The Alabama Crimson Tide get their first SEC road test of the season as they face off against Mississippi in Oxford. The Tide come in with one of the most efficient offenses in the league, but will face on of the nation's top defenses which will make for an interesting game as the Rebels look to break a losing streak against Alabama that dates back to Eli Manning being in at quarterback.
Alabama's offense is averaging 42 points and 335.8 passing yards per game thanks to quarterback Blake Sims and wide receiver Amari Cooper. The Rebels intend to test those thumbs. There defense is giving up just 8.5 points and 248 yards per game this season with defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and safety Tony Connor leading the team.
Ole Miss is coming off a solid defensive showing against Memphis. They gave up just 104 yards while earning the 24-3 win. The issue is that Alabama is a much different team than Memphis. Sims is coming off a game where he went 23 of 33 in passing for 445 yards and four touchdowns against the Florida Gators before having the bye week. Cooper was responsible for 10 of those catches for 201 yards and a score while the three-headed monster of TJ Yeldon, Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake were mismatch nightmares.
The Rebels will count on Bo Wallace at quarterback to remain consistent while they let their defense do the talking. Wallace has 1,271 yards on the season with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has two strong wide receivers led by Treadwell307 yards on the year while averaging 15.4 yards per catch. The Alabama secondary has struggled with consistency over the past four games and those wide receivers will push young cornerbacks like Eddie Jackson and Tony Brown.
The Rebels have not beaten Alabama since Manning was quarterback. It has been a long drought Mississippi would like to end. Meanwhile, Alabama understands what it means to come to Oxford with a target on their back and are hoping to step and respond.
