In a wild start for the SEC West, undefeated Ole Miss travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take on 2-1 Alabama, who has had an unusually shaky start to its season.
Last week, Alabama struggled in its 17-3 road win at unranked South Florida. The weekend prior, the Crimson Tide’s home winning streak ended when Texas QB Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns defeated the Tide 34-24 at Bryant-Denny in one of the most anticipated matchups of the season.
After being benched following the loss to Texas, sophomore quarterback Jalen Milroe will start against Ole Miss. Alabama held auditions for former Notre Dame QB Tyler Buchner and returning backup QB Ty Simpson against USF, but Saban saw all he needed to in a horrendous offensive performance.
The Rebels’ offense has fans feeling confident going into this weekend. After recent standout performances from QB Jaxson Dart, running backs Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV and WR Jordan Watkins, Ole Miss’ offense has the potential to overpower a weaker-than-usual Alabama defense.
After last year’s notably disappointing performance from the Rebels’ defense, Ole Miss Defensive Coordinator Pete Golding, new this season, has helped with the slow improvement of the defense. The addition of numerous playmakers via the transfer portal, mixed with elite returning talent, raises the bar much higher for the defensive unit than in previous years.
While Alabama still has a strong and powerful offense, its defense might prove to be the main problem stopping Ole Miss from completing an upset. Bama, as usual, is loaded down with five-star talents at almost every position, and if Defensive Coordinator Kevin Steele can get the wheels turning, it could spell trouble for Dart and the Ole Miss offense.
Road games typically come as a struggle for the Rebels, and Bryant-Denny Stadium is one of the hardest places to play in the country. However, if the Ole Miss defense takes advantage of Alabama’s weak QB room and stops its run game early, Kiffin and the Rebs can make a statement this weekend.
On the offensive side of play, Dart must take advantage of his strengths as a runner and passer.
If Ole Miss can make something happen early, either on offense or defense, it could lead to a Rebel upset. This is as vulnerable as Bama has been in the last two decades, so Ole Miss has a golden opportunity to steal one on the road against a top-ranked team.
