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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
9/17/2011 | Football
Sept. 17, 2011
Gameday Central | Scouting Report |
TV: SEC Network| Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network (Sirius 219, XM 200)
OXFORD, Miss. - After notching their first win of the season, a 42-24 victory over Southern Illinois, the Ole Miss Rebels (1-1) open up SEC play today when they travel to Nashville, Tenn. to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-0).
Kickoff is slated for 11:21 a.m. from Vanderbilt Stadium. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
This will be the 86th meeting between the two teams with Ole Miss holding a 47-36-2 advantage. The Rebels have won eight of the last 11 games played at Vanderbilt Stadium but have lost their last seven SEC openers, including a 28-14 decision to the Commodores in Oxford last year.
The game will match a pair of defenses that have thrived on forcing turnovers. The Rebels picked off four passes in last week's game against Southern Illinois and have five interceptions on the season. By comparison, last year's Ole Miss defense did not record its fifth interception until the 11th game.
"The defense has done a great job reading the ball," said Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt. "They are in the right position, getting breaks on the ball and have done a lot of drill work. Now there is a belief and a confidence. That is exactly what they have going right now. When you are playing with that level of confidence, good things happen."
That unit will be opposed by a Vanderbilt offense that has had its struggles in the passing game. Quarterback Larry Smith is completing less-than 50 percent of his passes (25-of-51) and has thrown two interceptions; but freshman wideout Chris Boyd has flashed some big-play ability, tallying three touchdowns on just four catches.
The backfield is led by the duo of junior Zac Stacy and true freshman Jerron Seymour, who have rushed for 93 and 85 yards on the season, respectively.
The Vanderbilt defense shouldered the load in last week's 24-21 victory over Connecticut, holding the Huskies to 193 total yards and forcing three turnovers. The Commodores have returned an interception for a touchdown in both games this season, including a game-tying fourth quarter pick-six by Casey Hayward last week.
"Their defensive front is relentless and fast," Nutt said. "Tim Fugger at defensive end is relentless and quick. Their linebacker Chris Marve is very good. Hayward gets a lot of interceptions. Those guys are playmakers. We have to do a good job of staying on our blocks offensively. We have to execute."
With the statuses of running backs Brandon Bolden and Enrique Davis still unknown, Ole Miss will continue to look to Jeff Scott to provide the spark on offense. The 5-foot-7, 175-pound Scott delivered last week against Southern Illinois, scoring three touchdowns in the opening six minutes and four for the game (three rushing, one punt return). The speedster tallied 118 yards on the ground and 210 all-purpose yards.
Junior Zack Stoudt will draw the start at quarterback for the second consecutive week. Stoudt was solid last week, completing 11-of-18 passes for 118 yards and his first career touchdown. Randall Mackey may see some action, after appearing in his first game as a Rebel.
He [Mackey] can throw and run options," said Nutt. "He can do some different things for us. I'm confident in Randall and I am not afraid to put him in the game. Coach David Lee has confidence in him as well, but we still start with Zack Stoudt."
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