Ole Miss vs. Alabama Postgame Notes

Oct. 15, 2005

Recap | Final Stats | Quotes

OLE MISS NOTES

SERIES INFORMATION

Today's meeting marked the 53rd all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama dating back to 1894.

The Crimson Tide holds a 42-9-2 advantage in the series, including a 43-8-2 lead on-the-field ... Ole Miss received a win by forfeit for Alabama's 19-14 victory in 1993.

The loss snapped a two-game Rebel win streak over The Tide in Oxford.

REBEL NOTEBOOK

The Rebels scored first for the fifth time in this season's six games.

Ole Miss led at halftime for only the second time this season.

The Rebels still remain scoreless in the second quarter this season (36-0).

Ole Miss has started 0-4 in SEC play for the first time since opening 0-5 in 1984 ... The last time the Rebels were 2-4 after six games was 1994.

The "Field Goal Fan-tastic" winner at halftime of today's game was Mac Smith of Jackson, Miss., a three-year letterwinner of the Rebels 1988-90 when he handled kickoff duties ... Smith won $6,000, half of which will go to Ole Miss' general scholarship fund ... The "Field Goal Fan-tastic" contest is sponsored by AllState and their sponsorship of the Bowl Championship Series and Ole Miss Athletics.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

Senior QB Micheal Spurlock reached the 200-yard mark in passing yards for the third straight game and the fourth time this season ... Spurlock was the first QB to pass for 200 yards against Alabama this season ... Spurlock has tossed a TD pass in four of the last five games.

Senior WR Taye Biddle tied his career-high for receptions with five for 77 yards.

Redshirt freshman RB Mico McSwain garnered a season-high 27 carries ... The last Rebel to carry 25 times was Tremaine Turner against South Carolina in 2003 ... With 70 rushing yards on the day, McSwain has pulled within 86 yards of the Ole Miss freshman rushing record of 547 established by Joe Gunn in 1998.

Senior WR Mario Hill hauled in his second TD of the season and fourth of his career in the first quarter.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

Ole Miss held Alabama to a season low in points and a tie for its least rushing yards ... The Tide was averaging 29.6 points per game.

The Rebel defense limited Alabama to three first-half points, marking the fourth half of the season in which Ole Miss held its opponent without a TD.

Ole Miss forced two fumbles for the second time this season, with the other instance being at Memphis.

Junior LB Patrick Willis registered 15 tackles on the afternoon ... Willis has recorded at least 14 tackles in each of his four complete games of play ... Willis also posted a season-high 1.5 sacks.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

Junior K Will Moseley had his 35-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter blocked, marking the Rebels' first blocked FG since the 2002 Mississippi State game.

Freshman P Rob Park turned in season-highs of 7 punts and 297 punting yards ... Park booted a pair of punts of 50-plus yards.

ALABAMA NOTES

SERIES NOTES

Alabama leads the all-time series 42-9-2 in a series that dates back to 1894.

The Crimson Tide has an 12-2 record against the Rebels since divisional play began in 1992.

Alabama owns a 11-7-1 series lead in games played in Mississippi, including a 5-2 mark in Oxford...Bama's win today snapped a two-game losing streak here in Oxford.

BRODIE CROYLE NOTEBOOK

Alabama senior quarterback Brodie Croyle (Rainbow City) made his 22nd career start today and improved to 13-9 (.590) in his career as a starter.

Croyle pulled off his first career game-winning drive at UA.. He directed the Crimson Tide to an 11-play, 73-yard drive in the final 2:39 that resulted in a 31-yard field goal by Christensen.

In the game, Croyle completed 22 of 37 passes for 234 yards in the win ... He did not throw a TD pass today for the first time in his last 10 starts.

In his UA career, Croyle has completed 384 of 693 passes for 5,228 yards and 36 TDs ... Croyle is third all-time at UA with his 384 career completions ... He moved past Scott Hunter (1968-70) in today's game ... Hunter had 382 career completions ... Croyle is also third all-time with 693 career pass attempts ... He moved ahead of Hunter (672 attempts) and Freddie Kitchens (680 atts, 1993-97) on the all-time list ... Croyle's 5,228 career passing yards makes him the third UA quarterback with 5,000 career passing yards.

KENNETH DARBY NOTEBOOK

Alabama's junior running back Kenneth Darby (Huntsville) had 20 carries for 100 yards and one TD in the Crimson Tide's 13-10 win over Ole Miss ... Darby had two carries for 19 yards on UA's game-winning drive to give him his seventh career 100-yard rushing game and second in-a-row.

Darby's 16-yard run from the UA 29-yard line set up Christensen's game-winning field goal from the 13-yard line as time expired.

His 48-yard TD run with 12:07 left in third quarter is the longest rushing attempt of his career.

Alabama is 6-1 when Darby rushes for 100 yards, including a 3-0 mark this season.

In his 29 career games, Darby has 355 rushing attempts for 1,860 yards and 10 TDs ... Darby is now 14th on the school's all-time rushing list ... He surpassed Lowell Tew (1,829 yds, 1944-47) and Ahmaad Galloway (1,830 yds, 1999-2002) ... Darby is 140 yards shy of the 2,000-yard mark in his UA career.

KEITH BROWN NOTEBOOK

Sophomore Keith Brown (Gulfport, Miss.) caught six passes for 79 yards in the win over Ole Miss ... The six catches are the most for Brown in his UA career ... His previous best was five catches in the 2005 season opener against Middle Tennessee ... Five of his six receptions against Ole Miss were good for first downs and sixth was a nine-yard on first-and-10 ... For the season, Brown has 17 receptions for 348 yards and three TDs ... Of his 17 catches this season, 15 have accounted for a first down or touchdown.

NOTEBOOK

Alabama is 2-0 on the road this season after its 13-10 win at Ole Miss ... Overall, Alabama is 4-7 on the road under coach Mike Shula.

Alabama is now 3-0 under Shula following an open date ... Alabama is 19-6-1 following an open date since 1990.

Bama did not score in the first quarter against Ole Miss for the first time this season ... Alabama scored only three points in the first half, its lowest first half output since Oct. 2, 2003 when the Tide trailed South Carolina 6-3 at halftime.

The Crimson Tide defense forced two turnovers (one interception and one fumble) in the win over Ole Miss to extend its streak 23 straight games with at least one turnover ... Bama has forced at least one turnover in 27 of 31 games under Shula.

Alabama lost two fumbles in the game against Ole Miss ... Sophomore D.J. Hall (Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.) fumbled at the UA 26-yard line to set up Ole Miss' first quarter touchdown.

Ole Miss grabbed a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on Michael Spurlock's 27-yard TD pass to Mario Hill to mark the first time since the second quarter of the Arkansas game that Alabama had trailed in a game.

Junior cornerback Ramzee Robinson (Hunstville) recorded his second career interception and second in as many games for Alabama in the second quarter ... Robinson's 39-yard return set up the Crimson Tide's first score of the game in the second quarter.

Sophomore Jamie Christensen (Norcross, Ga.) made two of three field goals in the win, including a career-long 43-yard field goal with 11:37 left in the second quarter.

Alabama has scored on its first offensive possession of the second half in all six games this season ... UA has four TDs and two FGs on those six opening possessions of the third quarter ... Alabama has not allowed a point in the third this season and has outscored opponents 47-0.

Redshirt freshman tight end Nick Walker (Brundidge) had three catches for 46 yards in the win over Ole Miss ... The three receptions matches his season high (3 vs. Arkansas), while the 46 yards sets a single-game standard (34 yards vs. Arkansas).

Croyle completed at least one pass to 10 different UA receivers in the win ... Junior weak linebacker Juwan Simpson (Decatur) led UA with eight tackles and one TFL (-2).

The University of Mississippi Athletics

OLE MISS NOTES

ALABAMA NOTES

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