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Alabama begins second half of season against Ole Miss

Oct 18, 2008 - 10:18 AM Mississippi (3-3) at (2) Alabama (6-0), 3:30 pm EDT

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (Ticker) -- After its only bye week of the year, Alabama begins what coach Nick Saban considers a new season Saturday when the second-ranked Crimson Tide host Mississippi in a Southeastern Conference contest.

Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC West) enjoyed its bye week, climbing two spots in the coaches' poll following losses by Oklahoma, Missouri and Louisiana State, who had been ranked one through three.

"The challenge for the second half of the season is, 'Can we finish games, can we play consistently, can we do that?'" Saban said. "Regardless of what the results are, the season starts now."

Alabama faced few challenges in the first half of the campaign, climbing from being unranked in the preseason to contending for a national championship.

The Crimson Tide did survive a scare in their previous game, however, holding on for a 17-14 victory over Kentucky.

Alabama overcame three turnovers and a season-high 10 penalties as Glen Coffee rushed for 218 yards - the highest total for an Alabama running back since Shaun Alexander ran for a school-record 291 in 1996.

The Crimson Tide did continue a season-long trend by jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Alabama has outscored its opponents by a combined margin of 88-0 in the opening 15 minutes this year.

If Alabama keeps winning, the SEC West title could be decided on November 2 when the Crimson Tide visit LSU, which is coming off an embarrassing 51-21 loss at Florida. LSU's defeat left Alabama as the only unbeaten team in the SEC.

The Crimson Tide have dominated Mississippi, holding a 44-9-1 lead in the series, including a 31-1-1 mark in their home state. Alabama is 22-1 against the Rebels in Tuscaloosa, including a current eight-game winning streak. Mississippi's lone win in Tuscaloosa was a 22-12 victory on October 8, 1988.

But the last three meetings between the schools - all Alabama wins - have been decided in the final minute.

The Rebels (3-3, 1-2 SEC West) have alternated wins and losses in their first six games this season. They are coming off a 31-24 home defeat to South Carolina.

First-year Mississippi coach Houston Nutt already has one signature victory, a 31-30 decision over then-No. 4 Florida on September 27, the Rebels' first win over a top-five opponent since 1977.