Jalen Milroe returned from a one-game benching to pass for 225 yards and a touchdown and No. 13 Alabama defeated No. 15 Ole Miss 24-10 in the SEC opener for both teams Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Milroe, who completed 17 of 21 passes, was efficient except for one interception, and the Crimson Tide (3-1, 1-0 SEC) shut down a Rebels’ offense that had averaged 52.7 points in three nonconference wins.
Jaxson Dart passed for 244 yards and rushed for a touchdown for the Rebels (3-1, 0-1), who lost for the eighth consecutive time to their West division rival after rushing for just 56 yards.
On the second play of the second half, Milroe connected with Jermaine Burton for a 54-yard pass completion. The Tide reached the 5 and Will Reichard kicked a 23-yard field goal to give them a 9-7 lead.
The Rebels reached their own 49-yard line before Dart’s deep pass was intercepted by Terrion Arnold, who returned it 37 yards to the Alabama 41.
Six plays later, Milroe threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Hale, and Ty Simpson’s two-point conversion run gave the Tide a 17-7 lead.
Caden Davis kicked a 35-yard field goal with 34 seconds left to pull Ole Miss within 17-10 at the end of the third quarter.
Jase McClellan’s 8-yard touchdown run gave Alabama a 24-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. He finished with 105 yards on 17 rushes.
On Alabama’s first possession, Milroe had runs of 20 and 18 yards and pass completions of 8 and 6 yards, leading to Reichard’s 48-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.
On the ensuing possession, Dart had 59 passing yards before running 10 yards for a touchdown that gave Ole Miss a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Tide got the ball at the Rebels’ 1 after blocking a punt, but a fumbled shotgun snap and two sacks led Milroe to lose 13, 4 and 4 yards. Reichard’s 40-yard field goal trimmed Ole Miss’ lead to 7-6 at halftime.
–Field Level Media
