Game Preview: How Ole Miss can defeat Georgia

November 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The Ole Miss Rebels are coming off of their first SEC road win since October 2, 2009 with a 30-27 victory over the Arkansas Razorback in Little Rock, Arkansas last week.  The Rebels are trying to get their first back to back SEC road wins since 2009.  With a 5-3 record the Rebels are trying to become bowl eligible.  This will be the first game this season against a SEC East opponent.  They will try to get a second SEC road win this week against the No. 6 ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.  The Rebels have not won at Georgia since 1996 and have not defeated a ranked them since a 21-7 Cotton Bowl win over the 18th ranked Oklahoma State in 2010.  Georgia leads the series against the Rebels 31-12-1 and has a 17-4-1 record in Athens.  The game can be seen on nationally on CBS at 2:30 central.

Five things the Rebels need to do to defeat Georgia:

Bo Wallace hands off to Jeff Scott. Photo by Justine Ford

Overcoming adversity.  The Rebels have very little room for error again this week.  The crowd will be a factor and Rebels need to jump out to a fast start in order to control the tempo of the game.  Bo Wallace has exceeded expectations this year as the Rebels’ signal caller.  Wallace will have to make good decisions and not put the undersized defense in bad situations.

Control the line of scrimmage. The Rebels are ranked third in the SEC and are tied for 11th place in the NCAA with 7.5 tackles for loss per game.  The defense will be tested against this week.  Georgia has 4 receivers that have over 300 receiving yards.  Tavarres King is the leading receiver for Georgia with 511 yards.  Todd Gurley leads the ground attack with 740 rushing yards.  Aaron Murray has 2, 064 passing yards, 17 touchdown passes and only 7 interceptions on the year.  Keeping the Bulldogs off the field and limiting them to few big plays will be a major factor in getting the road win.

Attack the Bulldogs defense. Ole Miss has scored in 26 of its 28 red zone trips (92.9 percent), sixth-best in the nation and second in the SEC.  Wallace has shown he is not afraid of any defense.  Wallace has 1,649 passing yards 10 passing touchdowns, 5 rushing touchdowns and 9 interceptions.  Jeff Scott is on pace to rushing for over a 1,000 yards.  Scott has 612 rushing yards and has 6 rushing touchdowns.

Control the tempo of the game.  The balance running and passing has been a major factor in the Rebels success this season.  The ability to move the ball and score points against every opponent has been the strength this season for Ole Miss.  The Rebels are averaging 430 yards a game and have scored 30 or more points in all games except one this season.

Take advantages of opportunities.  The Bulldogs control their faith for winning the SEC East after defeating the Florida Gators 17-9 in the annual world largest tailgate party last week in Jacksonville, Florida.  The Bulldogs might be looking past the Rebels this week.  This will be homecoming weekend for Georgia and they might not be as focused for this game.

Terry Davis covers Ole Miss football for MemphiSport. Follow him @Terryd515.

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Game Preview: Rebels look to keep bowl hopes alive against Auburn

October 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Ole Miss looks to keep bowl dream alive. Photo by Justin Ford

The Ole Miss Rebels have to get over their last game against the Texas A&M Aggies and focus on the Auburn Tigers.  The Rebels enter Saturday’s homecoming game in Oxford with a 3-3 record (0-3 in the SEC) and are still in a position to get to the six wins necessary to receive one of the bowl bids that the SEC has this season.  Unlike last season, the Rebels expect to win every game this year.  The Auburn Tigers enter the game 1-4 (0-3 in the SEC) and are reeling after an embarrassing 24-7 loss last week to the Arkansas Razorbacks.  Looking to end a 16-game SEC losing streak, the Rebels have to take better care of the football and contain the War Eagles running attack.  This is the 37th meeting between the schools Auburn has a 27-9 advantage and has won the last three meetings.

Here are some keys to an Ole Miss victory on Saturday vs. Auburn:

Better ball management. The Rebels like run an up tempo pace in games to defenses off balance.  Bo Wallace has done a great job of mixing the passing and running game up this season.  Donte Moncrief needs to be targeted a bigger part of the Rebels offense.  Moncrief is 5th in receiving in the SEC with 75.5 receiving yards a game and is 2nd in touchdowns with 5 this season.

Continue to dominate the running game.  Jeff Scott has been the workhorse in the running game.  Scott is averaging 85.0 yards a game and ranks seventh in rushing yards a game in the SEC.  The running attack of the Rebels ranks 25th in the nation with 213 yards per game.  Scott has 425 total rushing yards on the season and is on pace to rush for 1,000 yards.

Handle success better. The young Rebels have to learn how to handle success better.  They have to put away teams early and not let them hang around like they did against the Aggies and UTEP.  The homecoming crowd of the Rebels will give the team energy and the team needs to feed off that energy more.

Good quarterback play.  The Rebels have used three quarterbacks in every game this season.  Barry Brunetti and Randall Mackey have played and are used at different times of the game to give the team a new look.   Bo Wallace threw for 309 yards against the Aggies last week and need to continue to make good decisions.

Control the line of scrimmage.  The major key to the game for the Rebels will be controlling line of scrimmage for the offense and the defense.  The Rebels were unsuccessful in stopping the Aggies running attack.  The Aggies ran for 352 yards last week and the defense was not able to get the Aggies off the field in key situations.

Terry Davis covers Ole Miss football for MemphiSport. Follow him @Terryd515.

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Game Preview: Keys to Ole Miss vs. Alabama

September 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It is not every week you get a chance to play the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, when given that chance you must play a perfect game.  The Ole Miss Rebels travel to Alabama to play the Crimson Tide.  No one outside of Oxford is giving the Rebels a chance of winning this game.  However, the Rebels believe that they can compete with any team in the country.  This attitude comes from the teachings of the coaching staff.  Ole Miss is 0-8 against the No. 1 ranked teams in their history.  The Tide enters the game as the clear favorite to be playing in the National Championship game in January. Alabama is led by TJ Yeldon and TJ Lacy on the ground and A J McCarron is the quarterback.  The Tide has a balanced running and passing attack.  The reigning National champs are averaging 204 yards on the ground and 221 passing yards per game.  The Tide has only allowed 249 total rushing yards this season.  The Rebels lead the SEC in rushing yards per game with 259 yards.

Bo Wallace will lead Ole Miss against No. 1 Ranked Alabama. Photo by Justin Ford

1) Stay mistake free.  The Rebels one again faces a team that they don’t match the depth and size with in Alabama.  To counter this disadvantage, Ole Miss must play mistake free football.  The Rebels must avoid turnover and execute each play the way they were taught or this game can get out of hand quickly.

2) Disguise defensive coverage.  The Rebels do not have depth or size on defense and will have to keep the Tide off balance by trying to confuse them keep plays in front of them.  They can’t allow the Tide receivers to get behind them or allow runners to get into the open field because of their speed.

3) The best defense is offense.  The Rebels will have to control the ball and keep their defense off of the field.  Bo Wallace will have to make good decisions on when to throw and when to run.  Jeff Scott has been playing well this season and needs to have his best game.

4) Size does matter.  The Rebels will be outsized on the offensive and defensive lines, and will have to use their quickness to contend with the Tide.  Donte Moncrief will have to have another great game and catch all balls that are targeted for him.

5) Keeping a cool head.  In only their 2nd road game of the season, this will be the most hostile crowd that the Rebels have faced this year.  The first road game was at Tulane, but the Rebel fans outnumber the Green Wave fans.  Alabama fans will be loud and will make it hard for the Rebels to operate on offense.  If the Rebs do get behind early they must maintain their composer and not panic.

Terry Davis covers Ole Miss football for MemphiSport. Follow him @Terryd515.

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Game Preview: Ole Miss vs. Texas

September 14, 2012 by 1 Comment

What a difference a year makes.  Last season the Longhorns were struggling to score points there was a weekly debate on who the quarterback is going to be and other questions were surrounding the team.  Now after two convincing wins the team is still being asked questions, but more on the side of how good can is this team and how far can this team go?

Ole Miss’ Jeff Scott looks to run though the Texas Longhorns’ defense. (Photo by Chris Evans)

Texas is coming off a rout of New Mexico 45-0.  Despite the shutout there are concerns on the defensive side.  The Longhorns allowed 246 rushing yards and were not able to get the Lobos off of the field in third down situations.

The Rebels come into this game matching their total wins from last season of 2 with a 2-0 record.  This will be the best opponent that the Rebels have faced this year and the same will be true also  for the Longhorns.  The Rebels enter the game averaging over 500 total yards per game.

The Rebels are led by dual threat at quarterback Bo Wallace.  Wallace leads the team in passing and rushing.  Wallace has deceptive speed and has surprised opponents with his willingness to dip a shoulder into their chest.

The No. 12 ranked Longhorns has more to prove in this game.  However Ole Miss has more to gain from this game. If the Longhorns win they can boast about defeating someone from a BCS conference and claim they deserve more recognition on the season.  A Rebel win and they can go from receiving votes in the polls to being ranked for the first time in years.

This game will come down to two key factors.  One who can control the line of scrimmage and two who will make the fewest mistakes?  The team that controls the line of scrimmage will be able to dictate the tempo of the game.  The Rebels would like to control the ball with their no huddle offense to keep the Longhorns’ defense off balance.  Also the Rebels will want to run the ball to keep you honest for the passing plays.

The Longhorns also want to control the line of scrimmage to block for Ash so he can exploit the Rebels’ secondary, which is very young and inexperienced.  The major key to the game is who makes the fewest mistakes not only in the turnover department, but also in in proper execution of offensive and defensive schemes.

The Longhorns have very fast wide receivers that able to get behind defenders especially Olympian Marquise Goodwin.   The Rebels will be short one defensive back Trae Elston.  Elston was suspended by the SEC for an illegal hit against a defensive receiver in the UTEP game.

This game can be seen on ESPN at 8:15 CT.

Terry Davis covers Ole Miss football for MemphiSport. Follow him @Terryd515.

 

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Keys to victory for Ole Miss against UTEP

September 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The Ole Miss Rebels try to match their total wins from last year in the second game of the season.  The UTEP Miners will visit the Rebels in Oxford on Saturday September 8 at 6:00 PM CT.  The Miners come into this game with a 0-1 record after losing their home opener to the #4 ranked Oklahoma Sooners 24-7.  The Miners have not played a non-conference opponent on the road since 2009. The Miners only trailed the Sooners 10-7 heading into the fourth quarter before being shutout in the quarter.

Photo by Chris Evans

1) Quarterback play.  Bo Wallace has to continue to make improvements from the season opener.  Wallace has to improve each week heading into conference play.  His improvement will open up the running game for other running backs.  Wallace can’t continue to be the team’s leading rusher.  His body can’t continue to the pounding of the SEC week in and week out.

2) Take care of the football.  The Rebels only had one turnover last week in the win over Central Arkansas.  The Miners quarterbacks threw three interceptions against the Sooners.  The Rebels should also try to force the Miners to turn the ball over to give the Rebels a short field in which to operate.


3) Stopping UTEP passing.  Last week the Miners only had 48 yards passing.  If the Rebels can make the Miners a one dimensional team it will allow the Rebels to take against of their strength and have eight men in the box.operate.

4) Control the line of scrimmage.  For the Rebels in the first half of the UCA game they did not do a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage and fell behind at halftime.  The Rebels must not allow the Miners to get any type of confidence.  The Miners are winless against BCS schools 0-16.  C. J. Johnson fresh off of his Defensive Lineman of the Week for the Rebels will try to maintain his high  level of play.

5) Accountability.  Hugh Freeze has begun to instill accountability on the field and off the field.  The players must continue to play within their ability and to assist teammates to give 100 percent every day and not just on game days.  Winning footballs game do not only occur on Saturdays it is a product of how you practice and prepare on a daily basis.

Terry Davis covers Ole Miss football for MemphiSport. Follow him @Terryd515.

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Week 1 TAM Football Rankings: Razorbacks start 2012 season at No. 1

September 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

College football made its triumphant return this past week, and along with it is our TAM ranking.  Arkansas starts this year where they ended it last year, at No. 1. While both Arkansas State and Southern Miss both fall out of the top three thanks to embarrassing blow out losses to Oregon and Nebraska respectively.  Vanderbilt gave South Carolina all they could handle, but came up short in the end. Mississippi State and Ole Miss both man handled FCS opponents, but Memphis and MTSU were both upset by FCS foes.  Tennessee had the most impressive win by a TAM team this week with their victory over North Carolina State.  Week one is in the books and it is time to unveil the week one TAM rankings.

 

1.  Arkansas (1-0):
Arkansas took care of business against Jacksonville State.  Tyler Wilson threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns in the contest.  The Razorbacks were wondering who was going to step up in the passing game after they lost some playmakers at receiver.  Tight end Chris Gragg filled that void nicely against Jacksonville State.  He had seven catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and might be the playmaker Wilson and the Razorbacks need to help the offense out in the passing game.  Louisiana Monroe is up next and then Alabama (the No. 1 ranked team in the nation) comes to town.
Last Game: W 49-24 vs. Jacksonville State @ Little Rock Arkansas
Next Game:  vs. Louisiana Monroe @ Little Rock Arkansas
Best Win:  49-24 vs. Jacksonville State @ Little Rock Arkansas
Worst Loss:  N/A
Wins Against TAMs Teams: N/A
Losses Against TAMs Teams: N/A

2.  Tennessee (1-0):
Are the Vols back? Maybe. Maybe not. Beating North Carolina State is certainly the right step on the road back to national prominence.  Tyler Bray was spectacular throwing for 333 yards and two touchdowns.  Cordarrelle Patterson’s performance in his first game in a Volunteer uniform was special as he caught six balls for 93 yards and two touchdowns.  The defense helped out by forcing four interceptions on the day.  Georgia State is next, but all eyes are on their matchup in two weeks with rival Florida.

Last Game:  W 35-21 vs. North Carolina State @ Georgia Dome
Next Game:  vs.  Georgia State @ Neyland Stadium
Best Win: 35-21 vs. North Carolina State @ Georgia Dome
Worst Loss:  N/A
Wins Against TAMs Teams: N/A
Losses Against TAMs Teams: N/A

3.  Mississippi State (1-0):
Talk about balanced attacks.  The Bulldogs passed for 183 yards and rushed for 194 yards in their first game of the season.  They also returned two interceptions, one by Darius Slay and the other by Matthew Wells, for touchdowns.  They will need a solid effort if they are going to beat Auburn, and give Dan Mullin his first win over a SEC West opponent not named Ole Miss on Saturday.
Last Game: W 56-9 vs. Jackson State @ Davis Wade Stadium
Next Game:  vs. Auburn @ Davis Wade Stadium
Best Win: 56-9 vs. Jackson State @ Davis Wade Stadium
Worst Loss:  N/A
Wins Against TAMs Teams: N/A
Losses Against TAMs Teams: N/A

4.  Vanderbilt (0-1):
Vandy gave South Carolina all they could handle in their Thursday night SEC opener, but came up short at the end thanks to a missed pass interference call.  Jordan Matthews looked like a star catching 8 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown.  There is no time for the Commodores to lick their wounds as next up is a trip to Northwestern.
Last Game:  L 17-13 vs. South Carolina @ Vanderbilt Stadium
Next Game:  vs. Northwestern @ Ryan Field
Best Win:  N/A
Worst Loss: 17-13 vs. South Carolina @ Vanderbilt Stadium
Wins Against TAMs Teams: N/A
Losses Against TAMs Teams: N/A

 5. Ole Miss (1-0):
Ole Miss trailed 20-14 at halftime, but scored 35 second half points while allowing only seven to get the win over UCA.  Bo Wallace accounted for 346 total yards and three touchdowns on 264 yards passing and 82 yards rushing.  The Rebels defense looked sloppy in their season opener, and will need to improve on the defensive side of the ball if they are going to compete in the SEC.  Up next for Ole Miss is UTEP and then the Texas Longhorns come to town.
Last Game: W 49-27 vs. UCA @ Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium
Next Game: vs. UTEP @ Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium
Best Win:  49-27 vs. UCA @ Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium
Worst Loss:  N/A
Wins Against TAMs Teams: N/A
Losses Against TAMs Teams: N/A

6. Arkansas State (0-1):
It was clear early on that the Red Wolves were going to be no match for Oregon.  Arkansas State gave up 29 first quarter points on their way to allowing 50 first half points to the mighty Ducks of Oregon.  Luckily for Red Wolves fans Memphis is coming to town this Saturday, so you can expect Arkansas State to get their first win of the year.
Last Game:  L 57-34 vs. Oregon @ Autzen Stadium
Next Game:  vs. Memphis @ ASU Stadium
Best Win:  N/A
Worst Loss:  57-34 vs. Oregon @ Autzen Stadium
Wins Against TAMs Teams: N/A
Losses Against TAMs Teams: N/A

7. Southern Mississippi (0-1):  
Austin Davis was missed severely in the Golden Eagles loss to Nebraska, as Southern Miss threw for only 75 yards in the game.  The Golden Eagles were also dominated on the defensive side of the ball, giving up 632 total yards to the Cornhuskers.  Thankfully the Golden Eagles have a bye week to regroup before they begin C-USA play with East Carolina.    
Last Game:  L 49-20 vs. Nebraska @ Memorial Stadium
Next Game: vs. East Carolina @ M.M. Roberts Stadium
Best Win:  N/A
Worst Loss:  49-20 vs. Nebraska @ Memorial Stadium
Wins Against TAMs Teams: N/A
Losses Against TAMs Teams: N/A

8.  Memphis (0-1):
This is certainly one of the worst losses in the history of the University of Memphis football program.  Costly turnovers and inopportune penalties led to the Skyhawks kicking the game winning field goal with just four seconds left.  Coach Fuente must get his player to regroup and forget about last week’s blunder if the Tigers are going to be able to avenge the 44 point beat down they took last year in Jonesboro.   
Last Game: L 20-17 vs. UT-Martin @ Liberty Bowl
Next Game:  vs. Arkansas State @ ASU Stadium
Best Win: N/A
Worst Loss:  20-17 vs. UT-Martin @ Liberty Bowl
Wins Against TAMs Teams: N/A
Losses Against TAMs Teams: N/A

9.  MTSU (0-1):
The Blue Raiders were dominated by FCS opponent McNeese State.  They trailed 23-6 at the end of the third quarter and allowed 298 rushing yards.  Coach Stockstill was on the hot seat before the season started, and the seat has now burned a hole through his pants.  MTSU plays Florida Atlantic at home with a chance to save their season and their coaches job, but it might be too little too late for Stockstill.
Last Game:  L 27-21 vs. McNeese State @ Floyd Stadium
Next Game:   vs. Florida Atlantic @ Floyd Stadium
Best Win: N/A
Worst Loss:  27-21 vs. McNeese State @ Floyd Stadium
Wins Against TAMs Teams: N/A
Losses Against TAMs Teams: N/A

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The Mid-South is full of fans with allegiances to different area college football programs. Which FBS program in the three states surrounding the Memphis area is the best? To help end some arguments and start others, every week MemphiSport ranks all the college football teams in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi . We call it the TAM Rankings.

CJ Hurt covers college football for MemphiSport. Follow him @churtj09 for live tweets from games.

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5 Things We Learned From The Grove Bowl

April 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The annual Grove Bowl is always an exciting time for Ole Miss fans.  And this year’s game had plenty of excitement, culminating in a failed two point attempt for the Blue team in overtime to give the Red team a 24-23 victory.  The game was full of highs (like quarterback Barry Brunetti’s 78 yard rush) and lows (like the pressure both teams quarterbacks were under throughout the game).  Here are some things you need to know about the Rebels first spring game under Hugh Freeze.

1.  The race for the starting quarterback position is still wide open after the spring
Both Bo Wallace and Barry Brunetti played well in the spring game.  Wallace is certainly the more polished quarterback of the two, throwing for 240 yards on 16-26 passing.  “Off the top of my head I thought Bo (Wallace) had the best day… he kept us on schedule for the most part,” Coach Freeze said about Wallace’s performance.  However, Brunetti is certainly the more athletic of the two and capable of breaking a big play at any point of the game, a fact Coach Freeze acknowledged.  “Barry (Brunetti) had some explosive plays too,” and while he only threw for 62 yards, Brunetti rushed for 136 yards with 78 of those yards coming on a long run to set up a touchdown to force overtime.  Coach Freeze would not give the starting job to either of the two quarterbacks after the spring game, and when asked if he saw a scenario where he would play them both come the fall he said, “That is a good question… if I had to say today we would probably play them both.”

2.  The front seven (especially the defensive line) look like the strength of this years Rebel team
Every time a quarterback (whether Wallace, Brunetti, Maikhail Miller, or even Evan Ingram) went back to throw the football he was getting pressured.  The defensive line was relentless in the Grove Bowl, especially CJ Johnson.  “CJ (Johnson) is a handful to block.  He has some explosion and a quick twitch off the edge, and we struggled with that all spring,” Coach Freeze said about his standout defensive lineman.  If the Rebels are going to be able to compete in the SEC this season they must get stellar play out of their front seven and pressure out of their defensive linemen.

3.  The lack of depth on the offensive line is going to be a serious issue for the Rebels this year
On the flip side of the stellar defensive line play is the poor play of the offensive line.  Both the Red and the Blue team struggled all game to give their quarterbacks time to throw the football, and that is not good news for the team that finished second to last in the SEC (ahead of just Kentucky) with 33 sacks allowed last season .  “That has been the story all spring,” Coach Freeze said, “Whenever we do any of our drop back stuff we get pressured.”  It is going to take more than the spring to get the offensive line up to speed, but hopefully they get their problems solved before the start of the conference schedule.  Otherwise, it could be a long year for whoever the quarterback is, and Ole Miss fans everywhere.

4.  The receiving core is extremely talented
And if the quarterback (whoever he may be) is given enough time to hit the open man expect the wideouts to make big catches and plays in space.  Vincent Sanders had five receptions for 89 yards, Ja-Mes Logan caught three balls for 88 yards, and Dante Moncrief snagged two touchdowns including one that put the Red team up in overtime.  “I asked for it the first play, but we were trying to run some other plays,” Moncrief said, “Then it came down to a play we needed.  So I said ‘coach give me a chance and believe in me’ and he gave me a chance and I made a play.”  This is the type of attitude this receiving core is going to need if they are going to make a bowl game this season.

5.  This program still has a long way to go
As good as some things went for the Rebels this spring, fans need to remember that this team is still trying to learn the ins and outs of Coach Freeze’s system.  “No I do not think we got everything in that we wanted to, but we made the most out of the days we had,” Freeze said.  There is only so much you can do during the spring, and if your team is learning a completely new system it is going to take longer than one spring to do so.  Add to the new system road games against Georgia, LSU, Alabama, and South Carolina and this might not be the best season for Ole Miss.  Rebel fans need to be patient this season, except the fact that the team is going to take some lumps, and understand that it is going to be a process to get the program where it needs to be.  After all, if Rome was not built in a day, why would you think Ole Miss football can be built in a spring?

CJ Hurt covers college football for MemphiSport.  Follow him @churtj09 for insightful tweets about college football.

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