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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Gets Set To Host Memphis Saturday
9/2/2002 | Football
Sept. 2, 2002
Ole Miss Notes in PDF Format | Memphis Notes in PDF Format | Ole Miss Season Statistics | Monday Press Conference Transcript
By Chris Purser
Sports Information Student Assistant
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss will host its second-consecutive game in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field to open the 2002 season Saturday when the Rebels meet the Memphis Tigers. Game time is at 11:33 a.m. (CT).
Saturday's contest will be the Rebels' first televised game of the season, with Jefferson-Pilot airing the game regionally. Check local television listings for the Jefferson-Pilot affiliates in your area.
The Mid-South encounter will be the 52nd meeting between the two schools. The Rebels hold a 41-8-2 record against the Tigers, including a 15-1 mark when the two meet in Oxford. Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe, though, is not concerned about records when it comes to the Ole Miss-Memphis series.
"The series to me is one game right now," Cutcliffe said. "This game is going to be a tremendous football game. I know that Memphis is bringing its best football team in here."
The Rebel offense is coming off one of its best rushing performances in some time. Senior running back Robert Williams recorded his first ever 100-yard performance last Saturday, recording 100 yards on 18 carries. Junior college transfer Ronald McClendon recorded his first touchdown as an Ole Miss Rebel when he ran into the end zone from 13 yards out on his first carry of the game. McClendon finished the night with 9 carries for 40 yards.
"I thought Robert Williams certainly led the way," Cutcliffe said. "We were very physical in the game."
Junior quarterback Eli Manning will meet Memphis for the first time in his career this Saturday. The second-year starter started off the season completing 17-of-31 pass attempts for 192 yards and one touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Bill Flowers. That completion kept Manning's streak of 13 games with a touchdown pass alive heading into the Memphis contest.
Flowers led all Ole Miss receivers with 6 catches for 78 yards. Redshirt freshman Mike Espy had 4 catches for 42 yards, while senior tight end Doug Zeigler started his senior season with 3 catches for 19 yards. There were also five other Rebels with one catch apiece. With productivity coming from so many, Cutcliffe felt good about the performance of the wide receivers.
"I certainly was pleased with their effort and attitude," Cutcliffe said. "They blocked well. They competed really hard."
The Ole Miss defense made its debut under new defensive coordinator Chuck Driesbach last Saturday and held Louisiana-Monroe to just 228 yards of total offense, with only 110 of those yards coming through the air. The Rebel defense will face a bigger challenge this Saturday when its faces a Memphis offense that piled up 522 yards of total offense in a 52-6 season-opening win over Murray State.
"They spread the field," Cutcliffe said. "They have balance offensively, and they have the ability to beat you a lot of different ways. They are well coached. They have found some weapons and are using them."
On the injury front, senior linebacker Eddie Strong is still questionable going into this week. Cutcliffe also said that he expects redshirt freshman wide receiver Mario Hill to practice with the team this week and will be available for Saturday's game.
With the season opener now behind the Rebels, Cutcliffe expects his squad to rise to the challenges ahead, beginning with the clash against the Tigers on Saturday.
"This is certainly the best Memphis team I've seen," Cutcliffe said. "They have weapons on offense and weapons on defense. We will have to be at our best to have a chance to beat this Memphis team."
In its victory over Murray State, Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprime tossed a school-record 5 TD passes, while DeAngelo Williams ran for 129 yards on only 12 carries. The Tiger defense held Murray State to only 75 yards through the air and forced 4 turnovers.
