Thumbs Up

Freshman Nick Brassell had his best two-way game of the year. Brassell posted his first 100-yard receiving game and had five tackles on defense.

Brassell's 59-yard catch-and-run to the 2 set up the Rebels' only score, a 1-yard run by Jeff Scott on their opening drive.

Thumbs Down

Alabama rushed for 389 yards and six touchdowns. Three Crimson Tide runners had single gains of at least 45 yards, and Alabama averaged almost a first down - 9.3 yards - every time it handed off the football.

Not to be outdone, the Alabama passing game had a 20-for-25 success rate, all but one of those completions by starting QB A.J. McCarron.

Defensively the Tide had 14 tackles for loss and five sacks.

Keys For Victory

Evaluating the keys to victory in Saturday's GameDay section:

1. Maintain Composure: To their credit, the Rebels didn't appear rattled. They looked much better-prepared in terms of staying on task offensively and disciplined defensively with not a single penalty called against them.

2. Protect the football: Again, not a bad job here. Randall Mackey's interception was a bad throw, his fumble the result of how he was hit on the sack. Only 10 of Alabama's 52 points were the result of turnovers, and the Ole Miss defense did not produce one to help off-set that.

3. Shed Blocks: It didn't happen. Defensive tackle Uriah Grant was moved to end in an effort to become more physical on the edge. Grant didn't record a tackle. Beyond Wayne Dorsey, the other starting end, Ole Miss defensive linemen had only three tackles combined. Trent Richardson broke more tackles than that on his 76-yard touchdown run.

MVP

Nick Brassell. There weren't many other Ole Miss highlights to approach the MVP category.

Bottom Line

The Rebels had neither the strength nor speed to compete, and the effects of the loss will be long-lasting with senior defensive starters Dorsey and Marcus Temple suffering injuries that will end their seasons.