Series History: Ole Miss Rebels vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

The Ole Miss Rebels and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders square off once again on Saturday in this unfamiliar matchup.

Oct 4, 2003; Gainesville, FL, USA: FILE PHOTO; Ole Miss Rebels quarterback (10) Eli Manning in action against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Paul Chapman-USA TODAY Sports / Paul Chapman-USA TODAY Sports

While only 250 miles separate Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Oxford Miss., the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and Ole Miss Rebels have only faced off one time in the history of these two programs.

The Blue Raiders and Rebels met on Oct. 20, 2001 in front of 46,000 fans at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. David Cutcliffe was halfway through his first year as the head coach at Ole Miss, and a young Eli Manning had just taken over the starting job at quarterback. The Rebels also had a strong backfield tandem of Joe Gunn and Charles Stackhouse, who combined for over 1,100 yards on the ground in that 2001 season.

The Rebels were heading into the game against the Blue Raiders a confident bunch after starting the year 4-1 and were coming off a close win against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The Rebels handled business against the Blue Raiders behind a strong performance from Manning. Eli threw for just under 300 yards and tallied three touchdown passes to help lead the Rebels to a 45-17 win over the eventual Sun Belt Co-Champions of 2001.

The history between these programs might not be expansive, but it is interesting how football comes full circle sometimes. The MTSU team of 2001 won their conference, and the Rebels knocked them off. Now, the Blue Raiders are looking to return the favor in a year when the Rebels have not just conference championship hopes but national championship dreams.

I wouldn't count on MTSU stealing one in Oxford this weekend, but this team is an FBS squad, and the Sun Belt can sometimes transform into the "Fun Belt" and scare some Power Four competition.

It should be fun to add another contest to this fun mid-south "rivalry."