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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAME PREVIEW: Ole Miss vs. Tennessee
11/9/2009 | Football
Ole Miss (6-3, 2-3 SEC) enters the weekend following a 38-14 victory over Northern Arizona. Rebel quarterback Jevan Snead completed 16-of-29 passes and threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another two scores. Wide receiver Shay Hodge caught both touchdowns and finished with a career-high 169 receiving yards, marking his fourth game of the season with at least seven receptions.
I was proud of the execution from the first-time players," Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt said. "Jevan was very accurate. We executed in the passing game and Brandon Bolden made some nice runs for us. Andy Hartmann blocked well and caught the ball out of the backfield well. Shay Hodge had a big night, so I was proud of all that."
Hodge is averaging 110.75 yards and 6.5 receptions over the last four games and has notched consecutive 100-yard receiving games. For the season, he ranks second in the SEC in both receptions (5.0 rpg) and receiving yards (81.4 ypg). He is now within four touchdown catches of the Ole Miss all-time record of 24 held by Chris Collins (2000-03).
With 148 catches for 2,244 yards, Hodge needs only one more reception to tie Bill Flowers (2001-04) for second on the career receptions list and 30 more receiving yards to tie Willie Green (1986-89) for second in that category. Hodge's four career 100-yard receiving games is tied for third in Rebel history, and his three this year equals the fourth-highest single-season total.
On defense, Ole Miss ranks 12 in the nation and 4th in the SEC in scoring defense, allowing just 15.8 ppg this year. Dating back to last season, the Rebels are holding opponents to just 14.3 points over the last 13 games. In addition, Ole Miss is No. 1 in the SEC in third down defense, holding the opposition to just a 26.4-percent success rate.
Tennessee (5-4, 2-3 SEC) is riding a two-game win streak following Saturday's 56-28 home win over Memphis. The UT offense is led by senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton, who ranks third in the SEC in passing at 216.4 yards per game and boasts a league-high 21 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Senior running back Montario Hardesty is rushing for 100.1 yards per game with eight touchdowns.
"Jonathan Crompton knows where he wants to go with the ball and he has been very accurate," Nutt said. "Their running game has really been what they hang their hat on and that makes the quarterback that much bigger. It makes his job that much easier and he executes. He throws it to his guys and doesn't throw interceptions. He just does a good job handling the entire offense."
The Volunteers are third in the SEC in total defense, allowing just 295.1 yards per game. All-American safety Eric Berry has notched team highs of six pass break-ups and two interceptions and is second on the team in tackles at 6.9 per game. Senior linebacker Rico McCoy is the Vols' tackles leader with 76, while junior defensive end Chris Walker has totaled 7.0 tackles for loss, including 5.5 sacks.
Saturday will mark the 63rd meeting between the Rebels and Volunteers dating back to 1902. Tennessee holds a 43-18-1 advantage in the series and has won 12 straight in the series since a 41-17 win in 1984 and 14 of the last 15 dating back to 1981. The two teams last met in 2005, as the Vols won 27-10 in Knoxville. Tennessee is 3-0 when taking on the Rebels in Oxford.
