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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Alabama
Game Primer: Ole Miss at Alabama
9/23/2019 | Football
Rebels, Tide to Meet for 67th Time Saturday on CBS
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OLE MISS (2-2, 1-0 SEC) at #2/2 ALABAMA (4-0, 1-0 SEC) Saturday, Sept. 28 • 2:30 p.m. • Tuscaloosa, Ala. Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821)  |
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Ole Miss Game Notes • Alabama Game Notes • SEC Game Notes |
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This is the 67th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama.
• The Crimson Tide holds a 50-10-2 series lead ... The original series record is 54-10-2 with both teams having wins taken away due to NCAA rulings.
• No. 2 Alabama is Ole Miss' second straight ranked opponent.
• Ole Miss is 64-161-2 all-time versus ranked opponents ... Last win over ranked opponent was a 31-28 win over No. 17 Mississippi State in 2017.
• Ole Miss is 154-90-7 (.627 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September after vacated wins.
• The Rebel offense is coming off a week in which they set season highs in total yards (525), passing yards (348) and plays (86).
• 24 Rebels have made their Ole Miss debut during the first four weeks of the season.
• The Rebels lead the conference and rank 16th in the NCAA with 8.0 tackles for loss per game.
• 78.8 percent of Ole Miss' total offense (1,292 of 1,640 yards) has come from underclassmen.
• Ole Miss ranks second in the conference and 20th in the NCAA with 3.0 sacks per game.
• Ole Miss has used the RPO (run-pass option) concept on 39 percent of their offensive plays this year, most in the SEC.
• RB Scottie Phillips ranks third in the conference in rushing touchdowns with four.
• RB/KR Jerrion Ealy ranks second in the SEC and is 20th nationally in kick return average (26.0).
• P Mac Brown is third in the conference and 12th in the NCAA in punting average (46.4).
OLE MISS HEAD COACH MATT LUKE
Matt Luke (Ole Miss, 2000) is in his 12th season at Ole Miss and third season at the helm, taking the reins of his alma mater as the 38th head coach in program history. He was born a Rebel as his family has ties to Ole Miss that span three generations. During his 25 years as a player and coach at the collegiate level, Luke has risen through the ranks while learning from a number of successful veteran coaches. He has worked alongside national champion Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe and former Ole Miss head coach Tommy Tuberville, among others. Luke, a four-year center for the Rebels (1995-98), spent five seasons as the team's co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach before being promoted to interim head coach for the 2017 season. During his first stop in Oxford (2002-05), he served four seasons coaching the Ole Miss tight ends and offensive line under Cutcliffe. Following his playing career, he served as a student assistant coach at Ole Miss in 1999, helping the Rebels to an 8-4 mark with regular-season wins against Auburn, South Carolina, LSU and Arkansas as well as a 27-25 triumph over Oklahoma in the Independence Bowl. He graduated in May 2000 with a degree in business administration. His father, Tommy, was a defensive back at Ole Miss in the 1960s while his brother, Tom, quarterbacked the Rebels from 1989-91. Tom is also on the Ole Miss football staff as assistant athletics director for player development.
ALABAMA HEAD COACH NICK SABAN
Nick Saban (Kent State, 1973) is in his 13th season at the helm for Alabama and has tallied a 145-21 record during his time in Tuscaloosa, including five national titles since 2009 and been named National Coach of the Year seven times. Saban has compiled a 236-63-1 (.788) record (240-63-1 before vacations) as a college head coach and has gone 131-13 (.910) in the past 10 seasons entering the 2019 campaign, which is the best of any major college school over a 10-year span since Bud Wilkinson at Oklahoma in the late 1940s through the late 1950s. In 2018, the Tide reached the 10-win milestone for the 11th consecutive season and won 11 or more games for the eighth straight year, which extended the conference record. Alabama has won at least 12 games in five straight years and became the second team in the poll era to win at least 13 games in four straight seasons. Alabama has not lost to an unranked team since 2007 and have lost just one game to a team ranked outside the top 15 in the AP poll in the last 10 years (No. 19 South Carolina in 2010). For perspective, no team in the FBS has lost fewer than 10 games to teams outside the top 15 in that same time frame.
CRIMSON TIDE SCOUTING REPORT
Alabama is 4-0 on the season (1-0 SEC) and is ranked No. 2 in both the AP and Coaches polls this week. The Crimson Tide has won every game by at least 24 points, including a 47-23 win over South Carolina to open up SEC play two weeks ago. The Crimson Tide's No. 2 ranking in this week's Associated Press Top 25 marks the 59th consecutive AP poll in which Alabama has been ranked in the top-five. That stretch of top-five rankings is the longest streak in the poll's history, surpassing the previous record of 54 straight weeks set by Miami from Oct. 8, 2000 through Oct. 26, 2003. The Crimson Tide has scored 42 or more points in every game this season. The Alabama offense is led by reigning Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Maxwell Award winner QB Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa ranks second in the SEC and No. 9 in the NCAA with 325.0 yards passing per game with an SEC-high 17 touchdowns and no interceptions. RB Najee Harris is Alabama's leading rusher with 266 yards and one TD, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is second in the SEC with 101.0 receiving yards per game. The Tide has limited opponents to just 10.8 points per game, including just 189.0 yards through the air. Anfernee Jennings ranks fourth in the SEC with 0.75 sacks per game.
OLE MISS-ALABAMA SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 67th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama.
• The original series record is 54-10-2.
• After vacated wins, the Crimson Tide hold a 50-10-2 series lead, including a 27-2 advantage in games played in Tuscaloosa.
• Alabama's records show the Crimson Tide with a 51-11-2 record, but they count the Alabama win in 1993 that was later ruled a forfeit, as well as Ole Miss' win in 2014 that was vacated.
• Alabama's wins in 2005 (13-10), 2006 (26-23) and 2007 (27-24) were vacated due to NCAA ruling.
• Ole Miss' win in 2014 (23-17) was vacated due to NCAA ruling.
• Alabama has been ranked No. 1 or 2 when playing Ole Miss for nine straight years.
OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER
• Ole Miss is 154-90-7 (.627 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September after vacated wins.
• The Rebels are 46-48-1 (.489 winning pct.) in September SEC games.
ALABAMA REBELS
The Ole Miss roster features 14 players who hail from Alabama, the third-most of any state other than Mississippi (46) and Georgia (16): OLB Brandon Mack (Montgomery), WR Jacquez Jones (Tuscaloosa) and OL LeDarrius Cox (Mobile), OLB Sam Williams (Montgomery), DB Jamar Richardson (Alicebille), DB A.J. Finley (Mobile), DB Jakorey Hawkins (Montgomery), TE Jonathan Hess (Vestavia Hills), OLB Brenden Williams (Birmingham), DB Ty Rocconi (Mobile), OL Jalen Cunningham (Odenville), NT Patrick Lucas, Jr. (Wetumpkia), NT KD Hill (Eufaula), OL Sam Plash (Mobile).
REBEL-TIDE CONNECTIONS
• The Rebels' LB Jacquez Jones went to Hillcrest HS in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with Alabama's Brian Robinson, Jr. (RB).
• DE LeDarrius Cox went to McGill Toolen HS in Mobile, Alabama, with Alabama's Jack Martin (P).
• WR Elijah Moore and Alabama's Jordan Battle (DB) and Braylen Ingraham (LB) all attended St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• OLB Sam Williams and DB Jakorey Hawkins played with Alabama's Henry Ruggs at Lee HS in Montgomery, Alabama.
• TE Jonathan Hess and Alabama RB Cooper Bishop were teammates at Vestavia Hills HS in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
• Ole Miss' ILB Eric Jeffries, ILB Amani Johnson, OL Eli Johnson and Alabama's Brandon Turnage all attended Lafayette HS in Oxford, Mississippi.
• P Walker Thompson and Alabama's Byron Young were teammates at West Jones HS in Laurel, Mississippi.
• Ole Miss defensive line coach Freddie Roach played at Alabama from 2002-05, earning All-SEC honors twice to go along with collecting National Freshman of the Year honors in 2002. He was a strength and conditioning coach with the Crimson Tide from 2008-10 and served as UA's director of player development for two seasons (2015-16) under head coach Nick Saban.
PROTECTING THE QUARTERBACK
The Ole Miss offensive line did an excellent job in pass protection vs. Cal allowing zero sacks, one QB hit, and just three hurries on 55 pass plays (average pressure: 7.2 percent). QB Matt Corral was sacked twice in the game, but both of those were charged to the QB himself and were not the fault of the offensive line. The Ole Miss o-line earned a pass block efficiency figure of 96.4 this week which ranked No. 1 in the SEC. After a rough start to the year in Week 1, Michael Howard has given up just one pressure (one hurry) in his last three starts. Royce Newman has yet to allow a sack or QB hit in his NCAA career (zero sacks or QB hits allowed on 150 pass blocks dating back to the beginning of the 2017 season). In the last two weeks, Alex Givens has surrendered zero pressures of any kind on 82 pass blocks. In the last two weeks, Givens is the only OT in the SEC with more than 50 pass blocks played and zero pressures allowed.
EXTRA YARD FOR TEACHERS
The SEC, in partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation, worked with its 14 institutions to identify student-athletes from eight different sports who have had a teacher that greatly impacted his or her life. Each of the educators will be honored through a testimonial by the respective student-athlete which will air on SEC Nation, the SEC Network's traveling pregame show, during the college football regular season. The student-athlete video tributes will also be featured weekly on social media and SECNetwork.com. OL Caleb Warren was chosen as Ole Miss' representative after recommending Nanih Waiya Attendance Center vocational/history teacher Betty Luke to receive recognition through the national initiative.
TACKLIN' FUEL
After giving up a season-low 60 rushing yards to Cal, the Rebels have allowed 70 or less rushing yards in three straight contests for the first time since 1999 (Auburn, South Carolina, Tulane). The opponents faced in the last three weeks (Arkansas, Southeastern Louisiana, Cal) together average 145.8 yards rushing on the season. The Rebels held the three to an average of 62.3 yards rushing.
THREAT TO RUN
QB Matt Corral led the team in rushing yards on Saturday with 74 on 14 total attempts. Corral gained 59 of his rushing yards on designed QB runs. Seven of those nine designed QB runs were aimed to the right outside the tackle. Corral scored a rushing TD and gained 33 of his rushing yards AFTER contact (2.3 per attempt). Corral also gained 15 yards on three scrambles. On the season, Corral's 33 rush attempts and 167 rushing yards both rank second most among SEC QBs. If you take away scrambles, Corral actually has more designed QB runs (25) than any other QB in the conference.
MORE OF MOORE
WR Elijah Moore saw a career-high 20 pass targets vs. Cal. Moore caught 11 for 102 yards, 42 of which were earned after the catch. Moore caught passes vs. six different Cal defenders. Moore has seen an increase in his targets every week so far: 6, 8, 10, 20. On the season, Moore has seen 44 targets, third most among SEC WRs. Moore has caught every catchable pass thrown to him this season. He has zero drops on 29 catchable targets, the most by an SEC WR without a drop. Moore has played 98.5 percent of his snaps from the slot in 2019. Moore's 373 receiving yards from the slot this season rank second most in the conference (LSU's Justin Jefferson: 392). He has been targeted on 29.5% of his pass routes this season, fifth most among SEC WRs.
WHAT A DEBUT
After an injury to starting QB Matt Corral forced John Rhys Plumlee into action, the true freshman stepped up and fell just a yard shy of leading the Rebels to a potential comeback. On his first collegiate snap, Plumlee scampered down the right sidelines for a 47-yard run, the second longest rush of the season for Ole Miss. He finished the game 7-for-7 for 82 yards through the air and rushed three times for 53 yards. Plumlee helped lead the Ole Miss offense to 177 yards of total offense in the final 4:38 of the game.
HENRY STRONG AGAINST THE RUN
ILB Lakia Henry put together an incredibly impressive performance in run defense vs. Cal. Henry recorded an ELITE run defense grade of 91.4 on Saturday. Henry recorded a team-high nine tackles, six defensive stops and did not miss a single tackle attempt. Henry's 91.4 run defense grade ranked second in the nation among LBs. He had six run stops on 17 run defense snaps giving him a run stop rate of 35.3 percent which ranked No. 1 among FBS linebackers this week. On the season, His run stop percentage of 16.9 percent ranks No. 2 among SEC LBs. Henry has played in 55.7 percent of his team's defensive snaps this season.
A SPECIAL WEAPON
P Mac Brown ranks third in the SEC and 12th nationally in punting average (46.4). Seven of Brown's 18 punts this season have been more than 50 yards. Brown, a member of the Wuerffel Trophy watch list and Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominee, only had six punts that surpassed 50 yards last season.
RPOs KEY IN OLE MISS OFFENSE
No offense in the SEC this year is using RPO (run-pass option) concepts more than Rich Rodriguez and Ole Miss. Ole Miss has used an RPO on 39 percent of their offensive plays this year, most in the SEC. This is nothing new for the Ole Miss offense however as they lead the SEC in RPO rate last year as well (40.5 percent). Ole Miss has gained 562 rushing yards using RPO concepts this year, most in the SEC. On 94 RPO rush attempts this season, Ole Miss has gained 6.0 yards per carry and scored three rushing TDs.
BROTHERLY COMPANY
Ole Miss is one of only nine FBS schools in the country to have brothers on the same coaching staff as running backs coach Derrick Nix enters his 12th year at Ole Miss and Tyrone Nix is in his fifth overall season (second stint) coaching outside linebackers. If you include support staff, Matt and Tom Luke (Assistant A.D. for Player Development), the Rebels are the only school in the country to have two sets of brothers on staff.
• Jeff, Brian & Greg Brohm (HC, OC, Ops) - Purdue
• Travis & Trent Greene (GAs) - Syracuse
• Thomas & Tyquan Hammock (HC & GA) - Northern Illinois
• Willy & Colton Korn (Co-OC & Def. GA) - South Alabama
• Matt & Tom Luke (HC & Player Dev.) - Ole Miss
• Joey & Kevin Lynch (AHC/OC & RB) - Ball State
• Derrick & Tyrone Nix (RB & OLB) - Ole Miss
• Jake & Zac Spavital (HC & DC) - Texas State
• Matt & Luke Wells (HC & TE/IR) - Texas Tech
• Kyle & Freddie Whittingham (HC & TE) - Utah
LANDSHARK CHAIN GETS PASSED AROUND
When the Ole Miss defense forces a turnover, they get rewarded with the Landshark Chain; an occurrence that's happened numerous times to start the 2019 season. The Rebels rank third in the SEC and 12th nationally with five interceptions, all of which have been by different players. Ole Miss has forced at least one turnover in every game this season.
MAC BROWN RAISES NEARLY 70K FOR ALS
When he was in seventh grade, Ole Miss punter Mac Brown had a modest goal of raising $500 for a childhood friend's dad who had been diagnosed with ALS. Along with a group of neighborhood friends, Brown started a lemonade stand, Awesome Lemonade Stand, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to help his friend's family. Eight years later, that $500 goal has ballooned to nearly $70,000 raised by Brown and his friends for ALS research. The Awesome Lemonade Stand is held on a late day in June and this year's fundraiser raised more than $17,000 alone.
FIRST-TIME STARTERS
Nine Rebels have made their first career starts during the first four weeks of the 2019 season: (Offense) Matt Corral (QB), Dontario Drummond (WR), Michael Howard (OL), Eli Johnson (OL), Jonathan Mingo (WR), Royce Newman (OL); (Defense) Jon Haynes (DB), Lakia Henry (ILB), Sam Williams (OLB).
DEBUTS
Twenty-four players have made their Ole Miss debut so far this season: Nick Broeker (OL), Ashanti Cistrunk (DB), Spencer Cole (P), Snoop Conner (RB), LeDarrius Cox (DE), Jalen Cunningham (OL), Vernon Dash (OLB), Dontario Drummond (WR), Jerrion Ealy (RB), A.J. Finley (DB), Demarcus Gregory (WR), Casey Griffith (K), Jon Haynes (DB), Lakia Henry (OLB), Dannis Jackson (WR), Jadon Jackson (WR), Jalen Jordan (DB), Patrick Lucas, Jr. (NT), Jonathan Mingo (WR), D'Vaughn Pennamon (TE), John Rhys Plumlee (QB), Deantre Prince (DB), Jay Stanley (DB), Sam Williams (OLB).
125 SEASONS OF OLE MISS FOOTBALL
This year is the 125th season of football at Ole Miss and the third under head coach Matt Luke. The Rebels boast an all-time record of 640-526-35 (.547 winning percentage) after vacated wins. Ole Miss did not field teams in 1897 due to an epidemic of yellow fever, and also in 1943 when football was abolished at all Mississippi state-supported institutions by the Board of Trustees.
LUKE'S WEEKLY RADIO SHOW ON TUESDAYS
RebTalk, the official weekly radio show of Ole Miss Athletics, is moving to a new day and location for this season. Beginning Aug. 27, RebTalk will be broadcast each Tuesday this fall at Bouré in downtown Oxford from 7-8 p.m. The show, which is hosted by the "Voice of the Rebels" David Kellum and includes special guests, will air live on the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network. Ole Miss Football head coach Matt Luke and select players will join the broadcast each Tuesday throughout the season.
HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE
After the 2018 campaign, Matt Luke found himself in the market for both an offensive and defensive coordinator, and he delivered in a big way. Mike MacIntyre, a two-time national coach of the year and coaching veteran with nearly three decades of experience, will take over the reigns as the Rebels' defensive coordinator while Rich Rodriguez, considered one of the most innovative offensive minds in college football, will serve as Ole Miss' offensive coordinator. Ole Miss is one of only two teams in the nation, along with Alabama, to have three coaches with Power 5 head coaching experience.
CHUCKY MULLINS COURAGE AWARD
In the spring, senior DE Austrian Robinson became the 29th different Rebel to be awarded the Chucky Mullins Courage Award, which goes to a standout defensive player each year. The award honors the late Chucky Mullins, who had his Ole Miss career come to an end during the 1989 Homecoming game against Vanderbilt when he was paralyzed after making a tackle. After returning to his studies at Ole Miss, Mullins passed away May 6, 1991. Robinson wears the No. 38 jersey in Mullins' honor this season.
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Media Contact
Brad Sheffield
662-816-9931
brads@olemiss.edu
