The first and only time Ole Miss beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa was on October 8, 1988. This is the original coverage from that year’s The Daily Mississippian.
Rebs roll up Tide with upset win, 22-12
Nick Walsh
DM Sports Editor from 1988
The Ole Miss Rebels scored 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to come from behind and spoil No. 12 Alabama’s homecoming festivities Saturday with a 22-12 upset win.
The win was the first ever for Ole Miss at Tuscaloosa, Ala. where the Rebels have been shut out eight times. It was also the first time since 1976 the Crimson tide lost to Ole Miss.
“Before the game I told our team I felt like we could win a number of ball games starting today,” said Ole Miss head coach Billy Brewer, who celebrated his 53rd birthday Saturday. “It’s probably one of the biggest wins Ole Miss has ever experienced.”
Alabama coach Bill Curry, who’s been on the hot seat to have a championship season, said, “There’s really nothing to say about that game. We got whipped. We didn’t do the things required to win. They shut us down offensively – literally. They deserve the credit and we deserve what we got.”
The Rebels made no bones about what they were going to do against the Tide as quarterback Mark Young came out throwing on the Rebels first possession of the game but was unable to hook up with his receivers.
Alabama (4-1, 1-1) kept to its traditional style of running the ball. The Tide didn’t miss injured Heisman candidate Bobby Humphrey much at all as tailback Murry Hill picked up the slack gaining 119 yards on 21 carries. But they did miss starting quarterback David Smith as backups Vince Sutton and Jeff Dunn failed to move the Tide into the Rebels end zone.
Defense and offensive miscues dominated the scoreless first half, making the homecoming crowd of 70,123 at the newly renovated Bryant-Denny Stadium restless, and filling many Ole Miss faithfuls watching the game on national TV with hope.
From the 1988 The Daily Mississippian coverage of the Ole Miss Alabama game.
The second half was exciting as a game can get, especially for Rebel fans. The difference in the game was the halftime adjustments. Ole Miss coaches made the right ones, ‘Bama’s didn’t.
Brewer gave the credit to his coaches saying he didn’t make any of the calls which helped Ole Miss improve its mark to 2-3, 1-2 in the Southeastern Conference.
Young, who finished the game 19 of 39 passing for 169 yards, said, “Coach Parker told me don’t press it, just have confidence, that was the biggest thing. I got real frustrated in the first half, but we made some changes in the blocking scheme and the receivers started to get open, that was the difference.”
Memories of Georgia game quickly came to mind when ‘Bama’s Pierre Goode returned Mac Smith’s second half kickoff 100 yards for the game’s first score. It was the third time this season the Rebels have given up a TD kickoff return. The Rebels were also burned for a 93 yard return by Stacy Simons of Florida.
The Rebels then spotted Alabama five more points in the opening four minutes of the half. Linebacker Tommy Cole sacked Young for a safety. After an Ole Miss free kick from its 20-yard line, kicker Philip Doyle connected on a 21 yard field goal moving the Crimson Tide out in front 12-0.
The offensive changes the Rebels and offensive coordinator Red Parker made at the half began to pay off.
From the 1988 The Daily Mississippian coverage of the Ole Miss Alabama game.
Ole Miss got on the board when tailback Shawn Sykes slipped through the defensive line and ran 53 yards for the touchdown.
“It was a 42 trap,” Sykes said describing his TD run. “Once I got behind the line there was nobody, I was just hoping I wouldn’t get caught from behind by (Derrick) Thomas. It was a great feeling to cross the goal line.”
“We’ve called it a lot this year,” Brewer said of the trap play. “That was the first time was really effective for us since the opening game against Memphis State, its’ as simple as you get.”
In the fourth quarter, Ole Miss punter Charles Childers put the Tide’s back to the wall when his punt was downed at the Alabama 1-yard line. On third-and-6 from the ‘Bama 5 yard line, Hill broke loose and raced 42 yards down the left sidelines as Ole Miss cornerback Stevon Moore made a touchdown saying tackle.
Doyle attempted a 34 yard field goal from the middle of the field with 7:23 to play that would have taken the momentum away from the Rebels, but he pushed it wide to the right, giving the Rebels another chance.
The Rebels failed to move the ball and after an exchange of punts Ole Miss took over at its own 45-yard line with what looks to be its final drive of the game.
Behind the strength of Young’s arm the Rebels moved down to the Alabama 16. Faced with a third-and-one, Brewer sent in the more mobile John Darnell at quarterback. Darnell lunged four yards for the first down keeping the drive alive.
Young re-entered the game and on third-and-10 from the Tide’s 10-yard line, Sykes took it in for the go ahead score. Fullback Darron Billings carried the ball into the end zone for the two-point conversion, putting the Rebels out in front 15-12 with 46 seconds to play.
Brewer said, “It was a great call (by Parker), great drive, selection, execution. To do it on TBS today gives our fans back home a big boost.”
Ole Miss regained possession with 21 seconds to play as Tony Bennett hit Dunn causing a fumble recovered by Ole Miss’ Doug Jacobs.
Rebel fullback Joe Mickles, a native of Birmingham, Ala., playing in front of friends and family closed out the scoring with an 18 yard TD run.
Ole Miss free safety Todd Sandroni put the icing on Brewer’s birthday cake by intercepting Dunn’s Hail Mary pass the two seconds to play. It was Sandroni’s fifth interception of the season.
The most impressive statistic of the game was the big goose egg in the Alabama passing charts. Tide quarterbacks put the ball up 11 times, completing none and being intercepted three times. It was the first time since Nov. 7, 1971 against LSU that Alabama was held to 0 yards passing.
