Saturday’s 62-7 loss was yet another truly embarrassing performance for the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday at home against their SEC West division foe Alabama. In the past eight quarters against the Tide, Ole Miss has been outscored 128-10. Sit back, and read that again.
The Rebels gave up 1,129 yards in those two games combined and were outgained by 628 yards.
Normally we would do a “5 things I liked, 3 things I didn’t like.” But let’s get real; trying to come up with a single thing to like would likely be as difficult for me as it was for the Rebels defense to stop Alabama on Saturday. So instead we’ll take a look at each position group to see who played the worst.
Quarterbacks
Jordan Ta’amu came into the game with very high expectations after excellent performances the prior two weeks. There was high anticipation that with the loaded receiving corps facing a young Alabama secondary, the Rebs could put some points on the board and potentially make things interesting – at least more than last year’s 66-3 drubbing. Wrong. Ta’amu was awful. He was 7-of-22 passing for 133 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. If you take out his first pass of the game, a 75-yard TD bomb to D.K. Metcalf, he was 6 of 21 for 58 yards and 2 picks. Grade – F
Running backs
The Rebel running backs finished with 29 carries for 96 yards, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Not a good night for them, though they really didn’t have much of a chance considering how quickly the game got out of hand. Feature back Scottie Phillips, the fourth-leading rusher in FBS coming in, carried the ball 12 times for 44 yards with a long of 12 yards. He wasn’t helped by the fact that the one decent run he had all night was nullified by a holding call on A.J. Brown. Grade – D-
Wide receivers/tight ends
Boy, talk about disappointment. For a group that has been talked about as the best in the country, they struggled mightily against a talented but inexperienced secondary. Metcalf finished with 2 grabs for 92 yards and a TD. Brown, the consensus top ranked receiving prospect in the country for the 2019 NFL Draft class, finished with 4 receptions for 34 yards. DaMarkus Lodge added 1 reception for 7 yards and continued to struggle hanging onto the ball. Ta’amu didn’t help because he struggled with ball placement, but the receivers deserve their share of the blame because they consistently failed to get separation. Also, is tight end Dawson Knox still on the team? Grade – F
Offensive line
The line had countless problems trying to protect Ta’amu all night, and allowed 4 sacks. Alabama, had struggled to generate consistent pressure coming in but turned it on against the Rebels, coming from both inside and outside to harass Ta’amu. The Rebels couldn’t protect the edges, which forced Ta’amu to step up into the pocket. The interior linemen couldn’t block NT Quinnen Williams whatsoever, as he regularly collapsed the pocket. The Crimson Tide’s blitzes and stunts gave the line fits all game long. Grade – D-
Defensive line
The line is simply not good. They absolutely cannot apply pressure with any consistency and against the run they find themselves on the ground far too often. They try to make up for their lack of power at the point of attack by penetrating quickly, but fail. The starting unit doesn’t appear to be SEC-caliber and there’s no depth whatsoever. They’re not using their hands, they’re not rushing half a man, they don’t show great power at the point of attack, they can’t split doubles, they can’t shed blocks, they’re slow and ineffective with stunts and they can’t read plays well. Grade – F
Linebackers
The linebackers are even worse. Going into the season, they were thought to be the weak link, but this unit has been far worse than expected. Two things are abundantly clear against a team like Alabama, which is the gold standard for not only the SEC, but college football – the majority of the Ole Miss linebackers are not SEC-caliber athletes and they’re very poorly coached. The only quality athletes of the unit appear to be the youngest guys, Kevontae’ Ruggs and Jacquez Jones, who in all honesty should be redshirting so they can gain weight and get stronger. Aside from them, it’s a brutally slow unit whose greatest enemy is open space. They bite on every play fake and misdirection, they don’t tackle well, they take poor angles to the ball and they can’t stack and shed. Grade – F
Defensive backfield
The secondary is somewhat better but still not great, and they struggled like everyone else on Saturday. But they went against a quarterback who is playing as well as any in the country. Tua Tagovailoa’s ball placement is NFL quality, and the Rebel DBs were actually in pretty good position on many of his throws but his pinpoint accuracy put it in spots they couldn’t get to. Still, they were burned early and often, and the QB they faced can’t be used as an excuse. Grade – D
This defense is unbelievably bad. As in, historically bad. Don’t let the second-half numbers fool you. Alabama scored 13 points in the final two quarters but let off the gas considerably while playing their second and third string.
The initial reaction is to blame coordinator Wesley McGriff, but to be fair he doesn’t have a whole lot to work with. He didn’t inherit much talent. What is his fault is the lack of execution and sloppy play. Poor tackling isn’t due to a lack of talent. Poor run fits and pursuit angles aren’t due to a lack of talent. Penalties aren’t due to a lack of talent.
I know many will want heads to roll, but I’d be shocked if anything like that happened. The Rebels faced the best offense they’ll face all year, so the defense can respond and improve.
One thing is certain: The lack of SEC caliber athletes on defense is alarming. That has to change in the next few recruiting classes, at least if head coach Matt Luke has any intention of keeping his job.
On second thought
There is a single bright spot: The worst is over for Ole Miss. The gorilla that is Alabama is off their schedule – until next year – and the Rebels won’t face another team the rest of the year that’s as talented or well coached as them. It’s all downhill from here.
Rick Stavig, who played at Ole Miss and Shippensburg University, is the owner of SE Scouting. A veteran scout, he specializes in the NFL Draft and recruiting coverage.
