Rebels come to Fayetteville after close call at 'Bama
Matt Jones
Issue date: 10/20/06 Section: Sports
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The Ole Miss Rebels come into Saturday's match up with No. 15 Arkansas as the Southeastern Conference's worst passing offense.
Behind junior-transfer quarterback Brent Schaeffer, the Rebels have just averaged 124.9 yards per contest.
Ole Miss (2-5, 1-3 SEC) is coming off a 26-23 overtime loss at Alabama last week. A loss might not worry most defensive coaches, but a certain something in the Rebels' offense caught Arkansas Defensive Coordinator Reggie Herring's eye.
"I think they stumbled into something at Alabama," Herring said. "They hadn't been in the shotgun very much and spread the field. They came out in Alabama and decided to do that more and [Schaeffer] looked more comfortable."
Schaeffer finished the game 14-of-21 passing for 168 yards against the Crimson Tide. More importantly for Ole Miss, Schaeffer didn't throw an interception for the first time since the season opener.
"The biggest mistake you can do is start reading stats at this time of year," Herring said. "Stats are so misleading. You might lead the nation in pass defense, and you might have played three straight wishbone teams that threw four passes a game. He has not thrown the ball consistently until last week. He seems more comfortable now and therefore I'm more worried about what he did last week and focus on that."
For the season Schaeffer has completed 68-of-142 passes for 785 yards. Schaeffer has struggled with turnovers, however, throwing three more interceptions than touchdowns.
Weather Worries
The unpredictable weather in Arkansas showed up once again this week with temperatures falling. That trend will continue at kickoff.
KNWA Chief Meteorologist Dan Skoff said there is a 30 percent chance of rain Saturday with temperatures in the mid-60s.
Games involving wet weather usually see more turnovers. Herring said Schaeffer is talented enough to bail Ole Miss out with his feet if things aren't working through the air.
Behind junior-transfer quarterback Brent Schaeffer, the Rebels have just averaged 124.9 yards per contest.
Ole Miss (2-5, 1-3 SEC) is coming off a 26-23 overtime loss at Alabama last week. A loss might not worry most defensive coaches, but a certain something in the Rebels' offense caught Arkansas Defensive Coordinator Reggie Herring's eye.
"I think they stumbled into something at Alabama," Herring said. "They hadn't been in the shotgun very much and spread the field. They came out in Alabama and decided to do that more and [Schaeffer] looked more comfortable."
Schaeffer finished the game 14-of-21 passing for 168 yards against the Crimson Tide. More importantly for Ole Miss, Schaeffer didn't throw an interception for the first time since the season opener.
"The biggest mistake you can do is start reading stats at this time of year," Herring said. "Stats are so misleading. You might lead the nation in pass defense, and you might have played three straight wishbone teams that threw four passes a game. He has not thrown the ball consistently until last week. He seems more comfortable now and therefore I'm more worried about what he did last week and focus on that."
For the season Schaeffer has completed 68-of-142 passes for 785 yards. Schaeffer has struggled with turnovers, however, throwing three more interceptions than touchdowns.
Weather Worries
The unpredictable weather in Arkansas showed up once again this week with temperatures falling. That trend will continue at kickoff.
KNWA Chief Meteorologist Dan Skoff said there is a 30 percent chance of rain Saturday with temperatures in the mid-60s.
Games involving wet weather usually see more turnovers. Herring said Schaeffer is talented enough to bail Ole Miss out with his feet if things aren't working through the air.
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