Alabama vs. Ole Miss: Game Grades, Analysis for Tide

After four hours of football in Oxford, Mississippi, Alabama improved to 3-0 with a 48-43 win against Ole Miss. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak to the Rebels, but nothing came easy. The Tide had to come back from a 24-3 first-half deficit and had to use big plays from the defense and special teams to close out the win. The home team out-gained Alabama, but the Tide finally got their running game going, getting two takeaways, to help pick up momentum.

Passing Offense

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

The "pass-first" offense the Tide used through two weeks disappeared on Saturday afternoon. Or maybe Alabama just didn't need it. Jalen Hurts threw the ball often in the first half but rarely took chances down field. He missed a couple of open throws, and the Rebels had their chances at interceptions. However, Hurts still finished 19-of-31 with 158 yards through the air. And the major key was no big mistakes from the true freshman. 

One of the main targets, ArDarius Stewart, left with a sprained knee in the first half and never returned to the field. Calvin Ridley finished with eight receptions for 81 yards. 

Grade: B-

Rushing Offense

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It was good to see Alabama's running game come to life when it needed it. The Tide finished with 334 rushing yards as a team. Although it was not a classic ground game for Alabama, Jalen Hurts and Damien Harris got the job done. Hurts had 146 rushing yards on 18 carries, with many of those coming on designed running plays.

Lane Kiffin also looked to sophomore running back Damien Harris to lead the team in the second half. Harris added 144 rushing yards of his own on just 16 carries, while adding his first touchdown of the season. Bo Scarbrough and Calvin Ridley added rushing touchdowns of their own.

Scarbrough gets the only deduction of the day. He fumbled the ball as the Tide were attempting to run out the clock. Luckily for him, offensive tackle Jonah Williams fell on the ball, letting Harris run the ball the rest of the game.

Grade: A

Passing Defense

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This one is tougher to grade, but the Tide made plays when they were needed. The Crimson Tide did give up 421 yards on 26-off-41 passing, but it was the pressure from the pass rush that had the biggest impact on the game.

Ryan Anderson had a strip-sack at the goal line that allowed Da'Ron Payne to scoop up the ball and score a touchdown. Jonathan Allen—yes, the defensive end—had a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Alabama a 48-30 lead. The Crimson Tide may not have had the best performance from their secondary, but the defensive line made up for it.

Grade: B

Rushing Defense

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The Tide gave up a 23-yard touchdown run to Akeem Judd on the game's opening drive. After that, Alabama only gave up 83 rushing yards the rest of the game. The Rebels spent most of the second half passing the ball, but when their play-calling got more conservative in the first half, the Alabama defense shut it down. Alabama allowed two runs to go for a combined 38 yards. The other 30 carries went for just 68 yards. Once again, the defensive front didn't break as it led Alabama to another win.

Grade: A-

Special Teams

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The Crimson Tide had a strong showing in the passing game. When J.K. Scott is the weak link to your unit's performance, you know it was a good day. Scott lost the punting battle but still had a 63-yard punt and put two kicks inside the 20-yard line. Eddie Jackson's 85-yard punt return was the game's biggest momentum swing and cut into the Ole Miss lead just before halftime.

The return game was strong through the night, as Jackson and Trevon Diggs averaged 34.8 yards per return on Saturday. Adam Griffith went 2-of-3 on field goals but still managed to hit all six extra points, which could not have been easy in a wild game like what we saw in Oxford.

Grade: A-

Coaching

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The Tide came out flat, and it looked like Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss would beat them again. The Tide's offense was sputtering behind Kiffin's questionable play-calling. However, things got fixed. It is always good to see a team not give up on a game when trailing by 21 points. The offense focused more on the running game in the second half, and the designed runs for Hurts were a big part of the offense's success.

Grade: B-

Caleb Turrentine is a contributor at Bleacher Report. He also works as a columnist and contributor at Touchdown Alabama Magazine. Follow him on Twitter, @CalebTurrentine.