TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Offensive linemen don't get much limelight.

It's a thankless job and when the offense goes awry the blame warranted or not falls on the offensive line. However, there are moments when the front five can make its presence felt literally and figuratively.

During Saturday's win against Ole Miss, Emil Ekiyor Jr. made the most of his opportunity. On a designed counter run to the left, the right guard pulled across the line and locked onto Ole Miss safety Otis Reese who was lurking toward the line of scrimmage.

Reese stood between running back Jase McClellan and the first-down marker which didn't sit well with Ekiyor. So he moved him out of the way with a thunderous pancake block.

"That's the dream as an offensive lineman," JC Latham said when asked about Ekiyor's block. "Just to be able to run through somebody like that, especially being right in front of the running back so he could go off of you."

While Latham, who is blocking down with the rest of the offensive line, may not have seen his teammate pulverize a helpless member of the opposing secondary, he certainly saw it after the game on Twitter.

The block made waves on social media, but it also served as a spark for the offense according to Latham, as McClellan gained 12 yards and a crucial first down in the fourth quarter to get Alabama in the red zone. While the offense couldn't score a touchdown on the drive, it ended with a 23-yard field goal by Will Reichard to give Alabama its first lead of the game and helped invigorate a smashmouth mentality in the ground game that was missing in the first half.

Alabama's inefficiency running the ball drew criticism toward the offensive line in recent weeks. On Saturday, the critic spoke even louder as Alabama averaged less than two yards per carry in the first half against Ole Miss.

But Ekiyor was looking to change the narrative as before the game Latham said he saw his teammate watching videos of San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams.

"We were talking about plays like that at the hotel on Friday and just playing like that," Latham said. "He said he was just watching Trent Williams just running through guys and he was telling me, 'If I get the chance that's what I'm gonna do.'"

Ekiyor's block didn't surprise Brian Branch as he faces the 6-foot-3, 307-pound lineman every day in practice. Branch said every time a run play is called and he creeps down to the line of scrimmage, Ekiyor tries to serve him the same fate as Reese did on Saturday.

"Emil has tried to do that to me in practice, but it doesn't go like that," Branch said. "But seeing that I've seen it happen before. Emil's a strong offensive lineman and that'd be scary for any defensive player to see an offensive lineman pulling, especially against a defensive back. You can't avoid it."

Branch said in that situation you have to meet Ekiyor head-on, but Reese did exactly that and still was put flat on his back. When asked if Branch may have felt for Reese suffering the wrath of the senior, he didn't offer much sympathy and maybe a warning for other members of the opposing secondary.

"Well that's Emil for you," Branch said.