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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Continue Preparation For Memphis With Scrimmage
8/25/2004 | Football
Aug. 25, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss continued to prepare for the season opener against Memphis on Wednesday, with a situational scrimmage that saw the offense turn in its best performance of the preseason despite the warm conditions.
The offense showed its efficiency on its first five possessions, scoring on three of the five as the first team ran against the scout team, but two fumbles on the two remaining possessions remained a concern for the coaching staff.
"I was pleased with the fact that we got in some really good hot weather work," said Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe. "We kicked the ball well and played good defense. We gave up a couple of big plays, but nothing major. Offensively we executed better than we have to this point.
"Turnovers were a problem," Cutcliffe said. "We had five live possessions with the first offense and scored on three of them and turned the ball over twice. We can't turn the ball over and consider ourselves successful. It was good to get the full speed work and see what it will be like in a game."
Micheal Spurlock turned in perhaps his most solid outing of the preseason, completing 11-of-13 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown to Mike Espy. Spurlock also rushed three times for 39 yards, including a 20 yard touchdown run.
"Micheal threw the ball well," Cutcliffe said. "Take the fumbles out of the equation and you have really good offensive production."
The offense wasn't the only thing that caught the eye of the coaching staff. The defensive unit caught praise as well for their work in the heat as Rob Robertson led the team with four tackles, while four Rebels recorded tackles for a loss.
"Defensively I thought we were around the football all day," Cutcliffe said. "We gave them a lot of looks. They saw a lot of things we expect to see from Memphis and they responded to it very well."
The Rebels also worked on game protocol situations - getting units on and off the field, substitutions and coin tosses as they continued fall preparations.
Ole Miss will take to the field again at 3:45 on Thursday.
The Rebels open the season September 4 against the Memphis Tigers at 6 p.m. in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. All reserved seats are sold, but standing room only tickets are currently being sold by the Ole Miss Ticket office.
