Handing out some grades for Alabama’s losing effort against Mississippi.

OFFENSE: C

The Crimson Tide put up one of their worst offensive efforts in recent memory, with the only caveat being that it came against one of the best defenses in the nation, if not the very best. Alabama’s point total is a little misleading, as they had two more drives that should have resulted in points but instead ended with missed field goals. One of those drives was a 14-play affair that sucked 6:25 off the clock. Still, the execution was lacking for much of the day. The Crimson Tide still piled up 396 yards on the day, the issue was finishing off drives. Blake Sims was not as accurate or effective as he’s been all season, while Amari Cooper was somewhat bottled up until a 30-yard reception late.

DEFENSE: C-

If the defense had been able to force one mistake out of Wallace, this game would have been much different. They did get one turnover and turned it into a touchdown when Cyrus Jones got a strip-and-scoop that he took to the house (although the referees did miss a face mask call that would have nullified the score). Alabama got good pressure on Wallace, hitting him hard a few times, but Wallace was able to hang in and deliver some big passes. On the game-tying touchdown, Landon Collins, one of the Tide’s best defensive players, got caught looking into the backfield and allowed Vince Sanders to get behind him. Alabama gave up only a handful of big plays, but they all came at the worst moments.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F

If there’s been a weak spot for Alabama over the last two years, it’s been special teams. Fans aren’t soon to forget Chris Davis’ field goal return to beat the Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl last season, and they won’t likely forget this performance either. Special teams is the biggest factor in why Alabama lost this game. The only positive on the ledger is a blocked extra point that gave the Crimson Tide a chance to win the game late. Two missed field goals make up the difference in the final score, and both of them were makable kicks. Christion Jones’ fumble on a kick return with the game tied at 17 gave Ole Miss the ball in scoring position, which they quickly took advantage of.