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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Ole Miss vs. Louisiana Tech
11/12/2011 | Football
Nov. 12, 2011
Gameday Central | Scouting Report |
TV: CSS | Ole Miss Radio Network
OXFORD, Miss. - It is Homecoming in Oxford today as the Ole Miss Rebels (2-7, 0-6 SEC) step out of conference play to take on the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5-4, 4-1 WAC) at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.
Kickoff is slated for 6:30. The game will be televised on CSS.
This will mark the 10th all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Louisiana Tech. The Rebels hold an 8-1 lead in the all-time series and have won three in a row. The only loss to the Bulldogs was a 7-6 setback in 1946. The Rebels won the last meeting 24-0 in 2007. All nine games in the series have been played in Oxford.
The Rebels are 67-14-2 all-time in Homecoming games and have won 13 of their last 14.
This year, they will face a Louisiana Tech team that is riding a four-game winning streak after a 41-21 blowout victory over Fresno State on the road. Two of the Bulldogs' four losses have come to current top-25 opponents.
Junior quarterback Colby Cameron has been a large part of their recent success. Cameron took over for struggling freshman Nick Isham three weeks ago against Utah State, leading the Bulldogs on two fourth quarter scoring drives in a come-from-behind victory at Utah State. Cameron has completed 60.1 percent of his passes in three games, throwing for six touchdowns and no interceptions.
Wideout Quinton Patton has emerged as one of the nation's leading receivers. The junior, ranked 17th in the nation with 98.4 yards per-game, has been on the receiving end of over one-third of Louisiana Tech's passing yards. Patton is also tied for sixth in the nation with nine touchdown receptions.
Lennon Creer leads a rushing attack that is churning out 152.9 rushing yards per-game. The 6-1 215-pound senior has rushed for 815 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per-carry.
The Ole Miss defense was excellent through three quarters last week against Kentucky before yielding a pair of long passes to Wildcat star receiver La'Rod King-one a 38-yard scoring strike and the other a 55-yard reception that led to a touchdown.
True freshmen Serderius Bryant and Cody Prewitt were bright spots for the Rebels last week in their first starts at linebacker and safety, respectively. Bryant racked up 10 tackles, while Prewitt finished with nine stops and a quarterback hurry.
Last week's starting lineup on defense included four freshmen (Bryant, Prewitt, Nickolas Brassell, and Bryon Bennett) and two sophomores (Charles Sawyer and Mike Marry).
Eight true freshmen and three redshirt freshmen have started a game for Ole Miss this season. True freshmen have made a combined 24 starts, while redshirt freshmen have made a combined 13 starts for the Rebels.
After showing improvement in the previous three weeks, the Ole Miss offense struggled against the Wildcats in Lexington. The Rebels amassed 392 yards of total offense, but could only reach the end zone once when Randall Mackey found Nickolas Brassell for a 21-yard touchdown pass.
Freshmen Donte Moncrief and Brassell have emerged as a formidable duo at wide receiver over the last several weeks. Moncrief leads the team in receptions (23), receiving yards (406), and touchdown receptions (4). Brassell has 22 catches for 317 yards and two touchdowns.
The Rebels will face a Louisiana Tech defense that has thrived on turnovers. Though the Bulldogs are surrendering 383 total yards and 27.0 points per-game, they rank 17th in the nation with 20 turnovers forced. The Bulldog defense has intercepted 15 passes-fifth most among FBS teams-led by Jay Dudley, Quinn Giles, and Dave Clark with three picks a piece.
New for fans in 2011 is the "Rebel Fanfare," sponsored by Baptist Hospital of North Mississippi. It opens three hours prior to kickoff and is located off All-American Drive, across the street from the Starnes Center. Admission is free for all ages. "Rebel Fanfare" includes inflatables, interactive games for kids, food vendors and the pre-game radio show which begins two hours prior to kickoff. It will also feature appearances by former players, cheerleaders, Rebelettes and Rebel.
The Ole Miss women's basketball team and coaching staff will be signing posters and handing out schedule cards in Rebel Fanfare before the game. The team will be in Rebel Fanfare from 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Visit OleMissFB.com for all the information you need about Ole Miss gamedays this fall, and follow @RebelGameday on Twitter for the most up-to-date news and info each Saturday.
