The comeback had teeth, but it never quite got all the way there.
Ole Miss erased an 18-point second-half hole and dragged Alabama into a tense finish Thursday night in Birmingham, only to fall 92-84 in exhibition play. The Rebels clawed within three points in the final three minutes, but the Crimson Tide steadied themselves at the line and closed it out.
The night started with Ole Miss setting the tone early. Senior Budd Clark opened the scoring with a turnaround jumper, and sophomore Roman Siulepa followed with a two-handed dunk in the game’s first two minutes. Clark added another jumper to push the Rebels ahead 7-4 at the first media timeout.
From there, the lead kept bouncing around. Corey Stephenson hit a free-throw-line jumper to put Ole Miss back in front by three, and after Alabama moved ahead, Clark picked off a pass and found Stephenson for a basket that trimmed the margin to 15-14. A pair of defensive stops set up senior Santiago Trouet for a layup and an 18-17 Ole Miss lead with less than 10 minutes left in the half.
Alabama answered with a push of its own and eventually stretched the margin to nine, but Ole Miss kept punching back. Stephenson muscled through an and-one to make it 35-29, and senior Ilias Kamardine cleaned up his own miss for a putback that pulled the Rebels within one at 40-39. The Crimson Tide still grabbed a 42-39 halftime edge.
The first half numbers showed why Ole Miss stayed in it: the Rebels forced 12 turnovers and turned them into 15 points.
Alabama found separation again after the break, building the lead to 18, but the Rebels kept coming. Kamardine knocked down a second-chance midrange jumper to start the half, and sophomore Patton Pinkins followed with an old-fashioned three-point play. Zach Day then connected from deep, and Clark set up Pinkins in transition as Ole Miss kept chipping away.
The Rebels’ defense kept giving them chances, and they started cashing in. Clark finished a contested fastbreak layup.
Stephenson then buried back-to-back three-pointers to slice the Alabama advantage to seven with seven minutes left. Clark added another tough drive to get Ole Miss within five after the Rebels had trailed by 18, but Alabama answered with consecutive threes to push back.
Still, Ole Miss wasn’t done. Stefan Cicic hit two free throws, Clark forced another steal that turned into a Stephenson tip-in, and Stephenson later drilled a corner shot to make it 81-75 with a little over four minutes to play. Clark then went coast-to-coast for a layup, and Pinkins hit two free throws after an Alabama technical foul to bring the Rebels within four.
Stephenson made two more free throws to cut it to three with 2:46 left.
That was as close as Ole Miss would get. Alabama handled the final possessions at the line and held on.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Got A Week 7 Upset Call In Oxford
The Week 7 matchup in Oxford already had the feel of one of those SEC games that can tilt a season, and it picked up a little more intrigue when Greg McElroy weighed in with an upset pick. The former Alabama quarterback and college football analyst sees Missouri walking into a ranked-versus-ranked showdown and leaving with a win, pointing to the Tigers defense and running game as the traits that could make life difficult for Ole Miss.
There is also a familiar face in the mix, which only adds to the storyline for Rebels fans. Former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons is now with Missouri, giving the meeting an extra layer beyond the usual conference stakes, and it is one more reason this game feels like it could carry more edge than a standard October SEC date in Oxford. [Read more 🡒]
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A lopsided win over Vanderbilt gave Ole Miss more than a clean result on the scoreboard. It also gave Pete Golding a chance to point to the one area he has been waiting to see come together, the offensive line, where all five starters earned player-of-the-game honors for the first time this season. Golding singled out the development of right tackle Connor Howes and left tackle Terez Davis, while also crediting line coach John Garrison for helping the group make steady progress.
Now the timing matters even more with No. 13 Missouri next on the schedule. If the Rebels are going to keep expanding what the offense can do, continued growth up front will be a big part of it, especially against a ranked opponent that will likely make Ole Miss earn every snap. The encouraging part for the Rebels is that the line no longer looks like a question they are simply hoping to survive. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Brings An Awkward Reunion Into A Huge Ole Miss Test
As Ole Miss gets ready for a pivotal SEC matchup with Missouri, the game carries an extra layer of familiarity for Antonio Kite. The Rebels cornerback said the personal side of the meeting stands out because Missouri brings in former Ole Miss teammate Chris Graves Jr., one of several ex-Rebels now wearing Tiger colors after moving through the transfer portal.
It is the kind of wrinkle that has become more common in college football, where roster turnover can turn a conference game into something closer to a reunion. For Ole Miss, though, the larger issue remains the same: handling a Missouri team loaded with former Rebels and doing enough on Saturday to come away with a conference win. [Read more 🡒]