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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Grove Bowl '98 Set for Saturday
6/21/1999 | Football
April 17, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. -- Spring football drills at Ole Miss will come to a close here Saturday afternoon in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as Grove Bowl '98, the annual Red-Blue Game, kicks off at 1:00 p.m.
"We're trying to make this game as competitive as possible," said Ole Miss head coach Tommy Tuberville. "We won't hide anything. We're going to run our offensive and defensive plays that we've been working on all spring. We also want to put some pressure on punters and kickers, because we still have a lot of competition in that area."
Plans call for Red team to include the No. 1 offense and the No. 2 defense, while the Blue (White jerseys) team will consist of the No. 1 defense and the No. 2 offense.
"We just want this game to be fun and end up this spring, hopefully, injury free," he added.
"We want to do all of our kicking with the exception of kickoffs," he said. "We will fair catch all of our punts, but we want to do all of our kicking other than kickoffs and kickoff returns. We'll play regular quarters."
Tuberville added that sophomore quarterback Romero Miller will wear a dark jersey. "He will not be tackled," Tuberville said.
In case of rain, Tuberville expects the game will be played as scheduled. "We will not cancel a spring game unless it is because of severe weather," he said.
Saturday's game is sponsored by the Ole Miss M-Club Alumni Chapter with proceeds going to the J. W. "Wobble" Davidson All-America Scholarship Fund. Tickets are $5 each with children under 10 admitted free. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will open at 11:45.
Grove Bowl '98 gets an early start as the Ole Miss coaching staff will be on hand at 6:00 a.m. in The Grove to have coffee with fans.
"This is something we started our first year," Tuberville said. "It's been well received and we look forward to the opportunity of having coffee and doughnuts with fans, young and old."
The fun begins at 10:00 a.m. in The Grove, which will have a food court. A live performance by the Bouffants begins at 10:30 on the stage as the group gives a musical salute to 1960's rock-n-roll.
As an added attraction, the Ole Miss football team will be available for autographs in The Grove, beginning at 11:00.
Pre-game ceremonies will include several special presentations as the M-Club announces its annual awards. The Ole Miss Quarterback Club and the M-Club Alumni Chapter will honor the 1997 football team and the 1998 SEC Western Division basketball champions at halftime.
