Ole Miss football enters this Saturday’s matchup against the 13th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide as an early underdog, but the Rebels have an opportunity to take the lead in the SEC West with a win.
Week four of the college football season is chock full of great matchups involving ranked teams. One of the marquee games taking place on Saturday includes a top-15 matchup involving No. 15 Ole Miss and No. 13 Alabama.
Alabama is entering this matchup currently sitting at 2-1 on the year and coming off of a 17-3 victory over South Florida that was less than impressive. There have been questions since the spring about the Tide’s quarterback position that has involved a battle Between Jalen Milroe and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner.
Milroe started the first two games for Alabama and following a loss to Texas in week two, Buchner was named the starter for week three. During the game against USF, third-string quarterback Ty Simpson entered the game in relief of Buchner after a poor performance. Milroe is slated to be the starter this weekend against Ole Miss.
The season hasn’t been perfect for Ole Miss football so far, they’ve found ways to score points but the running game and defensive play have lagged in the last couple of outings, yet, they are capable of upsetting the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Alabama has more questions at the quarterback position right now than they have answers.
Alabama has played three separate guys at quarterback, and none of them have had a good showing so far. Milroe offers a dual threat aspect, which will likely win him the long-term job. So far he’s thrown for 60% completion with five touchdowns and two interceptions in two starts.
Alabama has some major issues along the offensive line as well. They have given up 12 sacks through three games, ranking 13th in the SEC and 126th in the nation. Five of those sacks came last week against an outmatched USF team and five more came against Texas.
With a struggling offensive line, weak quarterback position, and for the first time in a long time no Heisman Trophy contenders at the skill positions, this means that former Alabama Defensive Coordinator Pete Golding may be able to stifle their normally high powered offensive attack. Putting pressure on the quarterback and containing Milore, not allowing the dual threat to beat you with his legs, is the key to the Rebels having success on defense.
On the offensive side of the ball, the strength of the Rebels’ team last year, the run game, has struggled so far this season. Judkins has yet to go for over 100 yards in any game and has only rushed for a combined 85 yards over the last two outings. With that being said, Ole Miss is going to have to find ways to run the ball with running back Quinshon Judkins and Quarterback Jaxson Dart.
With some injuries to key players in the passing game, throwing the ball consistently against this Alabama defense may prove difficult. The good news is wide receiver Tre Harris and tight end Caden Prieskorn have both been participating in practice this week, a good sign for a pass-catching group that has been plagued with injuries.
Tre Harris has been out since his record-breaking day in week one against Mercer. Prieskorn has yet to take the field for Ole Miss football after recovering from injuries sustained before the season. UTSA transfer wideout Zakhari Franklin will still be out and has yet to play a snap as well.
Despite the injuries and struggles running the ball, the Rebels have still found ways to put up points on offense. They are averaging 52.6 points per game and haven’t scored less than 37 in any game yet. If Ole Miss can find ways to put pressure on the Tide’s quarterbacks, run the ball effectively, and find different ways to score on offense if the game turns into a shootout then an upset could be in store in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night.
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