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Alabama runs over Ole Miss

Oct 16, 2011 - 1:54 AM Oxford, MS (Sports Network) - Trent Richardson had a career night on the ground for second-ranked Alabama, rushing for 183 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries to help the Crimson Tide destroy the Ole Miss Rebels, 52-7.

Jalston Fowler carried the ball nine times for a career-high 125 yards and two scores for the Crimson Tide (7-0, 4-0 SEC), who have won all seven of their games thus far by 16 or more points.

A.J. McCarron completed 19-of-24 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown for Alabama, which racked up 389 yards on the ground.

The 52 points scored by Alabama is the most by the Crimson Tide in an SEC game since a 59-28 victory over Vanderbilt on September 29, 1990.

Randall Mackey connected on 10-of-21 passes for 113 yards and an interception for the Rebels (2-4, 0-3), who were held to 28 yards rushing.

The Rebels actually started the game with a five-play, 72-yard scoring drive. Nickolas Brassell's 59-yard catch led to Jeff Scott's one-yard TD run for an early 7-0 lead.

From there, Richardson and Alabama took over. Michael Williams and DeAndrew White both made key third down catches on a nine-play, 79-yard march, which Richardson capped with an eight-yard rushing TD.

The Crimson Tide took the lead for good with a 10-play scoring drive that bridged the first and second quarters. On 4th-and-2 at the Ole Miss 31, Richardson rushed for 10 yards and a fresh set of downs. Richardson capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run for a 14-7 edge early in the second stanza.

Alabama tried to extend its lead with a 53-yard Cade Foster field goal, but the attempt failed.

The ensuing Ole Miss possession resulted in Mackey being intercepted by Robert Lester. Richardson carried the ball four straight times to put the ball at the 21 of the Rebels. A 24-yard Jeremy Shelley field goal gave Alabama a 17-7 margin with under 1 1/2 minutes left in the half.

The Crimson Tide turned the game into a laugher in the second half. On the first drive of the third quarter, Darius Hanks caught a 36-yard pass to put the ball at the eight. Richardson finished the six-play march with another rushing touchdown.

Following an Ole Miss punt, Richardson broke off a career-long 76-yard TD run. Richardson fought through multiple arm tackles on the left side before changing direction. The junior running back made a great shake-and-bake move at the 10-yard line before heading into the end zone for a 31-7 lead.

Things got worse for the Rebels after Mackey fumbled the football. Fowler recorded an eight-yard TD run to make it a 38-7 game with under seven minutes to play in the third.

Brandon Gibson added a 10-yard TD catch late in the third frame to give the Crimson Tide a 45-7 margin.

Fowler had a career-long 69-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to account for the final margin.

Game Notes

Alabama owns a commanding 45-9-2 series lead over Ole Miss, which includes a 23-10 victory last season...Alabama has been very successful in the second month of the season under head coach Nick Saban. Now in his fifth season at Alabama, the Crimson Tide sports a 16-1 record in October...Alabama has won its last eight games by 16 or more points dating back to last season's Capital One Bowl victory over Michigan State. That eight-game streak is tied for the longest such mark in the modern era of Crimson Tide football (since 1950)...Richardson became the first Tide player since Shaun Alexander (LSU, November 9, 1996) to rush for four touchdowns in a game.