Mississippi @ Alabama preview
Bryant-Denny Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 10, 2009 ) Alabama 22, Mississippi 3
Despite being dominated in unfamiliar fashion last week, everybody knows that Alabama is good. And now the defending national champions are angry.
That could be a bad combination for Mississippi against the Crimson Tide, who suffered their first loss since falling to Utah in the 2009 Sugar Bowl 19 months ago. It was their first regular-season loss in almost three years.
As a result of last week’s 35-21 loss to South Carolina, Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC) dropped from No. 1 to No. 8. Coach Nick Saban was still seething at a Tuesday press conference.
Saban said several of his players got exposed and you can bet that there was a renewed intensity at practice this week. Saban had plenty of issues to address: The pass defense that couldn’t stop South Carolina; his own vaunted running game that netted only 36 yards; and an offensive line and quarterback that allowed seven sacks.
The 35 points surrendered was the most by Alabama since a 41-34 loss to LSU in November 2007.
Don’t think that Ole Miss, which had a bye week, wasn’t taking copious notes on how to attack the Tide. The Rebels (3-2, 1-1) have won their last two contests and put up 97 points in the process. Like South Carolina, which completed 17 of 20 passes, Ole miss is adept at both running and passing.
In the last two weeks, quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has thrown for five touchdowns and run for another. Running back Brandon Bolden has 336 yards rushing and five touchdowns in the two wins. Ole Miss is 13th in the nation in rushing, averaging 232 yards per game.
The problem for the Rebels has been on defense. Though they haven’t played a ranked team, Ole Miss has allowed at least 35 points in three of its five games. Its 32.6 points allowed average is 103rd in the country.
Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, who hadn’t lost a game as a starter since middle school, faces a Rebels’ defense that allows 246 passing yards a game (96th).
McElroy threw for a career-high 315 yards last week, completing nearly 80 percent of his passes (27 of 34). Receiver Julio Jones caught eight balls for a career-high 118 yards, but he did suffer a broken hand in the game. He underwent surgery and his status for Saturday is uncertain. Darius Hanks, who’s averaging almost 18 yards a catch, and Marquis Maze are McElroy’s other primary weapons.
If Alabama’s passing game isn’t clicking as it did last week, McElroy can always hand off to Mark Ingram, who was held to 41 yards on 11 carries last week. The Heisman Trophy winner gouged Ole Miss for 172 yards on 28 carries in a 22-3 Alabama win last season.
Alabama has won the last six meetings between the schools and holds a 47-9-2 edge in the series. Alabama is 22-1 in Tuscaloosa against the Rebels, whose lone win came in 1988.
Ole miss starting center A.J. Hawkins (shoulder) has been downgraded to doubtful for the game. Freshman Evan Swindall would replace him.