Ole Miss back on the map, shakes up SEC West by beating Bama
No. 11 Ole Miss may have detoured a dynasty, rallying from 11 down in the second half to beat Alabama -- No. 1 in the coaches poll -- 23-17.
By
Dennis Dodd
•
5 min read
OXFORD, Miss. – The biggest day of football in this state’s history will be known – at least a bit -- for what didn’t happen.
That would be Alabama in early October being on top – of the SEC West, of the country. Certainly in failing to come out on top of a game that hung in the balance in the fourth quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
There’s something weird about seeing Ole Miss and Mississippi State tied for the West lead in the first week of October (both 2-0). There’s something equally strange about Bama losing this early in the season for the first time since 2007.
That was Nick Saban’s first year when a still-teetering program lost six times, including to Louisiana-Monroe. Saban has now lost three consecutive games to ranked teams for the first time since 1997.
“They’ve been the gold standard in this conference,” Rebels coach Hugh Freeze said after a history-making 23-17 upset of the No. 1 [in the coaches’ poll] Tide.
Perhaps a lot of what you know about the division and the league is about to change. Ninety miles down the road Mississippi State eviscerated previously unbeaten Texas A&M earlier in the day.
“Getting two SEC wins is not our goal,” Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen said earlier in the day. “We want more.”
The Rebels rallied from 14-3 down in the second half to beat Bama for the first time in more than a decade. They’re 5-0 for the first time since 1962. They beat a No. 1 for the first time ever.
That’s two programs in this state that have gone a combined 112 years without an SEC title. That’s two programs about which there have to be doubts whether they can fulfill their destiny.
“I don’t know if this is the biggest win in program history,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. “I can’t measure it next to the Archie [Manning] years. We’ve got to put it in the trash tomorrow.”
But not until they Hotty Toddy in The Square until the lights are turned out. Not until every bow tie in The Grove tips one back for the dear, old Rebs.
When Bo Wallace hit Jaylen Walton with the winning touchdown pass with 2:54 left, something changed. Ole Miss proved it could win these types of games. And Alabama proved they could lose them.
Ole Miss had tied it 17-17 with 5 1/2 minutes left on Bo Wallace's 34-yard pass to Vince Sanders. Alabama kick returner Christion Jones then fumbled it away at his own 31. Wallace eventually hit Walton with a 10-yard scoring pass in the right side of the end zone. Alabama safety Landon Collins was beaten on both.
In early October A&M, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn are still left on the schedule for Alabama. For the first time in a long time there is doubt about the Tide six weeks into the season.
“Every goal that we have as a team is still in front of us,” Saban said. “But we have to improve and we have to respond the right way to losing.”
The Tide have feasted on these types of scenarios in establishing a modern dynasty. So how did they steal some attention away from (arguably) Ole Miss’ most significant win?
“We didn’t finish the game [in the manner] we need to finish,” Saban said.
When’s the last time you heard that? Saban answered the question himself. The offensive inefficiency reminded him of that 9-6 overtime to loss to LSU in 2011.
Three years ago, Bama drove to the LSU 35 or deeper seven times and came away with two field goals. On Saturday, the Tide penetrated Ole Miss 40 six times and came away 1 of 3 on field goals, threw an interception and scored two touchdowns.
The difference, of course, is that Bama was able to get a rematch in the BCS title game and win it all. The resulting distastefulness of that rematch (outside Louisiana and Alabama) is a chief reason we have a playoff today.
Not that Alabama can't get into the four-team playoff. But judging by Saturday, the Tide doesn't deserve it. They’ve now lost three of their last seven. Saturday marked their first road game, their first game against a ranked team and first against a team that had a winning record in 2013.
It wasn’t an excuse but Saban’s team lost three starters during the course of the game. Most notably, tailback Kenyan Drake was immediately flown back to Birmingham for what he said was a probable broken leg.
The running game for what had to be one of the best offenses in Alabama history was shut down when it counted. It finished with 168 yards, only 66 in the second half.
Saban admitted to being surprised a bit by Ole Miss’ bunch formations in the boundary that featured 296-pound tight end Jeremy Liggins split wide.
Give much credit to Ole Miss’ Landshark defense. It is for real, by the way, causing two turnovers. The last was cornerback’s Senquez Gordon’s interception in the back of the end zone with 37 seconds left.
“I tried to run him off,” Freeze said of the senior from Pascagoula, Miss. “I didn’t think he would make it. He was not bought it. He didn’t understand how to work.”
Folks around Oxford will see the result as justification. Alabama got its second touchdown late in the second half on a fumble return by defensive back Cyrus Jones who should have been flagged for a facemask.
Folks around Tuscaloosa will see Saturday as an opportunity to start over. When’s the last time you heard that this early in October?
