Alabama vs. Ole Miss Notebook: Some New Tunes, But Staples Remain on the Playlist at Bryant-Denny Stadium

A week after fans complain of lackluster in-game music, Alabama introduces a few new selections.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The people spoke, and Greg Byrne listened.

Actually, the people listened, didn’t like what they heard, and the Crimson Tide athletic director said it’s time for a change.

Alabama football fans flooded social media with their displeasure over the in-game music selection at Bryant-Denny Stadium after last week’s game with Southern Miss. Byrne joked on Twitter that he was hiring a music consultant to liven up the atmosphere.

He didn’t hire a consultant, but he did get UA to throw in some more popular music to get fans excited, including some DJ Khaled and Pit Bull.

The final straw was during last week’s prime-time game against Southern Miss when the song “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5 blared over the speakers while the LED lights turned Crimson. The song didn’t exactly get the crowd fired up.

Niether did “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker, which was played during a break in the action.

There are staples that UA can’t ingnore though. AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” has been the Crimson Tide’s intro music for about as long as Nick Saban has been head coach. For whatever reason, the UA student section goes crazy when “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers is played.

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” is a must for obvious reasons. Of course, there is “Dixieland Delight” by the country group Alabama, which fans can’t do without. It was banned a few years back because UA fans added some colorful lyrics to the song, which Byrne didn’t appreciate. The song is back, even though some UA fans don't agree with the forced edits.

Out in front

Alabama hasn’t trailed a team at any point in its past 57 quarters, the longest streak by any FBS team since 1950. The last time the Crimson Tide trailed in a game was in the third quarter against Georgia, 24-20, on Oct. 17, 2021. A week before, Alabama trailed Ole Miss 14-7 in the second quarter.

Lane train derailed

Ole Miss has gained 600 or more yards six times in 13 games under Lane Kiffin, including two this season. Before Kiffin, the Rebels had 16 such games in the program’s 1,209 games.

On Saturday, the Rebels were held to a season-low 291 yards, including a season low 78 rushing yards. The Rebels entered the game averaging 300 rushing yards.

Ole Miss had scored 43 or more points in three games this season. The Rebels were held to 21 points against Alabama, which ties the lowest total in Kiffin’s two seasons with Ole Miss. The Rebels scored 21 points against Arkansas in 2020.

Options open

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was flushed out of the pocket on several occasions Saturday Despite lots of green grass in front of him, the mobile quarterback kept his eyes downfield and made the pass instead of trying to run for positive yards.

“It’s a feel thing,” he said. “You have to try and make the best decision for the team. You are trying to find someone down field and trying to gauge whether running would be a better option. Each situation is different. That’s a part of my game I’m still working on.”

Young did have one run where it appeared he was going to take a two-yard loss inside the 10-yard line but squirmed his way through the sea of linemen and got down to the goal line.

Old-school Alabama

Alabama’s game plan was simple – keep the ball away from Ole Miss. That meant eating up as much clock as possible and maintaining possession.

Mission accomplished.

The Crimson Tide ran the ball 50 times and held the ball for 40 minutes. Brian Robinson had 36 of those carries.

The game plan resembled ones similar to the ground-and-pound type of Alabama teams of old.

“It really did seem like old-school Alabama football today,” Robinson said. “I’ve never had a game where I carried the ball 30 times. I’m thankful for the opportunity.”

Postgame Notes

Head coach Nick Saban is 24-0 all-time against his former staffers during his tenure at Alabama, including a 2-0 mark against Lane Kiffin after the Rebels’ head man served as a Saban assistant at UA from 2014-16. Overall, Saban is 3-0 all-time against Kiffin when meeting as head coaches, including Kiffin’s stint at Tennessee.

Alabama’s win against Ole Miss marked head coach Nick Saban’s 93rd career win - 70th at Alabama - against an Associated Press Top-25 team.

It also marked his 23rd career win by 25-plus points against a ranked opponent.

Alabama has now scored 30-or-more points in 31-straight games.

The Tide is tied with UCF for the record, with the Knights recording 30-or-more points in 31-straight games from 2017-19.

The Crimson Tide has won 45-straight games when scoring a touchdown on the first offensive possession of the game, thanks to Bryce Young’s 16-yard touchdown pass to John Metchie III on the opening drive.

The Tide has now gained 400-plus yards of total offense in 44 of its last 46 games.

Alabama held Ole Miss scoreless at the half, marking the first time it has held a ranked team off the board at the break since shutting out then-No. 16 Mississippi State on Nov. 10, 2018.