COLUMN: Offensive Execution to Blame in Rebels' Loss to Alabama

The Rebels had their opportunities on Saturday, but they failed to capitalize.

For two quarters on Saturday, the Ole Miss Rebels looked like the better team in Tuscaloosa.

Their defense was getting stops, taking advantage of some miscues from the Alabama Crimson Tide along the way. Pete Golding's unit forced a key red zone turnover and held the Tide to field goal attempts close to the end zone. In short, Ole Miss had its opportunities.

Those opportunities were squandered, and Ole Miss lost as a result.

The Rebels failed to take advantage of these golden moments handed to them by their defense, mustering only seven points in the first half. With the (somewhat) return of injured offensive weapons Tre Harris, Zakhari Franklin and Caden Prieskorn, it appeared that Ole Miss would have an opportunity to have a strong offensive day. After giving up five sacks and failing to establish the run, however, that did not pan out.

What is to blame? Perhaps Alabama's defense heard the noise this week and rose to the occasion, but the Ole Miss offense looked like it did in the first half against Tulane on Saturday, and that is not a positive sign as conference play begins.

Maybe the play-calling was questionable. Maybe it was simply execution. But even with Alabama's offense looking more impressive in the second half, this loss boils down to Lane Kiffin's offense failing to get the job done in Tuscaloosa.

There's not much time to lick the wounds either, if you're the Rebels. Ole Miss returns home next week to face a dynamic quarterback in Jayden Daniels of the LSU Tigers, so points will be a must.

For now, however, it's back to the drawing board in Oxford.