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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Set To Host Arkansas State For Homecoming
9/27/2004 | Football
Sept. 27, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss (1-3) returns to the friendly confines of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field Saturday, for Homecoming, when it takes on the Arkansas State Indians. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
This Saturday's contest will mark the conclusion of Homecoming week activities at Ole Miss. While it may be a celebration time for alumni and fans, Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe knows that his Rebel football team will have their hands full with Arkansas State.
"Arkansas State (1-3) has played well over the past few weeks," Cutcliffe said. "They are a well-coached team. I expect them to play hard and play well."
The Rebels enter Saturday's game looking for consistency at the quarterback spot. Junior Micheal Spurlock and sophomore Ethan Flatt have combined for 840 yards passing and one touchdown. Entering Saturday's game, Flatt, a 6-6 sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., has gone 45-of-88 for 534 yards, including the Rebels lone TD strike of the season.
"I haven't made any bold decisions," Cutcliffe said regarding the quarterback situation. "I will continue to evaluate all three of our quarterbacks (Flatt, Spurlock and Robert Lane). We have not found an answer at that position, so we will continue to search for one."
The Rebels have experienced plenty of success running the ball in the last two games. Junior Vashon Pearson enters Saturday's contest leading the team with 352 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He recorded his second straight 100-yard rushing effort, a career-best 139 yards on 21 carries in the loss to Wyoming last Saturday. Junior Brandon Jacobs also has two touchdowns for Ole Miss. Redshirt freshman Alan Abrams has also worked his way into the mix, rushing for 89 yards on 17 carries.
Which ever quarterback receives the starting nod for Saturday's game, they will have plenty of wide receivers to throw, including junior Mario Hill, who leads all Ole Miss receivers with 260 yards on 18 catches. He notched his first career 100-yard receiving game, catching a career-high eight passes for 142 yards last Saturday at Wyoming. Junior Mike Espy is second on the team with 122 receiving yards, while fellow junior Taye Biddle leads the Rebels in yards per catch with an average of 20.6. Senior tight end Eric Rice has the lone TD catch for the Rebels.
Defensively, the Rebels are led by seniors Rob Robertson and Eric Oliver, both team captains, and sophomore Charles Clark. Each member of the trio has recorded 29 total tackles, with Robertson leading the team in solo stops with 22. The linebacker is also tied with lineman McKinley Boykin in TFL's with four. In addition, eight different Rebels have recorded a sack this season. Sophomore cornerback Trumaine McBride leads Ole Miss in interceptions with two.
Special teams has excelled for Ole Miss over the past few seasons, and this year appears to be no different. Senior Jonathan Nichols continues to show everyone why he was awarded the 2003 Lou Groza Award, hitting 10-of-13 field goal attempts, while hitting a perfect 6-of-6 PAT's this season. In fact, Nichols enters Saturday's game riding a streak of 104 consecutive PAT'S, the longest in the nation. With his 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter against Wyoming, Nichols became the 14th players in SEC history to record 300 career points.
Senior punter Cody Ridgeway continues to help the Rebels gain field position, averaging 42.9 yards per punt. Junior Mike Espy leads the Southeastern Conference in kickoff return yardage, averaging 26.6 yards per attempt.
Arkansas State enters Saturday's game averaging 21.5 points and 371.8 yards per game. Offensively, the Indians are led by junior QB Nick Noce. Noce is 68-of-107 this season for 933 yards with eight TDs and six INTs. Senior receiver Chuck Walker leads the Indians with 18 catches for 333 yards and a TD. Junior Antonio Warren leads ASU in rushing with 307 yards on 62 carries.
Defensively ASU is led by redshirt freshmen Tyrell Johnson and Josh Williams. The two have 36 tackles apiece, while sophomore Jamarrow James leads the team in TFL's with five.
Saturday's meeting will mark the 77th Homecoming contest for the Ole Miss Rebels. The Rebels are 61-13-2 all-time in Homecoming contests. Ole Miss also holds a 19-1-2 advantage over Arkansas State. Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe is 5-0 against the Indians.
Saturday will also give fans the opportunity to catch their first glimpse of the 2004-05 Ole Miss basketball teams, as the Rebels and Lady Rebels will host their annual "Meet the Rebels" day from 10-11:30 a.m. on the steps of the Ole Miss Union. Fans will have the opportunity to shake hands and receive autographs and posters from players and coaches of both teams.
