Saturday, September 15, 2018 07:00 PM (ET)

No. 1 Alabama annihilates SEC rival Ole Miss

Field Level Media
Sep 15, 2018

No. 1 Alabama's offense gained 418 yards against an overwhelmed Ole Miss defense in the first half to stake the Crimson Tide to a 49-7 halftime lead on the way to a 62-7 victory Saturday night in Oxford, Miss.

Heading into the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams, Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC) was averaging 54 points, while Ole Miss (2-1, 0-1) averaged 61.5. And at the start of the game, it looked as if both teams would continue to put huge numbers on the board.

Ole Miss took the opening kickoff and on the first play from scrimmage, Rebels quarterback Jordan Ta'amu connected with D.K. Metcalf for a 75-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead just 11 seconds into the game.

Alabama answered quickly, driving 72 yards on three plays in just one minute and 10 seconds. Josh Jacobs returned the kickoff 27 yards to the Alabama 28. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed a 17-yard pass to Irv Smith Jr., followed by a 12-yard pass to Damien Harris to put the Crimson Tide at the Ole Miss 43. On the next play, Harris ran it into the end zone for a touchdown to tie the game at 7.

From there on, it was all Alabama.

Tagovailoa completed 11 of 15 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and Alabama scored seven touchdowns on its nine possessions of the half. Jalen Hurts replaced Tagovailoa in the second quarter and threw touchdown passes of 22 and 13 yards.

Ole Miss, after its touchdown, punted the ball five times, turned it over and twice and lost possession on downs.

Hurts ran the offense most of the second half before giving way to third-string quarterback, freshman Mac Jones. Alabama's Xavier McKinney intercepted a Ta'amu pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown, and the Tide added two field goals.

Ta'amu, who entered the game seventh in the NCAA in passing efficiency, finished his day 7 of 22 for 133 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy caught three passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns.

--Field Level Media

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