Alabama’s defense held Ole Miss in check Saturday night, shutting out the Rebels 25-0.
Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1 SEC) was averaging almost 500 yards of total offense through its first three games of the season, but the Crimson Tide (4-0, 2-0 SEC) suffocated Rebel quarterback Bo Wallace and the rest of the offense, holding them to 205 total yards on 57 plays.
Senior linebacker C.J. Mosley summed up the shutout victory in two words.
“Pure domination,” Mosley said. “Especially from the defense. They had a few plays here and there, but three stops on fourth down, a safety, two turnovers. We played a great game.”
Ole Miss finished the night 4-of-14 on third down and 1-of-4 on fourth down conversions. Alabama stopped the Rebels on fourth down twice inside the redzone.
In the third quarter, following a targeting penalty against freshman cornerback Eddie Jackson, Ole Miss elected to go for it on Alabama’s seven yard line. Wallace attempted a pass over the middle, but Mosley swatted the ball to force a turnover on downs.
Mosley, who is not known as a vocal player, exploded with emotion, according to his teammates.
“He started yelling. I could see it in his eyes,” junior safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix said. “I caught the chills just looking at him.”
Mosley was also credited with a safety, which occurred with 5:43 left in the fourth quarter. The Rebels were backed up in their own endzone, and Alabama was able to corral Wallace and tackle him behind the goal line.
Head coach Nick Saban praised Mosley’s performance and said he is the quarterback of the defense just as much as AJ McCarron is the quarterback of the offense.
“C.J. Mosley really did a great job of leading the defense,” Saban said. “He was really fired up about playing in this game, and he did a great job.”
Jackson made his second consecutive start at cornerback and played opposite of Deion Belue, who returned from an injury he sustained against Texas A&M.
Jackson intercepted a Laquon Treadwell pass on a trick play in the first quarter and looks to have solidified himself as a consistent starter in the Crimson Tide’s secondary.
“He came out and competed,” Clinton-Dix said. “He worked hard throughout the week. He made some mistakes, but he still played fast and that’s what I love about him.”
Ole Miss kept Alabama from reaching the endzone in the first half, holding the Crimson Tide to three field goals attempts.
But Cade Foster was perfect on the night, successfully kicking field goals from 28, 53 and 42 yards.
“All-in-all, I was really, really pleased and proud of the way our players competed in this game,” Saban said. “We knew this was going to be a dogfight, we knew this was going to be a tough game. Our players did a really, really good job of being relentless out there with their effort and toughness.”
But it was the crowd inside Bryant-Denny Stadium that motivated the team and created problems for the Ole Miss offense and its ability to communicate.
“Our fans were great in this game … I asked for great enthusiasm out there, that it would have an effect on the game,” Saban said. “I think our fans had a huge effect on the game. And I know our players, as well as myself and all of the coaches, really appreciate that.”
