Last season’s Ole Miss-Alabama contest quickly turned into a laugher, as the Rebels were defeated by a whopping 66 to 3 margin in Tuscaloosa. That result represented the most lopsided game on the SEC schedule last season and sent Ole Miss into a downward spiral until Jordan Ta’amu was inserted into the starting lineup following Shea Patterson’s injury.

How different will things be this season in Oxford? Will Matt Luke’s team be shellshocked heading into another matchup with the nation’s No. 1-ranked team?

The Ole Miss coach was asked that question during his most recent media availability and he quickly downplayed last season’s results having anything to do with the upcoming SEC opener for both Ole Miss and Alabama.

“I don’t think that last year has any bearing on this year or us beating them two years in a row,” Luke responded when asked about last season’s result. “I don’t think that has any bearing on this year. It’s their team from 2018 against our team from 2018, that’s the way you have to look at it.

“You can obviously draw on the experiences when it comes to the tactical decisions and what they’ve done on defense and what we’ve done on offense. You can draw from that experience but as far as the players or the score, I think you have to focus on this year.”

So what is something the team is focused on heading into the epic night game on campus this weekend? According to Luke, a fast start will be of paramount importance.

“I think for our team, it’s very important,” he said. “I think the start has been critical in the Ole Miss-Alabama game every year. It seems like a kickoff coverage has set the tone of the game every year I’ve been involved in it. So I think a good start offensively and defensively is important.”

You may recall Alabama took an early 21-0 lead in the first quarter of the game between these two last season. That simply cannot happen if Ole Miss is going to compete this weekend and that’s something Luke is well aware of heading into the biggest game of the season to date for the Rebels.