Analysis: Ole Miss And Bo Beat Bama

Bo Wallace is known as much for his curious mistakes as he is for his big plays, but with all the criticism, and all the doubters, and all the negativity, the guy came out and slung it. 

18-of-31, 251 yards, three touchdown passes. And no interceptions. 

Blake Sims was good. Alabama was great. Bo Wallace was better when he absolutely had to be, and now Ole Miss has its moment and signature win. 

And at the same time, Alabama … Nick … at some point, you have to figure out how to stop a decent passing quarterback. 

Going back to last year, Johnny Manziel, Nick Marshall in crunch time, and Trevor Knight all exposed the Tide secondary, and this year, Clint Trickett kept West Virginia alive and Wallace didn’t throw an interception. Okay, Wallace is a good, talented quarterback, but if that guy isn’t throwing an interception against your vaunted defense, something’s wrong. 

When needed, Ole Miss NFL WR Laquon Treadwell wore the Alabama defensive backs as a hat, and Jaylen Walton came up with the game-winning touchdown on a brilliant catch off an easy throw from Wallace. Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide. Kenny Hill, Dak Prescott and Marshall – he’s a better passer than he ever gets credit for – are still on the slate, and if Brandon Harris figures it out for LSU, and if Justin Worley gets hot, this might not be the last good passing day by an SEC quarterback against this Tide D. 

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Bo knows redemption. 

Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace isn’t about the consistency or the steady burn. It’s just not in his DNA to be predictable. Think David Ash before head injuries ended his Longhorn career. And for the first half of Saturday’s showdown with Alabama, it looked as if the bad Bo was going to derail the Rebels’ chances for a historic upset. 

Poor reads, fluttered passes and a general sense that the offense was never going to get untracked with No. 14 at the controls. But then the second half happened, a 30-minute span of football that will forever be remembered by the Ole Miss community. 

It was a most unlikely final two quarters at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Good Bo surfaced, throwing a touchdown pass on the Crimson Tide for the first time in his career. Make it three touchdown passes, including the game-tying and game-winning strikes in the final five minutes. Of equal surprise down the stretch was Alabama’s collapse, a very un-Saban-like performance that typified the unpredictability of Week 6 and possibly the entire 2014 season. 

Blown coverages, penalties, a costly fumble that led to the winning score and a drive-killing pick on a forced Blake Sims throw … all in the final seven or eight minutes. 

Ole Miss validated its fast start with a signature win over longtime rival Alabama. But where do the Rebels go from here, besides the top 5 in the rankings? As always, it all depends on who shows up behind center, the good Bo or the bad Bo.