Behind Enemy Lines: Breaking down the Ole Miss Rebels

BamaOnLine caught up with Jake Thompson, a staff writer at OMSpirit, for a breakdown of Alabama’s Week 4 opponent. The Crimson Tide will host the Ole Miss Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 23. The SEC matchup will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.

BamaOnLine: Jaxson Dart is back as Ole Miss’ quarterback and leads the SEC in some key passing categories. Where has he grown the most since the last time Alabama faced time?

Jake Thompson: From the start of spring practices and throughout the summer workouts into fall camp, Jaxson talked about his maturity on the field and with the playbook increasing significantly. That has played out on the field through the first three games as he is looking more comfortable in the pocket, and when a play breaks down, he is not looking as panicked as he was this time last year.

His comfort level with the playbook is also allowing him to be more free and trust his receivers and is not forcing as many passes. This is enabling Dart to be one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC as we hit the quarter mark of the season.

BOL: Fans are familiar with Alabama native Quinshon Judkins after a strong freshman year. But who are some other Rebels on offense that have stepped outside of Dart and Judkins?

JT: The receiver room was often discussed throughout fall camp due to its supposed depth on paper. That is being put to the test after Tre Harris‘ injury at Tulane and transfer Zakhari Franklin still having not made his Ole Miss debut. 

Because of that, Jordan Watkins and Dayton Wade have stepped up in their roles, which were already set to be increased from what they did in 2022. Against Georgia Tech, the pair combined for 205 yards and a touchdown. If Harris or Franklin are not available this weekend, it will come down to Watkins and Wade stepping up even more.

BOL: Sticking with the familiar, Pete Golding is now in Oxford as defensive coordinator. What differences have you seen from the Ole Miss defense with Golding calling the plays?

JT: Golding has installed his style of defense, and it is one that was a breath of fresh air for Ole Miss. The past few seasons have seen the Rebels use only a three-man front, no matter if it was working or not, but Golding has come in and changed things up.

With the four-man front that he has installed, while still keeping a three-man as an option, it has allowed for more aggressiveness up front. Through three games, the Ole Miss defense has 10 sacks, led by transfer Isaac Ukwu‘s two. There are still some issues at times with tackling, something it seems an Ole Miss defense can never fully shake, but overall, it is a much-improved scheme that the players have bought into with Golding at the helm.

BOL: Ole Miss has had success generating negative plays, whether sacks or tackles for loss, while Alabama’s offensive line hasn’t been great in pass protection. How do you think Golding and company will attack the Crimson Tide? Who are some players to watch there?

JT: The aforementioned aggressiveness that has led to Ole Miss being tied for the second most sacks in the SEC. Alabama has not looked like the impressive Alabama up front on offense with the second most sacks allowed in the SEC at 12.

I am sure Golding has seen this on film and is fully aware of how those two stats play into his defense’s favor, but naming Jalen Milroe the starter for this weekend and putting a mobile quarterback out there will make it tougher to get those negative plays frequently. It is one of the more interesting matches within the game.

BOL: Finally, how do you see Saturday’s game playing out? Care to give a score prediction?

JT: This is one of the more mortal-looking Alabama teams under Nick Saban in quite some time, if not the most since Saban’s first season in Tuscaloosa. Ole Miss is playing well and getting two games where it was tested and had to make adjustments at halftime prior to starting conference play is only going to help them moving forward.

I think the game comes down to the Rebels defense versus Milroe as I think Dart and the offense will be able to score points on Saturday. This is a close one and I am still not set on a score prediction, but I am liking the Rebels chances on Saturday.

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