It’s the quarterback with raw talent versus the signal caller with a pedigree in a potential shootout.
Memphis sophomore quarterback Danny Wimprine emerged as the Tigers’ leader in his breakout game against Tennessee.
Meanwhile, junior Eli Manning entered Ole Miss having to live up to the expectations of following his All-American father Archie and brother Peyton.
Manning has been living up to those expectations and impressing the college football world including Tigers head coach Tommy West.
“He is a great player and a leader on the field,” West said.
The 6-foot-4, 215 pound quarterback is an All-American candidate and is on the Davey O’Brien Award watch list for the nation’s top quarterback.
Manning passed for 2,948 yards and 31 touchdowns last season, but in the season opener for the Rebels, Manning was below his average for yards (268) and completion percentage (63.48).
He threw for 192 yards and only completed 55.84 percent of his passes in the 31-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
Although Manning’s statistics were below average last week, West said Ole Miss still looked solid on offense with a talented athlete like Manning at control.
“Eli Manning is an outstanding player,” West said.
West said he was impressed with Manning, and that the Rebel offense looked as good as it did last season.
“Offensively it looks like they haven’t missed a beat,” he said.
Manning enters the game with the national attention but Wimprine posted better numbers in his opener with 245 yards passing and completing almost 72 percent of his passes.
Wimprine had good passing numbers against Murray State but he fumbled the ball three times.
Wimprine said he has to keep the same intensity but eliminate errors to beat Ole Miss in their stadium.
“You can’t win many ball games with so many turnovers, especially on the road,” Wimprine said. “We have to play better and hold on to the ball to win.”
The Tigers have several weapons for Wimprine to choose from.
Three Tiger receivers had over 50 yards receiving and the duo in the backfield rushed for 218 yards.
West said having senior Dante Brown and freshman DeAngelo Williams is a plus for the Tigers.
“I love having two backs,” West said. “It is a great situation.
“Dante has done all the things we need him to do. DeAngelo looked experienced and good with the ball.”
Williams might have looked like he gained experience with his debut but the Tigers secondary is still wet behind the ears.
The Tigers’ secondary made up of four sophomores and a senior that has only started eight games was only thrown into 25 times last week.
West said he would have liked to have seen Murray State challenge the secondary more to help them prepare for future competition, like Manning.
“I wished they would have been tested more,” West said. “They didn’t throw the ball as much as I thought they would, or as much as I wished they would.
“I would have loved to have seen them attack our secondary a lot more. The jury is still out.”
There are still questions left about the Ole Miss defense.
Last week, the Rebels allowed Louisiana-Monroe running back, Bryant Jacobs, to rush for 103 yards.
West said Jacobs’ performance will not influence the game plan against Ole Miss. The Rebels defense will dictate the strategy.
“We’ll do what we do,” West said. “We won’t go in trying to run the ball. We take what they give us.”
Both offenses could light up the scoreboard, which would be a direct contrast from the last meeting.
Memphis plays Ole Miss Saturday for the first time since a season opening defensive battle won by the Rebels in 1999, 3-0.
The Tigers are trying to keep the young season on an upswing following their win over Murray State with a victory over Ole Miss in Oxford.
The only time Memphis beat the Rebels in Mississippi was Nov. 5, 1994, during the Tigers last winning season.
Memphis will try to improve their record to 2-0 for the first time since 1976, in front of what is expected, by ticket sales, to be the largest crowd in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium history.
West said along with the crowd, Memphis has to worry about a team that is always well prepared by their fourth year head coach David Cutcliffe.
West knows what Cutcliffe is capable of because the two worked as assistant coaches under Johnny Majors at the University of Tennessee in 1990.
“They have good players, and they are well coached,” West said. “ I worked with David before.
“I think David does an outstanding job of preparing a team for what can happen and what may happen and what possibly could happen.”
