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Ole Miss Will Try To Test No. 4 UF

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By MICK ELLIOTT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 27, 2008

GAINESVILLE - No matter what point/counterpoint was made back on the University of Mississippi campus Friday night, there hasn't been much to debate about the Rebels' football team in quite a while.

Ole Miss is 2-2 under first-year coach Houston Nutt and has not won a Southeastern Conference game since Nov. 25, 2006, when it beat Mississippi State in Oxford. To find the last conference road victory by the Rebels you have to go all the way back to Oct. 9, 2004, a victory against South Carolina.

Just the same, Ole Miss will be at The Swamp for this afternoon's 12:30 kickoff against fourth-ranked Florida (3-0) to argue its merits for generating future change.

Gators coach Urban Meyer already has offered the Rebels a vote of confidence.

"We won't be too worried about not taking Ole Miss seriously," Meyer said. "They are very talented and have a lot athletic ability. They will get some big wins this year.

"They have great speed. I have great respect for their players. They are much faster than the team we just played, especially out wide, which is alarming."

While Florida was beating Tennessee on the road last week, Ole Miss was losing 23-17 at home against Vanderbilt.

For all the potential Meyer might see in his team's opponent, the self-destructive manner in which Mississippi fell to undefeated Vandy suggests continued woes for the Rebels.

While Florida's plus-nine turnover ration is second in the nation, Ole Miss arrives with a minus-six, having lost the ball 11 times this year, including six times against Vanderbilt.

"All I want to do is be mistake-free for one ballgame," Nutt said. "Florida doesn't need any help. They're ranked, what top two, three in the country? They've got the Heisman Trophy guy, they don't need any help. They've got a fast defense, one of the best in the country. So let's not help them. That's our theme this week."

Ole Miss does promise to test Florida's improving but questionable secondary, which may or may not be a good thing for either team.

Sophomore quarterback Jevan Snead, who once gave Meyer a verbal commitment to Florida, has been everything from promising (253 yards and four touchdowns in a narrow loss to Wake Forest) to awful (four interceptions and no touchdowns last week against Vanderbilt). But Snead was SEC Newcomer of the Year in 2007 after transferring from Texas, and Meyer remains high on the former recruit.

"We think he's a tremendous talent," Meyer said. "He's got great touch and great release on the ball, and he launches it. They'll throw it down the field. He's not much more experienced than any of these guys, but he's as talented as anybody in the country."

At Stake

Style points would seem to be today's payoff. The Rebels' chances figure to be slim as a visitor to The Swamp. Under new coach Houston Nutt, Ole Miss is still learning a new system and would take encouragement from a strong showing against the nation's No. 4 team. Florida, meanwhile, would like to see more flash from an offense that QB Tim Tebow jokingly described this week as "3 or 4 yards and a cloud of dust."

Keep An Eye On:

Florida - Speedy freshman RB Jeffrey Demps didn't get a carry last week against Tennessee, in part because he was making the first road trip of his college career to play in front of 103,000 fans in an SEC rivalry game. The Gators like what the sprint star can bring to the offense, but they will be selective with the early opportunities. There hardly seems to be a better time than at home against what is perceived to be an inferior opponent.

Ole Miss - Sophomore QB Jevan Snead, last year's SEC Newcomer of the Year after transferring from Texas, was highly recruited by Florida at the same time the Gators were courting Tim Tebow. Snead even gave UF a verbal commitment after his official visit to campus for the 2005 game against Tennessee. But when Florida continued recruiting Tebow as a quarterback, Snead chose the Longhorns. Now with the Rebels, he'd certainly like to show Florida coach Urban Meyer the talent that got away.

Injury Update

Ole Miss - None reported.

Florida - Linebacker Ryan Stamper (ankle) will be a game-time decision.

Key Stat

Through three games, the Gators are limiting opponents to 6.3 points and 213 total yards per game. Opponents have managed 2.4 yards per rushing attempt and 8.3 yards per completion. Brandon Spikes, despite missing the season opener with a tender ankle, leads the defense with 21 tackles, while Jermaine Cunningham has 2.5 sacks.

Key Matchups

The Gators want to see their offense in high gear and Tim Tebow throwing the ball downfield, neither of which has happened this season. The Ole Miss defense played well enough to win last week against Vanderbilt but was put in bad positions by turnovers. The Rebels gave up only 202 yards on 53 plays to Vandy, so they could be bothersome to the Gators.

PREDICTION

Florida 47, Ole Miss 9

Reporter Mick Elliott can be reached at (813) 281-2534 or melliott@tampatrib.com.

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