Alabama (7-2, 4-2 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (8-1, 4-1 SEC) 
Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022 • 2:30 p.m. CT
Oxford, Miss. =16px• [b]=16pxVaught-Hemingway Stadium (64,038)[/b]
Crimson Tide Rankings - CFP: #9 | AP: #10 | Coaches: #11
[b]Rebel Rankings - CFP: #11 | AP: #11 | Coaches: #9[/b]
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This is the 70th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama.
• The Crimson Tide holds a 56-10-2 series lead ... The original series record is 57-10-2 with both teams having wins taken away due to NCAA rulings.
• Ole Miss is 68-169-2 all-time versus ranked opponents ... Ole Miss beat No. 7 Kentucky 22-19 earlier this season.
• The Rebels check in at No. 9 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the AP Top 25.
• 55 of the 125 players (44 percent) on the Rebel roster are newcomers and are in their first season at Ole Miss.
• The Rebels are averaging 20.7 seconds per play this season, the third-fastest average in FBS behind only Indiana (19.4 spp) & Texas Tech (20.5 spp).
• Ole Miss ranks top 5 in total rushing yards (2,407), yards per game (267.4) and total attempts (430).
• The Rebels are second in the SEC and No. 9 nationally converting on third downs 51.2 percent of the time.
• Ole Miss ranks fourth in the FBS and first in the SEC allowing just 0.78 sacks per game.
• Quinshon Judkins leads all freshmen nationally in both rushing touchdowns (13) and rushing yards (1,036).
• Judkins' 13 rushing TDs rank fifth-most in program history and are the most ever by any Rebel freshman.
• According to PFF, Judkins is third in the country with 61 missed tackles forced and fourth with 60 rushes for a first down.
• WR Jonathan Mingo is second in the SEC and ranks No. 5 in FBS in yards per reception (22.1).
• QB Jaxson Dart leads the SEC and is ninth in the FBS in passing yards per completion (14.5).
• K Jonathan Cruz is 9-for-10 on field goal attempts and ranks second in the SEC in field goal percetage (.900).
• DT KD Hill was awarded the Chucky Mullins Courage Award and will wear No. 38 throughout the 2022 season.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin (Fresno State, 1998) is in his third season at Ole Miss and helped lead the Rebels to back-to-back bowl appearances in his first two years in Oxford. Kiffin guided the Rebels to a 10-3 record in 2021, the first 10-win regular season in school history. That included a perfect 7-0 mark at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, part of an ongoing 14-game home win streak for Kiffin's teams. The Rebels finished the season ranked No. 11 in both the AP and AFCA Coaches Poll; its highest final ranking since 2016. Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories in his first season, including having the No. 3 team in the country in total offense, shattering the school record with 555.5 yards per game. Kiffin is in his 11th year at the NCAA level and has posted an all-time record of 76-42. In December 2016, Kiffin took over an FAU program that had won a total of nine combined games over the previous three seasons. Kiffin proceeded to take the Owls to new heights over the last three years, including two conference titles and two 10-win seasons. In his head coaching stops at USC, Tennessee and FAU, Kiffin has shown a propensity in helping turn programs around. Kiffin graduated from Fresno State in 1998 after playing quarterback for three seasons (1994-96) for the Bulldogs. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Fresno State under Pat Hill in 1997 and 1998.

ALABAMA HEAD COACH NICK SABAN
Nick Saban has served as the head football coach for the Alabama the past 16 seasons, helping to lead the Crimson Tide to a 185-27 record under his guidance. In that time period, Saban has risen to become one of college football's greatest, accumulating six National Championships, eight SEC Championships and numerous coach of the year honors. Since becoming head coach for Alabama, Saban has coached a total of four Heisman Trophy winners including the previous two in Bryce Young (2021) and Devonta Smith (2020). Saban has coached his teams to 21 consecutive bowl game appearances, dating back to 1998 when he was at the helm of Michigan State. The 2022 season marks just the eighth time of Saban's coaching tenure at Alabama in which the Crimson Tide have notched more than one loss on the year.

CRIMSON TIDE SCOUTING REPORT
The Rebels will play host to a Crimson Tide team that currently sits with a 7-2 record in 2022, with Alabama coming off of a 32-31 loss to LSU in overtime. With their loss to LSU, the Tide now hold a conference record of 4-2 on the year, slotting them into third in the SEC West standings. On offense Alabama is led by defending Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Bryce Young, who currently ranks 31st in the nation in passing yards (2,234) as well as 23rd in passing touchdowns (19). Sharing the backfield with Young will be junior running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who leads the team in rushing yards (771) and rushing touchdowns (6) on the season along with tallying an additional 365 receiving yards and three touchdown grabs in 2022. The Crimson Tide defense is anchored by another Heisman Trophy hopeful in Will Anderson Jr., as the Nagurski Trophy winner and unanimous 2021 All-American has recorded seven total sacks on the 2022 so far. Anderson's 31.5 career sacks currently rank second all-time in program history for the Crimson Tide, trailing only Derrick Thomas. Alabama's defense also features the team's leading tackler DeMarcco Hellams, as the senior defensive back currently sits at 71 total tackles on the year.OLE

MISS-ALABAMA SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 70th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama.
• The original series record is 57-10-2, with the Crimson Tide holding a 29-2 edge in Tuscaloosa, an 11-3 lead in Oxford and a 17-5-2 record on neutral sites ... After vacated wins, Alabama holds a 56-10-2 series lead, including a 10-4 advantage in games played in Oxford.
• Alabama's records show the Crimson Tide with a 54-11-2 record, but they count the Alabama win in 1993 that was later ruled a forfeit, as well as Ole Miss' win in 2014 that was vacated by the Rebels, but still applies to the Tide's record.
• Alabama's wins in 2005 (13-10), 2006 (26-23) and 2007 (27-24) were vacated due to NCAA ruling ... Ole Miss' win in 2014 (23-17) was vacated due to NCAA ruling.
• This is the first time Alabama has not been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 when facing Ole Miss since Oct. 16, 2010 when the Tide were ranked No. 8 ... First time not No. 1 or No. 2 in Oxford since Oct. 10, 2009 when Alabama was No. 3.
• Ole Miss and Alabama are squaring off with both teams in the top 10 in one of the two major polls for the first time since 1964.

REBS IN THE POLLS
• Ole Miss ranks No. 9 in the Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the Associated Press Poll.
• Dating back to last season, Ole Miss has been ranked in the top 25 for 27 straight weeks, which is its longest streak since being ranked for 41 straight weeks that stretched from 2014-16.
• Ole Miss has ranked as high as No. 7 this season, its highest since ranking No. 3 in Week Five of 2015.
• The SEC boasts six teams in the top 25, including four teams ranked inside the top 10.

SEC NATION HEADED TO THE GROVE
SEC Network's weekly, traveling pre-game show, SEC Nation presented by Regions, makes a return trip back in Oxford for a ranked showdown between No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 11 Alabama. The show will broadcast from The Grove for the ninth time on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9-11 a.m. CT, on SEC Network. The show was in town earlier this season for Ole Miss' 22-19 win over No. 7 Kentucky. Prior visits to The Grove were in 2014 for Ole Miss-Tennessee and the Egg Bowl, in 2015 against Arkansas, in 2016 and 2018 for a pair of matchups between Ole Miss and Alabama, 2019 vs. LSU and 2021 vs. LSU.

JUDKINS AMONG ELITE SEC COMPANY
True freshman RB Quinshon Judkins passed the 1,000 yard rushing mark against Texas A&M on Oct. 29 in just his ninth collegiate game -- putting him into an elite group of true freshman SEC running backs. Judkins' 1,036 yards through nine games only ranks behind two legends in SEC history among the fastest true freshman to 1,000 yards: Emmitt Smith's 1,011 yards through an NCAA record seven games during his freshman year at Florida in 1987, and Herschel Walker's 1,096 yards through eight games in his first year at Georgia in 1980. Overall, Judkins is the 144th freshman running back in FBS history to break 1,000 yards for a season and one of 21 in SEC history. Among all freshmen (redshirts included), Judkins is the fastest in the SEC to break 1,000 yards since Georgia redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno hit 1,003 yards through nine games in 2007.

QJ1K
Among the FBS ranks, Judkins' nine-game burn to 1,000 yards is among the fastest by a freshman over the last several seasons. Judkins is one of six FBS freshmen to do so in at least nine games since 2017, ranking behind only Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor in 2017, who tied the NCAA record with 1,112 yards in seven games en route to his NCAA freshman record 1,977 yard season, and Oregon State's Jermar Jefferson, who hit 1,034 yards in eight games for the Beavers in 2018. This year, Judkins is the only freshman at 1,000 yards and is among 13 FBS rushers to have crossed the plateau.

DON'T BLINK
Ole Miss has run a lightning-quick offense, currently leading the SEC and ranking third among FBS schools in seconds per play at 20.7 -- trailing only Indiana (19.4) and Texas Tech (20.5). That rapid pace has helped spur the Rebels into one of the more explosive offensive units around, currently ranking 23rd in the FBS in total plays (669) and 16th in first downs (228). Ole Miss also ranks third in the SEC in both categories.

POUND THE ROCK
Ole Miss isn't just running the ball well, it's running the ball a lot. The Rebels stand as the lone FBS team with 4,000 yards of total offense (4,452, No. 11 FBS) and 2,400 yards rushing (2,405, No. 3 FBS), as well as the only Power-5 team beyond the 2,400-yard plateau rushing. Ole Miss ranks tied for fourth among FBS schools in rushing touchdowns with 27. Removed one year from having one of the most feared passing attacks in college football, Ole Miss now sits as one of just two Power-5 programs (alongside Michigan) to have 4,000 yards of total offense with at least 50 percent of its yards coming on the ground. Ole Miss leads all Power-5 schools in rushing offense percentage (54.0 percent), as well as third in percentage of rushing plays against total plays (64.2 percent).

CLIMBING UP THE RANKS
Quinshon Judkins has quickly proved himself one of the best rushers in Ole Miss single-season history, and he is now starting to rise up the all-time Rebel season lists as a response. Judkins is one of just nine 1,000-yard rushers in Ole Miss history, and he currently ranks fifth on the all-time single-season list with 1,036 yards -- the most by any Rebel since Dexter McCluster's 1,169 in 2009. His season per game average of 115.1 puts him within range of passing No. 4 Deuce McAllister (1998, 1,082) and No. 3 BenJarvus Green-Ellis (2007, 1,137) this week, and with three games left in the regular season Judkins is also within striking distance of McCluster's runner-up total of 1,169 and the single-season record 1,312 set by fullback Kayo Dottley in 1949. Judkins and Dottley are also the only Rebels to reach 1,000 yards rushing in nine games, with Dottley notching 1,113 through nine contests and Judkins 1,036. At 13 touchdowns on the ground, Judkins is also just one score away from tying the Ole Miss single-season rushing touchdown list. His next score will tie him with four other Rebel greats who have crossed the goal line 14 times in one season: Dottley in 1949, McAllister in 2000, Archie Manning in 1969 and Brandon Bolden in 2010. Judkins has scored multiple touchdowns on the ground in five games this season, tying the single-season record set by both Bolden (2010) and McAllister (1999, 2000). Judkins scored multiple touchdowns in three consecutive games, becoming the first Rebel to do so since Bolden did in four straight in 2010. Judkins is now the Ole Miss freshman record holder in both yards and touchdowns rushing.

BY LAND OR BY AIR
The Rebels have held a fearsome rushing offense throughout the 2022 campaign, but a bombastic aerial showing against Vanderbilt put Ole Miss right into the discussion nationally as a feared passing attack as well. Ole Miss is currently the only school in the FBS with a single-game 440-yard passer (Jaxson Dart, vs. Vanderbilt, 448 yards), a 240-yard receiver (Jonathan Mingo, 247 yards, vs. Vanderbilt) and a 200-yard rusher (Quinshon Judkins, vs. Texas A&M, 205 yards). Ole Miss is also currently one of just four FBS schools and two Power-5 schools to have a 1,000-yard rusher (Judkins, 1,036 yards, No. 11 FBS) and a 600-yard receiver (Mingo, 664 yards, No. 49 FBS), alongside Ball State, Kent State and Pitt.

GIGGED 'EM
Ole Miss racked up a whopping 530 yards of total offense against Texas A&M in its 31-28 win over the Aggies on Oct. 29, with 390 of those yards coming on the ground. That rushing total is the most allowed by a Texas A&M defense since yielding a school record 393 to the Vince Young-led Texas Longhorns on Nov. 28, 2003. Freshman RB Quinshon Judkins led that charge, notching the 12th 200-yard rushing game in Ole Miss history with 205 yards and one touchdown on 34 carries. That performance ranks 11th on the all-time Rebel single-game list (the most since John Rhys Plumlee ran for 212 vs. LSU in 2019), and his 34 carries are the most by a Rebel since Deuce McAllister ran 36 times against Mississippi State in 1999. Judkins' 200-yard outing also stands as one of 20 such games in the FBS this season.

BIG PLAY POTENTIAL
The Rebels continue to be one of the best teams in the country in explosive plays, currently leading all SEC teams with 63 plays of 20 yards or more this season. In total, Ole Miss has tallied 156 plays of 10 or more yards this year, ranking tied for 15th among all FBS schools. The Rebels average 17.3 such plays per game.

BIG LEG JON
K Jonathan Cruz is 6-of-8 in his collegiate career on field goals from 50 yards or more, including a 53-yard FG vs. No. 7 Kentucky. Cruz's kick tied for the sixth longest kick in school history and the longest since 2012 (Bryson Rose vs Arkansas). A transfer from Charlotte, Cruz holds the 49ers' school record with five field goals made 50-plus yards, including a program-best two 56-yard field goals. He also has had 32 of his 57 kickoffs in 2022 go for touchbacks. This year, Cruz is 9-of-10 overall and 5-of-6 from 40 yards or further, and he has hit at least one field goal in five straight games.

ALABAMA REBELS
The Ole Miss roster features 12 players who hail from Alabama: OL Jalen Cunningham (Odenville), S AJ Finley (Mobile), TE Jonathan Hess (Vestavia Hills), DT KD Hill (Eufaula), DE Cedric Johnson (Mobile), RB Quinshon Judkins (Pike Road), DE Brandon Mack (Montgomery), OL Micah Pettus (Madison), LS Carter Short (Hoover), DT Demarcus Smith (Birmingham), CB Jarrell Stinson (Opelika) and S Trey Washington (Trussville).

AIRING IT OUT
The Ole Miss offense hasn't just been getting it done on the ground, but have also been able to find some big plays through the air this season. The Rebels have had three passing plays of more than 60 yards this season, tied for the 10th most in program history. All three of those 60-yard passes came against Vanderbilt, marking the first time in available records (since 1933) that Ole Miss had three 60-yard passes in the same game.

PLOWING AHEAD
The Ole Miss offensive line unit has been named to the Joe Moore Award Midseason honor roll, acknowledging its efforts in protecting one of the best offenses in the NCAA. The Rebels have used three different starting lineups and six different starting linemen, but that hasn't slowed down Ole Miss as it currently ranks top 15 in rushing offense (3rd, 267.4 ypg), seconds per play (3rd, 20.3), sacks allowed (4th, 0.78/game), rushing touchdowns (T4th, 27), third down percentage (9th, 51.2), yards per completion (10th, 14.2), total offense (11th, 494.5 ypg) and total yards (12th, 4,454). The Rebel starting offensive linemen of LT Jayden Williams, LG Nick Broeker, C Caleb Warren, RG/C Eli Acker, RG/C Jeremy James and RT Micah Pettus have only allowed seven sacks all season long. Combined, those six hold 109 career starts and 138 games played.

SACKS APLENTY
Ole Miss ranks third in the SEC and No. 26 in the FBS with 2.8 sacks per game. DE Cedric Johnson leads with 4.0 sacks, including 3.0 in his last two games combined. Ole Miss also has three additional pass rushers with 3.5 sacks on the season in DE Jared Ivey, LB Khari Coleman and DE Tavius Robinson. A total of 10 different Rebels have at least one or more sacks for Ole Miss this year, tied for the 17th-most amongst FBS schools. Ole Miss has recorded at least three sacks in six of the nine games played this season, and at least two in seven of nine contests.

NO SACKS FOR YOU!
The same can't be said on the other side of the ball, though, as the Ole Miss offensive line leads the SEC and ranks fourth in FBS, yielding just 0.78 sacks per game. Only one opponent -- LSU -- has been able to get to the Rebel quarterback multiple times, doing so three times on Oct. 22 in Ole Miss' lone loss of the season. Entering this week, the Alabama defensive front leads the SEC and ranks No. 10 nationally at 3.2 sacks per contest. The Rebel offensive line unit has been recognized as one of the top in college football as a member of the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll for its efforts in protecting the quarterback and leading the way to the Rebels' FBS No. 3 rushing attack.

GOIN' DEEP
WR Jonathan Mingo has been particularly dangerous from far away, recording 11 receptions of at least 20 yards, 10 of at least 25, nine of at least 30, five of at least 40, four of at least 50 and two beyond 70 yards. He ranks second in the SEC and No. 5 in the FBS in yards per reception (22.1). Mingo has set his career-long reception three times this season, starting with a 51-yard strike against Central Arkansas and his two 70-yard touchdowns against Vanderbilt of 72 and 71 yards. In his career, Mingo owns 18 receptions of at least 30 yards, seven of at least 40, five of at least 50 and two beyond 70 yards. From 30 yards or further in his career, Mingo has hauled in five total touchdowns.

AND MINGO WAS HIS NAME-O
Jonathan Mingo's performance vs. Vanderbilt during Week 6 not only ranks tops in the Ole Miss record books, but also at the top of the FBS leaderboard heading into Week 9 action. Mingo's 247-yard day topped the previous best of 246 set by Kent State's Dante Cephas against Ohio on Oct. 1. Mingo's game against the Commodores ranks 40 yards better than the next-best performance by an SEC receiver this season (Tennessee's Jalin Hyatt, 207 yards, vs. Alabama) and 10 yards better than any receiver against a Power-5 defense (Nebraska's Trey Palmer, 237 yards, vs. Purdue). Mingo is one of just 13 FBS receivers to cross the 200-yard plateau this season.

KD HILL RECEIVES CHUCKY MULLINS COURAGE AWARD, WILL WEAR NO. 38
Ole Miss DT KD Hill was recently named the winner of the 2022 Chucky Mullins Courage Award. The award, sponsored by Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, honors the late Chucky Mullins, who had his Ole Miss career come to an end during the 1989 Homecoming game against Vanderbilt when he was paralyzed after making a tackle. After returning to his studies at Ole Miss, Mullins passed away May 6, 1991. A native of Eufaula, Alabama, Hill becomes the 32nd recipient in the 33-year history of the award. Hill will wear Mullins' No. 38 number throughout the 2022 season.

JUDKINS IN THE RUNNING FOR FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Ole Miss RB Quinshon Judkins has been selected as a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, the Maxwell Football Club recently announced. The Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award has been presented to the College Freshman Player of the Year since 2018 and is named in honor of Shaun Alexander, a former standout at the University of Alabama and with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. Judkins has burst onto the scene as a true freshman and made an immediate impact for an Ole Miss offense that leads the SEC and ranks No.  3 nationally in rushing yards per game (267.4 ypg). Judkins ranks top 20 nationally in total touchdowns (4th, 14),  total points (4th, 84), rushing touchdowns (5th, 13), rushing yards (11th, 1,036), rushing yards per game (12th, 115.1) and scoring (13th, 9.3/game). Finalists for the fifth annual Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award will be announced Dec, 6, 2022 and the winner of the award will be announced on Dec. 29.