Rebs, Tech may get off to slow start

By By Joey Vaughn / special to The Star
Sept. 10, 2002
OXFORD Unless a trend is bucked, Ole Miss and Texas Tech could get off to a slow start when the teams play In Lubbock Saturday.
The Rebels haven't scored a point in the first quarter in two games this year, and the Red Raiders have managed only 10 in the opening period.
Once the teams' high-powered offenses have gotten going, though, they've been dynamite. The Rebels are averaging 34.5 points per game, while Tech has put up 22.5.
Ole Miss has done most of its damage in the second quarter, scoring 21 against Louisiana-Monroe and 17 against Memphis. Tech, meanwhile, has been a dominant team in the fourth quarter, scoring 28 of its 45 points in that quarter.
Porous run defense
The eyes of the Ole Miss offensive linemen must have lit up when they saw the stats that Texas Tech has given up in the run game. The Red Raiders have surrendered 272 rushing yards per game at a 5.1 yards per carry clip.
Ohio State ran for 317 yards and six touchdowns in the season opener, but Cutcliffe said that was no knock on Tech.
Ole Miss is coming off its best rushing performance in quite some time. The Rebels ran for 214 yards against Memphis, and Robert Williams has eclipsed the 100-yard mark twice.
Injury update
The injury bug reared its ugly head in the Memphis game. Cutcliffe got good and bad news about the health of his team Monday morning.
The sprained knee that senior center Ben Claxton went down with in the first series may not be as serious as it originally looked. Claxton left the game and never returned, and Ole Miss officials described it as a sprained knee.
On the bad side, safety Marcus Woodson might need knee surgery after an injury suffered covering a kickoff. Defensive linemen Josh Cooper and Yahrek Johnson saw limited action at practice Monday after suffering mild leg injuries, and running back Vashon Pearson will be limited in practice with an ankle injury.
Senior linebacker Eddie Strong is still day-to-day.