Ole Miss vs Alabama: Three Tide Players to Watch

Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide Crimsonettes pose for a photo before the game against the USC Trojans at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss attempts to defeat the Crimson Tide for the third straight season this year, but the Rebels will have to stop these three guys.

Ole Miss vs Alabama is the premier matchup in the SEC this week. SEC Nation will be in Oxford to cover the game. The game is one of the most important games of the season for the Rebels.

The Rebels will have to overcome injuries and bad play from the offense.

Ole Miss will be without freshman wide receiver DK Metcalf, RS freshman running back Eric Swinney, and junior Ken Webster. All three suffered injuries during the first two games.

Alabama has currently defeated USC and Western Kentucky on their way to this game. Ole Miss lost to Florida State and defeated Wofford in the first two weeks.

The Ole Miss offense has underperformed outside of the first half against Florida State. The defense has been on the field for way too long due to the inability of the offense to stay on the field.

The Rebels time of possession has been horrible. Against FSU, the Rebels held the ball for 17:21, compared to FSU’s 42:39.

When playing Wofford, the Rebels held the ball for 24:34, while Wofford had the ball for 35:26. This has been inexcusable. The offense is going three-and-out at an unprecedented rate. Kelly has been missing wide open receivers, that last year he would hit for a touchdown.

The defensive line has been strong, and could give the Alabama offensive line fits. The problem with that is that it rushes the quarterback into throwing the ball to short routes, which Ole Miss has not been guarding so far this season.

For the Rebels to win for the third straight year, they will have to stop these three Alabama players.

Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) stiff arms USC Trojans defensive back Iman Marshall (8) during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Hurts

6-2, 210 lbs, Freshman

Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts has taken over this year’s Alabama team. The Crimson Tide have been looking for a stud quarterback to take over the team for years. After watching Jacob Coker and Blake Sims lose to Ole Miss, Hurts will try to become the first Alabama quarterback since AJ McCarren.

Hurts resembles Trent Richardson playing quarterback. A strong runner who can also throw the ball well. While Richardson played running back, Hurts can also burn a team’s defensive backfield with his arm.

Through two games, Hurts has thrown for 405 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. While 287 of those yards came against Western Kentucky, an inferior opponent.

Hurts will have his best wide receiver, Calvin Ridley, to throw the ball to.

The Crimson Tide has been a run first team in the past, but this year appears to be different. With the Tide’s leading rusher being Damian Harris who has 183 yards on 20 carries this season.

Ole Miss struggled against Deondre Francois of Florida State, so can they stop Jalen Hurts, a quarterback who plays a lot like Francois?

Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is pressured by Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Jonathan Allen (93) in the first quarter in the 2016 CFP National Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Jonathan Allen

6-3, 293 lbs, Senior

Jonathan Allen would have been a first-round pick in the NFL draft last season, but the senior defensive end decided to return to the University of Alabama for his final year.

Allen shores up a talented defensive line for the Crimson Tide. Can Allen do what Demarcus Walker did against the Rebels?

The Rebel offensive line has been suspect, especially after Walker destroyed Rod Taylor and Alex Givens during the second half of the FSU game.

Ole Miss might see Jeremy Liggins return to the lineup, but even if he does, Liggins will be rusty and would be an easy target for Allen.

If Ole Miss can give Kelly some time in the in the pocket, then he can get the ball to his plethora of receivers. Even without Metcalf, the Rebel receiving corp should be fine.

Allen will look to tear up the Rebel offense, and that is one of my main concerns. He has three sacks so far, to go along with 7 tackles.

Can the Rebels stop this defensive monster? We will find out on Saturday.

Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide place kicker Adam Griffith (99) lines up for an extra point against the Clemson Tigers the 2016 CFP National Championship at U. of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Griffith

5-10, 191 lbs, Senior

Alabama has some experience with kickers missing key kicks, but Griffith has been solid this season. In two games, he is 2/3 on field goals and 12/12 on extra points. The one kick he missed was a 40-49 yarder against Western Kentucky.

In the past victories for the Rebels, they have forced Alabama into some special teams mistakes. Both games featured fumbles on kick returns from the Crimson Tide side.

The Rebels watched Ricky Aguayo kick all over the field in Orlando, will Griffith do the same in Oxford?

Ole Miss needs to pray that Griffith has a bad night and offers the Rebels some good field position.