It was the homecoming game for the 15th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on October 8, 1988 at Bryant-Denny Stadium against the 1-3 Ole Miss Rebels.
Tuscaloosa had also opened the Paul W. Bryant Museum that day as a dedication to the illustrious career of Bear Bryant and the long history of Alabama. Ole Miss was an 18-point underdog coming into the game. Yet none of that mattered to former Ole Miss head coach Billy Brewer.
“From Oxford to Tuscaloosa, we saw signs all kinds of signs, from ‘Beat Ole Miss’ to ‘Roll Tide Roll,’” Billy Brewer, 1988 Ole Miss head coach, said. “We knew what we (we)re going into.”
Heading into that game, Ole Miss was 5-30-2 all-time against Alabama. The Rebels had never won a game against the Crimson Tide in the state of Alabama, including an 0-14 record in games played in Tuscaloosa.
“This game for us was a program builder because of the magnitude of who Alabama is and who they had been,” Brewer said.
The Rebels and Crimson Tide were tied at zero at halftime as both offenses couldn’t gain much yardage.
Alabama put their foot on the gas pedal to open the second half as the Tide’s Pierre Goode ran the opening kick back for an 100-yard touchdown. Ole Miss continued to struggle in the third quarter as Alabama extended their lead to 12-0.
Time was running out for the Rebels, but Brewer had faith in his team.
“They believed that they could win,” Brewer said. “All we had to do was not (make) mistakes, not beat ourselves, and keep our heads up.”
With almost 27 minutes still left to play, the Rebels weren’t done yet. Running back Shawn Sykes led the Rebel rally with two touchdowns in the second half to put the Rebels in front.
After Alabama turned the ball over on a forced fumble with 15 seconds left to play, Ole Miss running back Joe Mickles put the dagger in the Tide and scored on an 18-yard touchdown run to seal the victory. The Rebel defense smothered the Tide as Alabama did not complete a pass as Alabama quarterback David Smith went 0-11 that game.
They did it.
Ole Miss defeated Alabama 22-12 and broke the curse. The small group of Rebel fans made the trip and celebrated in front of a crowd over 70,000 people that day.
“This is a huge win for us as a program, for our university, and that victory will never be forgotten,” Brewer said.
Brewer said out of the 125 victories in his 14 seasons as a coach, it was the best victory of his career.
As for this year’s game, Brewer believes that both teams are the cream of the crop of the Southeastern Conference.
“This game is going to determine how good Ole Miss and Alabama are,” Brewer said. “In my opinion, the winner of this game is going to determine who wins the SEC West and the entire conference.”
If Ole Miss is able to upset Alabama, Brewer hopes to repeat his favorite line.
“Wow! What a day in Tuscaloosa, Alabama!”
