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Humbling.
Sobering.
Those are the nicest things one can say about Ole Miss’ performance Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.
The 12th-ranked Rebels were completely out-classed by top-ranked Alabama, falling behind early and then falling apart later on their way to an embarrassing 42-21 loss at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The Crimson Tide was its clinical self Saturday, dominating both lines of scrimmage from the opening minutes.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, played an overly emotional game. Lane Kiffin, coaching in Tuscaloosa for the first time since serving as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, rolled the dice repeatedly in the first half, twice going for a first down on fourth-and-short on Ole Miss’ half of the field. Neither attempt was successful, and on both occasions, Alabama made Kiffin and the Rebels pay.
“You live by analytics and you die by them,” Kiffin said at halftime, a far cry from the pregame interview in which he told the same sideline reporter to get her popcorn ready.
Throw in a turnover that led to another Crimson Tide second-quarter touchdown and it was a master class from Alabama against an upstart opponent that had media calling for an upset all week.
Ole Miss trailed 28-0 at halftime, accumulating just 17 yards on the ground, picking up less than one yard per attempt in the first half.
And there’s your story — and your harsh reality.
Southeastern Conference games are won and lost in the trenches. Programs are rebuilt — and yes, despite all of the hype and the national ranking, Ole Miss is still in Year 2 of a rebuild under Kiffin — in the trenches as well.
On Saturday, against the defending national champions, Ole Miss was abused on both sides of the line of scrimmage. The Rebels could generate no running lanes between the tackles. There was nothing there. It was ugly. Conversely, Alabama run for chunks of yardage. The Crimson Tide ran 24 times in the first half for 100 yards, an average of 4.2 yards per carry. That’s what domination looks like in a box score.
Ole Miss’ title hopes, along with Matt Corral’s Heisman candidacy, basically ended Saturday. However, the Rebels’ season isn’t over.
Once the Rebels consume their slices (plural) of humble pie, they’ve got to get back to work. No. 8 Arkansas (that ranking will drop precipitously) took its beating a few hours earlier Saturday in Athens, losing a 37-0 decision to No. 2 Georgia. The Hogs will be looking to get well in Oxford Saturday morning, and Barry Odom and Co. won’t need to look far and wide to find a game plan to execute.
A trip to Tennessee follows a week later, and the Vols looked like they found life Saturday at Missouri. You know the drill. It’s LSU at home after that, followed by a trip to Auburn. Texas A&M and Mississippi State highlight November.
Ole Miss won’t play a team of Alabama’s ilk again this season; hell, there aren’t but two of them nationally. However, the Rebels can’t play like they did at the line of scrimmage Saturday if their hopes for an attractive January bowl are going to come to fruition.
More importantly, however, Saturday should serve as a reminder to Kiffin and Co. that the most significant thing they’ll do in the coming weeks is recruit. Ole Miss needs more presence on both lines. It needs impact pass-rushers off the edge. It needs linebackers who can make plays sideline to sideline.
To beat Alabama, one doesn’t need some cute tweets, fancy suits and talk of popcorn. To beat Alabama, one needs players like Alabama’s (and/or Georgia’s)
The Tide reminded the Rebels Saturday there are no shortcuts. That message was delivered concisely and with remarkable precision.
To the Rebels' credit, they fought in the second half and likely gave themselves a little momentum moving forward. That's a good thing for the Rebels, as it’s most certainly up to Ole Miss to decide if it’s willing to take its beating and learn from it — or let it ruin the final two-thirds of the 2021 season.
