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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAME PREVIEW: Ole Miss vs. Memphis
8/31/2009 | Football
Sunday's game will be televised live on ESPN with Joe Tessitore handling the play-by-play duties, while Rod Gilmore will serve as the color analyst. All of Ole Miss' 12 regular season games will be televised in conjunction with ESPN and the SEC's landmark deal signed last August.
Ole Miss enters the 2009 campaign with lofty expectations following a 2008 season that saw the Rebels finish the year on a six-game winning streak, which included a 47-34 victory over No. 8 Texas Tech in the AT&T Cotton Bowl. The Rebels will kickoff the season with their highest national ranking since the 1970 team began its season at No. 5.
"There is nothing like game week," Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt said. "We've had a good camp, and everyone is looking forward to this week. We had a very good day yesterday and now we are focusing our concentration on Memphis. We'll have a really good practice tomorrow and we will lighten up as we go along down the week."
The Rebels return six offensive starters from a 2008 team that averaged 32.1 points per game, which ranked second in the SEC and 28th in the nation. Headlining that group of returnees is junior quarterback and All-America candidate Jevan Snead. Listed by many national outlets as one of the top quarterbacks in the country, Snead finished last season second in the SEC in touchdown passes (26) and third in passing average (212.5 ypg).
He ranked third in the SEC and 21st in the nation in pass efficiency (145.5) and fourth in the league in total offense (217.1 ypg). He established Ole Miss season records for average yards per completion (15.0) and average yards per pass attempt (8.4) and ranks behind only Eli Manning on the Rebel single-season passing charts for efficiency (second), touchdowns (third) and yards (fourth).
The Rebel offense will also rely heavily on the play of Dexter McCluster and Shay Hodge, two of the top play-making threats in the SEC. Last year, McCluster joined Florida's Percy Harvin as the only players to rank top 10 in the SEC in rushing yards, receiving yards, receptions and all-purpose yards. Hodge currently stands as the SEC active career leader in receptions (103), receiving yards (1,511) and touchdown receptions (14).
On defense, Ole Miss features one of the top pass rushers in the country in senior defensive end Greg Hardy. A preseason All-American, Hardy received All-America distinction the past two seasons and earned Freshman All-America accolades in 2006. He boasts 32.5 career tackles for loss and 21.5 sacks, including an SEC-best 10.0 in 2007. Last year, Hardy posted a team-high 8.5 sacks, which ranked third in the SEC. His 0.94 sacks per game would have ranked seventh in the NCAA if he had played in 75 percent of the games.
"Greg is going to have significant snaps, but probably won't be out there the very first play," Nutt said. "We consider Greg a starter. He's had a really good camp. Overall, I am very pleased and I'm excited about getting him out on the field. I want him to get confidence in his foot. Hopefully he will be as good as ever."
Memphis, a preseason pick to finish third in the Conference USA East Division, returns 48 lettermen and 15 starters from last year's 6-7 squad. Among the four offensive starters back is running back Curtis Steele. Steele led the Tigers in rushing with 1,233 yards and seven scores on his way to earning C-USA Newcomer of the Year honors. Seven starters are back on defense, including defensive back Alton Starr, who led Memphis's defense a season ago with 90 tackles.
"Memphis is always a game that has been a very tough, physical game over the years," Nutt said. "They have two exceptional wideouts in (Carlos) Singleton and (Duke) Cahoun. They have a quarterback that is back and probably a little more familiar with what they want to do. (Curtis) Steele, the running back, has improved, especially during the last part of last season."
Sunday will be the 59th all-time meeting between the Mid-South rivals. It is the Rebels' sixth-most played series and most frequent with any school not currently or formerly in the SEC. Ole Miss holds a 46-10-2 lead in the series and has won the last four encounters. The Rebels have won 13 of the last 17 meetings dating back to 1988. Ole Miss is 24-7-2 against the Tigers in Memphis and prevailed 23-21 in the last meeting with the Tigers in the Liberty Bowl in 2007.
The Rebels are 85-24-5 (.768 winning percentage) in season openers and have taken 12 of the last 13.
