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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Football Ready For SEC Western Division Showdown With Auburn
11/3/2003 | Football
Nov. 3, 2003
By Chris Purser
Ole Miss Athletic Media Relations
OXFORD, Miss. - The battle for the Southeastern Conference Western Division title heats up when the Ole Miss Rebels (7-2, 5-0 SEC) travel to Auburn, Ala., this Saturday to face the Auburn Tigers. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. CT, with the game to be televised nationally by CBS.
Ole Miss is looking for it's first 6-0 start in Southeastern Conference play since 1962. In order to do that, the Rebels must defeat what head coach David Cutcliffe calls one of the most talented teams in the SEC.
"We are certainly facing our biggest challenge by far," said Cutcliffe. "Auburn is an outstanding football team. I don't see a weakness on their team. Whether it is offense, defense, or special teams, they have a lot of athletes that play hard, intense, and physical."
Cutcliffe says that in order to handle Auburn's physical defense, the Ole Miss offense must not make any mistakes. Senior quarterback Eli Manning has been near perfect so far this season, completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 2,663 yards and 21 touchdowns. For his efforts last week against South Carolina, Manning was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Manning currently leads the SEC in passing yards per game (295.9), completions (199), TD passes (21), and total offense per game. His 298 yards of total offense per game is good enough to rank him 11th nationally in total offense per game. But while Manning has put up outstanding numbers, he knows that he will have to bring his best against Auburn.
"This will be one of the biggest games I have ever played in," said Manning. "We will have to go out there and play smart football."
As good as Manning has been this season, his receiving corps have been the beneficiaries of his playmaking abilities. Senior Chris Collins leads the team in receptions (55), and yards (701). In the first quarter against South Carolina, Collins became the Ole Miss all-time leader in receiving yards. Collins currently has 2,373 yards, breaking the mark of 2,274 held by Willie Green (1986-1989). Collins is also tied with Kerry Johnson for the team lead in touchdown catches with five each. In fact, Ole Miss has five receivers who have over 300 yards apiece this season.
When Ole Miss is not throwing the ball, the Rebels "Running Back By Committee" has shouldered the load. Senior Tremaine Turner has seen the most action with 114 carries for 514 yards. Despite missing two of their key players, the Rebels are averaging 168.1 yards on the ground. That is an improvement of 73.8 yards per game from last season.
As good as the Rebels have been running the ball offensively, the Ole Miss defense has been equally good at stopping it. The Rebels are giving up an average of 90.7 yards per game, good enough for third in the SEC and 13th nationally. Junior Eric Oliver leads the team in tackles with 74, including 56 solo stops. Senior Von Hutchins and Travis Johnson are tied for the team lead in interceptions with three. Senior Charlie Anderson leads the team in QB sacks with five.
One area where the Rebels have really excelled this season is in special teams. Kicker Jonathan Nichols leads the SEC and nation in field goals made per game, despite not making an attempt against South Carolina this past weekend. Nichols has connected on all 36 of his PATs, while hitting 22-of-23 field goals. Punter Cody Ridgeway is averaging 44.5 yards per punt this season and is currently riding a streak of five straight games with a least one punt of 50 or more yards.
Auburn enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 6-3, 4-1in the SEC. The Tigers are led offensively by a rushing attack that is averaging 189.7 yards per game. Junior Carnell Williams leads the team with 887 yards on 165 carries. Williams leads the SEC in rushing TDs with 12. QB Jason Campbell has completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 1,450 yards and eight TDs. Defensively, senior linebacker Karlos Dansby leads the team with 57 tackles, including 33 solo stops, and has recorded four QB sacks. The Tigers defense ranks third in the SEC, and fifth nationally in total defense.
