Flashback Friday: Alabama Hangs on to Beat Ole Miss in First-Ever Trip to Oxford [VIDEO]

In the first 40 meetings between Alabama and Ole Miss, the game was never once played in Oxford. When it finally was in 1993, the Crimson Tide got a good one out of the Rebels.

No. 4 Alabama – coming off a national championship season in 1992 and most recently a 17-17 tie with No. 10 Tennessee a week earlier – played without quarterback Jay Barker for more than half the game but still managed to have enough to pull away in the fourth quarter in a 19-14 win.

After falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter, Alabama responded with two field goals in the second quarter to cut the lead to 7-6 at halftime. During the first and second field goals, Barker was injured on a sack and was unable to return to the game.

Replacing Barker at quarterback was sophomore Brian Burgdorf, as well as wide receiver/utility man David Palmer, who did it all for Alabama against the Rebels. When Burgdorf’s inexperience showed, particularly with an interception in the end zone at the start of the fourth quarter with the Crimson Tide up 9-7, Palmer took over under center for much of the rest of the way.

Passing some but mostly taking the ball himself on designed runs, Palmer kept the chains moving for the Crimson Tide throughout the final quarter of play and even helped set up Sherman Williams’ 8-yard touchdown run to make it 16-7.

Ole Miss scored on Lawrence Adams’ second touchdown pass of the game with 3:28 remaining, but Michael Proctor’s 49-yard field goal – his fourth of the game – 58 seconds earlier still gave Alabama a five-point cushion with a few minutes to go.

The Rebels elected to kick it deep and the Crimson Tide ran out the clock to end the game to improve to 6-0-1 on the season. Palmer was the likely game MVP, with 216 all-purpose yards (passing, rushing, receiving, kick return and punt return).

Alabama makes its first return trip to Ole Miss since 2011 on Saturday.

Watch the full game highlights below:

Check out the previous Flashback Fridays below:

Florida Week: Langham’s Late Interception Return Lifts Alabama To First-Ever SEC Championship Win

Southern Miss: Tyrone Prothro Makes Once-In-A-Lifetime Catch