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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Holds First Preseason Scrimmage
8/13/2005 | Football
Aug. 13, 2005
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OXFORD, Miss. - Quarterback Micheal Spurlock totaled 217 yards, passing and rushing combined, and ran for three touchdowns to highlight Ole Miss' first scrimmage of the football preseason Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Overall, first-year head coach Ed Orgeron was disappointed with his squad's play in the first organized scrimmage of the summer.
"It was a rough day for execution on both sides of the ball," said Orgeron. "We were very poor in the areas of execution and enthusiasm. It was by far our worse day (of practice).
"I thought in spots we started to shine - on offense and on defense. I thought in some parts of the scrimmage the defense played really well and the offense played really well. But overall, it was inconsistent."
A senior from Indianola, Miss., Spurlock took 75 of the 145 snaps during the late afternoon situational scrimmage. He finished the day 13-of-30 passing for 159 yards and netted 58 yards with the three scores on the ground.
Sophomore signal-caller Robert Lane handled 40 plays under center and was 8-of-11 for 85 yards through the air, tossed a TD and ran for another. Junior Ethan Flatt handled 30 snaps and concluded play 7-of-9 for 60 yards. None of the three Rebel QBs threw an interception.
Spurlock finished second in rushing behind Jamal Pittman, who gained 62 yards on 14 carries. True freshman Antonio Turner picked up 42 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts, while Alan Abrams had 17 yards on six chances. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who must sit out this season by NCAA transfer rules, tallied 17 yards and a score on just two carries.
Larry Kendrick collected a team-high six catches for 65 yards, while Mario Hill had four grabs for 76 yards and was on the receiving end of a 45-yard strike from Spurlock. True freshman Burnell Wallace also had four receptions and gained 39 yards. Mike Espy also totaled 39 yards on three catches, including a 20-yard TD grab from Lane. Fullback Seth Michaelson had three receptions, while Pittman, Carlos Suggs and Matt Pierce each had two.
Pierce went down with injury midway through the practice and was sent to the hospital for further testing.
On the defensive side, Michael Bozeman led with way with seven solo tackles and four tackles-for-loss, including a five-yard sack. Patrick Willis and Terrell Jackson totaled seven total tackles apiece, while Brandon Jenkins had four TFLs and a pair of sacks. Nate Banks made four stops with a pass breakup, earning the praise of Orgeron.
"He's developing pretty well, he said." He made some nice plays today. He's really a great young man. He's working on his fundamentals and technique. I think he's going to be able to play for us and play well."
Ole Miss takes Sunday off from practice before continues two-a-day workouts on Monday.
