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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Season Opener A Week Away For Rebels
8/29/2005 | Football
Aug. 29, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - A new era in Ole Miss history kicks off this Labor Day when the Ole Miss Rebels (0-0) travel to Memphis to take on the Memphis Tigers (0-0). Kickoff from the Liberty Bowl is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., with ESPN televising the event.
This will be the 55th meeting between the Mid-South rivals, and for Ole Miss, it will mark the dawning of a new chapter as head coach Ed Orgeron makes his game day debut. Known to the Ole Miss family as Coach "O", Orgeron brings a fire and intensity that has created much excitement among the Rebel alumni for Ole Miss football.
"We are excited for it to be game week," Orgeron said. "Obviously this is our first game together. We are pumped up and pleased with the way camp went. Our guys competed. We had a very tough camp. As we have a saying here, `The cream rose to the top' at most positions.
I would also like to add that our thoughts and prayers are with the families of any of our football players and other athletic department personnel from the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in the path of the Hurricane. We hope that they are safe. They are very important to us, and we hope that everything goes well for them."
Heading into his first official game as the Rebel head coach, Orgeron has the benefit of experience when it comes to the offense. Offensive Coordinator Noel Mazzone is back for his second turn with the Rebels, having previously held the position from 1994-1998. Ole Miss also has the benefit of having three quarterbacks with experience of playing in the SEC. Senior Micheal Spurlock, junior Ethan Flatt, and sophomore Robert Lane all played last season. Flatt led the Rebels in passing last season with 1530 yards and six touchdowns, while Lane returns as the leading rusher from last season, having compiled 309 yards on 60 carries and three TDs.
"As far as the quarterback position, we thought that we would be naming a starter today," Orgeron said. "Due to the competition level of Robert Lane, who has come on very strong, especially in the last scrimmage, we are going to keep it open until right before the game. We will go into the game with one starting quarterback. We feel as a staff, that both quarterbacks could play for us. In the event one guy is not doing the job, we feel comfortable putting the other guy in."
Aiding the offense in the running attack is the return of junior running back Jamal Pittman and senior Brandon Jacobs. The Rebels are hoping that Jacobs can continue his ability to break the endzone plane as both a tailback and fullback. Jacobs enters Monday's contest having scored six career touchdowns from the redzone as a fullback. Senior receivers Mike Espy, Mario Hill and Taye Biddle are hoping to end their Rebel careers on a high note. Hill is the leading receiver from last season, tallying 426 yards on 36 catches, while Biddle averaged a team-high 18.9 yards per catch. Espy doubles as both a wide receiver and a returner on special teams.
Defensively, the Rebels are preparing for a plethora of changes after switching from the 4-2-5 scheme to the 4-3 scheme. Up front, Ole Miss returns three of last season's four starters on the defensive line. Senior defensive tackles McKinley Boykin and Michael Bozeman return, as well as senior defensive end Jayme Mitchell, who is back from an injury that forced him to miss three games last season. Boykin was named to the SEC Coaches Preseason All-SEC first team this season. Leading returning tackler Charles Clark is back, as well as impact linebacker Patrick Willis. Senior Kelvin Robinson has moved from safety to linebacker, and has immediately let his presence be known, having received the Chucky Mullins Courage Award and the right to wear Mullins' famed number 38 this season. Senior cornerback Travis Johnson currently leads the SEC career charts in passes defended. Sophomore defensive backs Trumaine McBride and Nate Banks return, as well as junior safety Bryan Brown.
On special teams, the Rebels must replace two All-SEC performers in the departed place kicker Jonathan Nichols and punter Cody Ridgeway. Leading return man Mike Espy finished second in the SEC last season in kickoff returns, averaging 20 yards per return.
Memphis is coached by Tommy West. West is 60-53 overall as a head coach, including a 25-23 mark with the Tigers. Offensively, senior running back DeAngelo Williams leads the Tigers with 4,062 career rushing yards and 37 TDs. Senior wide receiver Maurice Avery also returns as the Tigers' leading receiver.
"On offense it starts with DeAngelo Williams, who is an excellent player," Orgeron said. "He is one of the best we will face all year. He's an all-purpose back, who in addition to running the football for 1,948 yards last year, caught a lot of passes in the backfield and some reverses, which creates a lot of mismatches. He is a very good football player."
Defensively, Memphis returns seven starters from last season's squad, including senior LB Tim Goodwell, who led the team in tackles a year ago with 106. On special teams, senior PK Stephen Gostkowski returns as the Tigers' career leader in points kicking with 268. Memphis won last season's contest in Oxford 20-13.
