Here comes the big one, Rebels. Get ready for Alabama.

It’s hard to gather together one’s thoughts when the opponent you are about to face is Alabama.

The Crimson Tide has so many great players and pieces working for them that it’s nearly impossible to narrow down what the Rebels need to do in order to win. The simplest answer is that Ole Miss needs to be perfect, and play the perfect game. But what does that really mean?

For the Rebels, it has to start with their defense. Obviously, Ole Miss needs to do its best to maintain the explosive offensive production it’s achieved in two non-conference wins. But there’s no question that Alabama will be able to match Ole Miss score for score in a way that the Rebels’ last two opponents have not. The only way to prevent that from happening is the defense.

There are some preliminary considerations that the Rebels defense should focus on as they start their preparation, and most of these are pretty obvious. First, there has to be a coverage plan for running backs Kenyan Drake and Derrick Henry. In the first two games of the season, the two have a combined 463 total yards and 8 total touchdowns. Henry alone has compiled 6 rushing touchdowns.

An easy first step to ensuring Ole Miss has adequate run defense is of course switching Robert Nkemdiche back over to defense full time. His brother, Denzel, along with the rest of the crew — Fadol Brown, Channing Ward, Breeland Speaks — need to up their ball awareness and move with even more urgency towards the ball carrier to shut down big plays before they start.

Next, tight end O.J. Howard needs to be contained. He may be one of the most utilized targets for Alabama’s passing offense, which means that Ole Miss defenders need to be aware of where he is on the field at all times. The Rebels can’t count on Senquez Golson outleaping Howard in the end zone this year, and not just because Golson is now in the NFL.

Alabama’s Jake Coker excels at making accurate, short passes to Howard, ArDarius Stewart, and sometimes even to Drake. Covering the 10 yards from the line of scrimmage should be Ole Miss’s priority.

Finally, the Ole Miss secondary should seize every opportunity to exploit Coker’s weakness. Namely, Coker struggles to complete deep pass plays. He will inevitably try a few during the game, and each time the Ole Miss secondary should be thinking interception. It’s here where the first-half absence of Tee Shepard may hurt the most, as he stays out due to a targeting penalty against Fresno State. Trae Elston and Chief Brown, who both had interceptions last Saturday, will need to aim for a repeat performance.

Only good things will happen if the Rebels defense can shut down strategic pockets of the Crimson Tide offense. Terrible things may happen if they don’t.

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE CLOSER LOOK

Top player, offense: Derrick Henry, Jr., RB — Now that he’s not in a time share with T.J. Yeldon, Henry has emerged as an early Heisman Trophy candidate. At 242 pounds, he’s difficult to bring down. With an inexperienced middle linebacker (C.J. Johnson) and a good defensive tackle out for the season (Issac Gross), Henry could stress the Rebels defense.

Top player, defense: Reggie Ragland, Sr., LB — A potential All-American candidate and likely a high-round NFL draft choice, Ragland is a steadying force for a physical front seven. Through two games, it appears that Ragland is a better alpha linebacker in Tuscaloosa than Trey DePriest was in 2014.

Top player, special teams: JK Scott, Soph., P — After having some trouble with his drops early in the season, Scott appears on track to return to the form that made him a Ray Guy Award finalist as a true freshman. He’s a huge asset for Alabama in terms of field position.