Ole Miss Falls To Memphis 20-13 In Season Opener

Sept. 4, 2004

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes

OXFORD, Miss. -- Memphis senior QB Danny Wimprine completed 21-of-43 passes for 266 yards and junior RB DeAngelo Williams added 118 yards on 37 carries as the visiting Tigers escaped Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field with a 20-13 victory over Ole Miss Saturday evening, in front of a capacity crowd of 61,112.

"I thought our defense gave a great effort tonight," Ole Miss Head Coach David Cutcliffe said. "We played with a lot of energy against a good Memphis offense. We got a little cramped at the end and gave up a couple of plays that we would like to have back. We were pretty consistent most of the game, but we have to quit giving up the big plays. Against a big-play-type offense, like Memphis, that can be difficult. I thought we competed hard all day."

Williams capped a four-play, 71-yard drive with a 10-yard scamper -- at the 2:46 mark of the first quarter -- to put Memphis ahead, 7-0.

The teams traded field goals in the second and third periods as Ole Miss senior Jonathan Nichols went toe-to-toe with Memphis junior Stephen Gostkowski. Nichols made a 26-yard attempt with 6:45 left in the second quarter and hit on a 47-yarder with 9:13 remaining in the third. Gostkowski responded with field goals of 39 and 45 yards.

Hanging on to a seven-point cushion, Wimprine found senior WR Tavares Gideon for a 14-yard score, which capped a 12-play, 76-yard drive as Memphis opened up a 20-6 advantage with 10:43 left to play.

Ole Miss responded when junior RB Vashon Pearson completed a five-play, 83-yard drive with a five-yard sprint to the end zone as the Rebels pulled to within seven -- at 20-13 -- with 8:55 remaining.

Junior QB Micheal Spurlock connected on 11-of-31 attempts for 182 yards in his first career start for the Rebels. Junior WR Taye Biddle pulled in three receptions for 83 yards, while Pearson led the Ole Miss ground attack with 60 yards on 14 carries.

Junior SS Kelvin Robinson led the Ole Miss defense with 10 tackles, which included a pair of TFLs. Sophomore CB Trumaine McBride also registered his first career interception for the Rebels.

Nichols, the 2003 Lou Groza Award winner, converted his only PAT attempt of the evening to extend his school-record streak to 99 straight makes. The streak is also the longest active streak in the country.

"Obviously, it was extremely disappointing to play the way we did at times," Cutcliffe added. "I thought we were inconsistent as a team. We had a hard time getting anything done offensively. As the evening went on, we did poorly in third-down situations. It's hard to sustain drives when you are 3-of-15 on third down. We have a lot of work to do. Adversity is part of the game and we are facing it early. We are going to have to pick ourselves up and go back to work on Monday."

Memphis out-gained Ole Miss 392-to-240 in total yardage, while the Tigers also held a 20-to-13 advantage in first downs. Memphis finished with a 35:03-to-24:57 upper hand in time of possession and converted 8-of-18 times on third down.

The loss gives the Rebels their first setback in a season opener since 1995. The decision also drops their record to 91-13-5 in home openers.

Ole Miss kicks off Southeastern Conference action next Saturday, Sept. 11, with an 8 p.m. tilt at Alabama. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

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