Game Notes – Ole Miss

The game notes are out. With the information coming out of fall camp, there’s not a lot of information we didn’t already know. But this is – at least for me – the first official look at the two-deep.

Some thoughts from glancing at the list:

1. Chase Dixon reportedly had a great fall. Apparently it was good enough to pass Thomas Hart for the #1 tight end spot.
2. Alec Willis, redshirt freshman, is the backup to our new center, Corey Howard. Conque has said Howard has really done well with the position switch. We’ve never seen Willis, so let’s hope Conque isn’t just trying to inflate Howard’s/our confidence.
3. Clay Murphy is back. I don’t know that I’ve ready one word about him since 2010. But, after redshirting last season, he’s listed as Dominique Croom’s backup.
4. The battle at the defensive end position is apparently too close to call. We knew these four would all get significant amounts of time. And if all are really good enough to start, their ability to stay fresh could be a real factor throughout the season.
5. Dillon Winfrey and Darius Reed are the only two true freshmen on the list. They are listed as “(or)” backups at corner and free safety, respectively.
6. With both guys from 2011 leaving after finishing up their eligibility, I have been wondering who was going to be back for kick returns. Looks like it’s Grandy – no surprise – and Croom – moderate surprise. That means two of our starting receivers are also back on special teams.

And the always helpful (especially when comparing kickers), often deceiving (bigger isn’t always better, right?) Tale of the Tape:

And if you need a reason to believe, this team – granted under Houston Nutt’s leadership – averaged scoring a whopping 16.1 points per game last season while giving up 32.1 per.

The Week – 8/27/2012

If every week goes like the last one, it’s going to be a great year for UCA sports. Volleyball started their season by mopping up the [weak?] competition at the Southern Miss Invitational. Men’s soccer went on the road and beat the defending Horizon League champs (Loyola-Chicago) 2-1 in overtime and then shutout Western Illinois for the 1-0 win. Women’s soccer split two home matches, getting the win against Lipscomb and falling 1-0 to Louisiana Tech.

The three teams combined for a 6-1 weekend. And all three will not get four days off before things pick back up again on Friday.

Volleyball gets the week started in the Stetson Tournament at 11am Friday. First up is 1-3 Hampton University. A couple hours after that one ends, the Sugar Bears face 1-3 Stetson. They are done for the day, but things get started even earlier on Friday with a 9am start against a Florida Atlantic team that will be playing their first matches of the season this weekend. FAU finished with three wins last year and was winless in the Sun Belt. The same league as South Alabama who beat FAU 3-1 to end FAU’s 2011 season. Reading all of that, it appears that the final match, against Wofford, may be the stiffest competition of the weekend? Wofford is 1-2 on the season with their win coming against Ole Miss.

Volleyball
Friday – 11am vs. Hampton
Friday – 5pm vs. Stetson
Saturday- 9am vs. Florida Atlantic
Saturday – 3pm vs. Wofford

Men’s soccer makes their first appearance at home this weekend. If you’re a fan, you might want to make plans to be there, because 1/3 of the season’s home games will be played. Also, if you developed a dislike for Lipscomb during Friday’s women’s match, you’re in luck. Losers of two straight, the Bisons (yep, like Harding, not a typo) were winners of four games last year – two more than the 2011 Bears. The 2012 Bears have already matched that total and can really raise expectations for the season with another win. Following that up is Oral Roberts, who was one of the two 2011 wins. The Bears defeated ORU in the season opener last year in Tulsa.

Men’s Soccer

Friday – 4pm vs. Lipscomb
Sunday – 2:30pm vs. Oral Roberts

Women’s soccer takes on two SWAC schools this weekend and starts in Itta Bena against Mississippi Valley State. The two teams met in Conway last season and played to a 0-0 stalemate after two overtimes. The MVSU Web site doesn’t appear to have any 2012 information, but from Facebook it appears that they are 0-2. Things – if you can believe this – get MUCH easier after that. The trip to face Alabama A&M should be a good chance to further pad the scoring stats. AAMU has been outscored 32-0 in their first four contests. They just played their closest match of the year, a 5-goal loss to Jacksonville State. I don’t think I need to say much else.

Women’s Soccer
Friday – 6pm vs. Mississippi Valley State
Sunday – 1pm vs. Alabama A&M

Saturday also gets the cross country season underway at the Memphis Twilight, and the tennis team is hosting the Campus Showdown (PDF). I’m not sure if that means our team will be included or not. Oh, and there’s a football game in Mississippi on Saturday. I’m guessing we’ll be discussing that more here on the blog this week.