Sports - Colleges - Ole Miss

Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

Rebs face resurgent Razorbacks

A win would give Ole Miss much-needed momentum

The Ole Miss Rebels won just three times in 10 tries against Arkansas during Houston Nutt’s tenure with the Razorbacks, and five of those losses were blowouts.

So Nutt’s arrival at Ole Miss was welcome news on that front, and the Rebels used a 23-21 squeaker over the Hogs to fuel a six-game winning streak in 2008, including an impressive victory over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl.

Today’s stakes against the Razorbacks are arguably higher.

Ole Miss, on the cusp of the AP Top 25 and ranking No. 25 in the coaches’ poll, faces a resurgent Arkansas squad at 11:20 today at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, a game that could help bring some promise back to the Rebels’ season.

Ole Miss (4-2, 1-2 SEC) is virtually out of the SEC West title chase, but the Rebels are only halfway through their schedule and can gain some momentum by defeating the Razorbacks. Arkansas (3-3, 1-3) took No. 2-ranked Florida to the limit last week before losing 23-20 in the final seconds at The Swamp.

“I think (the Arkansas game) was kind of our springboard game (in 2008) and kind of got us on a roll,” Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead said. “I’m hoping last week (the Rebs drubbed UAB 48-13 in Oxford) may have been that game for us this year, and we can pick up and get rolling. I know we’re going to play with a lot of intensity.”

Nutt is downplaying the reunion-with-Arkansas angle and trying to get his team in the proper frame of mind for the stretch run.

“This is the biggest game of the year because it is the next game,” he said.

Ole Miss will have to contend with Ryan Mallett, the Hogs’ 6-foot-7 quarterback, and running back Michael Smith, who is coming back from a hamstring injury. Mallett has thrown 14 touchdown passes this season with just three interceptions.

“(Mallett) can throw the ball. There is not one throw that he cannot make,” he said. “They’ve got a really good football team and we know a lot about those players.”

Bobby Petrino, the Hogs’ second-year coach, was reprimanded by the SEC office this week for criticizing the officials after the Florida game.

By the same token, SEC commissioner Mike Slive has suspended the officiating crew that worked that game after acknowledging mistakes were made at critical times.

Ole Miss has played solid defense this season, particularly against the run, but needs rapid improvement from Snead and its ground game to contend for a prestigious bowl game. The Rebels opened as five-point favorites but the line has moved to 6.5.

“We know they’re going to play us tough,” Snead said, “and I’m looking forward to a good game.”