Football vs. Ole Miss Postgame Notes
10/1/2017 12:01:00 AM | Football
GAME CAPTAINS: Alabama's captains for tonight's game vs. Ole Miss were tight end Hale Hentges, linebacker Anfernee Jennings and defensive lineman Da'Ron Payne.
FIRST TIME STARTER: Offensive tackle Jedrick Wills became the 13th Crimson Tide player to make his first career start this season when he lined up at right tackle for the first offensive snap against Ole Miss tonight.
UNRANKED, NO PROBLEM UNDER SABAN: Alabama has defeated 69 consecutive unranked teams under head coach Nick Saban. The last loss to an unranked team came against Auburn to close out the 2007 season. The current streak began with a win over Colorado on Dec. 30, 2007, in the Independence Bowl. Under Saban, Alabama holds a 73-3 (.961) (69-3, .958 after vacations) mark against unranked opponents, including a perfect mark in unranked matchups since 2008.
ALABAMA AS THE NATION'S NO. 1: Alabama has played 79 games as the nation's top-ranked team since the inception of the Associated Press Poll in 1936. In those games, the Crimson Tide boasts a 68-11 (.861) record. Those numbers are even more impressive when you look at the 11 seasons under the direction of head coach Nick Saban (2007-present). Since the ninth game of the 2008 season (121 games), Alabama has played 55 games while being ranked No. 1, posting a 49-6 (.891) record during that span.
SABAN'S 55th GAME AS AP No. 1: The matchup against Ole Miss tonight was Nick Saban's 55th career game coaching Alabama as the Associated Press No. 1 team, the most games coached as No. 1 at one school. At 49-6 (.891), Saban has won more games coaching at No. 1 team at one school than any other coach in college football history. Woody Hayes (Ohio State) and Bobby Bowden (Florida State) are tied for second with 40 wins apiece. Bowden was 40-5 at Florida State as No. 1 and Hayes went 40-6 with Ohio State.
111-7 UNDER SABAN WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF: Under head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide is 111-7 (.941) when leading at the half. Alabama led Ole Miss, 35-3, at the half tonight and has held the lead in 29 of its last 35 games dating back to the start of the 2015 season, including 13 of 15 games in 2016 and all five games this season.
11 DIFFERENT SCORE IN WIN OVER OLE MISS: Alabama had 11 different players put up points in the win over Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide got touchdowns from senior Levi Wallace, juniors Bo Scarbrough, Hale Hentges and Ronnie Clark, sophomores Josh Jacobs and Jalen Hurts and freshmen Najee Harris, Tua Tagovailoa and Henry Ruggs III. In addition, senior JK Scott connected on a 48-yard field goal, and senior Andy Pappanastos was 9-for-9 in PATs.
Series Notes
ALABAMA'S 66 POINTS THE MOST VS. OLE MISS IN SERIES: The Crimson Tide's 66 points scored against Ole Miss tonight marked the most points scored by either team in series history, which dates back to 1894. The previous high was 64, set on Oct. 26, 1917 and reached again on Oct. 4, 1930.
Defensive Notes
WALLACE RECORDS 60TH NON-OFFENSIVE TOUCHDOWN OF THE SABAN ERA: Senior Levi Wallace's 35-yard first quarter interception return tonight is the 60th non-offensive touchdown scored by Alabama during the Nick Saban era and the first in 2017. The Crimson Tide totaled a single-season record 15 non-offensive scores in 2016.
10 POINTS OR LESS: Alabama's 66-3 win today marks the 75th time under head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide has held opponents to 10 points or fewer, the fourth time in five games this season and the 19th time in the last 35 games dating to the start of the 2015 season.
HOLDING OPPONENTS UNDER 300: The Crimson Tide's defensive performance against Ole Miss on Sept. 30 marked the 92nd time in 143 games (64.3 percent) under head coach Nick Saban that the Tide has held an opponent to less than 300 yards of total offense.
Offensive Notes
MOST POINTS SINCE 1979: Alabama's 66 points scored in tonight's win over Ole Miss marked the highest point total for the Crimson Tide since it scored the same amount at Vanderbilt on Sept. 29, 1979 (66-3). It was also the 28th game in Alabama history scoring 60 points or more.
ALABAMA'S 66 POINTS TIES FOR SECOND MOST IN AN SEC GAME: Alabama's 66 points is tied for second in program history in points it has scored in a Southeastern Conference game. The last time Alabama had 66 points in a league contest was on Sept. 29, 1979 at Vanderbilt.
FIFTY POINTS IN CONSECUTIVE GAMES: Alabama's 66-3 win over Ole Miss tonight gives the Crimson Tide consecutive games with 50+ points for the first time since 1991 when the Tide defeated Chattanooga, 53-7, on Oct. 5 at Legion Field and Tulane, 62-0, on Oct. 12 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Tonight also marks the first time Alabama has scored more than 50 points in consecutive SEC games since defeating Kentucky, 60-19, and Vanderbilt, 71-0, on Nov. 3 and Nov. 17, 1945. Both of those contests were on the road.
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES: Alabama's school record consecutive games scoring streak was extended to 218 games tonight with Bo Scarbrough's first quarter six-yard touchdown run. Alabama was last held off the scoreboard in a 9-0 loss to Auburn on Nov. 18, 2000.
FAST STARTERS: Alabama has now outscored its opponents 76-6 in the first quarter and 128-23 in the first half this season.
HURTS NOW TIED FOR FIFTH ON CAREER TOUCHDOWN RESPONSIBILITY LIST: Jalen Hurts' three first half touchdowns (one rushing, two passing) tonight move him into a tie for fifth place on the Alabama career touchdown responsibility list with Mark Ingram (2008-10) with 46 combined passing and rushing touchdowns. Shaun Alexander (1996-99) is fourth with 60. Hurts has thrown 29 career touchdown passes and rushed for 17 career scores.
HURTS NOW EIGHTH ON CAREER TOTAL OFFENSE LIST: With 298 yards in total offense tonight, quarterback Jalen Hurts now has 4,942 total offensive yards in his career, the eighth-best total in school history. Jay Barker (1991-94) is seventh with 5,409 yards.
HURTS FIFTH ON UA QB CAREER RUSHING LIST: Jalen Hurts' 101 rushing yards tonight is the third 100-yard game of the season and the seventh of his career. Hurts has now run for 1,415 yards in 20 career games, a total that ranks fourth all-time among quarterbacks at Alabama. Walter Lewis (1980-83) is third on the Tide career list with 1,433 yards. Hurts' total also ranks No. 34 on Alabama's all-time career rushing list.
HURTS WITHOUT AN INTERCEPTION: Jalen Hurts has now attempted 169 passes without an interception dating back to the first half of the Auburn game on Nov. 24, 2016. The streak is currently the third-longest in school history behind AJ McCarron's 291 attempts in 2011-12 and Brodie Croyle's 190-attempt streak in 2005.
Special Teams Notes
FIRST CAREER FIELD GOAL FOR SCOTT: Senior punter JK Scott's third quarter 48-yard field goal is the first converted field goal of his career. Scott is now 1-for-2 on field goal attempts this season and 1-for-3 in his career.
SCOTT CLIMBING TIDE CAREER PUNTING LISTS: Senior punter JK Scott's two attempts against Ole Miss gave the senior 204 for his career, the second-most in Alabama history. P.J. Fitzgerald (2006-09) is Alabama's career leader with 238 punts. Scott's 85 punting yards against the Commodores gives him 9,339, good for second all-time at UA behind Fitzgerald (9,485).
