Primetime College Football: Rebels vs Tide
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This game goes down on the ESPN2 network and it features the University of Mississippi Rebels taking on the University of Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Head coach Houston Nutt has his Rebels at 3-2 overall this season and 1-1 in the SEC so far this season. Ole Miss was idle this past weekend giving the team extra time to prepare for Alabama. Ole Miss has had success on the offensive side of ball and with balance between the run and the pass, the Rebels make things difficult for opposing defenses. The team is generating 37 points per game and is averaging 232 yards rushing along with 191.4 passing.
Former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, 823 yards 6 touchdowns, has settled in under center in Oxford completing 60.6 percent of his throws. He also ranks second on the team in rushing with 52.4 yards per game along with another 3 touchdowns. Masoli has the luxury of having junior running back Brandon Bolden, 518 yards 5 touchdowns, while gaining 6.8 yards per carry.
Defensively the Rebels are giving up 32 points per game which has them at 103rd worst in the nation. Senior linebacker Jonathan Cornell has been the one bright spot of this unit with his 40 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 3 sacks.
Head coach Nick Saban is coming off their first loss in nearly two years after losing to South Carolina. The Crimson Tide is now at 5-1 overall with a 2-1 record in the SEC. The offense is running has smooth as one would expect as they have found themselves playing from behind early. Alabama is though averaging 35 ppg and 445.2 yards of total offense. Balance is the key, with the team pushing out 197.5 yards rushing and 247.7 yards passing per outing.
It starts in the backfield with Heisman Trophy winner junior Mark Ingram, 396 yards 6 touchdowns, and sophomore sensation Trent Richardson, 442 yards 4 touchdowns. Both players are averaging 7.0 yards per carry. Senior quarterback Greg McElroy, 1298 yards 9 touchdowns, took the first loss of his career that goes back to junior high school this past weekend is doing his part by completing 72.3 percent of his throws. The possibility that Alabama will be without junior Julio Jones, 440 yards 3 touchdowns, is highly likely having surgery on his hand even though he did had limited practice.
The Alabama defense is inexperienced for the most part and finally showed some chinks in the armor against the Gamecocks last week, giving up big plays both on the ground and through the air. Teams though are only averaging 13 points per game which has them 6th in the nation.
Alabama holds a huge advantage in the all-time series, which now stands at 43-9-2. The Crimson Tide have won 17 in a row in Tuscaloosa.
PICK: University of Alabama Crimson Tide
