OXFORD, Miss. — Nick Saban’s teams are known for their defense, but Alabama’s offense has stolen the show in the early part of the season.
It’s making for an even more complete Crimson Tide squad that No. 11 Ole Miss will see Saturday afternoon inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in a clash of Southeastern Conference West division unbeatens.
Under first-year coordinator Lane Kiffin, the third-ranked Crimson Tide’s offense ranks among the SEC’s top five units in scoring offense (42 points), rushing offense (258 yards), passing offense (335 yards) and total offense (594 yards). Only Texas A&M is accumulating more total yards and throwing for more yards among league teams on a weekly basis.
“They’re really starting to open it up now,” Ole Miss cornerback Mike Hilton said. “They’ve got some playmakers on the outside. They still want to be able to pound it, but they go to tempo and get the defense a little tired. They’re going to run it downhill and then take some shots.”
The passing game has been prolific for the Tide (4-0), even with a first-year starting quarterback. Blake Sims beat out Florida State transfer Jacob Coker in the race to replace A.J. McCarron and hasn’t missed a beat, accounting for 308 yards of offense per game. His last time out, the fifth-year senior threw for 445 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-21 victory over Florida. He was on a “pitch count” last week and the coaching staff said this week Sims in throwing a good ball after resting.
Junior wideout Amari Cooper has been Sims’ go-to target. The 6-foot-1 speedster leads the SEC in receptions (43), yards (655) and touchdowns (5). He’s catching a whopping 163 yards worth of passes per game.
With running backs T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake continuing to give Alabama the production it’s accustomed to on the ground, the Crimson Tide will provide the stiffest test yet for Ole Miss’ revamped defense.
“They have a top 10 pick in T.J. Yeldon, who’s a really good running back,” defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche said. “They have Amari Cooper and other weapons. Blake Sims is doing really good. Nick Saban is behind it all, so you’ve just got to respect it.”
Not that Alabama is expecting things to come easy against the Rebels (4-0).
Ole Miss has been one of country’s more dominating defenses in the first month of the season. The Rebels are the SEC’s best in total defense (248 yards) and scoring defense (8.5 points) while trailing only LSU in pass defense (133 yards). They’ve pulled down nine interceptions, which is tied for second-best nationally, and have forced a turnover in 27 straight games.
“Their defense is really, really aggressive and very fast,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “It’s the best defensive team we’ve played all year. This is the best team we’ve played all year.”
Ole Miss needs the same kind of defensive production this week if it wants a real shot to end a 10-game losing streak to Alabama.
“If we go in there like we do every week and stay focused and keep our minds right and come out there and execute, we’ll be fine,” Nkemdiche said.
NOTES: Alabama QB Blake Sims said he was helped by the bye week after injuring his shoulder against Florida and is ready to go. … Ole Miss starting CB Senquez Golson suffered a tight hamstring against Memphis and sat out most of the second half. His status for this weekend is uncertain. … Ole Miss Starting G Aaron Morris, RB Mark Dodson and LB Deterrian Shackelford suffered mild ankle sprains against the Tigers, but Freeze said he expects all three to be ready to go Saturday. … Ole Miss S Anthony Alford has left the team to pursue a career in pro baseball. Alford, a third-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012, was splitting punt return duties with freshman WR Markell Pack. Alford returned two punts for eight yards.