September 10, 2004
Ole Miss vs. Alabama Matchup Primer
On the first Saturday of the season that offers multiple marquee matchups (Michigan/Notre Dame, Georgia/South Carolina, Texas/Arkansas), the Ole Miss-Alabama contest might fly a bit under the radar screen. This tilt in Tuscaloosa, to be broadcast live at 8pm CT on ESPN2, will feature a pair of decidedly second-tier SEC West teams, but will tell a lot about the directions of these two programs in transition.
The eyes of Rebel fans will yet again be focused upon quarterback Michael Spurlock. Spurlock largely failed the test in his debut as a starter, as Ole Miss (0-1) fell 20-13 to Memphis of Conference USA last Saturday. He only completed 11 of 31 passes--missing badly on many--with no touchdowns. The much publicized mobility of Spurlock was a non-factor, as well, as he netted only 6 rushing yards. The veteran offensive line of the Rebs must also bear some responsibility and will have to step up for Ole Miss to offensively succeed.
Spurlock's second test will come in this critical SEC West game in the hostile environment of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama (1-0) is coming off an easy 48-17 win over Utah State last week. The Tide looked sharp as quarterback Brodie Croyle and running backs Ray Hudson and Kenneth Darby played largely mistake-free football en route to respective big games.
Alabama is hungry to become a factor in the SEC again after being saddled with NCAA probation and a coaching revolving door that led to a disastrous 2003 season. As a 12-point favorite, the Crimson Tide needs to set an early tone in this game and control the clock with its strong running game. Defensive coordinator Joe Kines' unit, which struggled mightily in 2003, needs to keep the pressure on Spurlock and deny his psyche any confidence, just as Memphis did.
The Ole Miss defense, which actually looked decent at times against a high-octane Memphis attack, must force turnovers and give its offense good field position. All-world kicker Jonathan Nichols gives the Rebels an advantage in a close game. A loss here would give Ole Miss its first 0-2 start since 1987. Alabama has not lost an SEC opener since 1991
The pundits expect Bama to win easily, but I expect a close game. Teams often make their biggest strides between their first and second games, and Memphis did a good job of showing the Rebels where they must improve. There's plenty of wishful thinking in Tide circles that Shula's troops are turning the corner, but with only a cupcake win to date, the jury is still out. The outlook for both of these teams will be much clearer after this one.
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Comments & Trackbacks
Robert Knodell says:
posted on September 11, 2004 08:29 AM — linkThere is already a site out there called firedavidcutcliffe.com. It's pretty bare-bones, but they are already getting cranked up.
Chris Lawrence says:
posted on September 12, 2004 05:33 AM — linkI think Cutcliffe has a four-year contract that was renewed over the summer (the state government doesn't permit contracts for more than four years). No idea what the buy-out is.
That said, Cut will have to really screw up--i.e. get nailed by the NCAA or not be bowl-eligible for two straight seasons--to be fired. Realistically, Ole Miss is a 7 or 8-win program on average, and he's never done worse than seven wins. I can see the coordinator (Latina) getting the boot, or even a Tuberville-style mass slaughter of the coaching staff, but not during the season. Plus, I think the prestige bump from last year's 10-3 season won't translate on the field until 2005 when this year's recruits are off the scout team.
Besides, who are you going to bring in to rebuild? Petrino has a better shot at a BCS bowl in Louisville (once they enter the Big East) than he would ever have in Oxford. More than likely you'd have to bring in someone for a first head-coaching job (cherry-pick someone off Saban's staff at LSU, for example), and there's no guarantee that will work better than Cutcliffe.
I think a lot of what we're seeing is the result of Cutcliffe not playing Spurlock enough last season--I don't think Spurlock saw a single snap in an SEC game until Saturday--and some of it is growing pains with working with what Spurlock's strengths are. Flatt, who does a lot of the same stuff Manning did (not to mention having another half-foot on Spurlock), is actually a better fit in the playcalling "package."
One thing's for sure: Spurlock's leash is pretty short by now, and if the Rebels aren't pounding Vanderbilt by halftime this coming week, he may never see the field again in an Ole Miss uniform.
From Signifying Nothing
pinged on Sep 12, 2004 5:40 PMMy thoughts on the 0–2 performance of the Ole Miss Rebels (originally posted here): I think Cutcliffe has a four-year contract that was renewed over the summer (the state government doesn’t permit contracts for more than four years). No ide...
stew chaney says:
posted on October 21, 2004 11:40 PM — linkole miss sucks.mississippi state rules.
robert smith says:
posted on October 23, 2004 12:41 AM — linksouthen mississippi has the best team they could beat ole miss and mississippi st.put together.
miss st. fan says:
posted on October 23, 2004 02:46 AM — linkelton john once played quatrback at ole miss
rebel fan says:
posted on October 25, 2004 01:00 PM — linkbarney frank once played quaterback at mississippi st.
