Najee Harris Scores 5 TDs as No. 2 Alabama Beats Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss 63-48

No. 2 Alabama survived a near upset at Ole Miss on Saturday in a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair between Nick Saban and one of his former assistants in Lane Kiffin. 

The Crimson Tide escaped with a 63-48 victory thanks to five touchdowns from running back Najee Harris.

Yet games like Saturday night in Oxford, Mississippi, just don't happen. Not to Saban. Certainly not to Alabama and almost never to unranked teams. 

The two schools combined for 111 points, 1,370 yards and 68 first downs. The 647 yards gained by Ole Miss account for the most ever given up in Alabama's history—and that's just one of a number of eye-popping records to fall on Saturday.

No unranked team had ever scored 48 points on Alabama dating back to 1936, and the Rebels became the first team to score 48 points on any of Saban's Tide teams. The 723 yards gained by Alabama account for the second-most in the program's history. 

It's the highest combined point total in the series history between the Rebels and Crimson Tide as well as Alabama school history.

"We just didn't play very well on defense," Saban told ESPN on the field after the victory. "Maybe a game like this will wake us up a little bit. And maybe we can take the mistakes that we made and try to improve. We knew they had a great offensive team. We're happy to get out of here with a win." 

Saban added he wasn't frustrated with his offense at all, and it's hard to find any issues there. 

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Harris (206 yards, 23 carries) became the third running back in Alabama history with 200 rushing yards and five scores, joining Santonio Beard in 2002 and Shaun Alexander in 1998. 

Alabama quarterback Mac Jones completed 28 of 32 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns while wideouts DeVonta Smith (13 catches, 164 yards, one touchdown) and Jaylen Waddle (six catches, 120 yards) each provided Jones with deep passing options. 

Yet Kiffin, who was the Tide's offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016, kept finding ways to counter.

Ole Miss QB Matt Corral passed for 365 yards and two scores, while running backs Snoop Conner (128 yards) and Jerrion Ealy (120 yards) each scored two touchdowns. 

After entering halftime tied at 21, both offenses continued to explode in the second half, with the Rebels constantly putting pressure on the Tide. 

It was Harris' final score—a 39-yard touchdown run—that put the game firmly out of reach and secured a 3-0 start for Alabama. 

While this may have been an atypical performance for a Saban-coached team, the outcome was what we have come to expect from the Crimson Tide as they just keep winning.