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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Game Notes
8/26/2005 | Football
Aug. 26, 2005
Ole Miss Game Notes in PDF Format | Memphis Game Notes | SEC Weekly Release | Game Preview | Ole Miss Press Conference Transcript
Game 1: Ole Miss (0-0) at Memphis (0-0)
DATE: Monday, September 5, 2005
TIME: 3:30 p.m. CT
SITE (CAPACITY): Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (62,380); Memphis, Tenn.
TV: ESPN (Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Bob Davie, color analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter)
RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play; Harry Harrison, color analyst; Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter).
POLLS: Neither Ole Miss or Memphis are ranked in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 or in the preseason Associated Press Top 25.
SERIES INFO: This meeting will be the 55th all-time between the two Mid-South rivals. Ole Miss holds a 42-10-2 lead in the series. With last year's 20-13 win in Oxford, the Tigers are riding a two-game win streak over the Rebels. However, Ole Miss has still won nine of the last 13 meetings dating back to 1988, and prior to 2003, had won four straight over Memphis. The Rebels are 22-7-2 against the Tigers in Memphis, and have taken four of the last six encounters at the Liberty Bowl. The last game played in Memphis was in 2003, with the hometown Tigers prevailing 44-34 (see All-Time Series Results and Last Five Meetings on page 2).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: This game will mark the kickoff of the 111th season of football at Ole Miss and the first under head coach Ed Orgeron ... Ole Miss had a streak of eight straight wins in season openers snapped to Memphis last year in Oxford ... The last time Memphis notched consecutive wins over Ole Miss (1993 and 1994), it was followed by four straight Rebel victories ... Only once in the 54-year series has the Tigers defeated the Rebels in three straight meetings (1973, 1974 and 1976) ... Ole Miss is 32-6 versus non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH Ed Orgeron: Ed Orgeron (Northwestern State, 1984) is entering his first season as the Rebels' head coach, having been hired on Dec. 16, 2004. Ole Miss is Orgeron's first career head coaching position, although he possesses 20 years of college coaching experience, most recently as an assistant head coach on USC's 2003 and 2004 national champion teams.
MEMPHIS HEAD COACH TOMMY WEST: Tommy West (Tennessee, 1976) is in his fifth season as the Tigers' head coach. He has a 25-23 record at Memphis and has a career ledger of 60-58 in 10 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Last year, West led Memphis to a 8-4 record as the Tigers earned a second straight bowl bid, knocking off Bowling Green 52-35 in the GMAC Bowl. West has also made head coaching stops at Chattanooga and Clemson. He went 4-7 with the Mocs before being named the head coach at Clemson prior to the 1993 Peach Bowl. He guided the Clemson program for five seasons, compiling a 31-28 ledger. West received his first coaching assignment at Ole Miss in 1979, working with the running backs on former Rebel coach Steve Sloan's staff. West is 2-1 against the Rebels.
MEMPHIS SCOUTING REPORT: The Tigers return only four starters from an offense that averaged 35.8 points and 460.3 yards of offense per game last season. Lost is four-year starting quarterback Danny Wimprine, who graduated with more than 10,000 passing yards and 81 touchdowns. While the QB position is up for grabs, All-American RB DeAngelo Williams is back for his senior season. The two-time Conference-USA Offensive Player of the Year is the nation's top retuning rusher with 4,062 career yards and 37 TDs on the ground. Senior WR Maurice Avery is the top returning receiver, having finished second on the club a year ago with 36 grabs for 422 yards and a score. Defensively, Memphis returns seven starters from a unit that yielded an average of 31.2 points and 417.8 yards of offense per game. The Tigers' top six tacklers return, including two-time All-CUSA DB Wesley Smith. Senior LB Tim Goodwell recorded a team-high 106 tackles with 8 TFLs and 3 QB sacks last season, while senior DT Marcus West totaled 9.5 TFLs and 6 sacks. Senior PK Stephen Gostkowski is Memphis' career leader in points kicking with 268, and made 20-of-24 field goals and 48-of-49 PAT attempts in 2004.
OLE MISS FOOTBALL BEGINS COACH "O" ERA: Ole Miss officially kicks off the Ed Orgeron era when the Rebels take on Memphis on Sept. 5. Orgeron was hired as the 35th head coach in the history of the University of Mississippi on December 16, 2004. He replaced David Cutcliffe, who compiled a 44-29 (.603 winning pct.) in six seasons from 1999-2004. Prior to coming to Ole Miss, Orgeron served the previous seven seasons as the defensive line coach at the University of Southern California and played a key role in Pete Carroll's Trojans winning back-to-back national championships in 2003 and 2004. He also served as USC's recruiting coordinator from 2001-2004 and was named assistant head coach in 2003.
REBELS KICKOFF 111TH FOOTBALL SEASON
• This game will mark the start of the 111th football season at The University of Mississippi dating back to 1893 ... Ole Miss did not field teams in 1897 due to an epidemic of yellow fever, and also in 1943 when football was abolished at all Mississippi state-supported institutions by the Board of Trustees.
• The Rebels enter the 2005 season with an all-time record of 587-435-35 (.572 winning percentage).
• Ole Miss is 81-24-5 (.759 winning percentage) in season openers.
• This contest will mark the first time Ole Miss hasopened its season on the road since 2003 at Vanderbilt (W, 24-21) ... The Rebels are 25-20-2 (.543 winning percentage) when opening a season on the road.
SCHEDULE NOTES
• Ole Miss will face six teams that went to bowl games in 2004: Memphis (GMAC), Wyoming (Las Vegas), Tennessee (Cotton), Alabama (Music City), Auburn (Sugar) and LSU (Capital One).
• The Rebels will open the season with back-to-back road games at Memphis (Sept. 5) and Vanderbilt (Sept. 17).
• Ole Miss plays six home games in 2005, hosting Wyoming (Sept. 24), The Citadel (Oct. 8), Alabama (Oct. 15), Kentucky (Oct. 22), Arkansas (Nov. 12) and LSU (Nov. 19).
REBELS VERSUS CONFERENCE USA: Ole Miss will enter this game versus Memphis with an all-time record of 125-53-2 (.700 winning pct.) versus schools that are currently members of Conference USA. Prior to the Memphis losses in 2003 and 2004, Ole Miss reeled off a nine-game win streak over C-USA opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on November 12, 1994.
OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER
• Ole Miss is 136-62-7 (.680 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September.
• The Rebels have an all-time mark of 50-41-4 (.547 winning pct.) in road games during September.
• Ole Miss is 86-21-3 (.795 winning pct.) in September home games (including home contests played in Memphis and Jackson), including a 61-8-2 (.873 winning percentage) mark in September games played in Oxford.
• The Rebels are 43-31-1 (.580 winning pct.) in September SEC games, including a 11-5 (.667 winning percentage) record in games played in Oxford.
• The Rebels went 1-3 in September last season (Memphis, L, 13-20; at Alabama, L, 7-28;Vanderbilt, W, 26-23; at Wyoming, L, 32-37). Prior to 2003, Ole Miss posted at least a .500 record in 14 consecutive Septembers.
MEMPHIS-AREA REBELS: Ole Miss has seven players on its roster from the Memphis area: sophomore DE Brandon Jenkins, freshman WR J.D. Lawhorn, freshman OL Michael Oher, freshman P Rob Park, sophomore LB Dontae Reed, freshman PK Justin Sparks and sophomore WR Carlos Suggs.
OLE MISS ON TV
• This game at Memphis, to be televised by ESPN, is one of two TV games on the schedule, to date ... The Sept. 17 road game at Vanderbilt will be carried by Jefferson-Pilot.
• Last year, the Rebels appeared on TV five times.
• Over the last three seasons, 26 of the Rebels' 37 games have been televised.
• All-time, this game will be the Rebels' 145th TV appearance since Ole Miss made its TV debut in the 1953 Sugar Bowl versus Georgia Tech ... Ole Miss is 67-75-2 (.472 winning pct.) all-time in TV games.
• The Rebels are 9-9 all-time on ESPN.
• This game marks the 25th time on either ESPN or ESPN2 for Ole Miss since 1999.
• The Rebels have won 11 of their last 16 TV games dating back to the 24-12 win over Mississippi State in the 2002 "Egg Bowl."
REBELS ON POSTSEASON AWARDS WATCH LISTS: Ole Miss has a pair of players on preseason watch lists for postseason awards in 2004. Senior C Tony Bonds (Russellville, Ala.) is on the Rimington Award watch list for the nation's top center, while senior DT McKinley Boykin (Bessemer, Ala.) is on the watch list for the Rotary Lombardi Award, presented to the nation's top lineman/linebacker.
GRADUATING REBELS: The Rebels have four players on this year's team who have completed their undergraduate degrees -- DT McKinley Boykin (Bessemer, Ala.), LB Kelvin Robinson (Jackson, Miss.), QB Micheal Spurlock (Indianola, Miss.) and OL Tre' Stallings (Magnolia, Miss.).
2004 NOTEBOOK
• Ole Miss is coming off its first losing season since going 5-6 in 1996 as the Rebels went 4-7 in 2004.
• The 4-7 campaign snapped a string of seven consecutive winning seasons, Ole Miss' longest such streak since recording seven consecutive winning seasons from 1965-1971.
• Ole Miss trailed at halftime in 9-of-11 games last season. The Rebels held leads at the break in wins over South Carolina and Mississippi State.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss returns 19 letterwinners, including four starters, on offense.
• The 309 yards rushing last season by sophomore QB Robert Lane (Monroe, La.) was the most by an Ole Miss quarterback since Tom Luke (1989-1991) set the school rushing record for a quarterback with 519 yards in 1990.
• Ole Miss returns its top receiver from last season in senior WR Mario Hill (Meridian, Miss.). Hill caught 36 passes for 426 yards in 2004.
• Ole Miss returns 2-of-5 starters from last season on its offensive line in senior tackles Bobby Harris (Decatur, Ga.) and Tre' Stallings (Magnolia, Miss.).
• Stallings will enter his senior campaign having made 37 consecutive starts on the offensive line.
• The Rebels must replace starting center Chris Spencer (Madison, Miss.), who decided to forgo his senior year to be eligible for this year's NFL Draft. Spencer was selected with the 26th pick of the first round by Seattle.
• Another player to be replaced is WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.), who ended his career ranked second in career receptions at Ole Miss with 149, and ranked sixth in career receiving yards with 1,795.
QUARTERBACK COMPETITION: Ole Miss returns all three quarterbacks that saw action a year ago in senior Micheal Spurlock (Indianola, Miss.), junior Ethan Flatt (Nashville, Tenn.) and sophomore Robert Lane (Monroe, La.). Spurlock appeared in seven games, making the start in the first two games of the season against Memphis and Alabama. He completed 30-of-70 passes for 341 yards. Flatt played in 10-of-11 games, making nine starts, and threw for 1,530 yards on 123-of-220 passing with six TDs and 10 INTs. Lane saw action in six games, completing 25-of-57 passes for 242 yards with one TD and three INTs, and was the Rebels' second-leading rusher with 309 yards on 60 carries and three TDs.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss returns 19 letterwinners on defense, including seven starters.
• Junior WS Charles Clark (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) led the team with 76 stops (57 solo) last season.
• Junior LB Patrick Willis (Bruceton, Tenn.) was credited with 70 hits (54 solo) and led Ole Miss with 11.0 TFLs (-62 yards) and five QB sacks (-39 yards). Willis was also tied for the team high with four QB pressures.
• The Rebels returned two interceptions for TDs last season. Sophomore DB Bryan Brown (Corinth, Miss.) returned a pick 34 yards for a score against Tennessee on Oct. 30, and sophomore CB Trumaine McBride (Clarksdale, Miss.) had a 48-yard interception return for a TD at No. 14 LSU on Nov. 20.
• The Rebels allowed a 100-yard rusher in 8-of-11 games in 2004.
JOHNSON, McBRIDE FINISH 1-2 IN THE SEC IN PASSES DEFENSED: Senior CB Travis Johnson (Shannon, Miss.) and junior CB Trumaine McBride (Clarksdale, Miss.) finished first and second, respectively, in the SEC in passes defensed last season. Johnson led the SEC, averaging 1.50 passes defensed per game in 10 contests. He was credited with 13 pass deflections and intercepted two passes. McBride started all 11 games at right cornerback, and averaged 1.45 passes defensed per game. McBride registered 13 pass deflections and led the Rebels with three picks.
SPECIALTY NOTES
• Ole Miss must replace both PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) and P Cody Ridgeway (Jackson, Tenn.), both of whom were mainstays of the Rebel special teams unit for the past three seasons.
• Nichols graduated holding 15 Ole Miss records and was the 2003 Lou Groza Award recipient for the nation's top place kicker.
• Nichols also ended his career with a string of 117 consecutive PATs made, which was the longest active streak in the nation and ranked as the fifth-longest in SEC history.
• Nichols' 344 career points ranked sixth on the SEC's career scoring list.
• Ridgeway ended his career with 10,021 career punting yards to become the third player in school history to record 10,000 career punting yards. He also finished sixth on the school's career list for punting average, averaging 42.1 yards on 238 career kicks.
• Ridgeway ranked third in the SEC in punting, averaging 42.5 yards per punt.
• Senior Mike Espy (Madison, Miss.) finished second in the SEC in kickoff returns, averaging 20.0 yards per return. He returned 20 kicks for 399 yards and had a long of 44. Espy also ranked eighth in the SEC in punt returns with an average of 5.6 yards on 27 returns.
