2022 Alabama Football Early Opponent Preview: No. 5 Ole Miss

BamaCentral takes a long first look at each of the Crimson Tide's upcoming opponents this season, in order from the bottom to the top.

Lane Kiffin versus Nick Saban. A game that both Alabama and Ole Miss fans circle on the calendar.

To quote Kiffin himself: "Get your popcorn ready."

When the former Saban assistant arrived in Oxford in 2020, the Rebels immediately felt Kiffin's impact on the team's offense. In a game that caused more Alabama fans to bite their fingernails than most other games in recent memory, the Crimson Tide's 63-48 win cemented one positive note for Ole Miss:

Kiffin was back in the SEC, and he wasn't afraid of his former boss.

2021's matchup didn't quite live up to the hype that was promised despite Kiffin's popcorn prediction, but even so, the annual game's recognition still rose to more hype than it had since 2016. This year, though, the expectations for the Rebels have been slightly tampered.

Ole Miss loses a ton of talent on offense, including stellar quarterback Matt Corral. However, few have hit the transfer portal harder than Kiffin, loading up on replacing departing pieces on both the offensive and defensive sides of the football.

This might be a very different Rebels football team, but heed this warning: Ole Miss has the potential to be just as deadly in 2022.

Offense

Corral was certainly a solid player for Ole Miss season, providing Kiffin's offense with the spark it needed to boost it to one of the most productive in the conference.

In 2021, the Rebels led the SEC in total offense and averaged 34 points per game. Now, Corral is gone, but a plethora of young talent is waiting in the wings to prove that the Rebels' prolific offense last season wasn't simply a one-off.

To get things started in replacing last year's personnel, Kiffin picked up an arguably better passer than Corral when he landed quarterback Jaxson Dart from USC. While Luke Altmyer is certainly in the mix for the starting job after serving as Corral's backup, Dart is looking to impress and has the pedigree to back it up.

The running backs are starting from the ground up this season. Rather than rely on Snoop Conner, Jerrion Ealy and Henry Parrish, Kiffin hit the transfer portal again and picked up Zach Evans from TCU and Ulysses Bentley from SMU. Last season, the duo combined for over 3,000 yards of total offense and 27 touchdowns — enough to raise the collective eyebrows of most SEC fans.

Just like Ole Miss' running backs, the wide receiver corps also hit the reset button. All three of last year's top receivers are gone, but Jonathan Mingo is back after missing over half of last season due to an injury. Dennis Jackson is also back after averaging over 20 yards per catch last season.

The new guys are no slouches, though. Jordan Watkins from Louisville and Malik Heath from Mississippi State are two of the bigger standouts, while UCF's Jaylon Robinson could serve as a deep threat and tight end Michael Trigg of USC will likely be the starter at the beginning of the season.

The biggest question mark on Kiffin's offense this season is the offensive line — one of the Rebels' largest shortcomings in 2021. While it worked fairly well for the ground game, pass protection was a huge problem that led to Corral getting battered around more than fans would have liked. While part of that was certainly due to his style of play, blocking also played a role.

Expect movement in the front five for 2022, starting with Nick Broeker at either tackle or guard. Caleb Warren can play anywhere in the interior, and WKU transfer Mason Brooks will likely start at right tackle due to his pass protection.

Offense is certainly the name of the game for any Kiffin-coached program, and this year is no different for the Rebels. A plethora of portal additions strengthens Ole Miss on the offensive side of the ball. There might have been a lot of key departures, but make no mistake: this offense is just as dangerous as ever.

Defense

Last season saw an Ole Miss defense that was ranked 97th in the nation. Against the run, it was simply awful and penalties were in abundance for the Rebels in 2021.

Now for the good news.

Despite all of its shortcomings last season, Ole Miss' defense improved in solid fashion over its 2020 performance. In fact, 2021 marked the Rebels' best defense since 2014. While that's certainly a long way from championship-caliber defensive play, its a step in the right direction.

On defense, Kiffin went to the transfer portal once again, although not as heavy as he did for the offensive side of the football. The depth is stronger for Ole Miss in 2022, and the addition of new blood will greatly increase the Rebels' chances of improving once again on defense.

In terms of pass rushing, top sacker Sam Williams is gone. However, edge rusher Cedrick Johnson was second on the team last season with his 6.5 sacks and is set to return. TCU transfer Khari Coleman and Georgia Tech's Jared Ivey both arrived to help on the outside, and Jamond Gordon, Isaiah Iton and KD Hill will join Auburn transfer JJ Pegues for inside assistance. All in all, it's going to be a solid, big rotation for the Rebels.

In the 4-2-5, the 2 will likely be making a ton of plays this season. Linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk will likely step up into a larger role in the middle, replacing leading tackler Chance Campbell. Troy Brown — a three-time First Team All-MAC playmaker from Central Michigan — will be all over the field in a good way.

In a defense that often has six defensive backs on the field, the bulk of the workload will likely be placed on the DBs. Safety Otis Reese is back after finishing third on the team in 2021 with 90 tackles. AJ Finley made 90 tackles as well along with three interceptions, and Isheem Young from Iowa State joins the group to provide added depth. Miles Battles leads a solid group of corners, but depth is still needed.

While certainly not as prolific as Ole Miss' offense, this year's Rebels defense shows promise. It still might be needing some pieces here and there — particularly in the defensive backfield — but improvement is all that's asked for this season.

Schedule

The good news: the first four weeks of the season look to be a relative cakewalk for Ole Miss, with the Rebels opening the season versus Troy and Central Arkansas at home before taking on Georgia Tech in Atlanta and another home matchup against Tulsa.

The bad news: those four-straight non-conference games get out of the way before eight-consecutive SEC games round out the 12 games of the regular season.

In order to have a successful season, the Rebels are going to have to enter Week 5 with a 4-0 record. That will all depend on if the team can gel in time. Will Dart and the offense iron out the kinks in time? Will the defense have shown some improvements?

Should Ole Miss start with a 4-0 record, winning four of its next games shouldn't be incredibly difficult. A home game versus Kentucky opens SEC play before a road trip to Vanderbilt on Oct. 8. From there, the Rebels host Auburn before facing LSU and Texas A&M in back-to-back games on the road. After the bye week, Ole Miss hosts Alabama on Nov. 12 before traveling to Arkansas and then returning to Oxford to host Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.

It's certainly not the easiest schedule in the conference, but winning eight games is within reach this season should the offensive line and defensive backfield both show improvements.

Outlook

Eight wins is certainly a worthy target for Kiffin and Ole Miss in 2022.

That being said, Alabama likely won't be one of those wins.

Remember how the Rebels averaged 34 points per game last season? The Crimson Tide held them to 21, sealing the deal with a 42-21 victory — and this year, Alabama's defense is looking to be much-improved over its 2021 counterpart.

Since Ole Miss won back-to-back games in 2014-15, the Rebels have failed to best the Crimson Tide. 2020 showed an incredible shootout between the two teams, but even then, Alabama emerged with a 63-48 win.

Ole Miss has slowly but surely shown progression since Kiffin took the helm. He certainly has a better chance than most coaches to best Nick Saban and Alabama's offense — heck, he practically invented the Crimson Tide's current play style, minus some Bill O'Brien tweaks.

Kiffin might one day best Saban and Alabama, but this year isn't it. Ole Miss might have better personnel after hitting the transfer portal hard in the offseason, but 2021's 10-3 final record will still be difficult to repeat in an SEC West division where most teams have also shown improvement.

The Game 

Date: Nov. 12

Time: TBD

TV: TBD

Location: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium

Series: 54-11-2

Last meeting: Alabama won 42-21 last season. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for career highs of 171 yards and four touchdowns as the Crimson Tide jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead after Lane Kiffin said during his pregame interview for everyone to "Get your popcorn ready."

Ole Miss is handing out free popcorn to its first 5,000 fans this Saturday vs. Arkansas 😂

Lane Kiffin having some fun after his popcorn comments vs. Bama last week pic.twitter.com/3zZdOCzIwh

— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) October 7, 2021

The Team

The Coach: Lane Kiffin (third season 15-8; 11 year overall, 77-42)

Offensive Coordinator: John David Baker/Charlie Weis Jr.

Defensive Coordinator: Maurice Crum/Chris Partridge

2021 Record: 10-3

2021 Rankings: Total offense No. 6; Total defense No. 97

Returning Starters: 12, five on offense, seven on defense

Players to Watch: RB Zachary Evans, WR Jonathan Mingo, G Nick Broeker, T Jeremy James, T Mason Brooks, LB Cedric Johnson, S AJ Finley.

Top Newcomer: QB Jaxson Dart. The transfer from Southern California played in six games with the Trojans last season, and was 117-for-189 (61.9 percent) for 1,353 yards, with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. Among the safest bets one can make this season is that his passer rating of 132.5 will go up under Kiffin.

Biggest Questions: The Rebels returned 17 players last year including quarterback Matt Corral, and made the most of it in playing in the Sugar Bowl. Don't buy the hype that will build if Ole Miss begins the season 7-0 as it has a very favorable schedule until it hits a buzzsaw at the end with LSU, Texas A&M and Arkansas on the road, and Alabama and Mississippi State at home. 

The School

Location: Oxford, Mississippi

Founded: 1844

Enrollment: 22,000

Nickname: Rebels

Colors: Cardinal red and navy blue

Mascot: Tony the Landshark

The Program 

Coaching Changes During Saban Era: Four

Last Time Beat Alabama: 2015, when the Rebels won their second straight against Alabama, 43-37 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Last Time Won Division: None

Last Time Won SEC Championship: 1963

National Championships (3): 1959, 1960, 1962

Playoff Appearances: None

SEC Championships (6): 1947, 1954, 1955, 1960, 1962, 1963

Bowl Appearances: 24–14

Last Time Didn’t Play in a Bowl: 2019

Heisman Trophies: None

Consensus All-Americans During Saban Era (3): Michael Oher, OT, 2008; Senquez Golson, DB, 2014; Elijah Moore, WR, 2020

First-Round NFL Picks During Saban Era (6): The most recent was TE Evan Engram in 2017, No. 23 by the New York Giants.

2022 NFL Draft: Six selections led by defensive end Sam Williams in the second round by the Dallas Cowboys (No. 56 overall).

Last Four Recruiting Class Rankings: No. 23 in Class of 2022. Previously No. 17 in 2021, No. 24 in 2020, No. 22 in 2019.

The Schedule

Sept. 3: Troy
Sept. 10: Central Arkansas
Sept. 17: at Georgia Tech
Sept. 24: Tulsa
Oct. 1: Kentucky
Oct. 8: at Vanderbilt
Oct. 15: Auburn
Oct. 22: at LSU
Oct. 29: at Texas A&M
Nov. 12: Alabama
Nov. 19: at Arkansas
Nov. 24: Mississippi State

Did You Know?

Alabama has been ranked No. 1 or 2 by one of the polls when playing Ole Miss for 11 straight years. During that span, the Rebels have finished the season ranked in the AP Top 25 just three times, including last year's No. 11. Ole Miss hasn't been ranked above No. 10 in the final Association Press poll since 1969. 

This is the eighth story in series previewing Alabama's opponents:

No. 12 Austin Peay

No. 11 Louisiana Monroe

No. 10 Vanderbilt

No. 9 Utah State

No. 8 Mississippi State

No. 7 Auburn

No. 6 LSU