TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Alabama football team caught fire after last season’s loss to Ole Miss winning out until the College Football Playoffs.
Now No. 12 Alabama’s challenge now is to do it again. There’s a big difference in coach Nick Saban’s mind from a 23-17 defeat last season and a 43-37 setback on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
This time, Alabama fell to now No. 3 Ole Miss after a mistake-filled performance that included a wild touchdown by the Rebels off a deflected pass.
“We had almost fanatic energy, but we didn’t channel it in the right direction,” Saban said Monday. “We kept coming back in the game, but we also shot ourselves in the foot so many times it made it difficult to overcome.
“Last year we got ahead in the game and kind of got sort of relief syndrome or something where they got momentum in the game and we could never get it back. That never really happened. We just came up short this time.”
Alabama (2-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) salvaged two chances to score a go-ahead touchdown in the final three minutes after trailing by 19 points in the fourth quarter. It has to clean up its act to try to duplicate last season’s run, but it won national titles after losing SEC West games in 2011 and 2012. Alabama had five turnovers Ole Miss turned into 24 points. It was, as Saban said, “too many self-inflicted wounds to overcome.”
The game emphasized the unsettled quarterback situation, or perhaps resolved it, at least for now. Cooper Bateman started for the first time and then Jake Coker led the aborted comeback.
Saban said he expects Coker to start Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe, ahead of a visit to No. 7 Georgia.
Coker threw three touchdown passes, but he also was intercepted twice, including once in the final minutes on a deep throw that went to cornerback Tony Bridges. Coker was 21 of 44 for 201 yards, but he rushed for 58 yards.
“Jake came into the game and played with some passion and showed great leadership and energy when he played,” Saban said.
Alabama lost wide receiver Robert Foster during the game to a shoulder injury that required surgery. Saban didn’t give a timetable for his return.
The Tide’s silver lining from the latest Ole Miss loss might be showing the fortitude to bounce-back after Quincy Adeboyejo took a deflected pass 66 yards for a touchdown — or for Chad Kelly’s two long fourth-quarter throwing passes.
Left tackle Cam Robinson was still shaking his head over the deflected touchdown two days later.
“I have never seen anything like that,” Robinson said. “It’s luck, just to be honest. No way in the world you plan that, but it’s kind of how it goes sometimes.”
Alabama’s road doesn’t get any easier. Games remain against No. 8 LSU and at No. 14 Texas A&M plus three teams receiving votes in The Associated Press’ Top 25.
It took a couple of games for Alabama to get it going after Ole Miss last season, starting with a 14-13 win against Arkansas. Saban said then that’s when the team started loosening up and having fun.
Energy level doesn’t seem to be Alabama’s problem now. Robinson thinks there’s some overreaction when the Tide loses a game.
“We’re Alabama so we know we can’t lose too often,” Robinson said. “We lose one game, the sky’s falling because that’s kind of the standard we’ve set for ourselves. I think we just need to come back with a positive attitude and just look to move forward. Don’t dwell on this loss.”
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