The University of Mississippi Athletics
Opponents Beware!
10/11/2003 | Football
Oct. 11, 2003
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By Chris Purser
Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss Rebels entered Saturday's game with one thing on their mind -- stopping the Arkansas State offensive threat.
Mission accomplished.
On the Rebels 76th homecoming contest, Ole Miss held the Indians to a grand total of 235 yards of total offense. What was once considered the Achilles' heal of this year's team, the Rebel defense has held its own for six straight quarters, shutting out its opponents.
"I'm real proud of our guys," said Ole Miss defensive coordinator Chuck Driesbach. "Our guys played real well."
Ole Miss has held their opponents to less than 100 yards rushing in four of their six games this season. That is a drastic improvement over last season's effort in which the Rebels gave up an average of 160 yards on the ground.
"They (Arkansas State) were a team that was averaging close to 200 yards rushing," Driesbach said. "Certainly, they were a challenge for us. I was glad that we were able to respond and hold them to no points."
The much-maligned defense has seen an improvement in the secondary since the start of the 2003 season. In Saturday's game, Ole Miss gave up 181 yards passing. That is a far better improvement of the 377 that the Rebels had been averaging. The shutout marked the first time that Ole Miss had shutout an opponent since the 1999 season opener at Memphis.
"As the game progressed that is something the defense took pride in," said head coach David Cutcliffe. "It (the shutout) became important to the defense as the game wore on. It's hard to do that (shutout) now."
Ole Miss' coaches are hoping that the performance by the Rebel defense will be a sign of things to come as the Rebels begin a stretch of three straight home games against Southeastern Conference opponents. Both coaches and players realize that the upcoming schedule is a huge challenge for them.
"We have to come out and play with great energy no matter if it is after a big win or a bad loss," said Ole Miss free safety Eric Oliver. "We can keep the shutout streak going as long as we keep playing good football. There is no limit to what we can do."
That's an exciting thought for fans of the Red & Blue.