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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Ole Miss At Kentucky
11/5/2011 | Football
Nov. 5, 2011
Gameday Central | Scouting Report |
TV: ESPNU | Ole Miss Radio Network (Sirius 220, XM 199)
LEXINGTON, Ky. - In examining the seasons to date of the Ole Miss Rebels and the Kentucky Wildcats, one would find many parallels.
Statistically, the Rebels (2-6, 0-5 SEC) and the Wildcats (3-5, 0-4 SEC) mirror one another. Offensively, both have struggled with consistency on offense. Both teams have a mobile, junior quarterback and take a running back by committee approach. And both teams have a defense that has struggled against the run, while being solid and opportunistic against the pass.
On Saturday afternoon in Lexington, Ky., the two teams' paths will cross and one thing is certain: Someone is walking out of Commonwealth Stadium with their first SEC win.
Kickoff is slated for 2:30 CT. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
Ole Miss holds a 27-13-1 advantage in the series between the two schools. The Rebels are 9-10-1 in games played in Lexington. Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt is 3-3 all-time against the Wildcats, including his tenure at Arkansas. The Rebels have won seven of the last nine played, including a 42-35 victory last year in Oxford.
The biggest story of the week has been the health of Kentucky starting quarterback Morgan Newton. Newton suffered an ankle injury last week against Mississippi State. Freshman Maxwell Smith came into the game and completed 26-of-33 passes for 174 yards. Smith took snaps with the first team for much of the week, but Houston Nutt is preparing for both signal-callers.
"Smith is 6'4 and is more of a thrower," said Nutt. "Morgan Newton does both. He is more of a run-pass guy. They do a good job. Offensively, they are more play action with Newton."
For Ole Miss, though, the run defense has been the Achilles heel. Auburn rolled up 254 rushing yards last week, as Tiger running back Michael Dyer became the seventh opposing back to accrue 100 rushing yards against the Rebels this season.
"Tailbacks are getting too many yards" said Nutt. "There are too many explosive plays. We have to be better. I think our guys know that and it is about putting two halves back to back. In the first half we have been good but we have to finish it. It is going to take better tackling. There have been times when we have looked so good and everyone has been in perfect position. We have gotten big hits and kept them behind the count. Then we get into a groove where they stay on the field too long. The offense has to help with that, too. Our offense has to stay on the field."
With Newton questionable, the Wildcats may be without one of their top rushers. Josh Clemons and CoShik Williams have accounted for 279 and 274 yards on the ground, respectively, this season with Newton following close behind with 272 yards.
Offensively, the Rebels have shown significant improvement on offense thanks to the emergence of freshman receivers Donte Moncrief and Nickolas Brassell.
Moncrief has hauled in four touchdown passes-good for fifth in the nation among FBS freshman receivers-while Brassell has averaged 80.3 yards of total offense in the last three games. The two are tied with junior Ja-Mes Logan for the team lead in receptions.
Senior running back Brandon Bolden has returned to form after suffering an ankle injury against BYU. With a healthy Bolden and starter Jeff Scott, Ole Miss has regained the formidable one-two punch in the backfield that was anticipated at the beginning of the season. Last week, the Rebels rushed for a season-best 220 yards, led by Bolden's 114-yard, two touchdown performance. Bolden moved to fourth on the Ole Miss career rushing list with 2,419 yards.
The Rebels will face a Kentucky defense that has been solid in some regards, despite offensive inconsistencies that have left them on the field for the majority of games. The Wildcats rank fifth in the SEC in interceptions and seventh in pass defense.
"Winston Guy Jr. and linebacker Danny Trevathan, who has been an All-Conference guy, play hard," Nutt said. "They try to be disruptive. Rick Minter does a good job with their defense. "
Trevathan and Guy rank first and second in the conference in tackles, respectively, and are the only two in the SEC averaging better than 10 tackles a game. Trevathan is on his way to notching All-American honors for the second consecutive season. The linebacker has been filling up the stat sheet, racking up 6.5 tackles-for-loss, two sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Guy, a senior safety, leads the Wildcats with 8.5 tackles-for-loss, and has picked off two passes.
"We have to handle their pressure," said Nutt. "We have to get their linebackers involved. They are good athletes. We have to do a good job of executing."
