Rebels, Bulldogs Prepare For 99th Meeting

Nov. 25, 2002

(Thursday, 6-7 p.m.)
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OXFORD, Miss. - State bragging rights and bowl bid will be on the line for Ole Miss (5-6, 2-5 SEC) Thursday night when the Rebels host arch-rival Mississippi State (3-8, 0-7 SEC). Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m., at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field, and the contest will be televised by ESPN.

With a win, the Rebels would secure the SEC's seventh and final bowl slot. A victory would also halt a five-game losing streak for Ole Miss.

"It's pretty obvious that it's a big game," said Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe. "It's an in-state rival and a chance to play for the post season. Both things mean a lot to the program and the squad realizes and understands that. We have to go play football and play it the best way we can and compete at the highest level we can possibly compete at this week."

Ole Miss nearly ended its slide this past weekend in Baton Rouge at LSU, however, the Tigers' Marcus Randall connected with wide receiver Michael Clayton for a 27-yard TD pass with 6:34 left in the game for a 14-13 win.

Despite the disappointing loss, Cutcliffe isn't worried about the Rebels' focus during the short week.

"It was difficult Saturday night, everybody had the same feeling," Cutcliffe said. "It was a disappointing loss, but whether we had won or as we did lose, you have to put the game behind you, because you go back to the practice field the next day. They've handled it well to this point."

Offensively for Ole Miss, junior quarterback Eli Manning continues to lead the SEC in both passing yards per game (261.9). He has passed for 2,881 yards on the season with 18 TDs and 13 interceptions.

Junior wide receiver Chris Collins and sophomore wide receiver Bill Flowers have caught 45 passes each on the season, and they are looking to give Ole Miss its' first pair of 50-reception receivers in the same season. Collins also leads the team with 624 receiving yards and has a caught a team-leading eight TD passes.

Defensively, the Rebels have continued to improve under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Chuck Driesbach. Through 11 games, Ole Miss has recorded 25 QB sacks, nine more than its total of 16 last season. The Rebels' 74 tackles-for-loss is also 24 more than a year ago.

Sophomore free safety Eric Oliver leads Ole Miss with 109 tackles. Senior linebacker Eddie Strong has been the Rebels' second-leading tackler since returning to full-time action versus Florida on Oct. 5, with 45. Strong recorded a season-high 13 tackles this past weekend against LSU.

"Eddie's gotten better," Cutcliffe said. "All that missed work hampered him some, but he's gotten better and more comfortable each week. He's starting to play at his best level."

Mississippi State is looking to halt a four-game skid of its own, and notch its first SEC win of the year. The Bulldogs fell 26-19 to Arkansas last Saturday in Starkville.

Junior QB Kevin Fant leads the Bulldog offense with 1,578 passing yards and has nine TDs and nine interceptions. Senior split end Terrell Grindle and sophomore flanker Ray Ray Bivines are tied for the team lead with 34 catches each. Senior fullback Justin Griffith is the team's leading rusher with 431 yards on 71 carries with two scores.

"Well as I've said all SEC teams have got balance," Cutcliffe said. "They have people who can run the football, speed at receivers, and quarterbacks who are playing well. You know defensively, (defensive coordinator Joe Lee) Dunn and his staff give you a lot of looks and things to prepare to face. They have had a good year defensively and have a lot of capable players. You have to work on getting all the looks for what you might see and preparing for whatever might happen. It's a short week and you don't know what's going to happen, so there's a lot of mystery involved with what they might have ready."

Defensively, Mississippi State is allowing an average of 28.6 points and 326.5 yards per game. Senior linebacker Mario Haggan is the leading tackler with 114 stops.

Thursday night's game will mark the 99th meeting between the two schools, tying for the 16th most-played rivalry in NCAA Division I-A history. The Rebels lead the series 55-37-6 dating back to 1901. The game will also be the 75th anniversary of "The Battle of the Golden Egg." Ole Miss and Mississippi State began playing for the trophy in 1927, and Ole Miss holds a 49-20-5 advantage in "Egg Bowl" games.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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