Alabama’s “Iron Curtain” blanks uptempo Ole Miss

While many fans and experts predicted the Ole Miss/Alabama contest to be a track meet, the Crimson Tide defense spoiled the show with an “iron curtain” defensive performance. Placed on “upset alert” by many pundits, ‘Bama blanked the Rebels by the score of 25-0.

This is the third time Alabama has won by exactly 25 points in its four games this season.
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) September 29, 2013

Ole Miss, which entered the contest averaging 38 points per game, was held scoreless courtesy of an angry and determined Alabama defense.

The Rebels, on countless occasions, entered Alabama territory and were turned away without fail. Three times the Crimson Tide would derail the Ole Miss offense on fourth-down conversion attempts. Tide linebacker C.J. Mosley, courtesy of a pass deflection, was responsible for arguably the most critical fourth-down stop of the game.

HaHa on Mosley before the fourth down stop: "I seen it in his eyes. I caught the chills just looking at him"
— Marc Torrence (@marctorrence) September 29, 2013

On the offensive side of the equation, Cade Foster, who has been rather inconsistent during his Alabama career, connected on field goals from 53 and 42 yards during the second quarter of play. The latter kick concluded the initial half of action to give Alabama a 9-0 lead at intermission.

As for the “meat and potatoes” of the UA offense, AJ McCarron had a steady effort and the Tide ground attack proved fruitful, especially in the second half of play. T.J. Yeldon rushed for 121 yards against the Rebels including a 68-yard touchdown run during the early portion of the third quarter. Not to be upstaged, running back Kenyan Drake, who had 99 yards rushing in the game, had a touchdown effort of 50 yards during the latter stages of the contest.

While Alabama didn’t achieve the much sought-after “complete game,” the Crimson Tide certainly rose to the challenge. While several pundits expected (hoped) the Tide to achieve “face plant status” on national television, Alabama made sure the only thing “planted” was the Ole Miss offense.

LB C.J. Mosley on Alabama's defensive performance: "Pure domination. We played a great game."
— Marquavius Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) September 29, 2013

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Injury report

In various postgame comments, the play of reserve center Chad Lindsay was heralded as a tremendous effort. Lindsay, who "appeared" to take control of the line with his calls and overall aggression, seemed to "improve" the offensive front in the second half.

On the flipside, Lindsay's "game action" came as a result of Ryan Kelly's knee injury. Kelly, who went to the locker room in the second quarter of play, never returned to the game and was later seen on crutches.

In his postgame presser, Nick Saban addressed Kelly's status as well as the condition of running back T.J. Yeldon.

Saban on Kelly...

Saban said Ryan Kelly had an MCL (knee) injury and could be out "a couple of weeks, maybe three."
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) September 29, 2013

Saban on Yeldon...

Saban diagnoses TJ Yeldon with a "butt bruise."
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) September 29, 2013

It goes without saying that both players will be reevaluated (several times) in the days to come.

'Bama secondary proved primary

The knock on the Alabama defense, even in the preseason, was the lack of depth and experience at the defensive back position. As many have seen, fans and detractors alike, the Crimson Tide secondary has been a disaster much of the 2013 season.

However, not only did the Alabama corners answer the bell against the uptempo Rebels, the Crimson Tide finally found a corner to complement Deion Belue. True freshman Eddie Jackson is the new stud in town.

The impact player in the Bama-Ole Miss game was freshman corner Eddie Jackson. I'll be writing about him this week on http://t.co/lOpZVWui0S
— Lars Anderson (@LarsAndersonSI) September 29, 2013

Jackson, who didn't play in Alabama's first two games, earned his first playing time (start) against Colorado State. While Jackson did a "decent" job against the Rams, the three-star talent (Rivals) brought new life to the secondary against the Rebels and appeared to have all the tools of a seasoned player.

Freshman CB Eddie Jackson a central figure in Alabama defense's dominance vs. Ole Miss http://t.co/k4wB9wN4VO
— Andrew Gribble (@Andrew_Gribble) September 29, 2013

If center Chad Lindsay is the critical piece the offensive line has been missing, Eddie Jackson is a Christmas present come early for the Tide secondary.

Nick Perry undergoes season-ending surgery

Reserve safety Nick Perry, who injured his shoulder during game week prep for Colorado State, will be lost for the remainder of the 2013 season due to subsequent shoulder surgery.

Perry, in conjunction with his eligibility standing and NCAA policy, will most certainly be entitled to a medical redshirt.

Listed as a four-star prospect out of Prattville High School, Perry, a current scholarship senior, has played an integral role in the Crimson Tide secondary in terms of depth and experience.

Prior to Thursday’s surgery, Perry asked for prayer via his personal Twitter account.

Surgery in the morning.. Pray for me!!
— Nick Perry (@NIckPerry_27) September 26, 2013

The details of Perry's surgery, as well as recovery timetable, will be noted in a future post.

The Crimson Crossover: Rebels pose threat to Tide

Ole Miss - 2013

Record: 3-0
Conference Record: 1-0 (SEC - Western Division)
Last Game: Ole Miss 44 Texas 23

Alabama - 2013

Record: 3-0
Conference Record: 1-0 (SEC - Western Division)
Last Game: Alabama 31 Colorado State 6

History lesson

Series: Alabama leads series 46-9-2 (First meeting in 1894)
Most Recent Meeting: Alabama 33 Ole Miss 14 (2012)

Setting the scene

Ole Miss vs. Alabama
Bryant-Denny Stadium – Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Betting Line: Alabama -15.5 (as of 9/24)

----CLICK HERE TO TRACK THE LINE----

Beat writer of the week

Hugh Kellenberger - Ole Miss beat writer for the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

Twitter: @HkellenbergerCL

Follow Hugh via Twitter to get the latest (breaking) news concerning the Ole Miss Rebels as they prepare for Alabama.

Ole Miss on the wire

>>Wallace says Rebels receivers better than Aggies, offense can score on Bama (with video)

>>Denzel Nkemdiche is going to give it a go, other injury news

>>Notes: Rebels looking to eliminate what-ifs

>>Ole Miss relishes shot at top-ranked Alabama

>>Donte Moncrief studying Mike Evans in prep for Bama (with video)

The weekly quotable

Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze is anxious to “measure” his squad against the top-ranked Crimson Tide.

Freeze: "We look forward to the opportunity to go over there and it's another opportunity to measure ourselves."
— Hugh Kellenberger (@HKellenbergerCL) September 23, 2013

The Crimson Elephant verdict

Ole Miss is a good team…Alabama is a mystery.

With consistency issues over the course of the first three games, the Crimson Tide have all the makings of a blind date. Which Tide team takes the field on any given Saturday is the equivalent of the stranger (date) behind the door. What happens over the course of the next three or four hours, on the field, is a mystery.

Is Alabama really the No. 1 team in the nation, or simply a confused group of underachievers destined for the Capital One Bowl?

Tide fans are yearning for the ultimate “complete game” that will calm the “cliff dwellers” and give new life and confidence to a seemingly unpredictable squad.

Head Coach @CoachHughFreeze named #1 impressive coach by @footballscoop #WinTheDay #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/EcvHvUfvFW
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 20, 2013

As for this week’s blind date…she goes by the name of Ole Miss. In terms of the “dating mystery,” the Rebels are all about high-octane. Mystery solved!

Bo Wallace is a solid quarterback and he has an excellent supporting cast of receivers and rushers to put points on the board. Freshman wide receiver Laquon Treadwell has bloomed into one of the best players in the SEC and his contributions to the Rebel offense will only increase as the season progresses.

Defensively, the name of the game is Nkemdiche. Denzel and Robert Nkemdiche are stellar at the defensive end and linebacker positions. Denzel, the eldest brother, is expected to return to action in time for the contest with Alabama after being sidelined due to a knee injury that required surgery. While the Rebels aren’t an “iron curtain” on defense, they certainly have the talent to confuse an often scatterbrained Alabama offense.

Saturday night will be a “proving ground” for both Ole Miss and Alabama. Ideally, Ole Miss, the “good team,” will get a taste of the No. 1 program in the nation and be sent flailing back to earth. However, this game could be Ole Miss’ coming out party, and Alabama could be the team left searching for answers after a loss.

One can’t predict weekly improvement, one can only predict based on what has been seen. Under that logic, what has been seen has been a rather ugly picture for Tuscaloosa's crown jewel.

Expect the Crimson Tide to defeat Ole Miss and improve to 4-0 on the season, but also expect UA fans to leave Bryant-Denny...still wondering what's wrong with Alabama.

Alabama 34
Ole Miss 24

The Elephant Print: Alabama special teams

Courtesy of a blocked punt "scoop and score" and a 46-yard field goal, the Alabama special teams unit earned 10 points of production against Colorado State.

For their efficiency against the Rams, the special teams department have been awarded the "Elephant Print Award" for game three of the 2013 season.

In addition to the 10 points earned Saturday night, the Crimson Tide have garnered a grand total of three touchdowns in the special teams department thus far in 2013.

In the season-opener against Virginia Tech, Christion Jones scored via punt return and kickoff return to highlight the special teams effort. For his contributions against the Hokies, Jones received the first "Elephant Print Award" for 2013.

Congratulations to the Alabama special teams department for not only coming up big against Colorado State, but for being a staple of the Alabama squad this season.

Alabama has 13 special teams TDs during the Nick Saban era. #SabanBall?
— Andrew Gribble (@Andrew_Gribble) September 23, 2013