Bama remembers last year’s loss to Ole Miss

Both teams began the season addressing quarterback battles – Kelly competing with Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade and Alabama’s Jake Coker in the mix with Cooper Bateman. They’re very quick, and I think it’s going to be a challenge for us because we did not pass protect real well last week. It was also his first game as starting middle linebacker, a position at which Johnson said he felt pretty comfortable after a few plays. That doesn’t mean a change has been made but it is something to look for. The Rebels rank third in the SEC in pass defense (164 yards per game) and already have four interceptions, three of which they’ve returned for touchdowns. I think that is obvious in the way that he has performed. It’s going to be worth it. There’s no one playing better right now than Ole Miss, and while the light schedule has a lot to do with it, the team is doing what it’s supposed to do against UT Martin and Fresno State, winning the first 76-3 and the second 73-21.

“Sort of evaluate, and we do this after we play the game, what we did well, what we needed to improve on”, Saban said. “I think both guys need to play better”. The two met on the recruiting trail before their senior seasons, and have kept in contact over the years. “I think it’s really important that our guys understand that we can not allow them to make big plays”. “So it’s been five or six years now probably”. “You also have to be aware of where all of their other weapons are”. But they were nearly teammates. Kelly, who chose Clemson out of high school, was at East Mississippi Community College previous year and considered Alabama before ultimating picking the Rebels. “I keep trying to make plays for my defense and everybody’s helping me out”, Elston said. “I tried to persuade him a little bit but I didn’t fight too hard”.

“He got treatment all week, and felt like he was ready to go”, Spurrier said.

“It’s going to be a fun week”, Kelly told reporters Monday.

“Throwing the ball and executing the offense, he has done a fantastic job”. “I’ve got to stay low on him, and look at his hips like I’m playing basketball”. But the Crimson Tide will figure it out at quarterback on the fly, and the running game will get more and more effective as the game goes on. “You can’t let him bully you, because that’s what he wants to come in and try to do”.

Neither quarterback took command of the position against Middle Tennessee State.

Asked for his recollections from the game, Tide defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson said: “Nothing, really, to be honest”. Kelly’s favorite target last week was junior wideout Quincy Adebojeyo, who hauled in five catches for a career-high 120 yards and three scores. Eugene Brazley also ran one in for six and had four carries for 14 yards. They’ll be facing one of the best front sevens in the country.

The coaching staff doesn’t have to take as many chances. For the second straight week, Robert Nkemdiche had an offensive touchdown scoring on a one yard fullback run. Nysewander, from Hoover, Ala., had one tackle on punt coverage inside the 20-yard line.

SERIES HISTORY: Alabama leads Ole Miss 47-10-2. The holes are sure to get smaller against the Crimson Tide, but it’s an encouraging start for a team that finished 10th in the league in rushing a season ago.