Preview Ole Miss Rebels In Search Of An Alabama Upset

Photo credit to Ole Miss via Flickr

College Football

Preview Ole Miss Rebels In Search Of An Alabama Upset

Ole Miss is ready for Statement Saturday. The Rebels are ready to battle it out for SEC supremacy bragging rights in Oxford on saturday night. The SEC showdown against the nearly invincible Crimson Tide has been circled on the calendar for months. It’s game that Mississippians and Alabamians have been waiting for. Matt Luke, the homegrown kid leads and Nick Saban, college football’s resident genius headline a series that is 2-2 in its last four.

Twelve months ago, Luke and the Rebels were ruing about a 66-3 beatdown in Tuscaloosa.

“Credit to Alabama – they’re a really good football team, No. 1 in the country for a reason. They beat us soundly in all three phases: offense, defense, kicking game,” said Luke after the loss. “We just have to find ways to win football games, and it takes all three phases: offense, defense, special teams. We have to find a way. On defense, we have to get off the field on third down. On offense, we have to sustain drives and score points. It’s all of us working together and feeding off each other.”

Luke wrapped it up in a nutshell; offense, defense, kicking game. Now it’s time to look at all three.

Offense

Last year Ole Miss hailed an offense that averaged nearly 500 yards a game. Alabama limited them to less than 275 yards and threw in five sacks for good measure. Gone is Shea Patterson to Michigan and good riddance. His hype did nothing to help win a game of meaning. Gone is Jordan Wilkins who averaged nearly nine yards a pop against the Crimson Tide but a one man show doesn’t work against a national champion.

Enter Jordan Ta’Amu and Scottie Phillips. The Hawaiian quarterback steppin last October for the injured Patterson and has never looked back. He led all SEC passers with at least 100 attempts in completion percentage (66.5) and yards per pass (9.7), and finished second in overall efficiency (164.5). Not bad for a kid who started at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico. This year his completion percentage entering Saturday sits at 69.2 percent and his yards per pass has hit an astounding 12.3. The 784 yards in 2018’s opening two games eclipses his first two outings of 2017 (750 yards). Now Ole Miss has not just a quarterback who can pick apart Alabama and the best receiving trio in the nation but a run game too.

Enter Scottie Phillips. The former JUCO back unrecruited by Mississippi schools and basically all of D1 at that went for an eye popping 200 yards plus in the 2018 opener. Phillips showed he can run between the tackles and the speed to get to the edge. It’s early but Phillips who was the nation’s top rusher in junior college is ripping off runs at first down rate (10.0ypc) and 155 yards a game. Alabama will have to pick their poison against the Ole Miss offense. The Mississippi native has prepared his whole life for this moment in Oxford.

“They are number one in the country for a reason,” says Phillips. “I embrace the challenge of facing that defense.”

Alabama is ranked 29th against the run allowing less than 100 yards a game.

Defense

After an experiment with the 4-3 defense, Ole Miss is back to the defense it does best. Defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff has returned to the 4-2-5 scheme. A scheme which allowed the Rebels to beat Alabama two out of the last four meetings. Against all their other SEC opponents, “Bama” is 48-1.

Junior nose tackle Benito Jones (6-2, 315 pounds) and his backup senior Russ Donnelly (6-1, 309 pounds) will figure prominently into Ole Miss containing the ground game of Alabama. Together they have combined for 12 tackles, a TFL, half a sack and four quarterback hurries. They will be busy again on Saturday night.

If Ole Miss can make the Crimson Tide one dimensional, they may have a chance to contain the team that is eighth in touchdowns scored and 10^th in average points per game (54).  The Rebels have more but winning begins in the trenches.

Kicking

Punting may be an important call on Saturday night.Sophomore punter Mac Brown is ready. This season he has already placed 2 of 5 inside the 20 with no touchbacks. Averaging 33.8 per kick, he could be instrumental if this is a game of field position.

Placekicker Luke Logan will be a difference maker if Ole Miss keeps this game close. Replacing Rebels’ legend Gary Wunderlich is no easy feat. Logan, since his first field goal sailed true and through the uprights against Vanderbilt last season. A perfect 4-4 this season and 8 of 9 for his career, the sophomore has people believing. He has 13 of 14 PAT’s as well.

The final whistle

Ole Miss plays with a chip on its shoulder this week. Ta’Amu was on the sidelines last season and is eager to prove his worth in big moments. None are much bigger then this. Scottie Phillips is ready to show Alabama what a real opposing running back looks like. The defense well they just want to step up. All of this adds up to what could be a Throw’in Samoa’an competition. Yes, both quarterbacks are from Hawaii. Who would of thought that was possible in the SEC? Any way Ta’Amu is the man and Ole Miss pulls the upset 37-33.

Photo credit to Ole Miss via Flickr