Here are some quick thoughts on Alabama’s 23-17 loss to Ole Miss. 

What it means: Alabama has a major climb to get out of the SEC West, and they only have themselves to thank for it. Alabama committed far too many mistakes to win this game, from missed field goals to bad penalties to turnovers. Despite how good they looked in their 4-0 start, the Tide’s offense fell flat as well, scoring only 10 points for the afternoon. Simply put, Alabama didn’t make enough plays to win and made too many losing plays to hang on. This is not the Crimson Tide of two years ago.

What I didn’t like: Special teams play. Alabama gave up multiple long kickoff returns, gifting Ole Miss with excellent field position. They missed two makable field goals. Worst of all, the committed a turnover when Christion Jones put the ball on the turf on the kickoff after Mississippi tied the game up in the fourth quarter. The special teams issues have cropped up in a few of Alabama’s losses over the last handful of years, most recently in last season’s Iron Bowl.

Who’s the man?: Bo Wallace. The senior was as good as can be for the Rebels. He senior quarterback avoided any back-breaking mistakes, and when it came down to winning time he was money. Wallace threw a dime of a pass to Vince Sanders after catching Landon Collins staring into the backfield, tying the game up, and hit Jaylen Walton with a fade to the back corner of the end zone for the win. Wallace has taken heat over his career for his inconsistent play, but gave the Rebels everything they needed to pull off his school’s first win over a top-ranked opponent.

Key play: Christion Jones’ kickoff return fumble. Alabama had plenty of time to drive down the field and take back the lead after Ole Miss tied the game up with 5:29 to go. With this final and special teams gaffe, Alabama gifted Ole Miss excellent field position. Giving the ball up in a situation like that is a death blow, even for a team as solid on defense as the Tide usually are.

What’s next: The Crimson Tide don’t have any time to dwell on this loss, as they travel to Arkansas to take on a dangerous Razorbacks team.