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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Alabama
Game Primer: Ole Miss at Alabama
9/29/2021 | Football
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#12 OLE MISS (3-0) at #1 Alabama (4-0) Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021 • 2:30 p.m. CT • Tuscaloosa, Ala. Bryant-Denny Stadium  |
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Watch • Listen • Live Stats • Digital Program
Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • Alabama Game Notes (PDF) • SEC Notes (PDF) |
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This is the 69th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama.
• The Crimson Tide holds a 55-10-2 series lead ... The original series record is 56-10-2 with both teams having wins taken away due to NCAA rulings.
• Ole Miss is 65-166-2 all-time versus ranked opponents ... Ole Miss' last win over a ranked opponent was a 26-20 win over No. 7 Indiana last season in the Outback Bowl.
• The Rebels check in at No. 12 in both the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll.
• It is the best ranking for a Rebel squad since week seven of the 2016 season when Ole Miss was also ranked No. 12.
• The Rebels rank top 10 in the country in five separate categories: scoring offense (52.7), total offense (635.3), rushing offense (298.7), turnovers lost (2) and fourth down conversion (0.857).
• Ole Miss has scored on the opening drive in 9-of-13 games under head coach Lane Kiffin (8 TD, 1 FG).
• The Rebels possess a balanced offensive attack ... Ole Miss is averaging 298.7 rush yards per game and 3.7 TDs per game, while also averaging 339.7 pass yards per game with 3.0 pass TDs per game.
• Matt Corral has thrown a touchdown pass in 15 straight games, the third-longest streak in school history ... He trails only Chad Kelly (22) and Eli Manning (16).
• Corral leads the SEC and currently ranks No. 3 in the FBS in total offense (385.0 ypg).
• Dating back to last season, Dontario Drummond has tallied eight straight games in which he's recorded a touchdown reception ... He's the first Rebel to accomplish that feat since at least 1965.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin (Fresno State, 1998) is in his second season at Ole Miss and helped lead the Rebels to four win in their final five games in 2020, including a 26-20 victory over No. 7 Indiana in the Outback Bowl. Kiffin quickly turned the Rebels into an offensive machine last season. Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories, including having the No. 3 team in the country in total offense, shattering the school record with 555.5 yards per game. Kiffin is in his 10th year at the NCAA level and has posted an all-time record of 69-39. 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. 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.
ALABAMA HEAD COACH NICK SABAN
Nick Saban (Kent State, 1973) is in his 15th season at the helm for Alabama and has tallied a 169-23 record during his time in Tuscaloosa, including six national titles since 2009 and has been named National Coach of the Year seven times. Saban has compiled a 260-65-1 (.799) record (265-65-1 before vacations) as a college head coach and has gone 127-12 (.914) in the past 10 seasons entering the 2021 campaign. Nick Saban's 135 conference wins (including SEC championship games) are second on the SEC career conference wins list. Saban ranks first in league history in SEC regular season winning percentage at .828 (135-28). Last season, the Tide was crowned National Champions after reaching the 10-win milestone for the 13th consecutive season and winning 11 or more games for the 10th straight year. His title in 2020 moved him past Paul "Bear" Bryant for the most national championships in the poll era with seven. 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 4-0 on the season and is ranked No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches polls this week. The Crimson Tide have scored over 44 points in three of their four games so far this season, including a 63-14 performance against Southern Miss last week. Alabama faced an early season test in the Swamp two weeks ago, defeating No. 9 Florida 31-29. Bryce Young has taken over at quarterback after the departure of the first round draft pick and Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones. Along with Jones' departure, the Crimson Tide have had to repalce key offensive weapons including the 2020 Heisman winner DeVonta Smith and running back Najee Harris. Young ranks first in the SEC and fifth nationally in passing efficiency (188.5) and leads the conference with 15 passing TDs. His top targets include Ohio State transfer Jameson Williams and John Metchie. Williams paces the Tide with 299 yards and three touchdowns and also serves as a weapon on special teams, averaging 119.0 all purpose yards per game. Redshirt senior Brian Robinson Jr. leads the rushing attack, averaging nearly 70 yards per game; however, Jase McClellan handled the majority of the workload against Southern Miss while Robinson dealt with and injury. Defensively, the Tide is allowing 288.8 yards per game and holding opponents to 17.5 points per game. Linebackers Henry To'oTo'o and Christian Harris lead the defense with 25 and 24 tackles, respectively.
OLE MISS-ALABAMA SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 69th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama.
• The original series record is 56-10-2.
• After vacated wins, Alabama holds a 55-10-2 series lead, including a 28-1 advantage in games played in Tuscaloosa.
• Alabama's records show the Crimson Tide with a 53-11-2 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 11 straight years.
GETTING OFFENSIVE
The Rebels rank top 10 in the country in five separate categories: scoring offense (52.7), total offense (635.3), rushing offense (298.7), turnovers lost (2) and fourth down conversion (0.857). The 52.7 points and 635.3 total yards per game lead the nation. Ohio State is second is total yards at 559.2, over 75 yards behind the Rebels. Ole Miss has gained 600+ yards six times in 13 games under Lane Kiffin. Before Kiffin, the Rebels had 16 such games in the program's 1,209 games.
TRYING TO REPEAT HISTORY WITH A FAMILIAR FACE
WR Dontario Drummond ranks second amongst all Power 5 players in receiving yards per game (113.0), a category Elijah Moore led the FBS in a year ago. The last team to have two players pull off that feat in successive years was Baylor in 2011-12 (Kendall Wright, 127.9 & Terrance Williams, 140.9). Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby was on that coaching staff.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Matt Corral has thrown for 5,935 career yards and ranks No. 6 in Ole Miss' career record books. Corral also sits at 46 career touchdown passes, which is tied at No. 4 on the all-time list with Jevan Snead. Corral is the only quarterback nationally who is averaging more than 10 yards per pass attempt (min. 25 passes per game) and has yet to throw an interception.
O CANADA
Ole Miss has an SEC-most three Canadian players on its roster (Jaden Dicks, Deane Leonard, and Tavius Robinson). Leonard has started two games this season at cornerback and has tallied five total tackles on the season. Robinson, who missed the first two contests of the 2021 season due to injury, appeared in all 10 games last year for the Rebels with five starts. Dicks, a redshirt freshman, transfered from the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, and arrived on campus right before the start of fall camp.
A HISTORIC STREAK
Dating back to Oct. 31, 2020, WR Dontario Drummond has registered eight straight games in which he's recorded a touchdown reception. He's the first Rebel to accomplish that feat since at least 1965. Drummond has also surpassed the 100-yard receiving plateau in two of the first three games this season.
NEW MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Even when Lane Kiffin isn't fishing, he's still landing big fish. One of Kiffin's biggest catches came when the Rebels snagged Utah transfer Orlando Umana. Umana, joined the Rebels after spending four years at Utah where he appeared in 40 career games, including 26 starts. Twenty-two of those starts came at center for the Utes. Battling injury, Umana appeared in just one game for Utah during a shortened 2020 season. As a junior, he earned Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention honors in 2019 after starting 12 games at center. Umana played in all 14 games on the offensive line as a sophomore in 2018, starting four at left guard and the last nine at center for Utah. The Sacramento, California, native allowed just one sack in 472 pass blocks in 2018.
KEIDRON SMITH TO WEAR CHUCKY MULLINS PATCH
Ole Miss senior defensive back Keidron Smith was recently named the winner of the 2021 Chucky Mullins Courage Award. The award, sponsored by Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, 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. A native of West Palm Beach, Florida, Smith is the 31st recipient in the 32-year history of the award, which is presented annually to an Ole Miss upperclassman defensive player that embodies the spirit of Mullins - courage, leadership, perseverance and determination. A change from recent seasons, Smith will wear a 38 patch on his No. 20 jersey rather than switch numbers. A patch was also worn by the award winner from 2006 through 2010.
RED ZONE EFFICIENCY
Ever since Lane Kiffin took over the helm at the start of the 2020 season, the Ole Miss offense became known for putting up lots of points and yards. The real secret to the Rebels' success has come in red zone efficiency. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss is 66-of-85 (.776) in the red zone. Ole Miss has scored on 29 of its last 34 trips to the red zone dating back to last season.
MAC BROWN RAISES OVER 125K 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. Ten years later, that $500 goal has ballooned to over $125,000 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 nearly $25,000 alone. Brown was recently one of 22 collegiate football players named to the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
REBELS IN THE RANKINGS
After a 3-0 start, Ole Miss checks in at No. 12 in the Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the AP Top 25. It is the best ranking for a Rebel squad since week seven of the 2016 season when Ole Miss was also ranked No. 12 prior to falling to Arkansas 34-30 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
KIFFIN'S WEEKLY RADIO SHOW ON THURSDAYS
RebTalk, the official weekly radio show of Ole Miss Athletics, will 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.
