The University of Mississippi Athletics
FRIDAY FLASHBACK: Homecoming - 1970
11/5/2010 | Football
Nov. 5, 2010
FRIDAY FLASHBACK rewinds to some of the memorable Ole Miss games from the past. This week features the Rebels'homecoming win over Houston in 1970. While Ole Miss won the game, the Rebels lost star quarterback Archie Manning.
Ole Miss Scratches Past Houston Cougs, 24-13
Archie gets arm injury; Chumbler Directs Rebs
By: Lee Barker, Jackson Dailey News Sports Editor
OXFORD - Winning without Archie is a trick that Ole Miss hasn't had to turn for night onto three full seasons, but triumph the Rebels did without their superstar here Saturday.
Houston's mean and mangling Cougars got to Archie Manning with less than five minutes gone in the second half, a double hit after he had passed, apparently leaving the redheaded senior with a broken left forearm.
But despite holding only a narrow 14-7 lead at the time, the rebels geared up and got after the Texans, pulling away to win by 24-13 before an all-time record 36,535 strong record packing Hemingway stadium for homecoming.
Defense of course, did it.
Four interceptions in particular that left Gary Mullins, the Cougs' chubby junior quarterback, a most frustrated sort with only seven completions of 23 flings.
INTERFERENCE
Probably it should have been five, for a great grab by Ole Miss cornerback Ray Heidel at the Reb 23 was ruled interference, thereby setting the stage for Houston's meaningless second touchdown a minute-and-a-half from the end.
Meaningless except that it meant Houston had more scoring than it deserved against a unit that had everything solved but the tailback option in the Cougar Veer-T.
Tommy Mozisek ripped off 74 yards on 10 carries before being hurt shortly before halftime at the Reb 29.
So in came Robert Newhouse, like Mozisek, a 5-11, 190 pound junior, who ran even better.
First Newhouse provided a bulk of the running yardage to Houston's first touchdown that he got on an 11-yard spring off right end, on his way to 148 total yards on 15 carries, nearly 10 a tote.
That score, like the Cougs' other. Had the taint of penalty upon it for Mullins on third and fourth at the Reb 11 was in the process of being decked for minus 15, when defensive end Dennis Coleman, arriving a bit late, by accident hit the QB's face bar with his hand.
A play later Newhouse went in at 1:11 from the halftime break.
The second Houston score was nearly identical in situation, though two plays after the enabling penalty which vaulted the Cougars from their 35 to the Rebel 23.
Newhouse thereupon blasted right tackle to the eight and Mullins followed with a sharply hurled pass over the middle to second string flanker Pat Orchin, only 1:38 from game's end that was pretty much it for the ordinarily high geared Cougars left nearly 100 yards short of their 393.8 yards per game average through the first games, despite the derring-do of the tailbacks.
Pressure on Mullins harried him to just 78 passing yards and minus 21 rushing-pressure in particular from the ends Coleman and Preston Carpenter and the tackles, John Aldridge and Elmer Allen, who after injury was replaced by Larry Torgerson.
Supporting powerfully were the linebackers-Crowell Armstrong who nabbed two interceptions, Jeff Horn, Freddie Brister and swingman Paul Dongieux, the foursome accounting for 18 tackles and 17 assists among them.
That kept the Cougar fullback-6-3, 222-pound Ted Heiskell-under nigh-unto complete control, 17 yards for 10 carries, way, way below the 4.7 average brought in to the fray.
And then there was Elmo Wright. A superb split end with some All-American credentials, who entered with 17.8 yards to show for each of his previous 33 catches this season.
Elmo Caught two against the deep Rebs, the first for 18, the second a screen for minus three and maybe the end of his college career as he suffered a serious knee injury, possibly torn cartilage.
The heavily partisan Ole Miss crowd, reacting to the sight of Wright limping off with an escort, just as so many Rebels had previously departed, delivered a mighty cheer, completely tasteless and unsporting, but in its context, perhaps understandable even to Elmo in his pain.
Finding seams in the Rebel secondary of Heidel, Wyck Neely, Danny Hooker and Bill Van Devender-plus those who took over when the regulars got racked-Tommy Magee, Freddie Farmer and Danny Stalings- was tough going for a Cougar passing attack that was needed sorely.
But Ole Miss took away the bomb to Elmo, Scored twice while Archie Manning was around to throw touchdowns, the record field goal and a virtually donated TD for wrapping up when Archie was sidelined.
First possession, after Cougar Carlos Lopez had a 42-yard field goal try blocked by Aldridge, ended almost unsuccessfully with Cloyce "Slag" Hitan wide left on a 40-yard attempt for three.
Hooker promptly picked off a Mullins pass and it was off to the races from the Houston 44, the payoff Manning passing to Randy Reed from 14 yards out.
Next possession before the first quarter waned, it was Archie again, winging and flinging, an 83-yard drive in nine plays capped with a five yard bullseye to Knight.
Jim Poole's point after gave a 14-0 edge almost to half-time. Hinton was short on a 42-yard three-point try as the most menace mustered. Nothing came point wise in the third period. First swapping punts, finally interceptions. Starting from a Mullins pass to begin the finals period, the ball was tripped by Brister and hauled in by Armstrong on the Cougar 38.
OM scored four plays later as Hinton rammed long and high and true a 58-yard field goal that was just a yard short of his collegiate record boot a year ago against Georgia in Jackson's Mississippi Memorial Stadium.
The rest of the way it was fight-off-Cougars time after time as Archie's replacement Brent "Shug" Chumbler, proved too long away from combat to muster much offense, a break did not come with time running out when Mullins, hit by Carpenter dropped the ball and Colman covered on the Houston five. Three plays running-Knight, Chumbler and Reed in order achieved a mere two yards, so finally on last gasp, Shug whipped a pass to Vernon Studdard for the six-pointer.
There was 2:58 remaining time enough for Houston to score again, but not catch up, so the Rebs emerged victorious yet at such a price.