Game Primer: Ole Miss vs. Alabama

			OLE MISS (1-1, 1-1 SEC) vs. #2 ALABAMA (2-0, 2-0 SEC) Saturday, Oct. 10 • 6:30 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This is the 68th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama.
• The Crimson Tide holds a 54-10-2 series lead ... The original series record is 55-10-2 with both teams having wins taken away due to NCAA rulings.
• Ole Miss is 64-165-2 all-time versus ranked opponents ... Ole Miss' last win over ranked opponent was a 31-28 win over No. 17 Mississippi State in 2017.
• Lane Kiffin is in his first season on the sidelines at Ole Miss and ninth overall as a head coach.
• Ole Miss ranks No. 3 nationally in passing yards per game (381.5 ypg).
• The Rebels are No. 4 in the country in third down conversion percentage (.577).
• Ole Miss leads the SEC in completion percentage (.774), first downs on offense (55), team passing efficiency (214.83) and total offense (536. ypg).
• QB Matt Corral ranks third nationally in passing efficiency (211.9).
• WR Elijah Moore leads the nation in receiving yards per game (159.5).
• Kenny Yeboah's 87.0 receiving yards per game are fourth-most amongst NCAA tight ends.
• In its win on Saturday, Ole Miss became the first team to score 40-plus points on Kentucky in the last 28 games.
• Eleven Rebels (Ryder Anderson, Mac Brown, Jared Farlow, Jaylon Jones, Luke Logan, Royce Newman, Hal Northern, D'Vaughn Pennamon, Jack Propst, MoMo Sanogo, Kenny Yeboah) have earned their degrees and are eligible for the 2020 season.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin (Fresno State, 1998) is in his first season at Ole Miss, taking the reins for the Rebels as the 39th head coach in program history. Kiffin, who won two Conference USA titles in three seasons at Florida Atlantic, has more than 10 years of head coaching experience, including eight years at the NCAA level where he has posted an all-time record of 62-35. In December 2016, Kiffin took over an FAU program that had won a total of nine combined games over the previous three seasons. Kiffin proceeded to take the Owls to new heights over the last three years, including two conference titles and two 10-win seasons. In his head coaching stops at USC, Tennessee and FAU, Kiffin has shown a propensity in helping turn programs around. In his first season at all three locations, Kiffin's team improved in win differential (+3.33), scoring (+10.2), passing (+34.5 ypg) and rushing (+51.3 ypg). Kiffin graduated from Fresno State in 1998 after playing quarterback for three seasons (1994-96) for the Bulldogs. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Fresno State under Pat Hill in 1997 and 1998. He moved on to Colorado State in 1999 as a graduate assistant. He spent the 2000 season as defensive quality control assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars under Tom Coughlin.

ALABAMA HEAD COACH NICK SABAN
Nick Saban (Kent State, 1973) is in his 14th season at the helm for Alabama and has tallied a 154-23 record during his time in Tuscaloosa, including five national titles since 2009 and has been named National Coach of the Year seven times. Saban has compiled a 245-65-1 (.789) record (250-65-1 before vacations) as a college head coach and has gone 142-15 (.910) in the past 10 seasons entering the 2020 campaign. In 2019, the Tide reached the 10-win milestone for the 12th consecutive season and won 11 or more games for the ninth straight year, which extended the conference record. Alabama has not lost to an unranked team since 2007 and have lost just two games to a team ranked outside the top 15 in the AP poll in the last 10 years (No. 19 South Carolina in 2010/No. 16 Auburn in 2019).

CRIMSON TIDE SCOUTING REPORT
Alabama is 2-0 on the season and is ranked No. 2 in both the AP and Coaches polls this week. The Crimson Tide has won every game by at least 19 points, including a 52-24 over No. 13 Texas A&M last week. The Crimson Tide's No. 2 ranking in this week's Associated Press Top 25 marks the 201st consecutive AP poll in which Alabama has been ranked, the longest active streak in college football. The Crimson Tide has averaged 45 points in its two wins this season. Mac Jones has taken over at signal-caller after the departure of the 2018 Walter Camp Player of the Year and first round draft pick, Tua Tagovailoa. Jones leads the conference and nation in pass efficiency (222.1) and is No. 4 in the NCAA in passing yards per game (342.0). The redshirt-junior has thrown for six TDs on the season, compared to just one interception. DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle have been Jones' primary targets through the first two games. The receiving duo is averaging right at seven receptions per game a piece. Waddle has a team-high three receiving TDs. Najee Harris leads the Alabama rushing attacking, averaging 70.5 yards per game with five rushing touchdowns. The Tide is allowing 386.0 yards per game, with 294.0 coming through the air. Christian Harris, a 2019 Freshman All-American, leads Alabama with eight tackles per game. Star linebacker Dylan Moses ranks No. 3 in the SEC with three tackles for loss.

OLE MISS-ALABAMA SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 68th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama.
• The original series record is 55-10-2.
• After vacated wins, the Crimson Tide holds a 54-10-2 series lead, including a 9-4 advantage in games played in Oxford.
• Alabama's records show the Crimson Tide with a 52-11-2 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 by the Rebels, but still applies to the Tide's record.
• 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 10 straight years.

FIRST-TIME STARTERS
Nine different Rebels have started their first game in an Ole Miss uniform this season: Nick Broeker (OL), A.J. Finley (FS), Daylen Gill (LB), Jakorey Hawkins (CB), KD Hill (NT), Jeremy James (OL), Reece McIntyre (OL), Tavius Robinson (Buck), Kenny Yeboah (TE). QB John Rhys Plumlee, who started eight games at quarterback in 2019, registered his first career start at wide receiver in season opener vs. Florida.

REBEL DEBUTS
Ten different Rebels have made their Ole Miss debuts during the first two games of the season: Marc Britt (DB), Daylen Gill (LB), Cedric Johnson (OLB), Deane Leonard (DB), Brandon Mack (OLB), Henry Parrish Jr. (RB), Jamar Richardson (DB), Tavius Robinson (OLB), Chase Rogers (TE), Kenny Yeboah (TE).

ALABAMA REBELS
The Ole Miss roster features 15 players who hail from Alabama, the second-most of any state other than Mississippi (49): DL LeDarrius Cox (Mobile), OL Jalen Cunningham (Odenville), DB A.J. Finley (Mobile), DB Jakorey Hawkins (Montgomery), TE Jonathan Hess (Vestavia Hills), NT KD Hill (Eufaula), OLB Cedric Johnson (Mobile), Jacquez Jones (Tuscaloosa), NT Patrick Lucas Jr. (Prattville), OLB Brandon Mack (Montgomery), OL Sam Plash (Mobile), DB Jamar Richardson (Alicebille), DB Ty Rocconi (Mobile), TE Damarcus Thomas (Whatley), OLB Sam Williams (Montgomery).

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 (DL) all attended St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
• TE Jonathan Hess and Alabama RB Cooper Bishop were teammates at Vestavia Hills HS in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
• Ole Miss' ILB Eric Jeffries and ILB Amani 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.
• DB Derek Bermudez and DT Sincere David attended Sandalwood HS in Jacksonville, Florida, with Alabama's Jahquez Robinson.
• DB A.J. Finley and Alabama DB Jalyn Armour-Davis were teammates at St. Paul's in Mobile, Alabama.
• Rebels TE Damarcus Thomas went to Saraland HS in Saraland, Alabama, with Alabama's Jake Hall (LS).
• Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin spent three seasons (2014-16) as the Tide's offensive coordinator.

NO MATTER THE LINGO, GET THE BALL TO MINGO
After only tallying a catch on a two-point conversion in the season opener, WR Jonathan Mingo had a career day in the road win at Kentucky. The sophomore from Brandon, Mississippi tallied career highs in receptions (8), yards (128) and touchdowns (2). It was Mingo's first mutli-TD game of his career. Mingo became the first Rebel WR not named Elijah Moore with a 100-yard game since Nov. 17, 2018 (A.J. Brown - 212 yards, DeMarkus Lodge - 117 yards).

CORRAL HAS BEEN GOLDEN
Two games into the 2020 season, QB Matt Corral is putting up video game-like numbers to lead a powerful Rebel offensive attack. Corral ranks No. 1 or 2 in the SEC in nine offensive categories: passing yards (715), passing TDs (7), total offense per game (408.0) completion percentage (.767), completions per game (23.0), passing efficiency (211.9), yards per completion (15.54), yards per attempt (11.92) and points responsible for (44). Matt Corral's seven touchdown passes are the most in back-to-back SEC contests since 2012 when Bo Wallace also had seven TDs over a two-game SEC span. Corral graded out as the third-best QB after his four TD performance at Kentucky.

BIG TARGET
It's only taken two games, but TE Kenny Yeboah is getting comfortable in a Rebel uniform. The Temple transfer is second on the team in both yards (174) and receptions (8). Yeboah has a touchdown in both games this season and his 87.0 receiving yards per game are fourth-most amongst NCAA tight ends. Yeboah's 21.8 yards per catch is a team high.

RETURN OF THE MAC
Punter Mac Brown is no stranger on Rebel special teams. The senior from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, has appeared in 30 career games for Ole Miss and continues to be a special weapon for the Rebels. Brown's 49.0 yards per punt average ranks No. 2 in the NCAA. Half of his eight punts have traveled more than 50 yards and he's force three fair catches. He was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.

STRONGER TOGETHER INITIATIVE
During the 2020-21 academic year, college and university athletics programs in Mississippi will incorporate a special logo on their uniforms, equipment, warm-up gear or bags. The logo will serve as a visual representation of the state's schools coming together and will feature school-specific branding with the words "Stronger Together" inside the outline of Mississippi. Alcorn State, Blue Mountain College, Delta State, Jackson State, Millsaps College, Mississippi College, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Millsaps College, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Valley State, Rust College, Tougaloo College and William Carey University are among the schools that will take part in the "Stronger Together" initiative.

MAC BROWN RAISES OVER 100K FOR ALS RESEARCH
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 over $100,000 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 $30,000 alone.

CHUCKY MULLINS COURAGE AWARD
DB Jaylon Jones became the 30th 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. Jones wears the No. 38 jersey in Mullins' honor this season.

COVID CAUSES ATTENDANCE CHANGES
As established by the State of Mississippi's latest executive orders, Ole Miss home football games will be at 25 percent capacity in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to begin the 2020 season. Ole Miss' attendance plan is based on guidelines from the state and the Southeastern Conference in response to COVID-19. Key components include face covering requirements throughout the stadium, social distancing between households and no tailgating on campus.

KIFFIN'S WEEKLY RADIO SHOW ON THURSDAYS
RebTalk, the official weekly radio show of Ole Miss Athletics, is moving to a new day and location for this season. RebTalk will be broadcast each Thursday this fall at Bouré in downtown Oxford from 6-7 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 Lane Kiffin and select players will join the broadcast each Thursday throughout the season.

SEC CREATES COUNCIL ON RACIAL EQUITY, SOCIAL JUSTICE
The Southeastern Conference recently announced the creation of the SEC Council on Racial Equity and Social Justice, a league-wide body consisting of a diverse group of student-athletes, administrators, coaches and SEC staff. LB MoMo Sanogo and punter Mac Brown will represent Ole Miss on the council that will identify resources, outline strategies and assist with implementation of efforts that, when taken together, will promote racial equity and social justice. The council will also foster diversity, helping overcome racism and pursuing non-discrimination in intercollegiate athletics.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss leads the SEC in completion percentage (.774), first downs on offense (55), team passing efficiency (214.83) and total offense (536. ypg).
• Ole Miss ranks No. 3 nationally in passing yards per game (381.5 ypg).
• The Rebels are No. 4 in the country in third down conversion percentage (.577).
• The 77 points in the first two games of the 2020 season are the most the Rebels have scored in consecutive SEC games since 2016 (85-43 vs. Alabama followed by 45 vs. Georgia).
• In its win on Saturday, Ole Miss became the first team to score 40-plus points on Kentucky in the last 28 games.
• Four different Rebels have made their first career starts on offense this season: [Nick Broeker (OL), Jeremy James (OL), Reece McIntyre (OL), Kenny Yeboah (TE)]
• Three offensive players have made their Ole Miss debut in 2020: [Henry Parrish Jr. (RB), Chase Rogers (TE), Kenny Yeboah (TE)].
• QB Matt Corral ranks third nationally in passing efficiency (211.9).
• WR Elijah Moore leads the nation in receiving yards per game (159.5).
• Moore is one of only two receivers in the NCAA this season to record 200 or more yards receiving in a single game.
• Besides receiving yards per game, Moore also ranks top-3 in the SEC in all-purpose yards (159.5) and receptions per game (10.0).
• Kenny Yeboah's 87.0 receiving yards per game are fourth-most amongst NCAA tight ends.
• Yeboah has a touchdown in each of his first two games in an Ole Miss uniform.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Four different Rebels have made their first career starts on defense this season: [A.J. Finley (FS), Daylen Gill (LB), Jakorey Hawkins (CB), KD Hill (NT), Tavius Robinson (Buck)]
• Seven defensive players have made their Ole Miss debut this season: [Marc Britt (DB), Daylen Gill (Star), Cedric Johnson (OLB), Deane Leonard (DB), Brandon Mack (OLB), Jamar Richardson (DB), Tavius Robinson (OLB)].
• DB Keidron Smith ranks No. 12 nationally in solo tackles per game (6.0).
• DB Jaylon Jones led the Rebels in tackles vs. Kentucky with 10, a career high for the Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• P Mac Brown is No. 2 in the NCAA in punting average (49.0).
• Four of Brown's eight punts have gone for 50 or more yards.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Ryder Anderson

Derek Bermudez

Nick Broeker

A.J. Brown

Mac Brown

Matt Corral

LeDarrius Cox

Jalen Cunningham

Sincere David

Jared Farlow

AJ Finley

Daylen Gill

Jakorey Hawkins

Jonathan Hess

KD Hill

Jeremy James

Eric Jeffries

Amani Johnson

Cedric Johnson

Jacquez Jones

Jaylon Jones

Deane Leonard

Luke Logan

Patrick Lucas Jr.

Brandon Mack

Reece McIntyre

Jonathan Mingo

Elijah Moore

Royce Newman

Hal Northern

Henry Parrish Jr.

D'Vaughn Pennamon

Sam Plash

John Rhys Plumlee

Jack Propst

Jamar Richardson

Tavius Robinson

Ty Rocconi

Chase Rogers

MoMo Sanogo

Keidron Smith

Damarcus Thomas

Walker Thompson

Sam Williams

Kenny Yeboah

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