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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Reds Defeat Blues 27-14
6/21/1999 | Football
April 18, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. -- With several players seeing duty on both teams, the Reds defeated the Blues 27-14 here Saturday afternoon as Ole Miss spring football came to an end.
Running back Tony Cannion scored on runs of one and three yards, H-Back Bradley Robinson raced 70 yards for a TD, and Donald Juneau booted field goals of 29 and 19 yards, plus an extra point, for the winning Reds.
H-Back John Williamson caught a 16-yard TD strike from Romaro Miller and running back Joe Gunn scored on a three-yard run for the Blues. Con Chellis booted both extra points.
"Weather conditions didn't allow us to do a lot today," said Ole Miss head coach Tommy Tuberville. "The main objective today was to get Romaro Miller in a situation where he could play with both teams, see a lot of defenses and make a lot of checks at the line of scrimmage. We wanted to get young people like Joe Gunn into situations where they knew people were watching them and had to play up to expectations."
Tuberville noted that "defensively, we gave up a lot of yards, but we didn't allow our defense to do a lot, other than a couple of defenses, so their hands were tied. Overall, the effort was good and that's what we wanted. We finished up spring on a good note. We had a successful spring. A lot of younger guys got better, but we've got a long way to go."
Running back Deuce McAllister led all rushers with 135 yards on 13 carries and Gunn added 126 yards rushing on 17 carries.
Miller was 12 of 35 passing for 207 yards and one TD. Williamson led all receivers with five catches for 93 yards and a score, while Ken Lucas had three catches for 93 yards and Cory Peterson three for 66 yards.
Defensively, linebacker Armegis Spearman and defensive back Anthony Magee had eight tackles each, while Kenny Woods had seven for the Blues. Defensive end Robert Gates had one interception.
Defensive end Shane Elam had three tackles, including two quarterback sacks, and one pass break up for the winning Reds. Defensive back Justin Coleman broke up three passes.
"Today went well," Miller said. "It rained hard on us, so the passing game wasn't what we wanted it to be. I didn't pass that well today. We've got great backs, so when it rains I know I can give the ball to Deuce, Joe, or Tony and they will get ten to twenty yards. That is the advantage to having so many good backs."
McAllister also commented on the playing conditions. "The field was pretty soggy so there wasn't much cutting to be done," he said. "I'll just try not to lose it this summer. I'll come in ready for two-a-days and for the season. The offensive line is much more mature, with a year of experience. The line has gotten better and we know the system and the plays. It is just a matter of playing up to your abilities now."
Defensive back Ronnie Heard said he thought it was a good spring game. "We had good effort and the offensive line played well," Heard said. "I think we stopped the pass pretty well, but we have to stop the run better. That is something we have to work on for August."
Played during a steady rain in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, the Reds struck paydirt on the first play from scrimmage as Bradley Robinson raced 70 yards on a reverse, taking a handoff from sophomore quarterback Romaro Miller. Juneau's PAT made it 7-0.
The Blues came right back to knot the score at 7-7 when Miller hit Williamson on the second play on of a 26-yard drive as the score came from 16 yards out. Ironically, the short drive had been set up when Gates picked off Miller, who was playing for both teams at that point. Chellis got the point after.
Cannion put the Reds back on top three minutes later with a one yard run which capped off a seven play, 70-yard drive. The biggest play of the drive came from McAllister, who ripped off a 51-yard run on a fourth and one situation at the Red 39. Juneau got the extra point.
The Blues bounced back on its next possession, marching 70 yards in six plays for Gunn to score from the three. A 30-yard pass completion from Miller to Lucas was a key play. Chellis' PAT knotted the score at 14-14, which held up through the first quarter. There was no scoring in the second period as the first half ended deadlocked at 14-14.
The only scoring in the third quarter was Juneau's two field goals, which put the Reds in front for keeps.
Cannion's three-yard TD run came with only 16 seconds remaining in the contest, capping an 87-yard drive. Cannion had a 28-yard rush and Miller completed a 37-yard pass to Peterson to help put the final points on the board. Bill Sinis booted the final point.
Ole Miss will begin 1998 for keeps here Sept. 5 when the Rebs host the University of Memphis in expanded Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Current expansion will push seating capacity to over 50,000.
