Tigers To Face Ole Miss Saturday

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For the first time in 2016, the Tigers are on the road!

Yes, it's nearly October – or it will be by the time the game kicks off – and the University of Memphis football team has yet to see the inside of a visiting stadium. But, that all changes Saturday when the Tigers travel 85 miles south to Oxford, Miss., to face longtime rival Ole Miss.

Saturday's Mid-South match-up is set for a 6 p.m. (CT) start, and ESPN2 is televising the contest between Memphis and Ole Miss.

"That's one of the greatest and also toughest things about college football – going on the road and getting a win," said head coach Mike Norvell. "I want to prepare our guys for every situation. But, it's different when you have 60,000 people that really don't like you a whole lot (in the stadium).

"It's also what makes college football so much fun – the stadium's ambience, the culture and traditions. It is going to be a special day, and I'm glad that we have this opportunity to work and get better."

The Tigers look to improve to 4-0, but face their toughest test to date in 2016. The Rebels are ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press poll and No. 17 in the coaches poll, but more than the rankings, Norvell sees a talented and deep Ole Miss squad.

"I am really impressed with their offensive skill positions," said Norvell. "They have great length at the wide receiver position. The tight end, Evan Engram, is a special talent, and they do a lot of different things with him. Their quarterback (Kelly) can make a lot of different throws, and he can use his legs to extend plays. For us, it's about being able to keep those guys contained as much as possible.

"On the defensive side, they have a lot of explosive players up front. Defensively, they have good overall team speed. They are one of the faster teams that we will face this year. We have to do a great job of putting our guys in positions to be successful and be able to combat some of their athleticism."

Television: ESPN2
Radio: 600 WREC/102.9 FM (Flagship station); 91.7 FM (WUMR/student station)
Internet Video: ESPN3.com
Live Stats: olemisssports.com
LiveTweet: @Tigersmedia, @MemphisFB

Tigers Tidbits/Five Notes To Know
• The two Mid-South foes renew their rivalry for the 62^nd time Saturday. Ole Miss holds a 48-11-2 lead in the series and had won six straight over the Tigers until Memphis posted a 37-24 victory last season. The Rebels last won in 2014, a 24-3 win in Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss holds a commanding 19-2 series advantage in games play in Oxford. The last time Memphis won at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was in 2004 (a 20-13 victory).
• Memphis defeated Ole Miss 37-24 last season, and the Tigers hope that's a good sign for this Saturday's outcome. Of the 11 overall wins Memphis has in the series, six have come in back-to-back campaigns. The Tigers won in 1973-74, 1993-94 and 2003-04. In last two sets of wins, the first Tigers' victory came at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (1993, 2003). The site of last year's Memphis win: the Liberty Bowl.
• Memphis is playing its first road game of 2016 at Ole Miss Saturday, but the Tigers are still within the friendly confines of the Mid-South in Oxford, Miss. The first time Memphis steps outside the Mid-South area will be Oct. 14 when it travels to New Orleans, La., to face Tulane. However, it will be one of the latest dates Memphis has played outside the Mid-South in the program's modern era (since World War II). The latest the Tigers traveled to play a game outside the Mid-South was in 1977. That season, Memphis opened the season at Ole Miss and followed with seven-consecutive home contests. The Tigers' first game outside the Mid-South in 1977 was a Nov. 5 contest at Tennessee. The other three latest dates playing a game outside the Mid-South were 1951 (Oct. 20), 1959 (Oct. 17) and 1971 (Oct. 16).
• Memphis and Ole Miss have solid defenses, but both will have to contend with two of the nation's top scoring offenses. The Tigers are fifth in the country and lead the American Athletic Conference at 51.7 ppg. On the other side, Ole Miss is 31^st in the nation and fourth in the Southeastern Conference at 40.0 ppg.
• As with many college football games, it comes down to which team wins the turnover battle. The Tigers defense has been opportunistic in 2016, coming up with 11 takeaways. Memphis is tied for fourth in the nation in takeaways with seven interceptions and four fumble recoveries and also is second in the country in turnover margin at +2.67/game. On the other side, Ole Miss has four takeaways (3 fumble recoveries/1 interception) and a -1.00/game turnover margin.

Scouting Ole Miss
The Rebels enter Saturday's showdown with a 2-2 overall record and a 1-1 Southeastern Conference mark. Saturday's contest is Ole Miss' third non-league game of 2016, leaving the Nov. 5 Georgia Southern encounter as the Rebels' only out-of-conference game remaining.

Senior QB Chad Kelly leads the Rebels' high-powered offense with 1,235 yards on 85-of-130 passing and 12 TD. He leads the SEC in passing efficiency and is second in the league in passing yards and TD. Kelly has a bevy of wide receivers and backs to throw to and has connected with 13 different Rebels. Of those 13 receivers/backs, nine also have hauled in at least one TD reception from Kelly. Senior TE Evan Engram is Kelly's favorite target. Engram leads the nation's TE with 26 catches and 397 yards.

LB DeMarquis Gates and LB Terry Caldwell pace the Rebels defense with 30 and 24 total tackles, respectively. Gates also has two TFL, two sacks and three hurries. DE Marquis Haynes has a team-high three TFL and two sacks. The Ole Miss defense is surrendering 30 points and 447 yards of total offense per game.

University of Memphis Athletics

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