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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Hit The Road To Face No. 19 Auburn
10/24/2005 | Football
Oct. 24, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss (3-4, 1-3) heads to the plains of Auburn, Ala., this weekend to take on the No. 19 Auburn Tigers (5-2, 3-1). Kickoff from Jordan-Hare Stadium is at 11:30 a.m., with Jefferson-Pilot televising the contest regionally.
For the Rebels, it will mark the first time in three weeks that Ole Miss has had to leave the familiar surroundings of home. First year head coach Ed Orgeron is hoping for his team's first SEC road victory of the season after notching their first SEC victory of the year against Kentucky. But he also knows he will have to do this against a very tough and talented Auburn team.
"We are looking forward to playing Auburn," Orgeron said. "They've got a great running back in Kenny Irons, he runs with a lot of tenacity. They have a good offensive line. They've got an excellent group of wide receivers and a very fast defense that has only given up four points per game. They have a good coaching staff, and they know how to win. We're looking forward to going down there and giving it our best shot."
Quarterback Micheal Spurlock enters this weekend's game having thrown a touchdown pass in five of his last six outings. The Indianola, Miss., native has completed 111 of 209 passes for 1,386 yards and five TD's. Spurlock has reached the 200-yard mark in passing yards in three of the last four games and finished at 198 against Kentucky.
With his 104 rushing yards against Kentucky last Saturday, redshirt freshman running back Mico McSwain surpassed Joe Gunn (547 in 1998) to establish an Ole Miss freshman rushing record with 565 yards on the season. McSwain, native of Richton, Miss., has led Ole Miss in rushing in all seven games this season, and registered his third 100-yard performance of the season against the Wildcats.
Senior wide-out Mike Espy hauled in his third TD catch of the year Saturday, matching his most in a season, having grabbed three TD passes in 2002 and again in 2003. Senior Mario Hill is averaging 80.8 receiving yards per game, which would rank second in the SEC had he not missed two games with injury.
Defensively, middle linebacker Patrick Willis continues to lead the Rebels. The Bruceton, Tenn., native leads the team in total tackles with 65, including 53 solo stops. The junior also leads Ole Miss in tackles for loss with eight and has recorded two quarterback sacks. Senior linebacker Kelvin Robinson is second on the team in tackles with 45, including 35 solo stops. Four Ole Miss DB's have recorded an interception this season, including senior Travis Johnson, who has also forced three fumbles.
Auburn, coached by Tommy Tuberville features a new quarterback this season in sophomore Brandon Cox. He has completed 102 of 176 passes for 1,384 yards and 10 touchdowns. Cox's favorite target this season has been wide receiver Ben Odomanu. The senior has 20 catches for 233 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Kenny Irons leads the Tigers ground game, rushing for 719 yards on 114 carries and six touchdowns.
Defensively, Auburn is led by free safety Will Herring with 43 total tackles, including 18 solo stops. Linebacker Marquies Gunn leads the Tigers with seven TFL's, while defensive end Christopher Bowder leads the team in QB sacks with 3.5. Auburn has six players that have recorded an interception this season.
This will be the 30th meeting between the two schools, with Auburn holding a 21-8 advantage. The Tigers are 7-1 in games played in Auburn against Ole Miss, however the Rebels won the last time the two teams faced each other at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2003, 24-20.
