We’re drawing near to the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide’s (4-0) marquee matchup against former Saban assistant Lane Kiffin and his formidable No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels (3-0) on Saturday. The intensity is cranking up and Tide fans are growing anxious as we move closer to kickoff with each passing moment.
Just a year ago, this game resulted in a shootout, with Alabama’s defense, which was once known to be impenetrable, limping off the field after allowing 647 yards and 48 points in a 63-48 Crimson Tide victory.
Saban shared his thoughts on how he believes Alabama can get the job done defensively.
“I think the players gotta get lined up,” Saban said on Wednesday. “We can’t do too much. Last year, we were a young group. They were going fast, we had trouble getting lined up, we were out of position a lot of times. Because we were out of position, we missed a lot of tackles. So I think that we have to play fast, we have to get lined up. Everybody’s gotta be able to focus on their responsibility because these guys are really good at executing what they do.
“So you have to be really good on defense of executing what you do. And making mental errors because you’re not lined up correctly or you don’t have good communication is something that they’ll take advantage of every time.”
Clearly Saban believes he knows the formula against Ole Miss, he just needs his players to properly execute and understand their role on the field.
Starting Crimson Tide LB Henry To’o To’o also had some thoughts on how to combat an offense that leads the country in points per game (52.7) and total offense (638.8).
“Definitely try to get the call in fast,” To’o To’o said. “See the signal as fast as I can and just try to relay the message, echo the call as many times as I can before the ball is snapped. But the faster we get the call, the faster we can line up and play ball.”
If anybody on Ole Miss’ schedule up to this point has the ability to stop them from lighting up the scoreboard, the Crimson Tide would be that team.
Expect them to create a couple of key turnovers to get off the field and shift momentum. Forcing turnovers will be a key area for Alabama to focus on. Anything that can deflate the confidence of Matt Corral would be highly beneficial.
As long as the crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium listens to Saban’s instructions and provides a loud, rowdy environment, the Ole Miss offense could be out of sorts all day.
I expect the Alabama defense to fare a lot better this time around against this offensive powerhouse in Ole Miss, just as long as assignments are followed, the crowd stays energized and the strategy is sound.
You can catch the game between No. 1 Alabama and No. 12 Ole Miss on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.
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