It has been a while since Alabama was in Oxford, Mississippi. In fact, the last time the team was there Blake Sims was a freshman running back. He carried the ball five times for 74 yards in the 2011 game. Alabama tight end Brian Vogler, who was also a freshman at the time, said he vividly remembered one of Sims’ runs and another big Alabama play from the game.

“I remember Blake [Sims] getting chased down by some guy,” Vogler said. “Blake had like a 15-yard lead on him. Obviously, I also remember Trent’s [Richardson] big play he had that year.”

A lot has changed for both programs since that trip. Sims is now the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide, and Ole Miss is no longer the team that it used to be. The Rebels, who finished 2-10 in 2011, will enter this weekend’s game as the No. 11 team in the country. The trip to Oxford will mark the beginning of a tough SEC schedule for Alabama.

“It is a great environment, it is really loud,” Vogler said. “The fans really get into it. Whenever College GameDay is in town, the fans get a little crazier. With [Ole Miss] being a really good ball team this year, I think the environment is going to be elevated.”

Not only will Alabama have to deal with its first true road game, but it is also the team’s first game in the SEC West.

“It is an SEC game, so they have always been good games,” Alabama linebacker Trey DePriest said. “They are always intense. We are fired up, they are fired up, we both usually have good records. It is just a smash-mouth football game.”