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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Prepares for Second-straight Road Game
10/1/2001 | Football
Oct. 1, 2001
OXFORD, Miss. - ,Ole Miss is excited to be preparing for its second-straight game, even if it is on the road again, after sitting on the sidelines for three weeks. The Rebels will take to the road this weekend to face Arkansas State after beating Kentucky on the road 42-31 on Saturday.
This will be the first trip to Jonesboro, Ark., in the history of the program when the Rebels (2-1, 1-1 SEC) take on Arkansas State (0-3).
"We have a game under our belt we can look at (Kentucky)," Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe said. "We are going to face a highly-motivated Arkansas State team that has had two weeks to prepare for us. They are a well-coached team. They have some weapons on offense and a really outstanding defensive scheme in my opinion, and they execute it well."
The weapons at Arkansas State's disposal are running back Jonathan Adams and receiver Alvin Powell. Adams is rushing for 47.3 yards per game, while Powell is pulling in 60.7 receiving yards a game for the Indians. Freshman quarterback Josh Driscoll has amassed 310 yards via the air in three games for Arkansas state on 27-of-62 passing with three interceptions.
The Rebels are hoping to continue to make improvements offensively in what Cutcliffe called a "drive for perfection," while making improvements on the defensive side of the ball after suffering some injuries at Kentucky to L.P. Spence, Marcus Woodson and Josh Cooper.
"We had an offensive lull in the third quarter (against Kentucky) that concerned me," Cutcliffe said. "You can't have that in a critical part of the game. I was extremely pleased that we took the ball back down the field and answered that score (the Wildcat's fieldgoal) with a touchdown. We have to execute four quarters of football.
"We tackled well at times," Cutcliffe said of his defense. "We need to fix some areas like assignments and responsibilities and little things like that which enter into it as well. We have to avoid giving up those big plays in critical situations."
Cutcliffe will be looking to quarterback Eli Manning, who went 19-of-36 for 268 yards through the air against Kentucky to lead the team against Arkansas State. Cutcliffe will also be looking to receiver Chris Collins, who has had 100-yard receiving performances in both games he has played this season. Senior running back Joe Gunn will also be counted on for offensive production after posting a 113-yard rushing day against the Wildcats.
Ole Miss and Arkansas State will kickoff at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Indian Stadium in Jonesboro, Ark. The game can be viewed on a pay-per-view basis in some areas. Contact your local cable provider for availability.
