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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: No. 3 Ole Miss vs. Tennessee
10/18/2014 | Football
Oct. 18, 2014
Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0 SEC) is one of just six remaining unbeaten teams, having defeated No. 1 Alabama and No. 14 Texas A&M the last two weeks.
"To play back at home against Tennessee is exciting for us," Freeze said. "We love playing in front of our home crowd. That team is eerily similar to our journey. They are a very, very talented team. They are hungry.
"It's one of those scary games that you know they have good enough athletes to beat you. The job that Coach (Butch) Jones and his staff have done is really admirable. They are quite talented. Again, they're hungry. They've played some really quality teams very, very close."
Ole Miss has been led by one of the nation's best defenses, headlined by sophomore tackle Robert Nkemdiche, senior cornerback Senquez Golson and senior safety Cody Prewitt, who have been named to various midseason All-America teams.
The Rebels have allowed just 11.8 points per game, which leads the SEC and ranks second nationally. The defense has also scored almost as many touchdowns (4) as it has allowed this season (6).
"I knew we were going to be talented on defense," Freeze said. "We have built this team around our defense. That was our objective when we got here. You build it around defense and that's been our primary focus in recruiting."
The defensive dominance has also helped senior quarterback Bo Wallace manage the game. The Pulaski, Tennessee, native is the only SEC quarterback to rank top-four in the league in total offense, passing and pass efficiency.
And Wallace has been even better in the second half, completing 73.3 percent of his passes for 679 yards with nine touchdown and zero interceptions.
"I feel so much more relaxed going into games," Wallace said. "I know if we punt the defense is going to go out and make a stop. I'm going into games confident and feeling good. I'm definitely not trying to force any balls."
Tennessee (3-3, 0-2) has drawn comparisons to last year's Ole Miss team with many young but talented players on both sides of the ball. The Volunteers have lost their two SEC games by a total of four points, with a 10-9 loss to Florida and a 35-32 loss to Georgia.
"They play with great passion and great hunger, and it's only a matter of time before they start winning some football games," Freeze said. "They have recruited well and they're in every game like we were last year."
Tennessee has been led by a stingy defense that ranks 19th nationally in scoring defense (19.2 ppg allowed), 16th in total defense (316.3 ypg allowed) and eighth in passing defense (160.2 ypg allowed). The Volunteers also lead the SEC and ranks fifth nationally in defensive third-down conversion percentage (26.4 percent).
"They're very difficult to run the football (against) and they're excellent on third down," Freeze said. "Their corners give them the freedom to add people to the box. It's an extremely talented defense, and it will be tough to sustain drives against them. It will be a great challenge."
This is the 65th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Tennessee dating back to 1902. It's their first meeting since 2010 and just their fifth meeting in Oxford. Tennessee holds a 44-19-1 advantage in the series, while Ole Miss won 42-17 in their last meeting in Oxford in 2009.
This is the 87th Homecoming game at Ole Miss since 1924. The Rebels are 69-15-2 all-time and have won 15 of their last 17, including last year's 59-14 win over Idaho.
Gameday Central | Scouting Report | | Twitter Updates
TV Network: ESPN | Ole Miss Radio Network: (Sirius 84, XM 84)Tuesday Blog: Game-Manager BoWednesday Blog: Freeze Talks Defense, TennesseeThursday Blog: Rebels Slow Offensive TempoFriday Blog: SEC Nation Talks Ole Miss on VisitSaturday Blog: Three and Out: Keys to Ole Miss-Tennessee
OXFORD, Miss. - Bowl eligible for the third straight season under head coach Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss seeks just its second 7-0 start in program history, as the third-ranked Rebels return home to host the Tennessee Volunteers for Homecoming on Saturday.
TV Network: ESPN | Ole Miss Radio Network: (Sirius 84, XM 84)Tuesday Blog: Game-Manager BoWednesday Blog: Freeze Talks Defense, TennesseeThursday Blog: Rebels Slow Offensive TempoFriday Blog: SEC Nation Talks Ole Miss on VisitSaturday Blog: Three and Out: Keys to Ole Miss-Tennessee
OXFORD, Miss. - Bowl eligible for the third straight season under head coach Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss seeks just its second 7-0 start in program history, as the third-ranked Rebels return home to host the Tennessee Volunteers for Homecoming on Saturday.
Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0 SEC) is one of just six remaining unbeaten teams, having defeated No. 1 Alabama and No. 14 Texas A&M the last two weeks.
"To play back at home against Tennessee is exciting for us," Freeze said. "We love playing in front of our home crowd. That team is eerily similar to our journey. They are a very, very talented team. They are hungry.
"It's one of those scary games that you know they have good enough athletes to beat you. The job that Coach (Butch) Jones and his staff have done is really admirable. They are quite talented. Again, they're hungry. They've played some really quality teams very, very close."
Ole Miss has been led by one of the nation's best defenses, headlined by sophomore tackle Robert Nkemdiche, senior cornerback Senquez Golson and senior safety Cody Prewitt, who have been named to various midseason All-America teams.
The Rebels have allowed just 11.8 points per game, which leads the SEC and ranks second nationally. The defense has also scored almost as many touchdowns (4) as it has allowed this season (6).
"I knew we were going to be talented on defense," Freeze said. "We have built this team around our defense. That was our objective when we got here. You build it around defense and that's been our primary focus in recruiting."
The defensive dominance has also helped senior quarterback Bo Wallace manage the game. The Pulaski, Tennessee, native is the only SEC quarterback to rank top-four in the league in total offense, passing and pass efficiency.
And Wallace has been even better in the second half, completing 73.3 percent of his passes for 679 yards with nine touchdown and zero interceptions.
"I feel so much more relaxed going into games," Wallace said. "I know if we punt the defense is going to go out and make a stop. I'm going into games confident and feeling good. I'm definitely not trying to force any balls."
Tennessee (3-3, 0-2) has drawn comparisons to last year's Ole Miss team with many young but talented players on both sides of the ball. The Volunteers have lost their two SEC games by a total of four points, with a 10-9 loss to Florida and a 35-32 loss to Georgia.
"They play with great passion and great hunger, and it's only a matter of time before they start winning some football games," Freeze said. "They have recruited well and they're in every game like we were last year."
Tennessee has been led by a stingy defense that ranks 19th nationally in scoring defense (19.2 ppg allowed), 16th in total defense (316.3 ypg allowed) and eighth in passing defense (160.2 ypg allowed). The Volunteers also lead the SEC and ranks fifth nationally in defensive third-down conversion percentage (26.4 percent).
"They're very difficult to run the football (against) and they're excellent on third down," Freeze said. "Their corners give them the freedom to add people to the box. It's an extremely talented defense, and it will be tough to sustain drives against them. It will be a great challenge."
This is the 65th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Tennessee dating back to 1902. It's their first meeting since 2010 and just their fifth meeting in Oxford. Tennessee holds a 44-19-1 advantage in the series, while Ole Miss won 42-17 in their last meeting in Oxford in 2009.
This is the 87th Homecoming game at Ole Miss since 1924. The Rebels are 69-15-2 all-time and have won 15 of their last 17, including last year's 59-14 win over Idaho.
Players Mentioned
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