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Freshman Amari Cooper provides a nice target for Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron.

Cooper had a big first half with six catches for 53 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Alabama took control. The second touchdown was a nice catch in traffic on a crossing route in the end zone.

Cooper has made at least one catch in all five of Alabama’s games this year.

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Although the Tide defense did a decent job, especially by getting three interceptions, Alabama coach Nick Saban wanted a more consistent performance.

It would help the Tide a great deal to play a little better against the read option, which is what LSU used to nick Alabama some in last year’s November regular-season showdown.

Still, if the point is to create turnovers and not allow many points, it wasn’t necessarily a bad day for the Tide defense.

By the numbers

0: Number of kicks Alabama’s Jeremy Shelley has missed this year. He is perfect on six field goals and 24 extra points this season.

25: Number of consecutive games in which Alabama has either led or been tied at intermission.

33: Alabama scored in that many consecutive quarters before the streak ended with a scoreless third quarter.

99: Yards Christion Jones covered in his kickoff return for a touchdown. It was the Tide’s first since Trent Richardson ran one back against Duke in 2010.

Grading Bama

Rushing offense — B

Eddie Lacy is getting the most carries, but not garnering any superstar-type numbers. Just workmanlike efficiency. T.J. Yeldon is certainly talented, but it looks like Nick Saban has a set amount of snaps that Yeldon's going to get each week. It was a solid performance, but there was nothing spectacular. The Tide's longest run of 23 yards by Lacy didn't come until midway through fourth quarter.

Rushing defense — A

Yards were tough to find for Ole Miss. Inside, out, scramble, hand-off, pitch, etc. It didn't really matter where the Rebels were handing it off or to whom. There was nowhere to go. Rebels' Jeff Scott punched the ball in on third-and-one in the second quarter and the 7-6 Ole Miss lead was first time Tide trailed all season. Randall Mackey added another Ole Miss rushing highlight with 12-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Passing offense — B

AJ McCarron completed his first 10 passes and 17 of 21. McCarron had trouble going deep because of tight Ole Miss coverage but kept patient completing routes underneath. Amari Cooper was given a touchdown on replay review, but his second touchdown catch was even better. Wide receiver DeAndrew White left with knee injury to open the game and did not return. Consistent effort, but not a lot of big play firepower.

Passing defense — A

Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace came in with a shoulder injury. It hampered his ability to get the ball farther down the field, but he caught Deion Belue on perfectly executed deep pass for 31 yards to Deonte Moncrief. The play set up an Ole Miss touchdown for a brief Rebels' lead. On back-to-back plays, Dee Milliner recorded half a sack and then intercepted a pass. Robert Lester added another pick, but fumbled it back to the Rebels right near the sideline. Belue added another pick to end that drive.

Special teams — A

Christion Jones' 99-yard kick return for touchdown ended Ole Miss's brief lead and took the momentum back immediately. Jeremy Shelley drilled two 38-yard field goals in the first quarter (with one ricocheting in off the left upright) and added two more field goals in the fourth quarter. With its strength on defense, Alabama is comfortable with Cade Foster booting touchbacks and opponents starting on the 25.

Coaching — B

Alabama stuck to a conservative offensive game plan and waited for its defense to create some big plays. The Tide did with three second quarter interceptions that changed a 7-6 Ole Miss lead into a 27-7 Alabama lead in a matter of moments. But in the second half, Alabama didn't know how to turn on the offense. When Ole Miss switched to Mackey from Wallace, the defense struggled a little with option containment.

Overall — B

Saban gets another motivational teaching tool — the Tide trailed for 15 seconds and the second half. Alabama did everything it needed to do in the first half as a huge favorite at home against one of the SEC's worst teams. Alabama took the fight out of the Rebels with some methodical, clock-crunching play but let the Rebels back in the game. The second half was the poorest stretch the Tide has played this season.