No. 9 Alabama rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half to top No. 11 Ole Miss 30-24 in their pivotal SEC West matchup Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Mississippi. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart missed Jonathan Mingo in the end zone on fourth-and-16 from the 20-yard line to essentially end the game and hand the Crimson Tide a much-needed win after coach Nick Saban’s squad lost two of the previous three.
Alabama’s Will Richard kicked a 49-yard field goal with 2:02 left to give the visitors a 6-point lead, which proved important because it forced Ole Miss to try for a touchdown inside of the red zone with under a minute to play rather than giving the Rebels the chance to kick a field goal to force overtime.
Reichard’s 23-yard field goal with 11:19 remaining broke the tie at 27-24. That came on the back of an eight-play, 44-yard drive following an Ole Miss shanked punt. Running back Jase McClellan had four carries for 35 yards on the drive after stepping in for an ineffective Jahmyr Gibbs as Alabama’s primary rusher.
Alabama QB Bryce Young tied the game late in the third quarter when he rolled out and found Ja’Corey Brooks in the back of the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown. It capped a 14-play, 75-yard drive that coach Saban’s crew desperately needed after its defense faced 59 plays through the first two-plus quarters.
The late Tide charge to get the win came after the Rebels virtually controlled the first three quarters. True freshman Qinshon Judkins scored two touchdowns in the first half, giving him 15 for the season — an Ole Miss single season record. His second touchdown — a 1-yard plunge with 5:09 to play in the second quarter — gave the Rebels a 17-7 lead.
CBS Sports will update this story with takeaways from the game shortly.
