Alabama vs Ole Miss Game Preview: Everything You Need To Know Before Kickoff
No team in the conference has had as much recent success against Alabama as Ole Miss and the Rebels are coming to Tuscaloosa for a night game in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
No. 1 Alabama (4-0) vs Ole Miss (2-1)
When: Saturday, September 30 at 8:00 PM/CT
Where:Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL
Weather: Forecasts call for a pleasant day on Saturday with temperatures in the mid-70s at kickoff and dropping a bit as the game progresses. It should be a clear night with a slight breeze.
TV: ESPN (Play-by-play: Joe Tessitore, color analyst: Todd Blackledge, sideline reporter: Holly Rowe)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-by-play: Eli Gold, color analyst: Phil Savage, sideline reporter: Chris Stewart). Listen on 95.3 the Bear and Tide 102.9/100.9 in Tuscaloosa.
Spread: Alabama is a 28-point favorite over Ole Miss, according to Bovada. The Crimson Tide is 2-2 ATS in 2017.
Series History: Saturday marks the 65th meeting between the Tide and Rebels with Alabama holding a 48-11-2 all-time edge after vacations. Ole Miss is one of just three programs that have beaten Nick Saban more than once at Alabama, but the Tide have won eight out of 10 under the head coach. Ole Miss is the last SEC team to defeat Alabama when it won 43-37 in Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 19, 2015.
Last Meeting: The last meeting between these two teams turned out to be another classic in the series. The Rebels, who entered the game with two straight victories of Alabama, stormed out to a 24-3 lead after a sack fumble return with 2:47 left in the first half. With a true freshman quarterback playing his first road game, the outcome looked bleak. But Jalen Hurts answered with a 50-yard drive in 37 seconds to cut the lead to 24-10 and Eddie Jackson tacked on an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown one minute later. The Crimson Tide would outscore the Rebels 45-6 over a 28-minute stretch of gametime and closed out a 48-43 win in Oxford.
Last Week: Alabama played a near-perfect game in Nashville en route to a 59-0 win over previously-undefeated Vanderbilt. The Tide dominated all three aspects of the game and went deep into its roster to open conference play with a huge win. Alabama outgained Vandy by nearly 600 total yards, gained 38 first downs to just three, and had the ball for nearly 43 minutes. As a result of the complete effort, Nick Saban and his staff awarded the entire offense and defense with player of the week honors.
Ole Miss enjoyed a bye week as it rests up for the matchup with Alabama. Prior to the bye, the Rebels picked up their first loss of the season at Cal. Quarterback Shea Patterson threw three interceptions and the team was outscored 20-0 in the second half. The 27-16 loss was the first of the Matt Luke era.