The Crimson Tide left College Station, Texas, two weeks ago with many questions for its usually dominant defense after allowing 42 points and 628 yards – the most yards given up in the 119-year history of the team.
Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace made headlines leading up to the game after saying he believed Ole Miss would be able to put up some points on Alabama. There was even uncertainty on who would be starting at cornerback after injuries and inconsistent play in the two games prior.
Alabama’s defense heard all the criticism and comments and responded with a dominating performance in a 25-0 shutout over Ole Miss.
“We looked at it as a challenge, as we were being hunted,” junior defensive lineman Jeoffrey Pagan said. “With all the things that Ole Miss was saying, we took it personal, and we wanted to come out and dominate the game and the line of scrimmage.”
Coming into Saturday’s game, the Ole Miss offense averaged 490 yards a game, including 250 yards a game rushing, but was held to just 205 total yards and only 46 yards on the ground. It was a strong overall defensive effort that head coach Nick Saban said he was very happy with after the game.
“Ole Miss has a really good team and a really good offensive team, so for us to shut them out was a great job by the defense,” Saban said. “So many players out there played a lot of plays, and they all did a good job. [They had] critical fourth-down stops and did well on third down.”
One crucial fourth-down stop came late in the third quarter, following a controversial targeting penalty on freshman cornerback Eddie Jackson. The ejection was overturned, but the call energized the defense, including revving up senior linebacker C.J. Mosley, who deflected Wallace’s fourth-and-2 pass on the 7-yard line. Mosley’s intensity on that play was notable to junior safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
“He started yelling; I could see it in his eyes,” Clinton-Dix said. “I caught the chills just looking at him.”
Mosley, who was voted the team’s defensive MVP a year ago, was all over the field Saturday with seven tackles and a tackle for loss that resulted in a safety to go along with his big deflection on fourth down. Saban described Mosley after the game as the quarterback of the defense, and Mosley received high praise from his teammates.
“He played really well,” Pagan said. “He got the calls to us, and he was really loud. There were really tough situations, and he did a great job with communication.”
Normally a quiet leader on the field, Mosley’s extra jawing and energy came in large part due to the criticism and smack talking the defense received from Wallace and others earlier in the week.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to play Alabama football,” Mosley said. “But when somebody keeps calling you out in your home stadium, you’re going to fight back. You’re going to put a little bit extra into that game and that play.”
Jackson, a former three-star wide receiver in high school, also came out strong for the defense, as he more than held his own against Ole Miss star receiver Donte Moncrief. He finished the day with an interception.
“[Jackson’s] physical. He’s fast. He’s strong. He does everything right,” Clinton-Dix said. “He’s been working hard since we’ve been in camp. I guess coach believes in him; coach gave him a chance and he went out and showed it to him.”
Fellow starting cornerback Deion Belue was impressed by Jackson’s poise throughout the game.
“He was focused the whole time and knew his calls,” Belue said. “For a freshman, it’s hard to stay that focused with that big crowd, and his composure was great for a freshman being out there and that kind of situation.”
Quarterback AJ McCarron also set a career personal best in the game with 25 completions, and kicker Cade Foster set two personal bests with three made field goals in a game and a new long of 53 yards.
But at the end of the day, it was the defense that sent out a message to the rest of the SEC moving forward and will be able to enjoy the next couple of days with what was the only shutout of the day in college football.
“We wanted it real bad,”Clinton-Dix said. “First shutout against an SEC team, a good team. I think we came out and proved a point today.”
