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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Prepares to Take On LSU on the Road
10/22/2001 | Football
Oct. 22, 2001
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss will be looking for it's third-straight road victory over LSU when the Rebels take on the Tigers in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday in a match-up that will be televised by ESPN2.
Ole Miss (5-1, 2-1 SEC) enters the game after dismantling Middle Tennessee State by a score of 45-17 in a Homecoming game over the weekend. LSU (4-2, 2-2 SEC) is coming off a 42-0 win over Mississippi State on the road. The game with the Tigers is not one that Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe expects to be an easy one.
"We will be challenged this week by a well coached and balanced LSU football team," Cutcliffe said. "They have lots of weapons on offense, are a very talented defense that is aggressive and are solid in the kicking game. I don't see a weakness on this team."
In the game against Mississippi State, LSU amassed 418 yardsof total offense. The Tigers rushed for 138 yards behind the efforts of LaBrandon Toefield, while quarterback Rohan Davey piled up 280 yards through the air. Davey connected mainly with wide receiver, Josh Reed, who had 146 yards on 10 catches and two touchdowns.
"Our secondary will be challenged by the best group of receivers we have seen, and may see, in the SEC," Cutcliffe said. "We have to minimize the yardage they gain on the ground after the catch and use our secondary to help with the run support. They are a good running team also, they have a balanced offense."
Ole Miss will look to slow LSU down with the top-ranked pass defense in the nation behind the leadership of corner Syniker Taylor, who is the SEC active leader in interceptions with 10 for his career including three this season. Also looking to slow down the Tiger attack are linebackers Eddie Strong and Lanier Goethie, who lead the team in tackles with 51 and 50 respectively.
The Rebels hope to counter with an explosive offense of its own behind the leadership of quarterback Eli Manning. Manning passed for 257 yards on 25-of-31 attempts against MTSU. The sophomore has passed for 14 touchdowns and only one interception this season.
A balanced receiving corps led by sophomore Chris Collins has helped Manning carry the load. Collins has caught 34 passes for 498 yards this season, and had eight receptions for 82 yards in the first half against Middle Tennessee State before leaving the game with an ankle injury.
The rushing game for Ole Miss found new life over the past two weeks as the play of the running backs has stepped up under the leadership of senior fullback Charles Stackhouse and running back Joe Gunn. The duo have combined for 677 yards on the season and eight touchdowns.
The Rebels and the Tigers will face off on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. CST. Ole Miss will play on ESPN, two weeks in a row as its Nov. 3. Game against Arkansas will also be on the network. The Rebels will kick-off against the Razorbacks at 6 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field.
