Sunday Countdown: Issues on all sides after blowout loss to Tide

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Alabama is certainly the gold standard of college football and the barometer when it comes to national competitiveness and gauging a pecking order among the elites. That’s not debatable and that’s a purpose for a specific time.

But last night’s 62-7 Ole Miss loss to the Tide was a continuation of defensive struggles that speak to the greater issue at hand. It was another log on the fire, another game with the same issues — only magnified because of the Alabama speed and talent.

Alabama scored 49 first half points which are the second most points in an intraleague game in conference history. It’s the third time 49 points have been scored in a half, and the record is Alabama’s 52-point first half against Vanderbilt in 1990.

A noteworthy stat in its own right but more alarming considering last week and, frankly, all the games since the start of last season. It was only eight days ago that Ole Miss allowed the most yards to an FCS team in a half in SEC history. In the past two first halves, Ole Miss has given up 12 touchdowns in 15 possessions.

This isn’t a new problem. It goes back even the end of the Hugh Freeze era. Ole Miss has allowed at least 21 points in 22 straight games. That’s the longest streak in the nation by seven games. SMU is second nationally at 15 consecutive games. To add to that, the Rebels have given up 28 points or more in 15 consecutive SEC games. The next closest streaks are 11 and five by Arkansas and Tennessee, respectively.

Since the start of last year, Ole Miss has allowed 400 or more total yards 11 times in those 15 games. No other SEC team has allowed that many more than eight times, and the Rebels also lead the SEC in 500-plus yards allowed games with six out of the last 15.

This isn’t about stating the obvious or piling on. It’s about showing it’s more than just about Alabama. While the Tide is a standard for a better time, Ole Miss’ season success will be judged by games much more winnable than last night. But the evidence shows that for that to happen the offense has to be closer to perfect than average.

However you diagnose the issues, they aren’t new. Similar results have piled up for more than a dozen games in a row at this point. And that’s the problem for Ole Miss.

Jordan Ta’amu showed a lot of toughness and leadership in the loss to Alabama last night.

He didn’t miss a snap after taking a shot to the head in the first quarter, despite Matt Corral warming up as a precautionary measure following the play. He stayed in the game for all four quarters in an effort to show leadership, and he’s repeatedly made big throw after big throw under pressure to keep pace.

He reminds me of a pitcher with no run support because of his defense. Every pitch has to be perfect, as cumulative pressure can cause residual stress over time. The offense simply has to be at peak efficiency for this team to win games.

Ta’amu had a tough night against the Tide, struggling with people in his face and missing throws and reads during the evening. During his eight career starts, three stick out as the toughest challenges because of active defensive front sevens that have caused him considerably more discomfort than the other five teams he’s faced to this point.

And in those games, Ta’amu has struggled with consistency and pocket presence. Alabama this season and Texas A&M and Mississippi State at the end of 2017 are the clear outliers in team speed and, correspondingly, Ta’amu’s numbers when looking at his game-by-game totals.

Ta’amu was 7-of-22 for 133 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions against Alabama. His quarterback rating was 31.1 and his adjusted completion percentage (takes into account drops and passes on target) was still at 40. Alabama pressured Ta’amu on 12 of his 29 dropbacks but he was 7-for-16 without pressure.

Against Texas A&M and MSU last season, Ta’amu’s passer rating and yards per attempt were 77 (0-158.3) and 5.6, and against the Bulldogs he executed two long plays that made the difference in the outcome but had an uneven game — partly because he faced pressure on almost 50 percent of his dropbacks. His adjusted completion percentage in the 2017 finale was 47.6.

Ta’amu has been exceptional in the other two games this season and was great in the win over Kentucky (PFF grade of 90) last year. He should have been good enough against Arkansas last year. And that’s the synopsis. Better defenses are obviously going to drop a quarterback’s numbers most of the time, but that’s what Ole Miss is going to see several more times this season.

Running back experience also factors in, as pass protection typically comes with repetitions, and Scottie Phillips is playing the majority of the snaps as a first-year player. He had a team-worst 32.3 pass-protection grade from Pro Football Focus against Alabama, allowing a sack and three quarterback hurries in 13 plays.

Put simply, active defensive fronts have disrupted Ta’amu’s rhythm to a debilitating level, and Ole Miss can’t afford for many offensive lapses considering the state of everything else.

CJ Moore tried to give some answers Saturday night.

The Ole Miss defensive back was about 20 minutes after playing a team-high 67 snaps pretty effectively in the loss to Alabama. Moore had a team-best 85 grade from PFF including an 88.9 pass coverage grade. He was one of the few bright spots for the Rebels, and he was the only defensive player brought to the interview area following the game.

During the couple minutes with microphones in front of him, Moore mentioned communication multiple times, implying that the Rebels struggled to efficiently and correctly relay calls and assignments to each other while on the field.

“They scored some touchdowns where we miscommunicated and busted coverages,” Moore said. “We gave them touchdowns basically… (The defense was) not locked in all the way. Guys need to get in the film room and and know the jobs inside and out.”

He continued: “…one guy may not hear the call. It throws off the whole thing. Just trying to call more simple plays so everyone will be on one accord and make sure we communicate better.”

This isn’t enlightening really, as it’s obvious the issues are multi-faceted. However, I give Moore credit for mostly avoiding platitudes and explaining true problems — despite the frustration that answer has to deliver to the fan base.

There’s so much talk about scheme or talent or execution. It’s yes, yes and yes. With a defense consistently performing this way, it’s not one thing. On some plays it’s busts. On some plays it’s the wrong call. On some plays it’s just players not having the athleticism to get to a spot.

Moore, who was frustrated but careful with his answers, explained the mental and assignment failings. Those can’t be ignored. But neither can the other instances. In the Twitter video below of Alabama’s first touchdown, the defensive call was acceptable for the situation. But as you’ll see, Alabama beat the linebacker to the gap and then speed took over. It wasn’t schematic.

And while this is the easiest play to show the point, it’s not completely fair to Mohamed Sanogo. Among the main Ole Miss defenders he’s more often than not in the right place. He’s a leader and he’s tasked with a lot of responsibility. It’s hard to blame players for their athleticism.

So, the issues are plentiful. They aren’t singular. It’s not an or situation. It’s an and situation, and on the bright side when there are multiple problems, even fixing one could move the production into a more positive direction. On a night where the coaches were hesitant to be direct with answers, Moore gave a glimpse into the defensive failings. Communicating is job one, and for back-to-back weeks it’s been the beginning of the unravel.