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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAME PREVIEW: Ole Miss vs. South Carolina
9/29/2008 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. Following its historic road victory over fourth-ranked Florida last weekend, the Ole Miss football team looks to ride that momentum into a second straight victory over an SEC East opponent, when the Rebels welcome South Carolina to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Saturday at 1 p.m. to highlight homecoming festivities.
With Saturday's upset, Ole Miss earned its first victory over a top-five foe since a 20-13 triumph over No. 3 Notre Dame in 1977 in Jackson. The Rebels' last road win over a top-five team was a 15-7 triumph over LSU on Nov. 3, 1962, when Ole Miss was ranked No. 6 and LSU was No. 4.
Ironically, Ole Miss' last victory over a ranked foe had also been the last meeting with South Carolina, a 31-28 road win against the No. 25 Gamecocks in 2004.
Ole Miss' 31-30 win over Florida also marked head coach Houston Nutt's fifth career win over a top-five opponent. Nutt is 5-7 all-time against top-five teams as a head coach, including a 50-48 over No. 1 LSU last year. In all five wins, Nutt's squad entered the game unranked.
"It was definitely a big win, and you could feel it in the dressing room after the game," Nutt said. "We just played well together as a team. The defense played extremely hard. They got turnovers for us on crucial parts of the field. I can't say enough about our special teams because they are so big play orientated."
Rebel sophomore quarterback Jevan Snead continues to be the SEC leader in TD passes, as his two against Florida raised his season total to eight scoring tosses. He also ranks third in the conference in passing average at 205.8 yards per game. Junior Dexter McCluster led the team in rushing against Florida with 11 carries for 60 yards and his second rushing TD of the year. He averages 97.4 all-purpose yards including 62.4 receiving yards, which ranks sixth in the SEC.
"Dexter gives us so many things," Nutt said. "He is a great weapon for us. You never know where he is coming from receiver, slot, quarterback, tailback. He's just really special. He's really tough. He is a true difference maker for us. Every game, we pinpoint how many touches we want him to have, and we try to get to that point. We feel like he can change the game."
Steve Spurrier's South Carolina club enters the weekend following a 26-13 victory over UAB to improve to 3-2 overall. After a 34-0 blanking of N.C. State in the opener, the Gamecocks rose to No. 24 in the national polls before falling to Vanderbilt on the road, 24-17. Carolina also lost by a touchdown to Georgia for its sixth straight SEC loss.
"Defensively, they are a team that is very talented and a team that doesn't give up very many big plays," Nutt said. "Offensively, they have been up and down, but the thing you have to know with Coach Spurrier, they're going to have a good tailback and they are going to have a good passing game. There are always going to be tricks, so you have to be ready to go."
This game will be the 14th meeting between Ole Miss and South Carolina dating back to 1947, and the fifth since the Gamecocks joined the SEC in 1992. The Rebels lead the series 8-5 and have won five straight dating back to a 20-13 win at Columbia in 1981.
OleMissSports.com will provide live audio through RebelVision, an in-game blog and a link for live stats for the game. The official Rebel athletics website will also provide a full game recap and photo gallery at the conclusion.
