RebelSports.net - Rebels can't muster offense in loss to 'Bama

October 10, 2009

Neal McCready
Senior Writer

OXFORD, Miss. -- Dexter McCluster sat in stunned disbelief early Saturday evening.

McCluster knew No. 3 Alabama had a great defense, and he knew points and yards would be difficult to come by.

Still, McCluster admitted to being shocked at what happened earlier in the day at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. No. 20 Ole Miss committed five turnovers, had a punt blocked, managed just 20 yards of offense in the first half and 212 yards overall and managed only a single Joshua Shene field goal. Needless to say, that wasn't close to enough to beat Alabama.

The Crimson Tide, which controlled the football for more than 38 minutes, got 172 yards rushing from Mark Ingram and five short field goals from Leigh Tiffin to get a relatively easy 22-3 win in front of a record crowd of 62,657 fans.

"We have to buckle down, own up and find out what we need to do to be a better offensive unit," McCluster said. "We know what we can do. We show it every day in practice. We just have to find a way to execute, make drives, keep our defense off the field and score touchdowns.

"I honestly feel we've got a great defense and if we put 21 points on the board, the defense will hold. We just have to show that we're a great offense and we can put it together."

Alabama improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the SEC. Ole Miss, meanwhile, fell to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in the SEC, all but killing any chances of a league title. The Rebels, which had climbed as high as No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 just three weeks ago, will almost certainly fall out of the polls Sunday. With seven games over the next seven weeks, Ole Miss was already turning the page late Saturday.

"We're not going to give up," McCluster said. "Don't count us out. All it takes is that one spark. We're going to get it rolling. The changes are going to come."

Ole Miss' offensive woes started early. On the Rebels' third play from scrimmage, Snead overthrew a receiver as Alabama's Robby Green hit him. Justin Woodall intercepted the pass. It was a sign of things to come.

Alabama got on the board first with a 25-yard field goal by Tiffin with 2:46 left in the first quarter. Snead's second interception, one that came after Javier Arenas stripped Shay Hodge of a pass at the Ole Miss 26-yard line, led to a 21-yard Tiffin field goal with 5:57 remaining before halftime. Cory Reamer's blocked punt at the end of Ole Miss' ensuing possession gave the Tide the ball at the Rebels' 5. Alabama settled for another Tiffin field goal _ this one from 22 yards out _ to extend the lead to 9-0.

Alabama gained a commanding 16-0 halftime lead late in the first half when Ingram broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1.

"They had a great call against our defense," Ole Miss safety Kendrick Lewis said. "I think we were in a dime defense and they ran it towards our blitz. It was just a good play against a bad call. They got one."

Ole Miss finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter, cutting Alabama's lead to 16-3. The Rebels appeared poised to get back in the game, stopping the Tide and forcing a P.J. Fitzgerald punt. However, McCluster fumbled at the tail end of a nine-yard return and Alabama recovered on the Rebels' 40. Nine plays later, Tiffin punched in a 21-yard field goal to push the Tide's lead back to 19-3.

Ole Miss drove to the Alabama 15, but Snead's first-down pass intended for Brandon Bolden was intercepted by Kareem Jackson, who returned it 79 yards to the Ole Miss 16. Alabama immediately coughed the ball back up, but Ole Miss returned the favor four plays later when Snead's pass bounced off Markeith Summers' chest and into Rolando McClain's hands. Alabama capitalized, turning it into a 31-yard field goal by Tiffin for the game's final score.

"We helped them," Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said. "One thing that we didn't want to do was give them turnovers. You can't do that, especially to a good team."

"We knew going in they had a great defense," said Snead, who was 11-for-34 passing for 140 yards. "They really came out and showed it. I don't know (why we have regressed). They are extremely quick. They jump routes and fly around. ...They did what we expect them to do. We were prepared. We just didn't play well."

Snead was the Rebels' leading rusher with 44 yards on four carries. McCluster had 15 yards on six carries and Bolden had 11 on 10 attempts. Ole Miss had one first-half first down and 12 overall.

"We have to look at the offense as a complete group," Ole Miss offensive coordinator Kent Austin said. "It's my responsibility that all our players understand it takes 11 to move the ball and score. Jevan will get his issues corrected. I kind of feel like I am where I was last year at this point with the offense. It's not all Jevan. We need players to make plays. That's a tall order against the team we played, but at the end of the day, we had the opportunity to make some plays and didn't."

Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy was hit early and often by Ole Miss' defense. The junior was 15-for-34 passing for 147 yards. His longest pass completion was for 16 yards. Fitzgerald was forced to punt six times.

"We had some good moments," Ole Miss defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix said. "We gave us a chance, played well on third downs for the most part and showed a lot of character and a lot of heart. We kept battling. There were a couple of plays I'd like to have back, like the touchdown before the half, and I'd like to have created some more turnovers. ...They had more success running the ball than we wanted them to have."

Ole Miss entertains UAB Saturday at 6 p.m. before returning to SEC play on Oct. 24 at home against Arkansas.

"The bottom line is, I told our guys this we where we find our what we're really all about about," Nutt said.

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