This Saturday two of the best teams in the country will go to battle inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Nick Saban will lead the topped ranked Crimson Tide against Lane Kiffin and the No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels in what is sure to be an epic contest.
Alabama and Ole Miss have had plenty of great battles over the past several seasons including last year’s offensive clinic when Alabama topped Ole Miss 63-48.
We are now less than 24 hours away from kickoff and I thought it would be fun to look back at one of Alabama’s most dominating victories over the Rebels.
In 2002 an Eli Manning-led Rebels team headed to Tuscaloosa to take on the Tide. Ole Miss came into the contest ranked 21st and Alabama was ranked 24th.
Alabama controlled the game from start to finish behind junior running back Santonio Beard’s five rushing touchdowns. Alabama dominated the Rebels winning 42-7.
Beard finished the game with 138 yards rushing while Ole Miss only ran for four yards as a team in the game.
Alabama starting quarterback Tyler Watts exited the game early in the second quarter and did not return. Backup Brodie Croyle stepped in and played brilliantly. Croyle finished the game 6-11 for 179 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown pass to Dre Fulgham.
While I don’t expect Alabama to handle Ole Miss the same way in this year’s matchup, I still believe the Tide is the better team and will walk out of Bryant-Denny Stadium with a victory over the Rebels.
Click here for the extended highlights of Alabama’s dominating win over the Rebels in 2002.
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