Ethiopian Review

OXFORD — More than a dozen Ole Miss football players have been affected by a flu bug that has circulated around the team, according to coach Houston Nutt.

The Rebels, which beat Memphis 45-14 on Sunday at The Liberty Bowl, have two weeks to recover from the outbreak. They won’t play again until Sept. 19 against Southeastern Louisiana at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

“It’s a spreading deal,” Nutt said. “So hopefully we get this thing done this week. Good timing really.”

Among those affected during Sunday’s game included quarterback Jevan Snead, safety Johnny Brown and receiver Jacarious Lucas. Nutt said between 12 and 14 players are affected. Several may miss today’s practice.

Nutt said there was no indication players were hit with the swine flu strain, though there have been several reported cases in Lafayette County. He said players were being continually evaluated.

The Rebels managed to get through Sunday’s game relatively healthy, though third-string defensive end Jason Jones is believed to have a torn ACL and could be out for the season.

Nutt said Jones was being examined this afternoon. The redshirt freshman is a big part of UM’s special teams unit.

Defensive end Greg Hardy and defensive tackle Ted Laurent are both battling sprained ankles, but are not expected to miss any game time.

(By David Brandt | Clarion Ledger)