No. 2 Alabama broke through Oremis 63-48 in a Saturday night shootout in Oxford, Mississippi. This was the first match between legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban and his former attack coordinator Lane Kiffin, who was hired to lead Olemis in December 2019.

Nagy Harris made a 16-yard touchdown run at 7:01 to play in the fourth quarter, and Alabama Defense (exposed all night) longed to force an Oremis field goal on the next drive. Gives Crimson Tide room to breathe. Wide receiver Devonta Smith scored in a jet sweep from 14 yards to 3:16 and played to seal things for the tide.

Alabama quarterback McJones completed a 28-of-32 pass at 417 yards to lead Crimson Tide. Meanwhile, Harris showed off his Heisman Trophy spirit with 206 yards and five touchdowns. Game away.

However, Alabama’s defense was torched by Kiffin and the Company. The rebels gained 647 yards, transformed a 9/17 third down, and became 4-4 with 4 downs in a game that looked like grass basketball. This is not a one-off event, as Alabama has abandoned at least 42 points three times in the last eight games. Prior to that, he allowed at least 42 points three times in the last 65 games. This was the most point of the unranked team vs. Alabama in the AP Top 25 era (since 1936). It also led to most of the points Alabama allowed under the savant.

It’s important to give credit wherever you need it. Snoop Connor has a career of 128 yards and two touchdowns, while Jerion Erie has added 120 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Matt Corral, who won the off-season battle with John Reese Plumley, acted as California’s native coming-out party with 365 yards and two touchdowns.

A total of 1,370 yards is the most in a game in SEC history.

Let’s break down the top takeaways from the wild in Oxford:

Nagy Harris is a monster

Seniors let go of the NFL Draft and returned to Tuscaloosa to try to win another national title. He is running that way.

It’s not just statistics. Indeed, they are insane. But he showed off all of his arsenal on Saturday-balance, vision, explosiveness, mind and power. Simply put, he’s Alabama this year. When the tide needed to play, they turned to bright red and white number 22.

If the defense begins to key Harris, Jones only has to turn on the secondary. You can’t slow Jones and his group of talented wide receivers without opening the box. That is the time of Harris’s brilliance.

The only way we can beat Alabama this year is when a hot play caller like Kiffin uses his work skillfully like a world champion chess player. And that happened almost on Saturday.

So does Mac Jones

Remember when Alabama quarterbacks were just game managers and were at risk of losing their jobs to true freshman Stud Bryce Young? It seems many years ago.

Jones has a lot of weapons, but he consistently puts the ball where the receiver can carry it all season. Devonta Smith and John Mecchi III were his two favorite targets against the rebels, especially after Jalen Waddle stepped out of the field in the second quarter.

Yes, it opposed Oremis and yes, the rebels are not very interested in defense. However, it is clear that Tide has not missed the beat after having to replace the Tua Tagaviroa.

Kiffin is back with authority

Get a feel for what happened on Saturday night. Kiffin led the circle around Savan. From the moment the rebels received the opening kick-off, the students put the teacher on the rope and did not look back. Well, until a bad snap finished the Oremis drive in the 25-yard line and forced a field goal-this was the killer of this shootout.

Let’s rotate it forward. Kiffin is dangerous. It’s very dangerous.

Elijah Moore, Erie, Connor, Coral, and wide receiver, are all young stars inherited from the Matt Luke administration. Imagine what’s coming.

Kiffin’s coaching skills have been (unnecessarily) questioned over the last decade. We are not hiring. Mississippi’s high school talent improved, his program suddenly became attractive again, and Kiffin built his reputation on the hiring path.

Oremis is back … and it doesn’t go anywhere.

Alabama’s defense is a big issue

Working on the Ole Miss Offense, which is not only one of the best offense coaches in the country, but also has playmakers throughout the field, is one thing. Working by Olemis is another thing after abandoning 5.15 yards each in the first two games of the season against Missouri and Texas A & M.

The opposite offensive coordinator will find one thing that plagued Crimson Tide on Saturday, and one thing that has been a problem throughout Savan’s career: tempo. The rebels consistently rushed to the line of scrimmage, forcing match-up issues against tide defenses who simply struggled to line up, especially within the Red Zone.

This cannot be fixed overnight. Indeed, Savan and Defense Coordinator Pete Golding can instruct the defense to line up with the base defense whenever the offense pushes the tempo up. But is it important? If a good play caller has multiple weapons (especially in the backfield), Tide has shown that he can’t handle mistakes in pace and direction.

“Just right” defense wins the championship

The best defense in the country would be the days Alabama had on Saturday night. OK, maybe not exactly It’s like Alabama, but it has offnight.

Alabama was really offnight against Olemis, but was still forced to lose two yards by Connor, who failed the snap that was rushed at 6:55 to play to settle into the field goal. .. That’s all. It was eligible as a “sufficient” defense.

Of course, that definition changes weekly based on a variety of factors. The best team (champion caliber team) will adapt. Alabama did it against Oremis.