Alabama-Ole Miss had become a series of shootouts. They'd trade licks for four hours before someone lost.
It continued again Saturday for half of the equation. Alabama slapped Ole Miss around with a little bit of everything before settling on a 66-3 final. This came after the Rebels outscored the Tide 86-85 in two meetings when things were much different for this Ole Miss program.
Alabama did it with some big plays through the air with Jalen Hurts adding a few new passes to his tool bag. He finished 12-for-19 for 197 passing yards while the Tide defense locked down the Rebel's fast-paced offense when needed.
First quarter
This started in classic Ole Miss-Alabama fashion. It looked like it would last all night and into the morning when the first three possessions took just 2:35 off the clock. Trading punts early, Jalen Hurts sparked things with a big third-down scramble to set up Bo Scarbrough's walk-in touchdown.
Things stayed on script with a turnover-to-touchdown moment on the following drive. Levi Wallace got the Tide's first non-offensive touchdown with a 35-yard interception return of a Shea Patterson pass. A year ago, the Tide had three non-offensive scores in the win at Ole Miss.
Alabama kept things in the air for its third score. A 17-yard pass to Calvin Ridley was quickly followed by a 60-yarder to Cam Sims. Both were perfectly placed to receivers in stride. It set up Hale Hentges' second touchdown of the season and a 21-0 lead.
Ole Miss got a few big plays and were only outgained 186-127 in the opening period. The turnover was huge and failure to convert drives left Alabama in early control.
Key play: The Wallace Pick-6 is the easy pick since it was the first non-offensive score a season after the Tide had 15.
Key player: Jalen Hurts was 6-for-9 for 127 yards, a touchdown and ran four times for 34 yards. He was in control from the beginning and recovered well after overthrowing Ridley on the first drive.
Second quarter
The Tide picked right up in the second quarter, finishing a carry-over drive with another nifty Hurts pass. He found a wide-open Josh Jacobs for the fourth score of the game. On a night that figured to be heavy on the run, Alabama was beating Ole Miss through the air.
There were still flashes of the Rebels of recent years. The hurry up offense got started a few times -- it just couldn't sustain things like it had in recent years. Alabama also limited the big plays that led to the big point totals of the last two seasons. By halftime, the longest Rebel play covered 35 yards.
Jalen Hurts took care of the next scoring drive, running it on both plays. The 26-yard draw set up a 10-yard touchdown run for a 35-3 halftime edge. This was ugly beyond repair before both teams went to the dressing room.
Key play: The Rebels had things beyond midfield after two 15-yard penalties, but Alabama quashed this drive with a huge third-down play. Minkah Fitzpatrick came on the blitz for a sack and 12-yard loss to take away any chance of a fourth-down attempt.
Key player: Josh Jacobs had two really nice looking catches, first the touchdown and then an 18-yarder across the middle later in the quarter. The sophomore adds another dimension in the passing game now that he's healthy again.
Third quarter
Some of the crowd thinned after halftime. They missed Damien Harris break a 46-yard run on the first play of the second half. That drive stalled, however, as Alabama committed its sixth penalty of the night on a false start.
Up 38-3 with 11:06 left in the third quarter, Alabama pulled starter Jalen Hurts for Tua Tagovailoa. The short field from a punt return made the six-play drive rather simple. Najee Harris handled the load, finishing it off with a four-yard touchdown run for a 45-3 edge with nearly 25 minutes left.
A scary moment came on the following Ole Miss drive. With the starters still in, defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand had to helped off the field with a leg injury. He wasn't putting any weight on the leg as he went to the injury tent after taking a cut block from a Rebel. It didn't look good when he was carted to the locker room.
Tagovailoa added a two-yard touchdown run a few moments later for a 52-3 advantage. And his touchdown throw to Henry Ruggs III made it 59-3.
Key play: Da'Shawn Hand delivered the fifth sack on the night early in the quarter when the Ole Miss offense started to lose its fight.
Key player: Levi Wallace got his second interception of the night, this one went 31 yards but stopped short of the end zone.
Fourth quarter
This was just a matter of draining the clock and emptying the stadium in an orderly fashion. The only question would be if Alabama could set any modern-era scoring marks.
The Tide crossed the 600-yard mark early in the quarter with all backups in the game on offense. Tagovailoa and fellow rookies Najee Harris and Brian Robinson took turns running it, grinding out the clock for a merciful end to this ugly competition.
Ronnie Clark made it 66-3 with his eight-yard touchdown run. That marked the most points for Alabama in the Nick Saban era -- breaking the mark for most against an SEC team that was tied last week with 59 at Vanderbilt. Total yards: Alabama 613, Ole Miss 253.
Key play: The Clark touchdown was significant since it gave Alabama its highest point total since 1979.
Key player: Tagovailoa ran the offense with efficiency. The numbers weren't crazy but they didn't need to be.