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The University of Mississippi Athletics
The Three Amigos
10/24/2005 | Football
Oct. 24, 2005
Back in February of 2001 Ole Miss announced its annual signing class and was thrilled with the 24 players listed in the class. While 14 of those players are currently seniors on this year's Rebel football team, three in particular have formed a special bond, both on and off the field.
Rebel receivers Taye Biddle, Mike Espy and Mario Hill combine to form one of the top receiving corps in the Southeastern Conference. "The Three Amigos," as they like to refer to themselves, each bring to the table a different dimension when it comes to catching passes. While they may differ in their approach, they are all similar in one way, having success.
Biddle arrived at Ole Miss in the fall of 2001 as the slim speedster out of Decatur, Ala. He came in with plenty of accolades as he was rated the No. 7 player in the state of Alabama as a senior after catching 73 passes for 1,376 yards at Decatur High.
Biddle took a redshirt his first year in Oxford, along with the other two members of the Amigos, but came out of his redshirt freshman year and immediately contributed to the Rebel offense hauling in 14 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown. As a sophomore, he upped his production as he recorded 26 catches for 460 yards and four TDs. During his junior campaign, Biddle grabbed 15 catches for 283 yards and one TD. Biddle is on pace for his best season this year as he has already posted 22 receptions for 320 yards.
"Taye is very fast," said Hill. "He is the one who stretches the field for us and keeps the defense honest. He is more than just speed though, he is very talented with the ball in his hands."
While Biddle may be known as the deep threat, Espy is known to be the one with all of the fancy moves. He arrived in Oxford with the majority of the fan fare and has been in the spotlight ever since.
As a senior at Madison Central High School in Madison, Miss., Espy was rated as the No. 6 receiving prospect in the nation by SuperPrep after leading the Jaguars to the Class 5A state title.
After learning the ropes of college football in his first season on campus, Espy jumped in to the thick of the Rebel receiving corp, posting 60 catches for 1,007 yards and six TDs in his first two seasons. As a junior, he added 24 catches for 229 yards, while also picking up 549 yards in the return game.
This season to date, Espy is the leading pass catcher on the team with 23 receptions for 280 yards and two TDs.
"Mike is a fast guy too," said Biddle. "But he is the best at making people miss. He has great agility and is very shifty."
With Biddle being the speedster and Espy the one with all of the exciting moves, that leaves Hill as the blue-collar receiver, a role he relishes.
"I see myself as a clutch receiver," said Hill. "I want the ball in my hands at crunch time. I think my best attribute is my consistency and that makes me a good target when the game is on the line."
Although Hill's production came along slightly slower than Biddle and Espy he has stepped up each season and become senior quarterback Micheal Spurlock's go-to receiver this season. After only catching 18 passes his first two seasons on the field, Hill had a breakout junior campaign that saw him haul in 36 receptions for 426 yards.
As a senior, Hill has not missed a beat, starting off right where he left off his junior season. Despite missing two games due to a groin injury, Hill is right with Espy and Biddle in production as he has grabbed 20 passes for 362 yards and two TDs.
"I think Mario kind of snuck up on some people last year," said Espy. "Now this year, you can see the respect each team has for him. They try hard to shut him down each week, but he manages to get open down after down. He just works hard every day and lets the game come to him."
While each of "The Three Amigos" brings a different style of play for opposing teams to cover, they all bring the same thing to the Ole Miss Rebels: heart, soul and leadership.
"With our different skills we make for a very versatile receiving corp," said Hill. "We each go out and try to make plays the best way we know how. At the end of the day, though, we are one unit and that is how we like it to be."
