Sunset nearing in Tuscaloosa, over 100,000 mostly happy fans exited Bryant-Denny Stadium. Near the field-level concourse, one spectator threw her head back and laughed.

“That’s more like it,” she said before taking a sip from a plastic cup in her hand.

For Alabama football, the Week 4 bullying of Ole Miss was a welcome start to Southeastern Conference play. After trailing by one at halftime, Alabama (3-1, 1-0 SEC) outscored the Rebels (3-1, 0-1) 18-3 in the second half for a statement win.

There’s a lot of good to get through and some negatives. Here are our grades.

Offense: B

Alabama started and finished well with starter Jalen Milroe. The opening 11-play, 61-yard drive ended with a field goal and eased concerns after middling gains in Tampa a week ago. It also scored on three-straight drives — a field goal, Jalen Hale receiving and Jase McClellan rushing — in the second half to put away the Rebels.

Milroe posted a career-high completion percentage (81% on 17-of-21 for 225 yards) and responded well after the redzone interception. The running back room produced another 100-yard game. The negatives come from Milroe’s points-losing giveaway and the four-play, negative-21-yard drive after a blocked punt gifted the offense a drive at the Ole Miss 1-yard line.

Defense: A+

Two well-regarded play callers in Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and USF’s Alex Golesh had embarrassed Alabama going into Saturday. Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin planted his flag as soon as he could to be next, questioning if Kevin Steele had been demoted. But not even a postgame joke could allow Kiffin to hide behind the numbers.

The fourth-best scoring offense in the country scored on one drive in the first half and one in the second, with a missed field goal thrown in. Quarterback Jaxson Dart was forced off his spot by the defensive line and the cornerbacks hung with a receiving corp that regained a few pieces. Dart started six of seven but finished 21-for-35 passing with one rushing touchdown and one interception.

Alabama’s defense has achieved the preseason expectations and Dallas Turner is leading the way. He had two more sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Special Teams: A

It says something about Alabama’s culture that before Ja’Corey Brooks recorded his first catch of 2023, he blocked his first punt. His stuff in the endzone was just as the Tide designed it, Nick Saban described postgame, and it set up the aforementioned drive at the 1-yard line. How do you compensate for an inefficient offense? Literally hand it the ball at the goal line.

Elsewhere, Will Reichard stayed perfect with three more field goals. (His two kickoffs out of bounds lowers this grade a touch.) James Burnip is also quietly putting together a fantastic season while a developing Tide offense gives him opportunities to show off the boot (three punts, 48.3-yard average).

Coaching: A

Terrion Arnold told reporters Saban used a textbook motivator pregame: He told the Tide he wouldn’t trade any of them for a single one of Ole Miss’ players. That’s not the basis of this grade, but it shows that the motivation came across this week and it had been severely lacking through nonconference play. Saban schooled a former student, that deserves credit. And in spurts, Tommy Rees showed adept playcalling to keep the offense moving.

Overall: A-

This was Alabama’s best game of the season when evaluating the stakes, opposing sideline and what a loss would’ve meant. For the first time against a team not named Middle Tennessee State, UA rose to the occasion and put on some of the joyless murderball that had it pegged as SEC West favorites.

RELATED: Saban jokes about patience after 5th Alabama touchdown nullified in 3 weeks

Casagrande: Lane Kiffin’s again the sad clown who can’t troll his way past Saban

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].