By Ian Palmer
One of the top NCAA football games this weekend will pit two undefeated teams together as the Alabama Crimson Tide are on the road against the Ole Miss Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Mississippi. This top-10 SEC contest will take place on Saturday, October 4. Alabama Crimson Tide enters the game as the third-ranked team in the nation while the Ole Miss Rebels are number 10. Both sides are perfect at 4-0 heading into this week 6 clash.
The bet365 NCAA football lines have Alabama (-6.5) at 10/11 and Mississippi (+6.5) 10/11, The over/under is 51.0 points at 10/11 and Alabama are favorites to win the game at 5/14 with Mississippi at 23/10.
Crimson Tide quarterback Blake Sims was as hot as a pistol in week four as Alabama doubled the Florida Gators by a score of 42-21. He went 23 for 33 in passing with four touchdowns as he gained 445 yards. The 445 yards ranked as second best in team history. In addition, wide receiver Amari Cooper also set a new team record when he gained 201 yards on 10 receptions. He now has 20 touchdown receptions which breaks the old mark of 18 which was set 47 years ago by Denis Homan.
Cooper struggled with injuries last season, but he’s in top form in 2014. He’s leading the FBS in both receptions with 43 and receiving yards with 655 this season. He has five TDs already this year, which is more than he scored all last campaign. Sims and Cooper are playing extremely well together and the team is now concentrating on a passing game rather than a rushing game. Alabama earned 645 yards against the Gators, which was the most ever against Florida. They also racked up 449 yards in the air.
Alabama ranks number 13 in passing yards in the FBS so far this season as they’re averaging 335.8 per contest. They’re going to have to work hard on Saturday against the Ole Miss Rebels as their opponents are 12thbest in the country when it comes to passing defense. They’ve allowed an average of 151 yards against in the air in their four games. The Crimson Tide will need to make sure they protect the ball this weekend as they had four turnovers against the Gators with an interception and three fumbles. Ole Miss has forced their opposition into nine turnovers already this season.
The Ole Miss Rebels beat the Memphis Tigers 24-3 last weekend to go 4-0 on the season. It’s the first time the team has gone 4-0 to start a season in over 44 years. The offense didn’t have a very good outing, but the defense did as it held Memphis Paxton Lynch in check. Lynch went just 13 for 31 in passing and gained just 81 yards. He was picked off once and didn’t record a touchdown.
Ole Miss ranks number three in the nation defensively as they’ve allowed just 8.5 points against per game on average. However, they’ve faced some of the league’s lesser lights such as Memphis, Vanderbilt, Boise State, and LA-Lafayette. They’re definitely stepping up in class this week when they meet the Crimson Tide. To be successful they’ll need to limit quarterback Sims as he’s already gained 1,091 yards in the air in four outings, which is good for 18th in the FBS. Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace will need to pick up the pace as he went 22 for 37 against Memphis for just 248 yards. He tossed a couple of TD passes and was intercepted twice as well.
Kicker Andrew Fletcher also struggled as he missed a pair of field goals. Markell Pack also fumbled a Memphis punt which was recovered by the Tigers. The Rebels have turned the ball over nine times already this year and will need to tighten things up against the Crimson Tide. Ole Miss is faring well in passing offense as they were eighth-best in the country before meeting Memphis with 364.7 yards in the air on average. However, they gained only 248 in that game.
No comments