Game Primer: Football Hits Road for No. 12 Alabama

			Ole Miss (3-0) at Alabama (2-1) Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 • 2:30 p.m. CT Tuscaloosa, Ala. • Bryant-Denny Stadium Rebel Rankings: AP: #15 \| Coaches: #16 Crimson Tide Rankings: AP: #13 \| Coaches: #12
Watch • Listen • Live Stats Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • Alabama Game Notes (PDF) • SEC Game Notes (PDF)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This is the 71st meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama.
• The Crimson Tide holds a 57-10-2 series lead ... The original series record is 58-10-2 with both teams having wins taken away due to NCAA rulings.
• Ole Miss is 69-170-2 all-time versus ranked opponents ... Ole Miss won at No. 22 Tulane on Sept. 9.
• The Rebels check in at No. 15 in the AP Top 25 and No. 16 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
• This is the 13th simultaneously ranking meeting between the two ... Ole Miss has only won three such games.
• Ole Miss is off to a 3-0 start for the third straight season, the first such trifecta since 2013-15.
• QB Jaxson Dart leads the SEC in yards per attempt at 12.5 (No. 2 FBS), yards per completion at 18.9 (No. 2 FBS) and passing efficiency at 202.5 (No. 6 FBS).
• Dart also leads all SEC quarterbacks in rushing at 71.0 ypg, as well as fourth overall at 6.7 per carry.
• Ole Miss had five plays of 35+ yards against Georgia Tech, four of which came in the fourth quarter.
• RB Quinshon Judkins leads the SEC with four rushing TD and is tied for No. 8 all-time at Ole Miss with 20.
• Ole Miss has two non-offensive TDs this season: a 70-yard punt return vs. Mercer (WR Jordan Watkins) and a 26-yard fumble return on a sack fumble at Tulane (DE Jared Ivey).
• Ole Miss is averaging 22.0 seconds per play this season, good for No. 5 in the FBS.
• The Rebel defense has at least 6.0 TFL in each game this season.
• Of the 126 total players on the roster, 58 (46%) are brand-new for 2023 ... 31 (24.6%) are transfers.
• DE Cedric Johnson was awarded the Chucky Mullins Courage Award and will wear a No. 38 patch this season.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin is in his fourth season at Ole Miss, where he has led the Rebels to three consecutive bowl berths to start off his time in Oxford. In 11 years at the NCAA level, Kiffin has posted an all-time record of 87-47, including a 26-13 mark at Ole Miss. The Rebels ranked No. 3 nationally in rushing offense (256.6) and No. 8 in total offense (496.4) last season. Kiffin helped mentor and recruit talented true freshman running back Quinshon Judkins, who set the Ole Miss single-season records in both rushing yards (1,567) and rushing touchdowns (16). Kiffin guided the Rebels to a 10-3 record in 2021, the first 10-win regular season in school history. The Rebels finished the season ranked No. 11 in both the AP and AFCA Coaches Poll, its highest final ranking since 2016. Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories in his first season in 2020. In December 2016, Kiffin took over an FAU programf 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.

ALABAMA HEAD COACH NICK SABAN
Nick Saban has served as the head football coach for the Alabama the past 17 seasons, helping to lead the Crimson Tide to a 195-28 record under his guidance. In that time period, Saban has risen to become one of college football's greatest, accumulating six National Championships, eight SEC Championships and numerous coach of the year honors. Saban's 148 conference wins (including SEC championship games) are second on the SEC career conference wins list. Saban is fi rst in league history for SEC regular season winning percentage at .827 (148-31). He is also second in SEC history in winning percentage in all games at .845 (239-44). Additionally, Saban is second on the league's career wins list at 239 victories. Since becoming head coach for Alabama, Saban has coached a total of four Heisman Trophy winners including the previous two in Bryce Young (2021) and Devonta Smith (2020). Saban has coached his teams to 22 consecutive bowl game appearances, dating back to 1998 when he was at the helm of Michigan State. The 2022 season marked just the eighth time of Saban's coaching tenure at Alabama in which the Crimson Tide have notched more than one loss on the year.

CRIMSON TIDE SCOUTING REPORT
Alabama enters the week 2-1 and is coming off of a 17-3 road win over South Florida. The Crimson Tide is ranked No. 12 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the AP rankings. Their only loss of the season came during a 34-24 week two loss to No. 10 Texas. Alabama is averaging 32.3 points per game and is averaging 196.0 rushing yards per game. Jalen Milroe, Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson have all seen time under center for the Tide. Senior running backs Roydell Williams and Jase McClellan have shared the load on the ground for the Crimson Tide with 177 rushing yards and 158. Isaiah Bond leads Alabama with 10 catches for 152 yards and one TD. Defensively, linebacker Deontae Lawson leads Alabama with 25 total tackles, including 3.5 TFLs and two sacks.

OLE MISS-ALABAMA SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 71st meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama.
• The original series record is 58-10-2, with the Crimson Tide holding a 29-2 edge in Tuscaloosa, a 12-3 lead in Oxford
and a 17-5-2 record on neutral sites ... After vacated wins, Alabama holds a 57-10-2 series lead, including an 29-2 lead in Tuscaloosa and 11-4
advantage in games played in Oxford.
• Alabama's records show the Crimson Tide with a 55-11-2 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.
• This is the first time Alabama has not been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 when facing Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa since Oct. 16, 2010 when the Tide were ranked No. 8 ... Consecutive years for the first time since 2009 (No. 3) and 2010 (No. 8).
• This will be the 13th all-time meeting between the Rebels and the Crimson Tide with both simultaneously ranked.

REBS IN THE POLLS
• Ole Miss ranks No. 15 in the Associated Press poll and No. 16 in the Coaches poll for Week Four.
• Dating back to 2021, Ole Miss has been ranked in the top 25 in 33 of the last 35 poll releases ... That includes a streak of 29 across 2021 and 2022, the longest streak since being ranked for 41 straight weeks from 2014-16.
• The SEC boasts at least five times in the top 25 of both polls.

ALABAMA REBELS
The Ole Miss roster features eight players who hail from Alabama: CB John Ross Ashley (Vestavia Hills), DE Cedric Johnson (Mobile), RB Quinshon Judkins (Pike Road), OL Micah Pettus (Madison), LS Carter Short (Hoover), DT Demarcus Smith (Birmingham), CB Jarrell Stinson (Opelika) and S Trey Washington (Trussville).

LIGHT 'EM UP
There haven't been any Swayze Showers at the Vaught, but that hasn't stopped the explosive Ole Miss offense from being big time home run hitters through three games this season. On the year, the Rebels are among just eight FBS teams averaging at least eight yards per play, currently sitting at 8.19. Of those eight, however, Ole Miss leads them all in yards per completion at a whopping 18.4, which leads the SEC and ranks fourth in all of FBS (No. 1 among schools with at least 50 completions). This was on display brilliantly against Georgia Tech on Sept. 16, where the Rebels put together a second half full of fireworks. Ole Miss set a new season-long play in nearly every category against the Yellow Jackets, charting 14 plays of at least 15 yards -- seven each across the passing and rushing game. The Rebels had five plays of at least 35 yards, four of which came in a fourth quarter that featured three passes of 40 yards or further. On the season, Ole Miss owns 38 plays of at least 20 yards, 16 of at least 30 and 10 of at least 40. Key on these long plays have been deep threat receivers Dayton Wade and Jordan Watkins, who have combined for six receptions -- three apiece -- of at least 30 yards. For Wade, all three of his have been beyond the 40-yard plateau, while Watkins owns the two longest plays of the season thus far: a 70-yard punt return touchdown against Mercer and a 68-yard touchdown reception against Georgia Tech.

CALLING HIS OWN NUMBER
Junior QB Jaxson Dart had a career day running the ball against Georgia Tech on Sept. 16, and did so with one of the longest rushes ever by a Rebel signal caller. Dart ended with a career high 136 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 14, highlighted by a massive 68 yard scamper in the second quarter. That run nearly doubled up his previous career long of 36 against Troy last season, and all-time in Ole Miss history it ranks as the fourth-longest ever by a QB. So far this season, Dart leads all SEC quarterbacks and ranks seventh nationally among QBs at 71.0 rushing yards per game, in addition to ranking fourth in the SEC at his 6.7 yards per carry clip.

WIDE-OPEN WATKINS
Senior WR Jordan Watkins has been a big-play threat throughout his two-year tenure as a Rebel, and he's been off to a dynamite start as Ole Miss' top all-purpose option this season. Watkins currently ranks fourth in the SEC in receiving yards per game at 96.7 (No. 22 FBS), as well as seventh in all-purpose yardage per game at 120.7 (No. 37 FBS), and he's done so by breaking loose for several massive plays. Watkins leads all Rebels with 11 plays of at least 10 yards, including seven of at least 20 yards, four of at least 30 and the top-two long plays for Ole Miss this season: his 70-yard punt return touchdown against Mercer and his 68-yard touchdown reception against Georgia Tech. Watkins also had four receptions of 30 yards last season, including a 61-yard catch at Vanderbilt.

NOSE FOR THE ENDZONE
Sophomore RB Quinshon Judkins has continued to find the endzone at record-breaking pace in his second year as a Rebel, as he most recently moved into the top-10 on Ole Miss' career rushing touchdown list. Judkins, currently the SEC leader at four rushing touchdowns, scored his 20th career TD on the ground against Georgia Tech, which put him into a tie for eighth all-time in Rebel history alongside Matt Corral (2018-21) and Randy Baldwin (1989-90). He is also climbing up other all-time career lists at Ole Miss, currently ranking 13th in career rushing yards (1,712), sixth in career 100-yard rushing games (8), and tied for 12th in career all-purpose touchdowns (21). Judkins is coming off a historic freshman campaign in 2022 that saw him break several Ole Miss records -- including the single-season rushing mark. Judkins was a consensus first team selection on all the Preseason All-America teams and All-SEC teams, and was selected to the Maxwell, Walter Camp and Doak Walker Award watch lists.

THROWIN' DARTS
Junior QB Jaxson Dart has been one of the top signal callers nationally through two weeks of action, currently leading the SEC in yards per attempt at 12.5 (No. 2 FBS), yards per completion at 18.9 (No. 2 FBS) and passing efficiency at 202.5 (No. 6 FBS), while also ranking within the SEC top-five in passing touchdowns with seven (FBS No. 28), passing yards per game at 284.0 (FBS No. 21) and total offense at 339.0 ypg (FBS No. 5). Dart has been especially effective in the first quarters of both games so far this season, standing at 19-of-22 for 265 yards and four touchdowns in the opening frame. That includes a blistering 11-for-11 stretch to open the season against Mercer, making him just the seventh Ole Miss quarterback to ever throw 11 consecutive completions and the best such streak since Matt Corral set the school record at 19 in a row at Vanderbilt in 2020. Dart most recently moved into 12th all-time at Ole Miss in passing yards with 3,826 and 12th in total offense at 4,653. In his overall career combining totals from his freshman season at USC in 2021, Dart owns 5,179 and 6,049 yards in both categories, respectively.

CAUSING MAYHEM
Ole Miss has notched at least 6.0 tackles for loss in each of its first three games, as well as at least 4.0 sacks in two of three contests, and have done so with a wide range of defenders getting in on the action. Nine Rebels have contributed to a quarterback sack, while 18 have chipped in on a TFL. And all that mayhem is paying off, with three forced fumbles (including a Khari Coleman sack fumble returned for a TD by Jared Ivey vs. Tulane), two interceptions, 16 QB hurries and 15 pass breakups. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss has recorded multiple sacks in 27 games, at least 5.0 tackles for loss in 26 games, and at least 4.0 sacks in 15 games. In games with at least 5.0 tackles for loss, Ole Miss is 18-8, and in games with at least 4.0 sacks, the Rebels are 8-2. This season, Ole Miss ranks third in the SEC in both sacks and TFL, and on the FBS lists ranks 16th and 18th, respectively.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
The Rebel defensive unit has been crucial to Ole Miss' 3-0 start with timely big plays and big stops.

• Ole Miss has returned its two interceptions this season for 63 yards, currently No. 4 in the SEC.
• Six different Rebels have had their hand in Ole Miss' three forced fumbles either on the force or recovery ... Eight Rebels have batted down a pass, and 10 have recorded at least one QB hurry.
• Four Rebels have multiple pass breakups, led by S Daijahn Anthony's four PBUs ... Anthony also had an interception against Mercer.
• S Trey Washington has led Ole Miss in tackles in each of the last two games, including a career-high 10 vs. Georgia Tech ... Washington also recorded his first career forced fumble against the Yellow Jackets.
• Washington leads the team, followed by LB Ashanti Cistrunk (15) and LB Khari Coleman (15) total tackles this year
• Against Georgia Tech, Cistrunk played his 51st career game, which was also his 51st consecutive game played, all at Ole Miss ... Also hitting 51 career games played vs. Georgia Tech include transfer defensive backs Zamari Walton and Teja Young.
• DE Cedric Johnson recorded career sack No. 14.5 against Mercer … Johnson is Ole Miss' active career sacks leader.
• DE Isaac Ukwu leads Ole Miss with 3.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks ... Ukwu now has 18.5 sacks in his college career.

PRINCE OF THE PICK
Senior CB Deantre Prince nabbed his sixth career interception at a pivotal juncture of Ole Miss' ranked victory at Tulane on Sept. 9, adding to his total as the Rebels' active career leader in picks. Prince has been the top cover corner for the Rebels so far this season at a 79.2 grade from PFF, with opposing quarterbacks only looking his direction 12 times in 91 coverage snaps and Prince only yielding 25 yards receiving on his island. The preseason All-SEC selection and Senior Bowl watch list member only allowed 22 receptions in 434 coverage snaps last season, and had 12 games with 50 receiving yards or fewer allowed.

DON'T BLINK
Ole Miss is once again running a lightning-quick offense in 2023, currently ranking as one of 11 FBS schools at sub-23 seconds between plays. The Rebels' speed was on display no better than its two opening scoring drives against Mercer and Tulane. Ole Miss opened against Mercer with a 51-second drive that ended with the first of three touchdown passes from QB Jaxson Dart to WR Tre Harris in the first quarter alone. At No. 22 Tulane, the Rebels were at it again, scoring in just 48 seconds that ended with a 31-yard strike from Dart to Harris. The 51-second drive against Mercer was the fastest to open a season for Ole Miss since 2018, and the 28 first quarter points ranks as the most in available records since at least 1967. The 48-second debut against the Green Wave, meanwhile, was the fastest on any opening drive for the Rebels since finding the endzone in just 34 seconds against Liberty on Nov. 6, 2021. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss is 22-5 when scoring first.

BIG BOOT
Senior transfer kicker Caden Davis had only hit one career field goal in three seasons at Texas A&M, but in three games with the Rebels, not only does Davis already have six in seven tries, but he also has the fourth-longest boot in school history. Davis played a crucial role in Ole Miss' comeback victory over No. 22 Tulane, going 3-of-3 on his field goal tries, but none bigger than his fourth quarter 56-yard behemoth that sailed through the uprights to give the Rebels a 10-point lead after being down 10 in the first half. That 56-yard shot by Davis soared past his previous of 40 yards in his only made field goal of his Texas A&M career in four total attempts. It ranks second in the SEC and stands tied for fourth-longest in the FBS this season, and it ranks No. 4 in Ole Miss history -- the best since Bryan Owen nailed a 57-yarder against Tulane in 1988.

NO FRESHMAN JITTERS
Freshman LB Suntarine Perkins was a highly-touted recruit nationally as the No. 1 overall player in Mississippi and the No. 2 linebacker in the country, and he relished his first opportunity to wear a Rebel uniform in his home state against Mercer on Sept. 2. Perkins led all Rebels with nine tackles coming off the bench, including four solo, in Ole Miss' 73-7 rout of the Bears. At Raleigh High School, Perkins was a one-man wrecking crew, leading RHS to its first state title in 2022 as both its star running back and linebacker. In the state title game, Perkins ran 32 times for 331 yards and four touchdowns while also contributing six tackles and an interception on the other side of the ball. In his high school career, Perkins totaled more than 5,000 all-purpose yards, including 2,078 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground as a senior. As a linebacker, he tallied 267 total tackles and 10 sacks in his high school career.

QUADRUPLE THREAT
Louisiana native Tre Harris has had a nose for the endzone in just two games as a Rebel, highlighted by the game of his life against Mercer on Sept. 2. Against the Bears, Harris wowed the Vaught-Hemingway faithful by finding the endzone on each of his first three catches as a Rebel, which tied the school record and helped the lightning-quick Ole Miss offense get up early in its eventually 73-7 blowout win. Harris tacked on a fourth touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, in the process breaking the school record and becoming just the 22nd player in SEC history to haul in at least four touchdown receptions in a single game. Harris ended the day as Ole Miss' top receiver, nabbing six catches for 133 yards and his record-breaking four trips to the endzone. Harris is no stranger to the multi-TD effort, having caught three touchdown passes against Rice last October while a member of the Louisiana Tech football team. Harris -- a preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list member -- owns a career line of 114 receptions, 1,705 yards and 19 touchdowns -- 15 of which have come within the last calendar year after a 10 TD season with the Bulldogs in 2022. In 2023, Harris is still the only receiver in the FBS with four touchdown receptions in a single game.

HIGH-FLYING OFFENSE
On the field, the Rebel offense ranks among the most prolific in the nation, ranking second in yards per game since 2020 (512.5 ypg/39 games) and third in total yards since 2020 (19,988 yards). The Rebels have done it with a balanced attack over the last three years as well, as Ole Miss ranks alongside only Ohio State as the only two Power-5 teams with both a top-10 passing season (2020; No. 7) and a top-10 rushing season (2022; No. 3) since 2020.

RACKING UP THE YARDS
Kiffin's dynamic Ole Miss offenses have single-handedly dismantled the Rebel record books, recording three of the top-five offensive seasons in school history since 2020. Leading the way is the 2020 squad that ended the season ranked No. 3 in total offense nationally at an Ole Miss record 555.5 yards per game (5,555 yards). His 2021 team ranks fifth at 492.5 yards per game (6,402 yards), and last year the Rebels broke into the top-five again, this time notching the fourth-best season ever at 496.4 yards per game (6,453 yards). Impressively, Kiffin's Ole Miss teams have done so with a balanced offensive attack, ranking seventh in the FBS in passing in 2020 (344.9 ypg) before shifting toward the running game in 2021 with the No. 12 ground game (217.6 ypg) before 2022's single-season school record rushing attack of 3,336 yards (256.6) led the SEC and ranked No. 3 in the FBS behind only the service academies.

Get all the latest information on the team by following @olemissfb on Twitter and Instagram and OleMissFootball on Facebook.

RebelsCalendar

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Daijahn Anthony

John Ross Ashley

Ashanti Cistrunk

Khari Coleman

Jaxson Dart

Caden Davis

Tre Harris

Jared Ivey

Cedric Johnson

Quinshon Judkins

Suntarine Perkins

Micah Pettus

Deantre Prince

Carter Short

Demarcus Smith

Isaac Ukwu

Dayton Wade

Zamari Walton

Trey Washington

Jordan Watkins

Teja Young

The University of Mississippi Athletics