Alabama vs. Ole Miss: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More
Everything known about No. 3 Alabama either goes out the window or is dramatically reinforced Saturday when the Crimson Tide visit No. 11 Ole Miss.
As this year's SEC West continues to flirt with being the best in history—six of the seven teams enter the weekend ranked 15th or higher—Saturday marks the first serious test for a new-look Crimson Tide team as well as arguably one of the biggest home games in school history for the undefeated Rebels.
Given the elite form of both teams and the surefire ripple effect the outcome will have on them as they dive deeper into the conference schedule, it goes without saying that this is one of the top overall matchups of the season.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Full Stride
The biggest question for Alabama entering the season resided under center, but it took all of four games for dual-threat senior Blake Sims to pull away from Jake Coker.
Slowly but surely, Sims has improved at a steady pace, with his best performance of all coming against the toughest opposition:
| West Virginia | 24 | 33 | 250 | 72.7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 42 | 0 |
| Florida Atlantic | 12 | 14 | 228 | 85.7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 1 |
| Southern Miss | 12 | 17 | 168 | 70.6 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 46 | 1 |
| Florida | 23 | 33 | 445 | 69.7 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 39 | 0 |
Behind the arm and legs of Sims, the Crimson Tide average 42 points per game, and they rank No. 4 in the nation with an average of 594.3 yards per game and No. 5 overall in yards per play at 7.62. A 42-21 rout of a strong Florida defense was enough to put a halt to any lingering questions.
For a week, at least.
Ole Miss happens to butter its bread on the defensive side of the football, ranking third in the nation with an average of just 8.5 points per game surrendered. The unit allows just 248.0 yards per game and 3.74 yards per play.
Hugh Freeze's defense held Boise State to just 13 points before the explosive Broncos went on to score 34 or more in each of their next three games. Vanderbilt scored three. Louisiana-Lafayette dropped all of 15. Memphis scored three despite still averaging 34.3 points per game through four contests.
The unit, led by standouts such as defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and safety Tony Conner, certainly has the talent to shut down the Crimson Tide if it can rattle Sims with the help of the crowd, forcing Nick Saban's side into a one-dimensional attack with backs Derrick Henry (320 yards, two touchdowns on six yards per carry) and T.J. Yeldon (284 yards, two touchdowns on five yards per carry).
A recipe is there. All that remains is proper execution.
Trash Talk and Weak Points
Due to an elite defense and the best start in school history since 1970, the Rebels ride into Saturday's game confident.
Just ask defensive back Cody Prewitt, who had some choice words about the matchup when speaking to FoxSports.com's Brandon Speck:
"We understand that we haven't played a team that's going to be as good as Bama. But we don't really think Bama is as good as they have been. And we're better than we have been. We're looking forward to getting to the game plan and really nailing down all the tweaks and stuff that we're going to have to put into Bama.
"
Bulletin board material was the last thing the Crimson Tide needed, but they get it anyway.
All banter between two dominant teams aside, an underrated element of the contest is certainly flying greatly under the radar at the moment—special teams.
As ESPN Stats & Information points out, both teams sport two of the worst units not just in the SEC but in the nation overall. Per the research, the "Tide's contributes minus-2.79 points per game towards their winning margin while the Rebels' contributes minus-1.83."
Among other things, a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by West Virginia recently shows the issues the Crimson Tide have in this area. It is yet another facet that may hurt the team on the road against a credible opponent although the pendulum certainly swings both ways.
When: Saturday, October 4, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field, Oxford, Mississippi
Television: CBS
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 51
- Spread: Alabama (-7)
Team Injury Reports
| Kurt Freitag | TE | 09/28/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ole Miss | Questionable | toe |
| Grant Hill | T | 10/01/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ole Miss | Questionable | undisclosed |
| Tyren Jones | RB | 10/01/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ole Miss | Questionable | undisclosed |
| Blake Sims | QB | 09/28/2014 | is probable for Saturday's game against Ole Miss | Probable | shoulder |
| DeAndrew White | WR | 10/01/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ole Miss | Questionable | foot |
| Jarrick Williams | S | 09/28/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ole Miss | Questionable | foot |
| Anthony Alford | S | 10/01/2014 | has left the team | Out | personal |
| Chief Brown | DB | 08/03/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | Achilles |
| Matt Brown | TE | 09/08/2014 | is expected to miss 6-8 weeks | Out | leg |
| Carlos Davis | CB | 08/15/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | knee |
| Senquez Golson | DB | 09/29/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Alabama | Questionable | hamstring |
| Collins Moore | WR | 09/28/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Alabama | Questionable | knee |
| Tee Shepard | CB | 08/15/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | toe |
Injury reports courtesy of The Sports Network (via USA Today).
Prediction
The last time Ole Miss beat Alabama was back in 2003 when a guy by the name of Eli Manning was under center.
This year, the man is Bo Wallace. The senior does complete 71 percent of his passes, but he already has an alarming six interceptions in four games despite the rather weak schedule, four shy of his total from the entirety of the 2013 season.
Much of the blame rests on the iffy play of the offensive line, which has allowed a wealth of pressure and surrendered 29 tackles for loss so far.
Against Alabama, that simply will not cut it. The Crimson Tide defense may have a new cast of names in place compared to last season, but the unit still gives up just 14 points per game, good for No. 9 overall.
The propensity for Sims to get rattled is certainly there, but between turnovers and leaky play on special teams, the Crimson Tide will have plenty of opportunities to put this one away in emphatic fashion.
Prediction: Crimson Tide 28, Rebels 17
Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
