson Tide pulled off a 66-3 victory in Tuscaloosa. Though this game is taking place in Oxford in 2018, home-field advantage really won’t make much difference in the long run.
Why? Because Alabama has the biggest mastermind of all in Nick Saban. At every stop during his career, Saban has built up a team as a success. Coming off a national championship performance last year, Nick Saban is a huge reason why Ole Miss is going to fall to Alabama on Saturday.
1. Tua Tagovailoa has been a wizard at quarterback for Alabama
It was perhaps the biggest question of the offseason for Alabama, as Nick Saban and offensive coordinators Mike Locksley and Josh Gattis had a rare issue in Tuscaloosa. Normally during Nick Saban’s tenure, quarterback play has been an afterthought on their path to success. But this year the Crimson Tide entered the year with two starter-level talents at the position.
Jalen Hurts was the incumbent, but after losing his spot under center during the national title game last January his grasp of the starting role was tenuous at best. The way Tua Tagovailoa stepped in and led Alabama to victory against Georgia made him the presumptive favorite to take over as starter for the 2018 season.
That is precisely what happened, and Alabama’s decision has been validated by Tagovailoa’s play so far this season. The Tide quarterback has gone 25-of-35, completing more than 71 percent of his passes for 455 yards and six touchdowns. Tagovailoa is averaging 13 yards per attempt, and he has yet to throw an interception this season.
The sophomore is on such a hot streak that Hurts has already declared that he will redshirt this year and transfer to a new team for next season as a graduate student. Tagovailoa will once again work his magic on Saturday. Saban and his staff are likely going to keep the starter in longer at quarterback than he has had to play so far this year, and it will result in a massive line of passing stats.
Look for Tagovailoa to once again complete 70-plus percent of his passes for at least 300 yards and three scores as the Crimson Tide beat the three-touchdown spread in a blowout of Ole Miss.