South Bound & Down
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Hot Read: Alabama Breaks Ole Miss Curse

By Kirk Franklin

Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Marlon Humphrey (26) and Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Damore
Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Marlon Humphrey (26) and Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Damore /
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That whooshing sound you heard coming from the state of Mississippi wasn’t just the Alabama Football charter plane taking off en route back to Tuscaloosa, it was a collective sigh of relief from the entire team.  I don’t know what kind of black cat, voodoo doll, rattling-chicken-feet-under-a-full-moon kind of luck Ole Miss has had when they played Alabama the last two years, but Hugh Freeze should buy Power Ball tickets immediately. Like right now.

I’m almost 41 years old and I have watched A LOT of Alabama football in my life. Besides my family, it’s my first love.  I’m a homer. No problem admitting that.  Grew up in Birmingham. Nothing but love for the state and the team. Besides that certain team down on the plains in West Georgia who fly an eagle around but call themselves Tigers, I have never seen a team generate or benefit from as much luck against Alabama as Ole Miss. Let’s dive into some points and relive the misery/joy shall we?

In the Backfield

  • Jalen Hurts is good and getting better. He threw for 158 yards(not good) and rushed for 146 yards, which led the team. Think about that.  An Alabama team that rushed for 334 yards total was led by a QB. This isn’t your grandfather’s team anymore. Heck, this isn’t even the team from last year when Derrick Henry carried the ball more times than political ads run on tv now. Bama officially has a dual-threat QB and Lane Kiffin is the mad man at the helm of the offense.

    • Hurts still has to work on timing with the receivers, especially on deep balls. He under throws them or holds the ball too long. The only significant pass Bama had all day was a jump ball to

    Calvin Ridley

    that was a better catch than pass. That early overthrow on a WIDE open

    Hale Hentges

    on the first drive of the game would have been nice to have. Hurts has got to learn touch.

    More from Alabama Crimson Tide

  • Damien Harris is Mark Ingram 2.0. You give him 10 more yards total and he would have 3 more TD’s. His long runs look like a slow motion chase scene from a horror movie. Kid always gets caught from behind. I like his game though. Patient and shifty. Perfect fit for the Tide right now.

    • Receivers and Offensive Coaching

    • Gehrig Dieter dropped another pass. Wasn’t a touchdown like last week, but was for a nice gain and easily catchable. He did have nice reception for a first down later on but it would be nice to see the easy play made when it’s there.
    • Can someone put out an ad for OJ Howard? Maybe on a milk carton?  He’s missing from the Bama offense. He’s a big guy. Runs fast. Wears the team colors. Seems like you would want to get him involved in the offense. Just ask Clemson.
    • Note to Kiffin: Make Alabama Great Again – Run The Ball. Seriously. Good things happen when you run the ball. Opens up the passing game. Makes the opponent quit. As a team Bama rushed for 334 yards on 48 carries. Breaking out the calculator means that’s 7 yards per carry. Not too bad. For a team that hasn’t really completed a deep ball all year and has somewhat struggled to effectively pass, the run game is your best friend.

    Defense and Miscellany

    The Tide D is a perfect fit for college football right now. Big enough up front to stop the run and fast enough in the back to contain the edges. Still giving up way too much in the passing game. Correctable errors, but it needs some work.

    Sep 10, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Jonathan Allen (93) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
    Sep 10, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Jonathan Allen (93) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
  • I’m convinced Hugh Freeze has a four-leaf clover sewn into his visor. Just look at the evidence: Last year Chad Kelly almost has the snap go over his head, throws up a prayer/punt/pass, gets tipped by Alabama and Ole Miss scores the winning TD. This year? Jalen Hurts gets absolutely destroyed on a sack reminiscent of Cornelius Bennett eviscerating Steve Beuerlein. The defender lowers the crown of his helmet, hitting Hurts in the jaw and no flag. That’s a penalty by the way. It’s called targeting. You get ejected for that.  The ball pops out, Ole Miss picks it up and returns the fumble for a TD. 20 yards behind the play, Ole Miss commits a block in the back while the ball is at the 10 yard line. If the rules of the game are followed, which, you know, is kind of supposed to happen, the touchdown is nullified because the penalty occurred during the return. Two penalties missed on one play. If that’s not hoodoo voodoo, I don’t know what is.

    • After the Hurts sack/fumble/TD, Bama went on a 45-6 run.

    The last time Bama came from 21 points down was 1989. They ended up winning 62-27. The opponent? You guessed it. Ole Miss.

  • Bama scored three non-offensive TD’s. One on a punt return by Eddie Jackson, one on a strip sack and return by Da’Ron Payne and the other on an interception return by Jonathan Allen.

    • As always, Roll Tide!

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