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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAME PREVIEW: Ole Miss vs. Arkansas
10/19/2009 | Football
Ole Miss (4-2, 1-2 SEC) returned to the top 25 this week after posting an impressive 48-13 victory over UAB on Homecoming. The Rebels rolled up 501 yards of total offense against the Blazers and are now averaging 36.3 points per game over their last 10 outings.
Senior center Daverin Geralds was named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week Monday after anchoring an Ole Miss offensive that averaged 7.8 yards on 64 total offensive plays against UAB. In addition, Geralds and the offensive line did not allow a sack in the game. Geralds was credited with four knockdowns and four finishes, while grading 91 percent in the run game and 95 percent in the passing game.
Junior quarterback Jevan Snead passed for a season-high 240 yards against UAB on 15-for-22 passing with three touchdowns, which equaled his season high. His 65-yard touchdown toss to Markeith Summers was a season-long. Saturday marked Snead's third three-touchdown performance of the year and 10th multiple-touchdown outing in the last 12 games. Snead has topped 200 yards passing nine times in his two seasons as a Rebel.
On defense, Ole Miss ranks third in the SEC and eighth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 13.0 points per game this year. Dating back to last season, the Rebels are holding opponents to just 12.2 points over the last 10 games and have posted two shutouts in that span.
"I have been really proud of our defense because they have played so hard this year," Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt. "Our defensive line has been our strength. They are relentless to the ball and hard-nosed. They have done a good job all season long for us. Our thinnest part has been our secondary, and those guys have really held up well and played the ball very well this year."
Arkansas (3-3, 1-3 SEC) pushed the nation's No. 1 team to the limit on the road, but saw their two-game win streak end at Florida 23-20. Arkansas has emerged this year as the SEC's top passing attack, led by first-year quarterback Ryan Mallett. He has completed 103-of-187 passes for league highs of 1,646 yards and 14 touchdowns. Fellow sophomore Greg Childs has been the top target with 25 catches for 480 yards and five scores.
The Hog defense leads the SEC in tackles for loss and ranks second in sacks, led by senior defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard. The two-time team captain boasts 8.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. The Razorbacks are atop the league in turnover margin at +7.
"This is the biggest game of the year because it is the next game," Nutt said. "It's the time of year where it is a big game for everybody in the conference. This is a big week for everybody. Everybody knows this time of year, when you get back into SEC play, it is big."
Saturday's game will mark the 56th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Arkansas dating back to 1908. Ole Miss records show the Rebels trailing the series 25-29-1, while Arkansas' records indicate a 30-24-1 advantage for the Razorbacks. Arkansas claims a forfeit victory in a 1914 game that Ole Miss won 13-7.
The two teams met almost yearly from 1937-1969 before the series took a hiatus until 1981. The two schools have played yearly since then, and Ole Miss is 10-17-1 against Arkansas since the series resumed. Arkansas holds a 10-7 edge since it joined the SEC in 1992 and had taken four straight prior to last year's 23-21 Rebel win in Fayetteville. Ole Miss holds a 5-3 all-time edge in Oxford matchups, but have dropped the last two in the series at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The Rebels and Razorbacks had some epic gridiron battles during Nutt's tenure as Arkansas' head coach, with the Hogs taking seven out of 10 contests. The most memorable game was the encounter on Nov. 3, 2001. The contest kicked off in Oxford at 6:06 p.m. CT, and four hours and 14 minutes later, coaches, players, fans, media members and an ESPN2 national audience saw a game that will go down in the college football record books forever.
The Rebels and Razorbacks stood toe-to-toe in an epic, seven overtime battle that saw the Hogs come out on top 58-56. It is tied for the longest OT game in NCAA history, and it remains the highest scoring game (both teams combined) on the Ole Miss all-time charts.
