The heat is on for next season.
Hype will not serve as a factor when Alabama travels to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (Oxford, Miss) in its meeting against Ole Miss on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide looks to avoid a third straight loss; however, one Rebel defender doesn’t see it happening.
Sophomore defensive lineman Breeland Speaks was on SEC Network today, providing his comments on the rivalry. He did not record any stats against Alabama last season, yet the 6-foot-3, 313-pound defensive tackle boldly declared that Ole Miss “is supposed to beat Alabama.”
https://twitter.com/IAKOWNeil/status/724697814169751552
Speaks finished 2015 with 32 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two pass breakups and three quarterback hurries.
He earned playing time on a defense that allowed 22.6 points, 127.1 rushing yards, 258.8 passing yards and 385.8 total yards per game, en route to a 10-3 mark under Hugh Freeze.
Crucial turnovers hurt the Crimson Tide in two seasons against Mississippi. Five mistakes a year ago led to a 43-37 win for the Rebels inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, despite a valiant comeback effort from Jacob Coker.
Robert Nkemdiche, Denzel Nkemdiche, Channing Ward, C.J. Johnson, Mike Hilton and Trae Elston are a few marquee names that won’t be in a Rebels uniform in the fall. Marquis Haynes returns as the team’s pass rush specialist (10 sacks, 2015), but now Speaks will have to back up his words.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @ESPN_Future.
