The Alabama Crimson Tide only lost once in the regular season last year and that was to the Ole Miss Running Rebels. When they meet in Week 3 this year, they were supposed to avenge that loss – especially since this time, the matchup was on their home field. It’s safe to say that things didn’t go according to plan as the No. 15 Rebels handed Alabama another loss, this time even more decisively. They won 43-37 en route to picking up their first win at Bryant-Denny Stadium since 1988. The Tide had been 25-1 at home in the series and had never lost consecutive games against Ole Miss up until Saturday night. However, after another thriller that went down to the wire, they found themselves on the wrong side of the final score once again. The loss sent shockwaves through the college football landscape. Here is a breakdown why Nick Saban’s team failed again.
Big Plays
There were a lot of things that the Tide did wrong in the 43-37 loss but the biggest difference in the loss had to be the disparity in big plays for the two teams. Ole Miss had a couple in particular that completely changed the outlook of the game. None of them were bigger than the 66-yard touchdown pass Chad Kelly threw to Quincy Adeboyejo in the third quarter as he bobbled the snap, threw it in traffic and then watched his receiver win the ball in the air and race to the endzone for the score.
That wasn’t the only big play for the Rebls though as Kelly also had a 73-yard scoring strike to Cody Core and a 24-yard touchdown pass to Laquon Treadwil in the fourth quarter that helped them put the game away. Alabama will look back at a number of things they didn’t do well in the loss but nothing was more devastating to them than the three big plays they gave up for touchdowns in the second half.
Turnovers
The big plays were the obvious aspect of the loss that stood out for the Tide but just as important was the fact they turned the ball over five times including two interceptions by senior quarterback Jake Coker. When you look back to last season, inefficient play at the quarterback position was a problem too as Blake Sims was just 19-of-31 for 228 yards and an interception with no touchdowns. This time around, Coker was 21-of-45 for three touchdowns and two interceptions (Bama quarterbacks threw three picks in total).
Alabama had won 17 straight games at home going in to the game but the five turnovers led to 24 points for Ole Miss and that was more than enough to make the difference in a game that was decided by less than a touchdown.
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Bama Not Built To Play From Behind
For Alabama, the same theme seems to play out for them year after year. Usually, their ground game and defense are elite and usually, that’s enough for them to either get leads and play from ahead or be in games and maintain their strategy. However, they aren’t built to play from behind and that showed again. Nick Saban has had a tough time recruiting quality quarterbacks of late and that showed again. With Ole Miss playing with a double-digit lead most of the game, Alabama simply had no answers. We mentioned Coker’s numbers above but the receiving corps looks pretty weak for the Tide. They failed to create separation and help out their quarterback, who struggled mightily down the stretch. And don’t forget that the Tide actually gave the start to Cooper Bateman, who was 11-of-14 for 87 yards and a pick before he hit the bench.
The Tide have an excellent ground game and they have to be able to use it. If they’re forced to play from behind and abandon it, they’re in trouble. We learned that last season (in the BCS) and we learned it again.
