My take: Ole Miss vs Bama

[HottyToddy]

Really this is my take on Ole Miss... I've been an Ole Miss fan my entire life and have been lucky enough to be close to the program.

In three years at Ole Miss Hugh Freeze has taken the talent level to an all time high. Hugh Freeze was a home run hire for us. He wasn't a big name but he was the right name. After Cutcliffe, Ed, and Nutt we were in a position that we had to make the right hire. Rumors all over the state was we were going to go after Leach. My heart broke when I heard that was the target.. We didnt need Leach. We needed a young, energetic, and passionate coach who can recruit. That's exactly what we got and more. We needed a long term hire and I believe Hugh is set up for a 10 year or longer tenure in Oxford. He has recruited top tier talent that actually made it to campus and producing on the field... Now to the actual game breakdown lol.

Quarterback- Advantage Alabama- Sad to say but Bo Wallace still doesn't OWN the system in his 3rd year as a starter. He just doesn't do well pre snap.. A 3rd year starter should be in total control and know what options are going to be there before the snap is made. I'm not saying Bo is awful because he isn't... At times he is lights out. I've watched every snap he's taken for 4 years. I was excited coming into this year because he was healthy. I thought he'd own this offense. He still makes too many mental and red zone mistakes. He had decent finishing numbers against Boise and Memphis but trust me he looked awful. Make no mistake he could have a great day but more than likely he will turn it over multiple times. Sims has looked pretty damn good thus far and he runs better than I expected. He's only turned it over twice.

Running Backs- Advantage Alabama- No write up needed. A much more talented and deeper group.

Oline- Advantage Alabama- Ole Miss has struggled here but we are making improvements. Ole Miss has big time recruits playing but very young... With true sophomores and freshman playing a good bit.. Ole Miss will be strong in the future on the oline but at this point it's a work in progress. Bama averages 6 yards per run and have gotten better every week.

Receivers- slight edge ole miss- Both teams have a talented group of play makers... Bamas Cooper will most likely be the number 1 receiver taken in the NFL and has a ton of other great play makers. Ole Miss product Treadwell could be the top overall receiver next year.. I look for Evan Engram to be big this weekend for the Rebels... He's a mis match at the Tight end position. Ole Miss has 5 guys that have went over 100 yards in a game this year. Ill give Ole Miss the edge in Depth while Cooper is the best on the field. Pretty much dead even.

Defense- Edge Ole Miss-
im not going to write up every position. Both teams have been dominant thus far. Ole Miss comes in giving up 8.5 points a game and Bama gives up 14. The tide have been better against the run giving up 2.6 yards a carry, while ole miss only gives up 3.5 yards a carry. Total yards per play goes to Ole Miss as they give up 3.7 yards per play while Bama on gives up 4.5 YPP. IMO Ole Miss has a top secondary in the country. They always seem to be in position to make every play. Ole Miss swarms to the football as well as anyone in the country. Memphis was thought to be a true test for the Ole Miss Defense as the Tigers were averaging 45 points and 500 yards per game while scoring 35 points and totaling 540 yards against UCLA. Memphis was no contest as they had a total of 104 yards with about half of that coming on one play. I felt they could of played 14 quarters without giving up a Touchdown. Bamas D totally shut down a bad Florida offense. Florida was outclassed all day.

We will find out this weekend how good the Ole Miss defense really is. I thought we would know more last week but honestly Memphis was awful. Was that the D or was Memphis offense that overrated. We will know after that Bama offense comes through. Bamas receivers and running backs will test every defense in the league.

Turnovers Created:
Ole Miss: 13 total take aways.. 9 interceptions and 4 Fumbles
Alabama: 6 total take aways.. 4 fumbles and 2 interceptions


Note: Ole Misses 1st unit hasn't giving up a Touchdown all year.

Coaches: Advantage Alabama: I love Hugh Freeze and his staff but Bama has the best staff in the country. Nick Saban is the best coach in College football, and Kirby Smart is the top Dcoordinator in college. No matter what you think of Lane Kiffin he is a very good coach.. He comes from football royalty. He's been a head coach in the NFL, the SEC, and USC. He didnt get them jobs because he was a pretty face. He got them because he's a hell off a coordinator.

Special Teams: Bama: if it comes down to field goals Bama has the edge.
Key Matchup: Ole Miss offense vs Alabamas Defense.

My final prediction: I believe that Ole Miss will get enough stops on defense to give the Rebs a chance to win the game. Alabama will score because they are to talented not to but I feel Ole Miss can slow them down . We have a very talented group on Defense that I believe can hold Bama in the 17-21 point range butttt.... I'm not confident that Ole Misses offense can protect the ball or score enough to beat Bama. Nick Saban and Kirby Smart coming off a bye week will give Bo Wallace fits with exotic pre snap looks and post snap rotations. Basically Bama will give Bo a false look pre snap and play something totally different post snap thus making Bo make smart reactions to what is going on. I think that our Oline will have trouble with Bamas front thus allowing them to Drop 6-7 and still get pressure. Bo is capable of getting hot and beating A&M, LSU, Auburn types but not Bama. It's not a good matchup because Kirby does a great job of making a QB beat him with his brain. Bo Panics some post snap when the look he expects isn't there. You can see it all over his face when it happens and he gets erratic with ball protection. I expect Bama to force 3-4 turnovers and play on a short field a lot. Bottom line I honestly believe we have a Championship Defense but we don't have a Championship offense yet. Final Alabama 31-13.

 

[HottyToddy]

Ole Miss Fans: Im as big of an Ole Miss fan that you've ever met. My entire family graduated from Ole Miss and we've had 14 season tickets in Section C for as long as I can remember. I would love nothing more than to come in here and eat crow after the game... I believe in Coach Freeze and our Athletic Director more than I ever had in my 32 years.. We are on the way up for sure.. I believe we will 9 games this year. Bo just has to show me before I can sell out that he can lead us to Championships... I believe the immediate future is bright... If Buchannan or Kincade can own this system I believe the 2015 and 2016 teams can be special. It feels great to be playing in big time games 2 1/2 years in the Freeze ERA. I've been called a Hater and Loser for my views on Bo. People get it twisted... We owe a great deal of gratitude to Bo for coming in and getting us off the mat. I appreciate the hell out of him. He's a solid QB and has done a great job of leading us to 2 Bowl Wins and out of the wilderness as Freeze puts it. I just haven't seen enough consistency out of him to believe that he's a Championship QB. He can change my mind Saturday afternoon in the Vaught.

Bo doesn't have to throw for 400 yards and 4 Touchdowns to change my mind on him. To get my complete trust he needs to go execute the offense and more importantly he needs to protect the football... Against Boise and Memphis he flat out left us vulnerable late in the game by turning it over 7 times. That's against two teams that were head and shoulders better than. Even if we lose Saturday but he protects the ball against a very good defense he will take a step in earning my trust... If he could have a 20-33 game for 240 yards 2TDs and one interception and no sack fumble type of a game we will have a chance to win it.

 

[tsm123]

You are the now the official RX William Faulkner

 

[HottyToddy]

Hahaha! I get long winded when discussing my beloved Rebels

 

[olemiss33]

Hahaha! I get long winded when discussing my beloved Rebels

There's ZERO chance Alabama wins this game by 18. ZERO. Now, I think they win, but it's going to be a TD game. I don't know how close you are to these kids, but I can assure you that you aren't closer to most of them than I am. Im 100% confident of that. They will be ready. Bo will be ready. There won't be the amount of TO's you think there will. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Ole Miss wins the TO battle.

Again, I think Bama is just better than Ole Miss, but this is their first road game. More importantly, it's Sims first road game. Things won't be as easy as they were against lesser opponents. In the end I think Bama just has too much talent, but they aren't 18 points better. They just aren't. Hell, Im not 100% sure they score 18 points.

 

[SoupNazi]

We've chatted briefly before. I too am an OM grad and lived in No. Miss for 45 years before moving. Bo has done a good job for a QB that wasn't highly rated coming out of HS. Bo has been quite inconsistent in his 3 years @ OM and it doesn't help this year with an average OL. Tunsil is good but he can't block the whole DL. I, like you, think our best shot at doing something great will be in 2015 and 2016 based on recruiting. It's hard to tell what you will get each Saturday with this OM team, if they come to play, they can win. If they come out misfiring with a few mistakes, it will be an uphill battle from the get go. Hotty Toddy, GO REBS!

I have a small wager on Bama and it's a bet I'm hoping to lose.

 

[HottyToddy]

There's ZERO chance Alabama wins this game by 18. ZERO. Now, I think they win, but it's going to be a TD game. I don't know how close you are to these kids, but I can assure you that you aren't closer to most of them than I am. Im 100% confident of that. They will be ready. Bo will be ready. There won't be the amount of TO's you think there will. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Ole Miss wins the TO battle.

Again, I think Bama is just better than Ole Miss, but this is their first road game. More importantly, it's Sims first road game. Things won't be as easy as they were against lesser opponents. In the end I think Bama just has too much talent, but they aren't 18 points better. They just aren't. Hell, Im not 100% sure they score 18 points.

I do not doubt that you're closer to the players than I am. I also have no doubt that our guys will be ready and prepared to play. If we win or tie the turnover battle I believe we will have a legitimate chance to WIN the game. I believe our defense is one of the best in the country.

Im not a Bo hater at all... He gives us our only chance to win the game at QB... I know he has prepared well and ready to play. For Ole Miss to take the next step this year Bo must be able to produce on the big stage.. The first big stage is this Saturday. If he plays well you'll be exactly right. No way we lose by 18 if he plays well... If he plays like he did last week and turns it over 3-4 times it will be a great chance we get beat 3 touchdowns. This team reminds me of the 08 team so much... Our D is salty and were talented on offense. We can beat any team we play against or we can be in a dog fight for our lives against teams were clearly better than.

So here's to Bo executing Saturday!!! If he goes out and plays well there is no telling what this squad can do. The offense and Bo have to show it Saturday... Hotty Toddy brother

 

[RedElephants]

I'm heading over Friday for the game....good luck pal. My quick take and this is quick but with study.....

Alabama Offense and Defense, both for real with 2 weeks to prepare and both getting better with experience.

Ole Miss Defense is for real, great speed and tackling abilities, saw UF fail at making Blake beat them with the deep ball, so that won't be their game plan.

The key to this game is the Ole Miss Offense, and the facts to this point in the season are....Ole Miss cannot make it happen depending on the run, 73rd Rushing Offense. It's been happening with the throw but to this point, they've played #53, #85, #89, and #99 Passing Defenses. 53 was Memphis and points dropped to 24. Bama's Rushing Defense is 3rd and Passing Defense is 24. You know better than I whether its Bo or not but unless something changes, I expect them to struggle, despite the chaotic crowd. Only turnovers push this game Over the Total.

 

[WinOne]

Posted this in another thread...Just my .02Cents but if you are Ol Miss, you'd hope to see Coker. IMO he's just not ready to run the offense and he limits the type of game Kiffin wants to call. As I said during the summer he'd not pick up the playbook. Not really sure the kid can 'ball but Bama was sold a bill of goods as he wont be the guy next year either because they just recruited a hot shot freshman if I am not mistaken. on the other hand, Sims running that offense has been very, very impressive with Kiffin. But this game comes down to Ol Miss and their mistake prone QB Bo Wallace. Can he be trusted to run their uptempo offense and not turn the ball over or make bad decisions. He's a guy with a career of 51TDs to 33Ints and add to this another 12 Fumbles all through 2 seasons and 4 games of a 3rd season. The spread has moved to Bama -6, tells me Sims will probably play and that there is no confidence in QB Wallace.

 

[WinOne]

I'm heading over Friday for the game....good luck pal. My quick take and this is quick but with study.....

Alabama Offense and Defense, both for real with 2 weeks to prepare and both getting better with experience.

Ole Miss Defense is for real, great speed and tackling abilities, saw UF fail at making Blake beat them with the deep ball, so that won't be their game plan.

The key to this game is the Ole Miss Offense, and the facts to this point in the season are....Ole Miss cannot make it happen depending on the run, 73rd Rushing Offense. It's been happening with the throw but to this point, they've played #53, #85, #89, and #99 Passing Defenses. 53 was Memphis and points dropped to 24. Bama's Rushing Defense is 3rd and Passing Defense is 24. You know better than I whether its Bo or not but unless something changes, I expect them to struggle, despite the chaotic crowd. Only turnovers push this game Over the Total.

The Bama pass defense scares me. WVU torched them for play after play and despite the clubbing of Florida, Driskell had wide open receivers all day long. He just could not connect with any of them because he $ucks as a QB. But they were open.

 

[rolltide]

There's ZERO chance Alabama wins this game by 18. ZERO. I don't know how close you are to these kids, but I can assure you that you aren't closer to most of them than I am. Im 100% confident of that. They will be ready. Bo will be ready. Hell, Im not 100% sure they score 18 points.

good to see the liquor is flowing in Oxford!

u fellas are fired up...like to see it! don't blow your load though...it's only Tuesday

 

[rolltide]

So here's to Bo executing Saturday!!! If he goes out and plays well there is no telling what this squad can do. The offense and Bo have to show it Saturday

i have no doubt that if Bo plays a top-2 game in his career (LSU 2013 being #1) Ole Miss either wins the game outright or covers. But if he plays anywhere near the past 2 years (QBR 41.6 and 37.4) this is another 3 TD+ beating

lots of pressure on the guy. for some reason I think he gets it done. if it's not him then it will be Prescott next month. was chastised by my bama brothers last year when i told them we weren't running the table and i know we won't do it this year either. I'm saying it's either Saturday or home vs Miss St that clips us up.

but to say there is absolutely ZERO chance Bama wins this game by 18 is pure homerism jackassasism ... hell, you can be the Ole Miss' CB dad, girlfriend or boyfriend and I promise you we can win the game by 18+ at least 1% of the time (directed toward mr oxford)

I'll stick with what i keep saying. I think Freeze has a lot of playbook to dust off that we'll be seeing in 1Q and early 2Q. That part of the book will be to test our corners just like did did against UF. If bo hits them early and jumps out to 10-14 point 1Q lead or 7-10 1H lead, Bama is in huge trouble. If it's tied or Bama leading at HT i'll be real confident as Freeze will be out of new bullets after 20 minutes of game

 

[bobbyjones2]

game like this could come down to special teams....

input?

 

[mws]

Hahaha! I get long winded when discussing my beloved Rebels

Yeah, well. that's understandable! We appreciate the insight!

 

[hogjawl]

I don't trust Freeze in high profile games..... I have only watched him a time or two in that situation... his play calling killed OMiss last year in the A&M game.... he calls right before the half and at the end of that game seemed to indicate that he did not trust his team. In any case, he has brought OMiss up and I give him that.... I just can't put money on him here.

Good luck..... Hogjawl

 

[rolltide]

game like this could come down to special teams....

input?

well bama have a ton of special teams talent but most of it unproven.

C Jones is a fantastic Kick and Punt returner having a poor season at 6 ypr on punts, 26 on kicks. I can't speak much of Ole Miss' but espn had their returners ranked toward the bottom of sec in preseason and looks like punt returner is at 5.4 yards per return. - i'm sure one of the miss boys can give you a full overview. When Christion Jones isn't retuning them it's Cyrus Jones and he brought his only punt return back 70 this year.

when i say unproven i meant kicker and punter as, for bama, both are in first years as starters. Scott (P), has been good but only punted 5x this year averaging 44.5. the place kicker is Griffith...one of best legs in college football famous for the kick vs barn last november. he's 7/8 FG and 21/21 xp with only miss a 45 yarder vs gators. looks like miss' kid is perfect on XP and 3/5 FG missing a pair last week and punter is right at 44 per kick which is real solid.

Cole Mazza's in his 2nd year as Bama's long snapper taking over for Tinker. He's been excellent and overall this looks like one of the most complete special teams units the Tide has ever but punts and fg's on road in SEC play quite different than home or neutral, so really they are "tbd". Tide kickers were 5/10 in road FG last year and haven't kicked a 40+ yarder on road in more than 2 calendar years.

 

[Johnnyreb]

I don't trust Freeze in high profile games..... I have only watched him a time or two in that situation... his play calling killed OMiss last year in the A&M game.... he calls right before the half and at the end of that game seemed to indicate that he did not trust his team. In any case, he has brought OMiss up and I give him that.... I just can't put money on him here.

Good luck..... Hogjawl

Not many coaches in the country better at making second half adjustments than Hugh Freeze, that's been proven..

 

[HottyToddy]

Boy I've never been so happy to be so wrong... Bo Wallace was throwing dimes in the second half. He showed the entire Rebel fan base that he can win a big game... Especially how the first half ended with the no call on the face mask and the scoop and score. Our defense is as advertised. The number defense has allowed 1 TD in 5 games. The D kept us in it all day... The offense stepped up late and won it in the end. Bama off a bye week is a tough task but OM found a way.

 

[olemiss33]

There's ZERO chance Alabama wins this game by 18. ZERO. Now, I think they win, but it's going to be a TD game. I don't know how close you are to these kids, but I can assure you that you aren't closer to most of them than I am. Im 100% confident of that. They will be ready. Bo will be ready. There won't be the amount of TO's you think there will. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Ole Miss wins the TO battle.

Again, I think Bama is just better than Ole Miss, but this is their first road game. More importantly, it's Sims first road game. Things won't be as easy as they were against lesser opponents. In the end I think Bama just has too much talent, but they aren't 18 points better. They just aren't. Hell, Im not 100% sure they score 18 points.

Just reiterating this point....LOL. Seriously thought, what a fun weekend. Oxford was just electric this weekend. After rewatching the game, the better team won the game. Ole Miss was better Saturday. Without a BS TD just before half that shouldn't have stood, Ole Miss went on to outscore Bama 20-3 in the second half.

 

[rolltide]

congrats on the game and enjoyable weekend fellas.