Tide rise to Saban's challenge, rally past Ole Miss

OXFORD, Ms. -- Still reeling aft a heartbreaking nonaccomplishment astatine LSU and officially eliminated from reaching the SEC Championship, Alabama didn't fold up store connected the roadworthy astatine Ole Miss connected Saturday. The Crimson Tide alternatively came backmost from a double-digit shortage and hung connected precocious to bushed the Rebels 30-24.

A arrogant manager Nick Saban told reporters afterward, "It was a pugnacious nighttime successful a batch of ways, but a large nighttime for america due to the fact that I deliberation we took a measurement successful the close absorption arsenic a shot team."

Alabama avoided snapping its 184-game streak without losing consecutive regular-season games.

The streak, which dated backmost to Saban's archetypal play astatine Alabama successful 2007, is the longest progressive streak successful assemblage shot and the longest streak since Oklahoma went 256 games from 1999-2020.

Saban said helium challenged his squad earlier the crippled to "play to the standard" and "take it personal."

"I deliberation that's the large happening that we wanted to get our players to bash is, you're liable for the individuality that you make and it's idiosyncratic successful presumption of however you play and however you vie successful the crippled to effort to predominate the feline you're playing against," helium said. "And I saw a batch of that successful the 2nd half."

Saban said helium was arrogant of the hard moving by Jase McClellan, who had to enarthrosis much of the load with Jahmyr Gibbs injured. McClellan accounted for 84 yards connected 19 carries.

Saban besides praised the violative enactment for stepping up successful the 2nd half.

Bryce Young, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, completed 21 of 33 passes for 209 yards, 3 touchdowns and nary interceptions.

But it was the defence that arguably took the biggest measurement guardant against Ole Miss.

After allowing 17 points successful the archetypal 20 minutes, it allowed lone 1 touchdown the remainder of the game.

Ole Miss had the shot connected first-and-10 connected the Alabama 14-yard enactment with a accidental to people the go-ahead touchdown with little than a infinitesimal left. But the defence forced an incompletion, tackled Rebels backmost Jaxson Dart for nary summation and past sacked Dart for a 6-yard loss. Then, connected fourth-and-16, Brian Branch broke up a walk to seal the win.

Defensive linebacker Byron Young was a standout successful the beforehand 7 with 11 tackles -- 2 of which were for a nonaccomplishment -- and 2 backmost hurries.

"It became idiosyncratic to each of america conscionable due to the fact that we saw what radical been saying," Young said. "We saw radical constitute america off. And we consciousness similar really, conscionable for ourselves, we gotta amusement ourselves who we are and we gotta amusement ourselves that we are what we accidental we are. So I deliberation that was the biggest happening for us."

Alabama volition big Austin Peay adjacent Saturday earlier it closes retired the regular play astatine location connected Nov. 26 against Auburn.