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The University of Mississippi Athletics
FRIDAY FLASHBACK: Ole Miss - Alabama 1976
9/18/2015 | Football
FRIDAY FLASHBACK rewinds to some of the memorable Ole Miss games from this week's all-time series. This week features a 1976 win over Alabama at Jackson's Mississippi Memorial Stadium.
Rebels Stopped Tide Bread 'n Butter
By Bernard Fernandez, Daily News Sports Writer
September 10, 1976
JACKSON, Miss. - Heading into Saturday night's game with Alabama. Ole Miss defensive coordinator Jim Carmody felt that there were two things the Rebels needed to do in order to win.
"We were primarily concerned with stopping the belly series and the outside option" said Carmody after the Rebs pulled a stunning 10-7 upset here in Mississippi Memorial Stadium.
"Oh they did other things --- they passed, ran some counters, some draws and a lot of sweeps. But that's not what they beat people with.
"We took away their bread-and-butter stuff."
Carmody said that the Rebels spent three days of practice working solely on the Crimson Tide's two favorite plays.
"All we (the coaches) did was walk them through. Over and over so they would be able to recognize it right away.
"They did throw us a bit when they shifted to the double wing early in the game, but our kids adjusted to it real well."
Ole Miss also had a trick up its sleeve.
"We showed them a six-man front a few times." Carmody went on. "Basically, it was our short-yardage defense with a couple of stunts. I don't know if it helped us, it sure didn't seem to hurt, though."
Punctured for 305 yards by unheralded Memphis State last week in a 21-16 loss, the Rebels limited Alabama's usually awesome wishbone to 249.
"It was just an old-fashioned, defensive football game," said Ole Miss Head Coach Ken Cooper. "There was hitting out there like you won't see very often.
"Our young men wanted to show everyone that they're better than they appeared to be last week"
Was it his sweetest victory ever?
"I never compare wins," smiled Cooper. "Let's just say that this was an awfully good one for our program."
Although the Rebels were not lacking for heroes, there were none who played a more prominent roe in the triumph than senior defensive end Gary Turner.
Bothered by a sore shoulder that hindered his effectiveness against Memphis State. Turner came up with several big plays.
He tipped a Jeff Rutledge pass that linebacker George Stuart intercepted and ran back 24 yards for Ole Miss' only touchdown. Later he recovered a 'Bama fumble at the Rebel five and he came up with several sacks late in the game as the Tide tried to pass its way out of the hole.
" I probably wasn't 75 per cent physically last week," said Turner, a native of Sulligent, Ala. in his fourth year as a starter. "Now I'm just about back at full speed.
"This is the greatest thing that ever happened to me in football. Alabama didn't even try to recruit me in high school. They didn't think I was good enough.
"I guess my adrenalin flows a little more when we play them. Maybe I'm still trying to show them I'm good enough."
The winning margin, a 34-yard field goal in the third quarter that snapped a 7-7 deadlock, was contributed by freshman placekicker Hoppy Langley.
"The last words Coach Cooper told me before I went out there were to relax and kick the ball like I normally do," said Langley, who boomed across three fielders in his college debut last week.
"It wasn't really a hard kick. There was a slight angle to the right, but it's a kick I've probably made a hundred times.
"But the pressure adds a lot to it. That's the difference between making it in practice and making it in a game."
Langley didn't buckle under the tension. Neither did his teammates.
