Showdown in T-Town: Anonymous coach feedback on Alabama-Ole Miss

By the end of Saturday, at least two of the SEC’s five unbeaten teams no longer will be undefeated.

No. 1 Alabama plays host to No. 12 Ole Miss and No. 2 Georgia welcomes in No. 8 Arkansas. So what should you expect from these two big SEC showdowns? To get you a better feel, On3 asked for feedback from eight coaches and team staffers who have either seen tape or been in games against Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and/or Ole Miss. 

Here are their views on Alabama-Ole Miss. We’ll have a breakdown of Arkansas-Georgia on Thursday.

General background

Other than Alabama’s 52-46 win over Florida in the SEC Championship Game, the closest game for the Crimson Tide’s 2020 national championship squad was a 63-48 victory over Ole Miss in Oxford in October.

It was tied at 42 early in the fourth quarter and was 56-48 before a game-sealing 39-yard touchdown run from Alabama running back Najee Harris with 1:09 left.

While the Tide won, Ole Miss got 365 passing yards from quarterback Matt Corral and finished with the highest yardage total ever posted by an Alabama opponent (647).

Now comes Nick Saban vs. Lane Kiffin, Round 2.

Alabama is 4-0 after wins over Miami (44-13), Mercer (48-14), Florida (31-29) and Southern Miss (63-14). Ole Miss (3-0) was off last week after victories over Louisville (43-24), Austin Peay (54-17) and Tulane (61-21).

The Crimson Tide opened as a 20-point favorite, but the spread has since dropped to 14.5. 

Ole Miss is a legitimate threat to Alabama

Don’t be surprised to see Ole Miss keep this one close — and potentially even come away with a win.

It’s because of what Kiffin, who was Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014-16, has built in just his second season as Rebels coach. The belief at Ole Miss — and around the SEC — is that the Rebels are even better on offense than last season’s group that averaged 39.2 points and 555.5 yards per game and 6.97 yards per play. Ole Miss also is looking, as one SEC staffer put it, “exponentially better” on defense compared to last season’s unit, which surrendered 38.3 points and 519.0 yards per game and an identical 6.97 yards per play.

“Alabama plays at home and it’s going to be Ole Miss’ first real test, but I really think Ole Miss has got a chance to win the game,” an SEC defensive coach said.

“It’s always hard to bet against Bama, and they’re the king until they’re knocked off, but Lane’s shown that he can compete (with Saban),” an SEC personnel staffer said. “I think he’s got a feel for their defense. They’ve had two weeks to prepare. And I just think Lane’s really good. And I just think Matt Corral’s really good. And, sometimes, a great quarterback can be such an equalizer.”

One of the biggest question marks for Ole Miss will be whether its improved defense can stop Alabama enough to give the Rebels a chance to win.

Although Ole Miss’ defense is allowing 344.7 yards per game and 4.81 yards per play, it’s important to note that the Rebels have played only two FBS teams, Louisville and Tulane.

“They still have major questions on defense,” a personnel figure said. “They’ve played much better, but I don’t think they’ve played anybody yet, so they haven’t been tested at all. Defensively, you’re talking about a team that was arguably the worst defense in the country last year in any major statistical category. They were horrible in terms of how they played and tackling and all those things. And they’ve been better. But, again, they haven’t played anybody.

“This will be by far their biggest test. They’re a little bit of a bend-don’t-break type of operation, and they’re still very vulnerable on defense. They just don’t have guys that can cover. They’ve got decent rushers. But I think you’re going to see their weaknesses and issues come to a head in this game, which they haven’t yet.”

Alabama’s defense will be tested

In Year 2 as the starter under Kiffin and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, Corral ranks No. 7 nationally in passing yardage (335.3 yards per game) despite limited action second-half action in the Rebels’ past two games. Corral, a Heisman candidate and potential first-round NFL draft pick, has also run for 158 yards, with 14 total touchdowns (nine passing, one rushing) and no interceptions.

In the victory over Tulane, Corral became the first player in SEC history with three passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns in a single game.

Led by Corral, Ole Miss is averaging an FBS-best 638.3 yards per game and is fourth at 7.69 yards per play.

“Corral is playing better than anybody in the country right now at that position,” a personnel man said. “He makes ’em go. Lane and Lebby dial it up offensively. They understand how to exploit weaknesses and mismatches and set plays up. They can score fast, they can score from far away, they can generate explosive plays. It’s easy for them to move the ball.

“Corral, to this point, has played close to perfect in terms of protecting the football, which — if you’re going to beat Alabama — you can’t turn it over. And Corral hasn’t done that thus far. So, to me, that’s a key to the game: Can Corral continue to play at the level he’s played at and continue to protect the football? If Corral protects the ball, I think Ole Miss has a really good chance to win.”

Corral and the Rebels will be facing an Alabama defense that gave up four touchdowns and 439 yards, including 244 rushing yards, during the Tide’s win over Florida.

That game (and plays like Florida’s second-quarter touchdown run that can be seen below) contributed to a couple of personnel figures mentioning inside linebacker, especially Tennessee transfer Henry To’oTo’o, and safety as potential problem areas for the Tide heading into the matchup with Ole Miss.

Malik Davis CAN’T BE STOPPED!!

Touchdown Florida 🐊 #CFBpic.twitter.com/UHNIwEgVAn

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 18, 2021

“With To’oTo’o, he’s talented and an instinctive player, but lack of gap discipline, jumping around blocks and not taking on blocks, that’s caused some of the explosive runs,” a personnel figure said. “… With the safeties, tackling especially (was subpar versus Florida). Poor angles. Missed tackles in space. Just kind of a lack of aggressiveness and speed.”

Alabama’s new QB living up to the hype

While opposing coaches see less elite talent at wide receiver and running back for Alabama compared to the past few years, the early feedback on new Tide positive Bryce Young has been positive.

Young, the consensus top-ranked quarterback in the 2020 signing class, threw for 344 yards and four touchdown passes in a season-opening win over Miami and for 240 yards and three scores during the Tide’s Week 3 win at Florida.

“Bryce Young, holy shit is he good,” an SEC personnel official said. “He’s as advertised and is not getting enough credit. That guy’s good.”

Young’s quarterback rating (188.59) is fifth-best nationally. Young and Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett are the only two FBS quarterbacks with more than 10 touchdown passes and fewer than two interceptions. Both have 15 TD passes and only one interception.

“You’re still talking about a really young player, but just from a skill-set standpoint, he’s got everything you want in terms of traits and ability and all that,” another personnel figure said of Young. “The guy’s got incredible poise, man. No moment really looks big for the guy. Very controlled. He makes ’em different, especially his ability to extend the play.”

“I think he has good arm talent,” a defensive coach said. “Quick release. I think he wants to throw, not scramble. I think he knows where to go with the ball. He makes some throws that other QBs would take longer to make. Ball comes out.”

Making Young’s play even more important for Alabama is that the Tide’s running game, as one opposing defensive coach put it, “isn’t nearly as strong” after losing All-American running back Najee Harris, All-American left tackle Alex Leatherwood, All-American center Landon Dickerson and All-SEC guard Deonte Brown. 

Tide running backs rushed for just 96 yards and an average of only 3.96 yards per attempt during the win over Florida.

“It doesn’t seem like their normal recipe for success on offense right now,” an SEC team official said. “They don’t have an O-line that can take over a game.”

In particular, the right side of the Tide’s line—guard Emil Ekiyor and tackle Chris Owens — was brought up multiple times as one of Alabama’s biggest weaknesses on offense. “Both of those guys are suspect,” one coach said.

A few additional notes

— A significant development for Alabama in recent weeks has been the re-emergence of tight end Jahleel Billingsley, a preseason All-SEC selection who was in Saban’s doghouse throughout the summer and early part of the season. Billingsley had a 26-yard touchdown catch against Florida, then five catches for 105 yards and a score in the win over Southern Miss. “Any time you have a dynamic tight end that’s a really good threat in the passing game, it just opens everything else up,” a personnel figure said. “He’s a mismatch nightmare, obviously, if the guy’s in the right frame of mind, and it makes them a lot different. Alabama doesn’t have as much firepower as what they’ve had in the past, so Billingsley — from an ability standpoint — is one of the players that can really be a difference-maker and be a really good mismatch.”

— Wide receiver Jameson Williams, a transfer from Ohio State, continues to be a “game-changer” for the Tide on offense and special teams. Williams, who may be the fastest player on the Tide roster, leads the team with 299 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. In the win over Southern Miss, he became the first player in Alabama history with two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a single game.

— Aside from preseason All-American left tackle Evan Neal, it seems like Alabama’s best offensive lineman has been sophomore left guard Javion Cohen. Two SEC staffers brought up Cohen, a former four-star recruit from Phenix City (Ala.) Central, and raved about his play through the early portion of the season. “The left side of their line is elite,” one said. “Evan Neal’s the best offensive lineman in the country and should be the top offensive lineman drafted. And this left guard they have (Cohen) is a freak show. He’s incredible. He’s still a young player, but he’s really good.”