Ole Miss vs. Alabama: Game Grades, Analysis for Rebels and Crimson Tide
Hugh Freeze and No. 15 Ole Miss registered another upset victory over Nick Saban and No. 2 Alabama. The Rebels (3-0) invaded Tuscaloosa and came away with a 43-37 victory over the Tide (2-1).
Ole Miss benefited from some sloppy play by Alabama, which turned the ball over five times on Saturday night. The Rebels built an early lead and never surrendered it despite a number of Tide rallies.
Here are the complete game grades from Ole Miss' six-point victory over Alabama.
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| Pass Offense | D | A |
| Run Offense | C- | D |
| Pass Defense | B | B+ |
| Run Defense | A- | C- |
| Special Teams | A | A |
| Coaching | B | A |
Ole Miss Rebels Grade Analysis
Pass Offense
Chad Kelly came into the game as the trigger man of the country's most explosive offense, but he struggled early against the Tide defense. He didn't make any huge mistakes but didn't hit any big plays either as he completed just six of 14 passes for 36 yards through two quarters.
The second half got off to a bizarre start when Kelly threw up a desperation pass as he was being sacked. That pass bounced off a Tide defender and landed directly in Quincy Adeboyejo's hands, who ran 66 yards untouched for a touchdown.
Kelly finished the night with 341 passing yards and three touchdowns against no interceptions.
Run Offense
The Rebels had a very hard time getting anything going against Alabama's stout defensive line. They had the most success early when Kelly improvised from the quarterback spot, and he was the highlight of the first half with 19 yards and a touchdown on two carries.
But the running backs weren't able to break any big runs against the Tide. The Rebels finished with just 92 yards on 32 carries, averaging fewer than three yards per attempt.
Pass Defense
It didn't matter whom Alabama used at quarterback—Ole Miss' secondary was ready for whatever the Tide threw at it.
Cooper Bateman only lasted a little over a quarter and was benched after throwing a bad interception early in the second. Jake Coker came in and had a bit more success, but the Rebels still set the tone with their secondary.
The Tide threw 58 passes and only netted 288 yards. They did get three touchdowns through the air, but Ole Miss countered that with three interceptions.
Run Defense
Ole Miss' defensive front looked up to the task of stopping Derrick Henry early, as the Tide's running game only gained 81 yards in the first half. However, the big Alabama offensive line and humid Tuscaloosa air got to the Rebels, and Henry started to find some big lanes in the fourth quarter.
The Tide finished the night with 215 yards on 42 carries, averaging just over five yards per attempt.
Special Teams
Ole Miss had the clear edge on special teams on Saturday night, and that became evident immediately when it forced and recovered a Tide fumble on the game's opening kickoff. The Rebels got another fumble recovery on a kickoff return in the second quarter—two opportunities that they turned into 10 points.
Gary Wunderlich was sensational as well, connecting on all three of his field-goal attempts throughout the game.
Coaching
It's starting to feel like Freeze is tailor-made to best Saban.
The Ole Miss coaching staff did all the right things to come out on top of the Tide. They ran uptempo offense when they needed to establish a rhythm. They had a defensive game plan that put Alabama on its heels from the outset. Most importantly, they put Kelly in a situation where he could thrive against the best defense he'll face all season.
| Pass Offense | C | C- |
| Run Offense | C- | B+ |
| Pass Defense | A+ | D |
| Run Defense | A | A |
| Special Teams | F | F |
| Coaching | D | D- |
Alabama Crimson Tide Grade Analysis
Pass Offense
Bateman got the first start of his career on a big stage and got off to a great start, completing eight of his first nine passes in the first quarter.
But things unraveled for him in the second quarter, highlighted by a bad interception that set Ole Miss up for its third score of the game and prompted the coaching staff to insert Coker.
Coker moved the offense more efficiently but made some bad mistakes as well, completing just 47.7 percent of his passes to complement three touchdowns and two interceptions. The Tide averaged just 5.0 yards per pass attempt, netting 288 yards against Ole Miss.
Run Offense
Alabama's offensive line had a tough time finding lanes against Robert Nkemdiche and an inspired defensive front in the first half.
The Tide only gained 81 yards on 22 carries, averaging just 3.7 yards per attempt. Henry had some success, gaining 54 yards on 13 carries through two quarters, but Ole Miss did a good job of getting to him before he gained a head of steam.
The second half was a different story, as Alabama's offensive front began to wear on Ole Miss' front seven. Henry finished with 127 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, and Coker was a surprising lift on the ground as well, netting 58 yards and a score on seven carries.
Pass Defense
The Tide secondary held up very well against Ole Miss' high-powered passing attack in the first half, allowing just 36 yards through the air. Laquon Treadwell was a complete non-factor, catching just one pass for five yards, and the only big play came via a 22-yard completion to Evan Engram.
But the secondary cracked in the second half after the Rebels got a freak 66-yard touchdown catch that bounced off a Tide defender.
Kelly caught fire and the Tide surrendered 305 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air in the second half.
Run Defense
The Alabama run defense was one of Alabama's bright spots on Saturday, limiting Ole Miss to just 92 yards on 32 carries. The defensive line closed holes all night, as the Rebels only registered three runs of 10-plus yards.
Kelly hurt the Tide with two runs in the first half, one a 15-yard scramble and the other a four-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter.
But those were the only speed bumps in an otherwise solid performance.
Special Teams
Alabama's night got off to a horrendous start when ArDarius Stewart fumbled the game's opening kickoff, which was pounced on by the Rebels. That miscue led to an early three-point lead for Ole Miss, but it wasn't the only special teams disaster.
In the second quarter, Kenyan Drake fumbled a kickoff of his own, which Ole Miss cashed in for a touchdown four plays later.
JK Scott appeared to get back on track, pinning the Rebels inside their own 5-yard line on one of his two punts. Adam Griffith wasn't called upon much, but he connected on a 20-yard field goal in the first half. But that wasn't enough to overcome the blunders in the return game.
Coaching
Alabama fell behind Ole Miss early, and it felt like that took the coaching staff away from utilizing Henry as often as it should have. The bruising running back got just 23 carries in the game and only 10 in the second half.
With a passing game that's struggling the way Alabama's is, the pass-to-run ratio should have been 40-60—not the other way around.
The warts in Alabama's secondary also started to show in the second half after a nearly flawless first half. The Rebels had a ton of success attacking the Tide's corners, and that's something that Mel Tucker, Kirby Smart and Saban need to figure out moving forward.
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