Inside the 5: Alabama vs. Ole Miss
By Lee Richards
October 3, 2014
No. 3 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) hits the road to take on No. 11 Ole Miss (4-0, 1-0 SEC) in Oxford tomorrow. Kickoff inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is set for shortly after 2:30 p.m. Here are five storylines for the game.
Which Bo will show?
Landon Collins and the Tide defense will try to limit Ole Miss' big-play offense.
Ole Miss’ wide-open offense is averaging 496.2 yards and 39 points per contest. The Rebels are converting 52.7 percent of their third downs and have turned 16 red zone trips into 10 touchdowns.
The leader of the Ole Miss offense is senior quarterback Bo Wallace. He’s completed 71 percent of his attempts for 1,271 yards, with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. Wallace is an All-SEC candidate who ranks among the nation’s leaders in passing yards per game.
Even though he's experienced and has good talent around him, Wallace tends to be sporadic. The key for Ole Miss is for Wallace to consistently play well. In his two previous games against UA, Wallace completed 56.1 percent of his attempts for 282 yards and two interceptions.
Ole Miss will rotate its running backs, but the two who will likely get most of the work are juniors Jaylen Walton and I’Tavius Mathers. Walton leads the team with 199 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He’s also caught seven passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Mathers has rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Neither player has much size, but both can be hard to stop in space. Jordan Wilkins is another back who gets some carries. When Ole Miss goes to short yardage, watch for 300-pound Jeremy Liggins to come in at quarterback. Liggins provides the only real power in the Rebels running game.
Wallace will have a quartet of quality receiving threats to throw to. Leading the way is sophomore Laquon Treadwell, one of the most gifted players in the country and Wallace's favorite target. He will be joined in the starting lineup by senior Vince Sanders and junior Cody Core. The trio has caught nine of Wallace’s 11 touchdown tosses. Sophomore standout Evan Engram is a glorified slot receiver playing tight end. He’s hauled in 14 passes for 175 yards. It will be interesting to see how the UA defense chooses to defend Treadwell. He’s good enough to beat man coverage, but so are any of the Rebels’ other three main receivers.
Left to right along the offensive line, Ole Miss will go with sophomore tackle Laremy Tunsil, junior guard Aaron Morris, junior center Ben Still, junior guard Justin Bell and junior tackle Fahn Cooper. Tunsil and Morris form one of the better left sides around. The center and the right side of the line have struggled at times. The group averages 6-4 and 322 pounds per man, making it one of the heaviest lines in all of football.
Ole Miss quarterbacks have been sacked seven times.
Rebels are aggressive on D
The Ole Miss defnse is much improved from last season. It’s an aggressive unit built more on speed than size. It has given up a mere 248 yards and 8.5 points per game. Opposing quarterbacks have thrown one touchdown and nine interceptions.
The defense is headlined by free safety Cody Prewitt. The senior All-American candidate is as good as they come at his position. A big-time hitter, Prewitt has 17 tackles on the season. He also has an interception, giving him 10 for his career. The Tide might decide to not test Prewitt often.
Joining Prewitt in the secondary will be senior field cornerback Senquez Golson (who has had a hamstring injury), junior boundary cornerback Mike Hilton, junior strong safety Trae Elston and sophomore nickel back Tony Conner.
Golson already has three interceptions. Hilton has 22 tackles, five broken-up passes and an interception. Conner has proven to be a playmaker against the run and pass. He’s made 15 tackles, three tackles for loss and an interception. He’s well on his way to becoming a high NFL draft choice.
The defensive line for the Rebels features junior captain C.J. Johnson at defensive end, sophomore tackle Robert Nkemdiche at tackle, senior Bryon Bennett at nosetackle and sophomore Fadol Brown at the other defensive end spot.
Johnson is a pass-rushing specialist who has nine tackles and one sack. Despite all of the preseason hype, Nkemdiche has notched only seven tackles and one sack so far this season. Brown is tied for the team lead with three pressures. There is solid depth behind this group.
Ole Miss’ base defense features only two linebackers. Deterrian Shackelford, who leads the team with 23 stops, will patrol the middle. The other linebacker spot will be filled by Serderius Bryant. Denzel Nkemdiche will also see time at linebacker. Bryant and Nkemdiche are undersized, but their style of play has helped them combine to make 4.5 tackles for loss.
So far, so good for Sims
So far, so good for Lane Kiffin and his tutelage of Tide quarterback Blake Sims.
Through the first four games, Tide quarterback Blake Sims has played better than most predicted. He’s completed 73.2 percent of his attempts, for 1,091 yards, with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Sims ranks second in completion percentage, third in yards per attempt (11.25) and fourth in passing efficiency (190.8). He has added 141 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries
Saturday will be an important test for Sims. He will be called upon to lead the team and make good decisions in a raucous environment. While his game management and ball security continue to be a work in progress, Sims has shown the ability to make plays, often in critical situations.
Tide OC Lane Kiffin has done a masterful job of tailoring the offense to Sims’ talents. Hopefully the two put on another big show in Oxford.
Tide needs more first half rushing production
The Tide’s running game needs more push from Arie Kouandjio and his fellow offensive linemen.
Even with three new starters along the offensive line, the unit has fared pretty well so far. Alabama is averaging 258.5 rushing yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry. UA quarterbacks have only been pressured or sacked six times. All in all, pass protection has arguably been better than run blocking.
The Tide running game has struggled at times in the first half, especially between the tackles. T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake have averaged 4.6 yards on 62 first half carries. Nineteen of those 62 carries have been for 2 yards or less. In the second half, the trio is averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Clean it up
The Tide had four turnovers and 11 penalties against Florida. To leave Oxford undefeated, the Tide must protect the football and avoid the penalties. Alabama can't afford to give the Rebel offense extra opportunities.
By Lee Richards
October 3, 2014
No. 3 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) hits the road to take on No. 11 Ole Miss (4-0, 1-0 SEC) in Oxford tomorrow. Kickoff inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is set for shortly after 2:30 p.m. Here are five storylines for the game.
Which Bo will show?
Landon Collins and the Tide defense will try to limit Ole Miss' big-play offense.
Ole Miss’ wide-open offense is averaging 496.2 yards and 39 points per contest. The Rebels are converting 52.7 percent of their third downs and have turned 16 red zone trips into 10 touchdowns.
The leader of the Ole Miss offense is senior quarterback Bo Wallace. He’s completed 71 percent of his attempts for 1,271 yards, with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. Wallace is an All-SEC candidate who ranks among the nation’s leaders in passing yards per game.
Even though he's experienced and has good talent around him, Wallace tends to be sporadic. The key for Ole Miss is for Wallace to consistently play well. In his two previous games against UA, Wallace completed 56.1 percent of his attempts for 282 yards and two interceptions.
Ole Miss will rotate its running backs, but the two who will likely get most of the work are juniors Jaylen Walton and I’Tavius Mathers. Walton leads the team with 199 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He’s also caught seven passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Mathers has rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Neither player has much size, but both can be hard to stop in space. Jordan Wilkins is another back who gets some carries. When Ole Miss goes to short yardage, watch for 300-pound Jeremy Liggins to come in at quarterback. Liggins provides the only real power in the Rebels running game.
Wallace will have a quartet of quality receiving threats to throw to. Leading the way is sophomore Laquon Treadwell, one of the most gifted players in the country and Wallace's favorite target. He will be joined in the starting lineup by senior Vince Sanders and junior Cody Core. The trio has caught nine of Wallace’s 11 touchdown tosses. Sophomore standout Evan Engram is a glorified slot receiver playing tight end. He’s hauled in 14 passes for 175 yards. It will be interesting to see how the UA defense chooses to defend Treadwell. He’s good enough to beat man coverage, but so are any of the Rebels’ other three main receivers.
Left to right along the offensive line, Ole Miss will go with sophomore tackle Laremy Tunsil, junior guard Aaron Morris, junior center Ben Still, junior guard Justin Bell and junior tackle Fahn Cooper. Tunsil and Morris form one of the better left sides around. The center and the right side of the line have struggled at times. The group averages 6-4 and 322 pounds per man, making it one of the heaviest lines in all of football.
Ole Miss quarterbacks have been sacked seven times.
Rebels are aggressive on D
The Ole Miss defnse is much improved from last season. It’s an aggressive unit built more on speed than size. It has given up a mere 248 yards and 8.5 points per game. Opposing quarterbacks have thrown one touchdown and nine interceptions.
The defense is headlined by free safety Cody Prewitt. The senior All-American candidate is as good as they come at his position. A big-time hitter, Prewitt has 17 tackles on the season. He also has an interception, giving him 10 for his career. The Tide might decide to not test Prewitt often.
Joining Prewitt in the secondary will be senior field cornerback Senquez Golson (who has had a hamstring injury), junior boundary cornerback Mike Hilton, junior strong safety Trae Elston and sophomore nickel back Tony Conner.
Golson already has three interceptions. Hilton has 22 tackles, five broken-up passes and an interception. Conner has proven to be a playmaker against the run and pass. He’s made 15 tackles, three tackles for loss and an interception. He’s well on his way to becoming a high NFL draft choice.
The defensive line for the Rebels features junior captain C.J. Johnson at defensive end, sophomore tackle Robert Nkemdiche at tackle, senior Bryon Bennett at nosetackle and sophomore Fadol Brown at the other defensive end spot.
Johnson is a pass-rushing specialist who has nine tackles and one sack. Despite all of the preseason hype, Nkemdiche has notched only seven tackles and one sack so far this season. Brown is tied for the team lead with three pressures. There is solid depth behind this group.
Ole Miss’ base defense features only two linebackers. Deterrian Shackelford, who leads the team with 23 stops, will patrol the middle. The other linebacker spot will be filled by Serderius Bryant. Denzel Nkemdiche will also see time at linebacker. Bryant and Nkemdiche are undersized, but their style of play has helped them combine to make 4.5 tackles for loss.
So far, so good for Sims
So far, so good for Lane Kiffin and his tutelage of Tide quarterback Blake Sims.
Through the first four games, Tide quarterback Blake Sims has played better than most predicted. He’s completed 73.2 percent of his attempts, for 1,091 yards, with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Sims ranks second in completion percentage, third in yards per attempt (11.25) and fourth in passing efficiency (190.8). He has added 141 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries
Saturday will be an important test for Sims. He will be called upon to lead the team and make good decisions in a raucous environment. While his game management and ball security continue to be a work in progress, Sims has shown the ability to make plays, often in critical situations.
Tide OC Lane Kiffin has done a masterful job of tailoring the offense to Sims’ talents. Hopefully the two put on another big show in Oxford.
Tide needs more first half rushing production
The Tide’s running game needs more push from Arie Kouandjio and his fellow offensive linemen.
Even with three new starters along the offensive line, the unit has fared pretty well so far. Alabama is averaging 258.5 rushing yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry. UA quarterbacks have only been pressured or sacked six times. All in all, pass protection has arguably been better than run blocking.
The Tide running game has struggled at times in the first half, especially between the tackles. T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake have averaged 4.6 yards on 62 first half carries. Nineteen of those 62 carries have been for 2 yards or less. In the second half, the trio is averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Clean it up
The Tide had four turnovers and 11 penalties against Florida. To leave Oxford undefeated, the Tide must protect the football and avoid the penalties. Alabama can't afford to give the Rebel offense extra opportunities.
