Defenses prepare for Cotton
By By Will Bardwell/staff writer
January 1, 2004
DALLAS Ole Miss will find out Friday just how far its defense has come.
No. 21 Oklahoma State, Ole Miss' opponent in Friday's Cotton Bowl, will present the Rebels defense with arguably its toughest test of the year. A year ago, Ole Miss fielded the worst rushing defense in the Southeastern Conference, with opponents amassing 160 yards per game on the ground. This year, the Rebels trimmed that figure down to 102 a reduction of nearly 40 percent.
But the Rebels have faced no one that compares to Oklahoma State's workhorse running back, Tatum Bell.
Bell, one of college football's top backs, was ranked second nationally in rushing yards before an ankle injury forced him to miss Oklahoma State's last two games. He still finished the regular season with 1,240 yards on the ground, the 10th-best total in the country, and has fully recovered.
The Cowboys never missed a beat in Bell's absence. His stand-in, freshman Vernand Morency, eclipsed 200 yards in both of Oklahoma State's final two games, including 269 against Kansas.
Cutcliffe said the Cowboys' duo of running backs is as talented as any his team has faced this season.
Oklahoma State has a dangerous passing game as well. Cowboys quarterback Josh Fields threw for 2,187 yards in 2003, and more than half of that total 1,144, to be exact went to wide receiver Rashaun Woods.
Woods, Oklahoma State's 6-foot-2, 190-pound deep threat, scored seven touchdowns in a single game Southern Methodist on Sept. 13, when he piled up 232 receiving yards.
The senior receiver said he thinks Ole Miss' eight-man defensive front will give him chances for big plays in one-on-one situations.
The Rebels will rely one last time on the golden arm of Eli Manning. The record-setting senior will face a Cowboys defense that gives up 397 yards of total offense per game. Oklahoma State's opponents have passed for more than 2,800 yards against the Cowboys defense.
Defensive end Greg Richmond leads Oklahoma State with 12.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss.
That balance is what concerns Cowboys head coach Les Miles more than Manning's rocket arm.
Still, Cutcliffe said the Rebels' hopes all come back to the team's defense.
