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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Host Kentucky With Both Teams Seeking First SEC Win
10/17/2005 | Football
Oct. 17, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss Rebels (2-4, 0-3) will look for their first Southeastern Conference win of the season when they host Kentucky (1-4, 0-2) Saturday at 1 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field.
The Kentucky game will be the third of a three-week homestretch that saw the Rebels lose a heartbreaker against then No. 6 Alabama, 13-10, last Saturday on a 31-yard field goal by Jamie Christensen as time expired. First-year head coach Ed Orgeron is hoping for a solid performance and quick rebound from his team following the tough loss.
"I was proud of our team's attitude last week in preparing for Alabama," Orgeron said. "I thought we had a great week of preparation. I like their attitude throughout the ball game. I'm looking forward to having another great week of preparation against Kentucky. We are excited about playing at home again and continuing to build our program and take another step."
Quarterback Micheal Spurlock enters this weekend's contest with 1,188 yards and four touchdowns. The Indianola, Miss., native reached the 200-yard mark in passing yards against Alabama for the third straight game and the fourth time this season. He was the first QB to pass for 200 yards against Alabama this season.
Spurlock has had a trio of receivers to throw it to. Senior Mike Espy leads the team lead in receptions with 23 catches for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow senior Taye Biddle has 22 catches for 320 yards, while Mario Hill leads the team in yards with 362 on 20 catches including two touchdowns, despite missing two games with an injury.
Ole Miss continues to use the stellar play of redshirt freshman running back Mico McSwain. With 461 rushing yards on the season, McSwain trails Joe Gunn (547 in 1998) by 86 yards for the Rebel all-time freshman rushing record. McSwain has led Ole Miss in rushing in all six games this season, and carried 27 times against Alabama on Saturday, the most rushes since Gunn had 32 carries against Vanderbilt in 2001.
Defensively, the Rebels continue to rely on the play of middle linebacker Patrick Willis. The junior currently leads Ole Miss in total tackles with 54, including 45 solo stops. The Bruceton, Tenn., native also leads the Rebels in TFLs with 7.5. Fellow linebacker Kelvin Robinson is second on the team with 40.5, including 32 solo tackles.
Kentucky is coached by head coach Rich Brooks. The Wildcats enter this weekend's contest on a three-game losing streak. Their lone win, was a 41-29 victory against Idaho State. Kentucky is led offensively by quarterback Andre' Woodson. The sophomore has completed 64 of 109 passes for 792 yards and five touchdowns this season. His favorite targets have been wide receiver Scott Mitchell and running back Rafael Little. The two have 15 catches each for 212 and 119 yards respectively. Little also leads the team in rushing with 460 yards on 91 carries and three touchdowns.
Defensively, the Wildcats are led by linebacker Wesley Woodard. The sophomore has 44 total tackles, including 34 solo stops.
"On offense, they (Kentucky) spread you out," Orgeron said. "They run a lot of draws. They run some screens, which has given us some problems. Mike Archer is a tremendous defensive coordinator. They are in the right places at the right time. I think they are very young. They gave Louisville a battle at the end of the game. They have had some unfortunate miscues during the season, like everybody else has. I expect it to be a battle."
This will mark the 38th meeting between the two schools, and the first since 2001. Ole Miss holds a 25-12-1 advantage, including a 6-2 advantage in games played in Oxford. The Rebels won the 2001 meeting, a 42-31 victory at Kentucky.
