Lane Kiffin promised entertainment during his return trip to Alabama over the weekend. The Ole Miss head coach delivered. However, by the time his Rebels got on the scoreboard, the popcorn he advised viewers to have on hand had already gone stale.
Spurred on by early fourth-down success, Alabama shut out the nation’s top offense in the first half while imposing its will with the ball in an eventual 42-21 victory. While Alabama exerted its dominance throughout the afternoon, the blowout was heavily influenced by a few key yards. The Crimson Tide stopped the Rebels on three fourth-down attempts while converting two of its own fourth-down tries into touchdowns.
No strangers to gambling on offense, Kiffin’s Ole Miss team came into the matchup 12 of 14 (85.7 percent) on fourth-down attempts over its first three games. Saturday, Alabama held the Rebels to 2 of 5 on the down while converting on three of its four fourth-down tries.
Here’s a look at every fourth-down attempt from Saturday’s game and how they affected the outcome.
The play: Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral took the snap out of the shotgun before dumping off a screen pass to Henry Parrish Jr. for a 10-yard gain. The Rebels allowed four Alabama pass rushers to come clean at Corral, setting up the successful screen pass.
The significance: Ole Miss needed points on its opening possession and found itself in no man’s land at the Alabama 35. The play not only kept the Rebels’ offense on the field but also provided some early momentum while showing that Kiffin could still outsmart his former boss, Nick Saban, at times.
The play: Taking a snap out of the shotgun, Corral handed the ball off to Parrish, who burst through a hole on the right side for a gain of 3 yards. Ole Miss sold the run to the left and had its linemen shift that way off the line. Tight end Chase Rogers, who lined up to the left of Corral as a fullback, provided the key block, going to his right to pick up outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. That allowed right tackle Jeremy James to pick up inside linebacker Christian Harris, clearing the way for Parrish.
The significance: While it wasn’t surprising to see Ole Miss go for it at the 35-yard line, the decision to keep the offense on the field within field-goal range signified that Kiffin wasn’t afraid to take chances. A second straight conversion on the opening drive took some of the air out of an amped Alabama crowd and appeared to signify a long day for the Tide’s defense.
The play: Taking the snap out of the shotgun, Corral quickly handed the ball off to Jerrion Ealy who was swallowed up by Jordan Battle and Tim Smith at the line of scrimmage. Similar to its previous fourth-down attempt, Ole Miss stacked the left side of the line before running to the right. This time Alabama was ready as Smith shed his blocker at the last second to meet Ealy in the hole.
The significance: The stop came on the 17th play of Ole Miss’ opening drive, sending the Rebels away with nothing to show for their efforts. A nervous Bryant-Denny Stadium was renewed with confidence as Alabama’s defense made a statement to establish early momentum. On the ensuing possession, the Tide drove 94 yards down the field on 14 plays, capped off by a 16-yard touchdown from Bryce Young to John Metchie III to take a 7-0 lead.
The play: Corral took the snap out of the shotgun and was pressured by outside linebacker Drew Sanders, who forced the quarterback into an incomplete pass. Ole Miss had Parrish, 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, blocking Sanders, 6-foot-5, 244 pounds. The Alabama defender was easily able to out-muscle the back before using his athleticism to chase down Corral.
The significance: This was Ole Miss’ second straight turnover on downs, and the game already appeared to be slipping away from the Rebels. After taking over at the Ole Miss 47-yard line, Alabama capped off a 10-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run from Brian Robinson Jr. to go up 14-0.
The play: Taking a snap from under center, Young handed the ball to Robinson, who ran into the end zone practically untouched behind blocks from left tackle Evan Neal and left guard Javion Cohen. Following the game, Kiffin praised Neal, stating the junior could be the first pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
The significance: Not only had Alabama stopped Ole Miss on two straight fourth-down attempts, the Tide now converted on a try of its own to take a two-score lead.
The play: Working out of the shotgun, Ole Miss dialed up a speed-option play with Corral and Ealy to the right side. Sanders came crashing off the edge for Alabama, forcing Corral to pitch the ball early. After catching the pitch, Ealy was quickly swallowed up by linebacker Henry To’o To’o, who did well to shed a block from James.
The significance: Desperate to turn the tide, Kiffin elected to go for it deep in his own territory. Once again, the Rebels were rebuffed, setting up a six-play scoring drive for Alabama capped off by a 3-yard touchdown pass from Young to Cameron Latu as the Tide went up 21-0.
The play: Taking a snap from under center, Young faked a play-action handoff to Robinson before rolling to his right. From there, he quickly popped back to find an open Latu for the score. Ole Miss bit on the run, leaving Latu wide open on his delayed route.
The significance: Another fourth-down stop followed by another fourth-down touchdown on the other end. At this point, Bryant-Denny Stadium was electric as the win seemed all but wrapped up for Alabama.
The play: Taking the snap out of the shotgun, Young found a wide-open Jahleel Billingsley for a 19-yard gain. Billingsley lined up out of a bunch formation on the right side and was able to lose his defender on an out route to pick up the first down.
The significance: Other than rubbing its fourth-down success in Ole Miss’ face, this play didn’t mean much. Alabama led 35-7 late in the third quarter and had already put the game well out of reach. The following play, Young was picked off in the end zone.
The play: Taking a snap from under center Young handed the ball to Robinson, who was stuffed by a host of Ole Miss defenders at the line of scrimmage. Alabama’s offensive line was overpowered on the play as Ole Miss defensive linemen Jaylon Jones and Otis Reese fought their way through for the stop.
The significance: The CBS telecast noted that this play could have been used for Alabama as practice for when it needed to convert on a fourth down late in future games. In reality, the Tide has already proven itself several times in similar situations. Alabama led Ole Miss 42-14 at this point, so the stop didn’t have much significance.
The play: Taking a snap out of the shotgun, Corral overthrew Braylon Sanders in the end zone. However, the receiver was ruled to be interfered with by cornerback Josh Jobe, giving the Rebels a first down at the Alabama 2-yard line. Due to the penalty, Ole Miss doesn’t get credit for the conversion on the stat sheet.
The significance: Ole Miss scored on a 1-yard touchdown run from Snoop Conner two plays later. However, other than frustrating Saban, the late score held little significance.
Spurred on by early fourth-down success, Alabama shut out the nation’s top offense in the first half while imposing its will with the ball in an eventual 42-21 victory. While Alabama exerted its dominance throughout the afternoon, the blowout was heavily influenced by a few key yards. The Crimson Tide stopped the Rebels on three fourth-down attempts while converting two of its own fourth-down tries into touchdowns.
No strangers to gambling on offense, Kiffin’s Ole Miss team came into the matchup 12 of 14 (85.7 percent) on fourth-down attempts over its first three games. Saturday, Alabama held the Rebels to 2 of 5 on the down while converting on three of its four fourth-down tries.
Here’s a look at every fourth-down attempt from Saturday’s game and how they affected the outcome.
Fourth-and-3 from the Alabama 35 (Ole Miss ball)
The play: Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral took the snap out of the shotgun before dumping off a screen pass to Henry Parrish Jr. for a 10-yard gain. The Rebels allowed four Alabama pass rushers to come clean at Corral, setting up the successful screen pass.
The significance: Ole Miss needed points on its opening possession and found itself in no man’s land at the Alabama 35. The play not only kept the Rebels’ offense on the field but also provided some early momentum while showing that Kiffin could still outsmart his former boss, Nick Saban, at times.
Fourth-and-2 from the Alabama 18 (Ole Miss ball)
The play: Taking a snap out of the shotgun, Corral handed the ball off to Parrish, who burst through a hole on the right side for a gain of 3 yards. Ole Miss sold the run to the left and had its linemen shift that way off the line. Tight end Chase Rogers, who lined up to the left of Corral as a fullback, provided the key block, going to his right to pick up outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. That allowed right tackle Jeremy James to pick up inside linebacker Christian Harris, clearing the way for Parrish.
The significance: While it wasn’t surprising to see Ole Miss go for it at the 35-yard line, the decision to keep the offense on the field within field-goal range signified that Kiffin wasn’t afraid to take chances. A second straight conversion on the opening drive took some of the air out of an amped Alabama crowd and appeared to signify a long day for the Tide’s defense.
Fourth-and-1 from the Alabama 6 (Ole Miss ball)
The play: Taking the snap out of the shotgun, Corral quickly handed the ball off to Jerrion Ealy who was swallowed up by Jordan Battle and Tim Smith at the line of scrimmage. Similar to its previous fourth-down attempt, Ole Miss stacked the left side of the line before running to the right. This time Alabama was ready as Smith shed his blocker at the last second to meet Ealy in the hole.
The significance: The stop came on the 17th play of Ole Miss’ opening drive, sending the Rebels away with nothing to show for their efforts. A nervous Bryant-Denny Stadium was renewed with confidence as Alabama’s defense made a statement to establish early momentum. On the ensuing possession, the Tide drove 94 yards down the field on 14 plays, capped off by a 16-yard touchdown from Bryce Young to John Metchie III to take a 7-0 lead.
Fourth-and-2 from the Ole Miss 47 (Ole Miss ball)
The play: Corral took the snap out of the shotgun and was pressured by outside linebacker Drew Sanders, who forced the quarterback into an incomplete pass. Ole Miss had Parrish, 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, blocking Sanders, 6-foot-5, 244 pounds. The Alabama defender was easily able to out-muscle the back before using his athleticism to chase down Corral.
The significance: This was Ole Miss’ second straight turnover on downs, and the game already appeared to be slipping away from the Rebels. After taking over at the Ole Miss 47-yard line, Alabama capped off a 10-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run from Brian Robinson Jr. to go up 14-0.
Fourth-and-goal from the Ole Miss 1 (Alabama ball)
The play: Taking a snap from under center, Young handed the ball to Robinson, who ran into the end zone practically untouched behind blocks from left tackle Evan Neal and left guard Javion Cohen. Following the game, Kiffin praised Neal, stating the junior could be the first pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
The significance: Not only had Alabama stopped Ole Miss on two straight fourth-down attempts, the Tide now converted on a try of its own to take a two-score lead.
Fourth-and-1 from the Ole Miss 31 (Ole Miss ball)
The play: Working out of the shotgun, Ole Miss dialed up a speed-option play with Corral and Ealy to the right side. Sanders came crashing off the edge for Alabama, forcing Corral to pitch the ball early. After catching the pitch, Ealy was quickly swallowed up by linebacker Henry To’o To’o, who did well to shed a block from James.
The significance: Desperate to turn the tide, Kiffin elected to go for it deep in his own territory. Once again, the Rebels were rebuffed, setting up a six-play scoring drive for Alabama capped off by a 3-yard touchdown pass from Young to Cameron Latu as the Tide went up 21-0.
Fourth-and-1 from the Ole Miss 3 (Alabama ball)
The play: Taking a snap from under center, Young faked a play-action handoff to Robinson before rolling to his right. From there, he quickly popped back to find an open Latu for the score. Ole Miss bit on the run, leaving Latu wide open on his delayed route.
The significance: Another fourth-down stop followed by another fourth-down touchdown on the other end. At this point, Bryant-Denny Stadium was electric as the win seemed all but wrapped up for Alabama.
Fourth-and-8 from the Ole Miss 36 (Alabama ball)
The play: Taking the snap out of the shotgun, Young found a wide-open Jahleel Billingsley for a 19-yard gain. Billingsley lined up out of a bunch formation on the right side and was able to lose his defender on an out route to pick up the first down.
The significance: Other than rubbing its fourth-down success in Ole Miss’ face, this play didn’t mean much. Alabama led 35-7 late in the third quarter and had already put the game well out of reach. The following play, Young was picked off in the end zone.
Fourth-and-1 from the 50 (Alabama ball)
The play: Taking a snap from under center Young handed the ball to Robinson, who was stuffed by a host of Ole Miss defenders at the line of scrimmage. Alabama’s offensive line was overpowered on the play as Ole Miss defensive linemen Jaylon Jones and Otis Reese fought their way through for the stop.
The significance: The CBS telecast noted that this play could have been used for Alabama as practice for when it needed to convert on a fourth down late in future games. In reality, the Tide has already proven itself several times in similar situations. Alabama led Ole Miss 42-14 at this point, so the stop didn’t have much significance.
Fourth-and-10 from the Alabama 15 (Ole Miss ball)
The play: Taking a snap out of the shotgun, Corral overthrew Braylon Sanders in the end zone. However, the receiver was ruled to be interfered with by cornerback Josh Jobe, giving the Rebels a first down at the Alabama 2-yard line. Due to the penalty, Ole Miss doesn’t get credit for the conversion on the stat sheet.
The significance: Ole Miss scored on a 1-yard touchdown run from Snoop Conner two plays later. However, other than frustrating Saban, the late score held little significance.
