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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Head To Bayou Country To Tangle With LSU Tigers
11/15/2004 | Football
Nov. 15, 2004
- The Ole Miss Rebels (3-6, 2-4 SEC) will hit the road for the second straight week when they travel to Baton Rouge, La., to take on the 14th-ranked LSU Tigers (7-2, 4-2 SEC). Kickoff from Tiger Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Head Coach David Cutcliffe knows his team will have to be ready to play against the defending BCS National Champion and SEC Champion Tigers.
"I think LSU is as good as they were last season (when they won the national championship)," Cutcliffe said. "Some people may think that's a bizarre statement, but, right now, they are playing really good football.
"They've got talent on both sides of the ball. Their defensive line is very disruptive and their linebackers are outstanding. Alabama is the best rushing team in the league and LSU allowed only 82 rushing yards last week. They are also difficult to throw against. Their cornerbacks are very aggressive. LSU uses two very capable quarterbacks (Marcus Randall and JaMarcus Russell). They have a great stable of running backs, exceptional speed at the receiver positions and their offensive line is very good. I think they are one of the best teams in the country."
For Ole Miss, a rotation at quarterback continues to be the trend, with sophomore Ethan Flatt maintaining the starting role. The Nashville, Tenn., native has started the last seven games for the Rebels, having completed 114 of 200 passing attempts for 1425 yards and six touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Robert Lane has also seen more action this season. The Monroe, La., native carried the nine times for 94 yards against Arkansas.
Vashon Pearson continues to help the Rebels pound the ball out on the ground, having rushed 129 times for 640 yards and three touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Alan Abrams has gained 235 yards on 48 carries.
Junior Mario Hill leads Ole Miss in receiving, with 33 catches for 400 yards. Seniors Bill Flowers and Lorenzo Townsend are tied for the lead in TD catches with two apiece. Flowers is second on the team overall in receiving despite having missed two games earlier this season due to injury. Junior Taye Biddle continues to pace the Rebels in terms of yards per catch, with an average of 19.5 yards per catch. In all, 14 Rebels have recorded at least one catch this season.
Defensively, sophomore Charles Clark leads the team with 64 total tackles, 49 solo. Seniors and team captains Rob Robertson and Eric Oliver are second and third on the team in tackles with 60 and 57, respectively. Safety Eric Oliver enters Saturday's contest as the active career leader in the Southeastern Conference in tackles with 315.
Senior place-kicker Jonathan Nichols enters Saturday's game leading the SEC in field goals made, and is tied for sixth in the SEC career scoring list with 326 career points. The 2003 Lou Groza award winner enters this weekend's matchup with a streak of 114 consecutive PAT's made. Junior wide receiver Mike Espy leads the SEC in kickoff returns with an average of 20.3 yards per return.
LSU is coached by Nick Saban, who enters Saturday's game with a 46-15 mark as the Tiger's head coach and an overall record of 89-41-1.
Offensively, quarterback Marcus Randall leads the Tigers. The senior has completed 80 of 128 passing attempts for 992 yards and seven TD's. His favorite target has been sophomore wide receiver Craig Davis, who has 34 catches for 540 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Joseph Addai and sophomore Alley Broussard lead the LSU rushing attack. Addai enters this weekend's game with 507 yards on 70 carries and three rushing TD's, while Broussard has 427 yards on 87 carries and six TD's.
Defensively, LSU ranks second in the SEC in total defense, allowing an average of 249.8 yards per game. Free safety LaRon Landry leads the Tigers in total tackles with 73 stops, 38 solo. Senior defensive end Marcus Spears leads LSU in tackles-for-loss with 12, and has five quarterback sacks.
Saturday's game will mark the 93rd time the two teams have met. LSU leads the overall series 51-37-4 and won last season's game, 17-14. Saturday's game will be televised on a pay-per-view status in Louisiana, as well as on ESPN GamePlan.