Third time is the charm.
That’s what Alabama fans are hoping as the Crimson Tide travels to Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday to face Ole Miss.
The 19th-ranked Rebels have beaten the top-ranked Tide in back-to-back seasons, including last year’s 43-37 victory.
“I think the focus for us needs to be on better execution; I talked about this after the game and after viewing the film,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “When we have issues; when we give up plays on defense; when we have negative plays on offense; it really comes from the fact that our fundamental execution is not really what it needs to be. I think that we have to spend the time in practice to get the fundamental execution that we need. I think this helps everyone play better, it benefits everybody, and I think it benefits the unit that you play on. Playing in the SEC, playing against better teams, playing on the road; all these things are definitely things we need to emphasize and improve on.”
Alabama turned the ball over five times in last year’s matchup. Saban hopes the team has learned from those mistakes. Heading into this one, Alabama is looking to clean up some of its issues with penalties. Alabama committed 12 penalties in last Saturday’s win over Western Kentucky. The majority of those were on the offense.
Alabama freshman Jalen Hurts is expected to get the start at quarterback. Hurts and the Tide will have their hands full with the Rebels.
“Ole Miss — we are certainly looking forward to starting the SEC season. It’s a great challenge for us early in the season against a very, very good team,” Saban said. “Playing on the road early on has its own challenges, but this is a team that has been a really prolific offensive football team.”
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RT Jonah Williams posted a grade of 85 percent on Saturday with no sacks or pressures allowed and two knockdown blocks by game’s end.
–QB Jalen Hurts completed 23 of 36 for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll make his first road start on Saturday.
–DE Jonathan Allen finished Saturday with three total tackles, including one of UA’s four sacks on the day, his for a loss of -13 yards.
–CB Marlon Humphrey had two tackles while forcing a fumble and breaking up one pass on Saturday. He’ll lead Alabama’s secondary against the Rebels.