Defense still counts, Ole Miss pays and Big Ten scholarships
By Ivan Maisel | ESPN.com
1. In an offense-crazy season, Ole Miss, Notre Dame and Stanford are the only three teams that have yet to give up more than 17 points, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Rebels are No. 3 and 5-0 thanks to a defense that allowed Alabama only one drive longer than 59 yards. The Irish are No. 6 and 5-0 despite seven turnovers in their past two games, because they have allowed only one drive as long as 75 yards all year. And somehow the Cardinal are No. 25 and 3-2 because they have allowed 13 and 17 points and lost. Stanford is playing offense as if it's still August: penalties and breakdowns galore.
2. The experience Ole Miss enjoyed last week, from ESPN's "College GameDay" to Katy Perry to the upset of Alabama to the parading of the goal posts around campus, is a textbook example of what athletics can do to pull a campus together. This week, the bills came due: a $50,000 fine by the SEC for fans rushing the field, $22,000 in new goalposts and more. Ole Miss is paying them by crowdsourcing, a textbook example of how to strike while the iron is hot. There's something odd about a school with a $70-million athletic budget using a fundraising technique that's one electronic step past a bake sale.
3. We in the crusading media have a habit of highlighting things that need to be done and ignoring them once the powers that be actually do them. Let's go down memory lane to last spring, when the collegiate athletic world was in crisis and players were going to unionize, etc., etc. In the past 10 days alone, the conferences that pushed for and got autonomy has submitted its plans to provide a long list of new benefits for its student-athletes. And on Wednesday, the Big Ten became the first conference to guarantee four-year scholarships. It might no longer be a headline, but it sure is news.
It was a friendly sibling rivalry from start to finish.
Chris Kiffin, Ole Miss' defensive line coach and younger brother of Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger there was a running dialogue between the siblings during the days leading up to the Crimson Tide's showdown with the Rebels.
It went beyond the brothers and involved the entire Kiffin family in a group text thread, Chris said.
"That really never stopped all week," Kiffin told the Clarion-Ledger. "It kind of got out of control. We were having fun, but he actually told us leading up to the game -- they had a bye week -- that he thought our defense was really, really good and he was a little nervous about playing our defense. I guess it turned out good for us."
When Alabama players discussed the storyline of the brothers squaring off against each other, most said Lane hadn't mentioned it. Senior fullback Jalston Fowler said he anticipated something to come up, though.
"He's gonna be pumping them up all week telling them we gotta stop my brother's offense," Fowler said.
Chris said he hopes Alabama's offense bounces back Saturday against Arkansas.
Brushing aside a carnival-like atmosphere and Alabama's potent defense, Mississippi quarterback Bo Wallace bounced around in the pocket and threw one perfect pass after another, willing the Rebels downfield in the fourth quarter.
Two touchdown passes and one stunning comeback later, No. 11 Mississippi had a 23-17 victory over No. 3 Alabama on Saturday and asserted itself as a true contender in the Southeastern Conference Western Division.
After knocking off the No. 3 Crimson Tide in one of the most dramatic victories in school history, No. 11 Ole Miss looks like a championship contender, writes Mark Schlabach. Story
Bo Wallace thrived at QB, but it was Dave Wommack's defense that enabled that to happen against Alabama. Story
"We worked hard for this moment," said Ole Miss receiver Laquon Treadwell, who caught a touchdown pass. "And as (the final seconds) happened, I thought, 'This isn't the end of it all. It's just the beginning.'"
Wallace threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns, including a go-ahead 10-yarder to Jaylen Walton with 2:54 remaining.
It capped a methodical, nearly flawless fourth quarter for the Rebels (5-0, 2-0 SEC), who have won five games to start the season for the first time since 1962 and ended a 10-game losing streak against the Tide.
When it was over, drinks flew into the air and students rushed the field in disbelief, celebrating what may be the biggest win for Ole Miss in a generation. It also capped a stunning day for the Magnolia State -- No. 12 Mississippi State beat No. 6 Texas A&M 48-31 earlier Saturday in Starkville.
The Rebels trailed 17-10 midway through the fourth quarter, with a brutally efficient Alabama offense controlling the tempo. But Ole Miss pulled even on Wallace's 34-yard touchdown pass to Vince Sanders with 5:29 remaining.
On the ensuing kickoff, Alabama's Christion Jones fumbled and Ole Miss' Kailo Moore recovered, giving the Rebels great field position at the Alabama 31. Channing Ward forced the fumble.
A few plays later, Wallace found Walton in the end zone for the lead.
Alabama (4-1, 1-1) still had a chance to win, driving the field quickly in the final minutes, but Senquez Golson intercepted a pass from Blake Sims in the end zone with 37 seconds remaining.
Golson's interception was an acrobatic catch in the back of the end zone after the long heave by Sims. He was originally ruled out of bounds, but replays showed he cradled the pass with his left hand and landed just inside the end zone.
"The feeling is indescribable right now," Golson said.
After the call was confirmed by the officials, a euphoric crowd erupted. Students hung from the goal posts after the game and eventually pulled one down, carrying it across the field in jubilation.
Wallace completed 18 of 31 passes, saving his best for last. The confident -- sometimes even brash -- senior has often had a gunslinger's reputation in the past, mixing great passes with inexplicable interceptions.
But he kept mistakes to the minimum Saturday, coolly leading the Rebels when they needed him most.
"He made some big-time plays," Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. "He just played so solid. On that last touchdown, that ball was right where it needed to be for us."
It was a surprise ending to a game Alabama controlled most of the day. The Rebels won despite being outgained 396 to 323.
T.J. Yeldon rushed for 123 yards on 20 carries. Amari Cooper caught nine passes for 91 yards.
"We did not finish the game like we needed to," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "I think the question for our team is, 'How do you respond to a loss?'"
Sims was coming off a 445-yard, four-touchdown performance against Florida two weeks ago, but couldn't provide any heroics on Saturday.
It was an electric atmosphere before the game. Ole Miss was hosting ESPN's "College Gameday" for the first time in school history and the school's famed tailgating area -- the Grove -- was overflowing with fans anticipating the biggest game on campus in more than a decade. Even pop star Katy Perry made an appearance on a gorgeous, sunny day in north Mississippi.
But eventually, the party had to move to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
And somehow, it became even wilder.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, but Alabama responded with a 12-play, 68-yard drive midway through the second quarter that ended with Sims' 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down.
But Alabama's biggest play -- by far -- came a few minutes later. Cyrus Jones stripped the ball from Ole Miss running back I'Tavius Mathers, scooped it up and ran 13 yards untouched for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
Television replays showed Jones grabbing Mathers' face mask on the play, but it was a non-reviewable call so the touchdown call was allowed to stand. An angry stadium showered the officials with boos going into halftime, but the damage was done.
The no-call hurt the Rebels, but so did an ineffective offense. Ole Miss gained only 105 yards in the first half as the Alabama defense stuffed the Rebels at almost every turn.
That changed in the second half.
The Ole Miss defense came into the game giving up just 8.5 points per game and played well again, keeping it close until the comeback began.
The Tide lost running back Kenyan Drake to a leg injury in the second quarter. Saban said they believe the leg is broken, and Drake has already been taken back to Birmingham, Alabama.
If you’re a fan of offensive football, move on. There’s not a whole helluva lot to see here.
In what has been the dictionary-definition of a defensive slugfest, the visiting Alabama Crimson Tide out-slugged Ole Miss defensively in taking a 14-3 lead into the locker room. The first touchdown of the half came on a Blake Sims one-yard touchdown run with just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter.
That was just the third touchdown Ole Miss’ defense has surrendered this season, and its first since Sept. 13.
The second touchdown, appropriately enough, was a defensive one as the Tide’s Alab Cyrus returned a fumble 13 yards for the score with just under a minute left in the half. The touchdown should’ve been called back, however, as Cyrus Jones was shown clearly on the replay committing a facemask penalty as he knocked the ball out of I’Tavius Mathers‘ left arm.
The Tide had 176 yards of offense, 68 of which came on the drive that was capped by Sims’ short scamper off a play fake. The Rebels, meanwhile, were held to 100 first-half yards and converted one of their seven third-down attempts. The visitors weren’t much more successful in the latter category in converting three of nine.
A microcosm of the defensive dominance came in the form of Amari Cooper. The Tide wide receiver came into the game leading the country in receiving yards per game (163.
and second in receptions per game (10.
; he was held to four catches for just 22 yards in the first two quarters.
Unfortunately, the game also featured a horrific leg injury suffered by ‘Bama running back Kenyan Drake very early in the second quarter. Drake, who leads the Tide with four rushing touchdowns, was taken off the field on a cart with an injury that very much has the look of a season-ending one. Just one piece of advice: if you haven’t seen a replay of the injury, continue doing so. Not only for the sight of it but for the sound of Drake’s screams. You’ll thank me later, trust me.
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