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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAME PREVIEW: Ole Miss vs. Arkansas
10/20/2008 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. Ole Miss football head coach Houston Nutt makes his return to Arkansas Saturday when the Rebels travel to Fayetteville to take on the Razorbacks at 6 p.m. CT from Donald W. Reynolds Stadium.
During his 10 years as the head coach at Arkansas, Nutt guided the Razorbacks to eight bowl berths, three SEC Western Division titles, two SEC Championship game appearances and an average of more than seven wins per season. He is currently in his first season as head coach of the Rebels.
"Sometimes you can't help but think about it off and on during the summer because of all the time we spent there, but I've been wrapped up in Ole Miss," Nutt said. "I love this football team here and I've gotten close with these guys. Once the whistle blows and once that ball is kicked off, I think it's just like every other football game."
Ole Miss (3-4, 1-3 SEC) enters the weekend following a 24-20 loss Saturday against second-ranked Alabama. Trailing 24-3 at halftime, the Rebels erupted for 17 unanswered points in the second half to cut the Crimson Tide lead to four points with just over six minutes remaining. The Rebels put together one final drive late in the game, but the Alabama defense forced an incompletion on a fourth down play near midfield to thwart the Rebel comeback.
The Rebel offense outgained Alabama 359 to 326 in total yards and continues to rank among the league's top offenses. Ole Miss is posting 378.9 yards per outing, which ranks fourth in the SEC and is the most since 2003 when the team finished with a school-record 433.2 clip. Sophomore quarterback Jevan Snead is tied for the SEC lead in touchdown passes (10) and ranks third in passing average (209.1 ypg) and fourth in total offense (214.6 ypg).
Junior wide receiver Shay Hodge is tied for the SEC lead in touchdown catches with five and ranks first in yards per catch (20.8) and fourth in receiving yards per game (62.3 ypg), just ahead of teammate Dexter McCluster in fifth (61.7). Last time out, Hodge led the team at Alabama with four passes for 64 yards, including a 17-yard TD in the fourth quarter.
The Razorbacks (3-4, 1-3 SEC) rank third in the SEC in passing offense at 225.7 yards per game. Senior quarterback Casey Dick has completed 126-of-226 passes with six TDs and nine interceptions. Junior running back Michael Smith has garnered 144 of the team's 234 rushing attempts this year and has responded with an SEC-leading 791 yards (131.8 per game).
Freshman linebacker Jerry Franklin leads the Arkansas defense with 54 total tackles, while junior defensive tackle Malcolm Shepard has posted 30 tackles with six TFLs, three sacks and six quarterback hurries.
"Michael Smith is very fast and has great vision," Nutt said. "Their offensive line, starting with Jonathan Luigs, a Remington Award Winner, is very talented. Casey Dick is a guy that has been around the league a long time. There's not a coverage that he hasn't seen. They added a very good freshman class and have a good ball club.
"Defensively, Malcolm Sheppard really stands out. He's a guy that we know very well and plays very hard and is very fundamentally sound."
This game will mark the 55th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Arkansas dating back to 1908, and Ole Miss records show the Rebels trailing the series 24-29-1. Arkansas holds a 10-6 edge since it joined the SEC in 1992 and have taken four straight, including a 44-8 triumph last year in Oxford. The Razorbacks are 8-1 all-time in Fayetteville matchups.
OleMissSports.com will provide live audio through RebelVision, live stats and an in-game blog. The official Rebel athletics website will also provide a full game recap and a photo gallery at the game's conclusion. The CSS replay of the game will be Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
