SEC Kickoff: Everything you need to know about Alabama vs. Ole Miss

Here’s everything you need to know about today’s marquee matchup between No. 3 Alabama and No. 11 Ole Miss in Oxford.

When: Today
Where: Oxford, Mississippi
Game Time: 3:30 PM ET
TV: CBS
Current Line: Alabama (-4.5)

SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH PREVIEWS

• Win Probability: Ole Miss, Alabama
• 5 players to know: Ole Miss, Alabama
• Ole Miss prepares for a huge day in their home state
• Amari Cooper deserves top Heisman billing if he goes off against Ole Miss
• Mississippi receivers will test Alabama’s defense

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

Players to watch:

• QB Blake Sims
• RB T.J. Yeldon
• RB Derrick Henry
• WR Amari Cooper
• WR DeAndrew White
• DE Ryan Anderson
• LB Reggie Ragland
• LB Trey DePriest
• S Landon Collins
• CB Tony Brown
• S Nick Perry

Keys for Alabama:

• Get after Bo Wallace. The Rebels quarterback, despite his experience, still is not great when it comes to making decisions with the ball. Head coach Hugh Freeze even acknowledged this early in the week, saying that he will try to minimize Wallace’s risk for turnovers. The Crimson Tide will have to counter that by rushing him into as many bad decisions as possible. With a one-dimensional offense — Ole Miss averages less than 4 yards per carry — Alabama will be able to pin their ears back in the pass rush. If they can earn their own
• Spread the ball around. Amari Cooper is the best receiver in the country, and Blake Sims has been feeding him the ball just as much as you’d expect. Ole Miss has the talent in the defensive backfield, starting with cornerback Senquez Golson, to at least give Cooper some trouble. Senior receivers DeAndrew White, if healthy, and Christion Jones, along with tight end O.J. Howard could help take the pressure off of Cooper by making some plays down field.
• Blake Sims must continue his excellent play. Sims, despite his senior status, is making the first road start of his career. On top of the raucous atmosphere expected in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Sims is facing potentially the best defense in the SEC. He picked apart a shaky Florida secondary last week, looking like a world-beater in doing so, but he faces a much nastier unit this week. Sims will have to continue his nearly mistake-free play to keep Alabama’s offense trucking in a hostile environment. How he responds to the crowd noise and pressure he faces Saturday afternoon will be critical.

Crimson Tide’s glaring weakness to watch: The youth at cornerback. Tony Brown, a freshman, has earned a starting role on the Tide’s defense. He hasn’t seen a receiving corps like Mississippi’s, which features Laquon Treadwell and Cody Core, plus a host of other talented pass catchers. Wallace will look to spread the ball around, and Alabama’s secondary will have to hold up.

Most interesting part of the game: How will Lane Kiffin’s offense function against a top-five defense? The Crimson Tide have looked like an offensive juggernaut in the first four games with Kiffin calling the shots. However, none of the teams they’ve faced so far have ranked higher than No. 80 in the nation in total defense. Will Alabama keep churning out yards both on the ground and through the air against the No. 4-ranked defensive unit in the country?

Team Buzz: Alabama comes in as the favorite not just as the favorite in Oxford on Saturday, but also to win the SEC West. They can’t get complacent in that role against the Rebels and will have to keep their foot on the gas. They’ve owned Ole Miss in recent years as much as they have throughout history, winning 10 straight in the rivalry. Ole Miss will be as fired up as ever for this game, and the Tide need to be ready to take their best punch and keep rolling.

OLE MISS REBELS

Players to watch:

• QB Bo Wallace
• RB Jaylen Walton
• WR Laquon Treadwell
• WR Cody Core
• DT Robert Nkemdiche
• LB Serderius Bryant
• LB Deterrian Shackelford
• LB Denzel Nkemdiche
• CB Senquez Golson
• S Cody Prewitt

Keys for Ole Miss:

• Get the ball to as many different playmakers as possible. Wideout Laquon Treadwell had a huge game last week, and he’ll command plenty of attention from the Ole Miss defense. As a result, it will be critical that quarterback Bo Wallace spreads the ball around to other weapons like Jaylen Walton, Cody Core, Vince Sanders, Evan Engram, Quincy Adeboyejo, the list goes on and on. The more weapons Ole Miss incorporates into its offense, the harder it will be for Alabama to stop all of them. Wallace needs to take what the defense gives him and ensure the Rebels reach their full potential on offense after posting just 14 points in their last two games against Alabama combined.
• Stop the Alabama rushing attack and for the offense to be one dimensional. Alabama quarterback Blake Sims threw for more than 400 yards his last time out, but Ole Miss is still better off forcing Alabama to throw the ball than forcing Alabama to run the ball. If the Rebels silence the Tide’s stable of tailbacks, including Derrick Henry, T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake, they have the talent in the secondary to keep up with Alabama’s passing attack. Cornerback Senquez Golson has shined all season, and he’ll have an opportunity to prove his worth against Amari Cooper. Likewise, All-American safety Cody Prewitt is among the most complete players in the SEC, and he too will be up to the task in pass coverage. Alabama wants to control the game with the run against a fast-paced Ole Miss offense, and if the Rebels can force the ball into Blake Sims’ hands, it has a chance to limit a deadly Crimson Tide offense.
• The offensive line must have its best game of the year. Ole Miss has already allowed 29 tackles for loss through four games, and the Rebels rushing attack has been virtually non-existent at times this season. If the Rebels are to have any chance against the Tide, they’ll need to win the battle in the trenches, creating balance in the offense while limiting their number of negative plays. When Wallace has time, he can pick a defense apart, but when he’s rushed he has a tendency to make bad decisions. Strong play by the Ole Miss offensive line will keep Wallace comfortable, keep the offense balanced and keep the ball ahead of the chains. If the Crimson Tide’s defensive line has its way, it will be a long afternoon for the Rebels.

Rebels’ glaring weakness to watch: Ole Miss has not been able to establish a strong rushing attack all season, and the lack of a run game has hindered the offense to an extent. Wallace is already turnover-prone, and forcing him to throw on a majority of plays only increases the likelihood he’ll make a costly mistake. If Ole Miss could break a few good runs early in the game, it would open up the entire offense. However, the Rebels tailbacks have not been able to break many long runs, and it has held the offense back against a collection of defenses nowhere near the caliber of Alabama’s.

Most interesting part of the game: The atmosphere in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will be intense as Ole Miss will host College GameDay for the first time ever. How the Rebels handle the atmosphere in their home stadium will be a great indicator of their chances to win this game. Alabama will not be fazed by the noise or the crowd’s intensity, but if Ole Miss tries to force the issue to capitalize on the moment it could result in sloppy play. The Rebels must stick to their gameplan in front of a lively home crowd, but that is easier said than done.

Team Buzz: This game is a turning point for the Ole Miss program, and it feels as though Hugh Freeze’s first two years and change have all been building to this moment. The entire college football world will have its eyes on Oxford on Saturday, and a strong showing could elevate the Rebels national perception the way it did for Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M in 2012. The Rebels have the talent to win this game, but they are far less familiar with this stage than Alabama is. Nevertheless, Hugh Freeze has coached well in big games since arriving at Ole Miss, and depending on Saturday’s outcome the entire course of its season could change in an instant, for better or for worse.

Ethan Levine

A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.