John Metchie III followed his breakout performance last week by making key catches for Alabama against the University of Mississippi.
Crimson tide head coach Nick Saban stated Metchie III ‘is a real threat’ after he caught five balls for 181 yards and two scores versus No. 13 Texas A&M University in a 52-24 victory one week ago. Metchie III hauled in four passes for 75 yards in Bama’s 63-48 shootout win over the Rebels.
“We scored every time we had to score, we took the air out of it at the end of the game. The offence did a fantastic job in this game, had a good plan, did a good job of executing it. Najee Harris was good, Mac Jones played really well, receiving core played really well,” Saban said in his post-game video conference.
111 combined points sets a Southeastern Conference record for total points in a regulation time game. While Ole Miss and Alabama combined for 1,370 offensive yards, the most between SEC teams in conference history.
Running back Najee Harris rushed 23 times for 206 yards and five touchdowns, two of those scores were setup by Metchie III. He made a 32-yard catch in the second quarter, which led directly to a Harris touchdown on the next play and tied the game at 21 apiece. During the third frame, Metchie III managed a 17-yard completion from quarterback Mac Jones. After two straight Harris rushes covering eight yards, Alabama was into the end zone and took the lead for good.
Jones led Alabama to 723 total offensive yards, completing 28-of-32 pass attempts for 417 yards and two touchdowns. DeVonta Smith grabbed 13 balls for 164 yards and one touchdown, Jaylen Waddle recorded six receptions for 120 yards with Metchie III checking in behind the top two targets on the night.
The Brampton native contributed more than what was displayed on the stats sheet. He was excellent as a blocker — stalk blocking downfield on Smith’s two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving — and recovered the last Ole Miss onside kick attempt to close out the game.
No. 2 ranked Alabama improves to 3-0 due in part to the efforts of Metchie III.
