TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama’s defense will face the nWo Saturday in Oxford, Miss.

No, not that nWo, but the Ole Miss version that stands for “Nasty Wide Outs.” And the Rebels’ receiving corps has the Crimson Tide’s attention entering Saturday’s SEC West showdown.

“They have a trio of receivers, A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf and DaMarkus Lodge,” safety Deionte Thompson said. “These are three NFL-caliber guys. They stretch the field at any time, and they have a good quarterback to go along with that trio. So, that’s something we’re going to have to be prepared for. We’re going to have to do a very good job of preparing for them this week.”

Through two games, Brown, Metcalf and Braylon Sanders rank second, third and fifth in yards per game in the conference. Brown has caught a league-high 15 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns, while Metcalf has hauled in 11 receptions for 174 yards and two scores.

Lodge did not play against Southern Illinois because of a concussion. Still, the senior of the trio caught six passes for 96 yards in the Rebels’ season-opening win over Texas Tech. With Lodge out, Sanders hauled in four catches for a career-high 133 yards and one touchdown.

Ole Miss’ talented receivers, along with quarterback Jordan Ta'amu, have helped the Rebels lead the SEC in scoring offense (61.5 points per game) and passing offense (407.5 ypg) and rank third and second nationally in those respective categories through two games.

“They’re playing as well offensively as anybody in the country,” coach Nick Saban said. “They’ve got a lot of weapons. The quarterback’s playing extremely well. They’ve got three really, really good receivers that are all very productive and capable of making explosive plays.

“They’ve been able to run the ball efficiently. The new running back (Scottie Phillips) they have has done a really good job. Their offensive line is good. This is a really, really good offensive team, as indicated by their statistics of being one of the top offensive teams in the country.”

Ole Miss receivers A.J. Brown and DaMarkus Lodge with the nWo belt.

Later during his first press conference of Ole Miss week, Saban elaborated on what makes the Rebels’ receivers, especially Brown, Metcalf and Lodge, a problem for opposing defense.

“I think the RPOs make it important that the DBs understand that there’s not really just running plays, there are almost passing plays on every running play,” Saban said. “So, they have to guard the receivers all the time. You have to be able to play really well on the perimeter.

“I think the other thing these guys can do is run with the ball after the catch if you don’t tackle well. Eventually, you have to cover. Eventually, you have to play the ball. Eventually, you have to affect the quarterback. I think you have to play good team defense all the way around if you’re going to play well against this quality quarterback, this quality group of receivers and their ability to create balance by running the ball.

“This is very, very challenging for all the guys on the back end, for sure.”

Last year, Brown, Lodge and Metcalf finished the season in the top 12 in yards per game with Brown topping the list at 104.3. All three players caught at least seven touchdowns apiece in 2017.

But Thompson said the defensive backfield is up to the challenges Ole Miss present on offense.

“I feel like as a defensive secondary, I’m confident in all of my guys if it was Week 1 or Week 2,” the redshirt junior defensive back said. “I just feel like that we will have to know the challenge that’s coming up like we do now. We’re aware of the challenge. So, we have to be accountable, depend of each other and have a great week of practice and step up.”



The Crimson Tide and Rebels will square off at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 15, on ESPN.

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).

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