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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Weekly Press Release
10/22/2000 | Football
Oct. 22, 2000
Weekly Press Release
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Mississippi vs. UNLV
DATE: Saturday, October 28, 2000
TIME: 1:00 p.m. (CDT)
SITE: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field (50,577)
TV: None
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play, Pete Cordelli, color analyst, Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter, Gary Darby, pre-game host.).
Records: Ole Miss is 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the SEC after losing 45-7 to Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 14. The Rebels had an off-week this past Saturday ... UNLV is 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Mountain West Conference. The Rebels defeated Wyoming 42-23 this past Saturday in Las Vegas.
RANKINGS: Ole Miss was unranked in either of last week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 or The Associated Press Top 25. The Rebels did, however, receive 25 votes in the Coaches poll. UNLV was unranked in both polls.
Coaches: David Cutcliffe is in his second full season as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. He is 13-6 at Ole Miss and has guided the Rebels to victories in the 1998 and 1999 Sanford Independence Bowls. He made his Ole Miss debut and recorded his first career win in the Rebels' 35-18 win over Texas Tech in the 1998 Sanford Independence Bowl. Ole Miss is Cutcliffe's first career head coaching assignment. This will be Cutcliffe's first meeting with UNLV as a head coach, and his first against Rebel head coach John Robinson. When Cutcliffe was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee, UNLV opened its 1996 season in Knoxville, and the Volunteers defeated the Rebels 62-3 ... John Robinson is in his second year as the head coach of UNLV. He is 7-11 with the Rebels and is 111-46-4 in his 14th season as a collegiate head coach, including 12 seasons at Southern California. Robinson also coached the NFL's Los Angeles Rams for nine seasons from 1983-1991, compiling a 79-74 record. This will be Robinson's first game against Ole Miss and Rebel head coach David Cutcliffe.
DEUCE WATCH: (For more on Deuce, see pages 3-5).
Deuce McAllister is tied for sixth in the nation in scoring (11.0 ppg), ranks 10th in punt returns (15.9 ypr), and ranks 19th in all-purpose yards (147.7 ypg).
McAllister needs 114 all-purpose yards to become the first player in school history to record three straight seasons with at least 1,000 all-puropse yards.
Over the past 11 games dating back to Oct. 30, 1999, including last December's Sanford Independence Bowl, McAllister has rushed for 1,070 yards and scored 15 rushing TDs.
The Alabama game on Oct. 14 marked the first time in six games this season that McAllister failed to score at least one TD.
QUARTERBACKS
Senior Romaro Miller (Shannon, Miss.) has thrown a TD pass in five-of-six games this season. The only game in which he did not throw a TD pass was against Vanderbilt on Sept. 16 ... Miller owns the Ole Miss career record for TD passes with 35, breaking the old mark of 31 held by Archie Manning (1968-70), Kent Austin (1981-85) and Mark Young (1985-88) versus Arkansas State (10/7) ... Miller has recorded three 200-yard passing games this season, giving him 16 for his career, which is a school record ... With 5,413 career passing yards, Miller is 771 yards shy of Austin's school career record of 6,184. Miller is currently second on the Ole Miss career chart ... Miller is 19-10 (.655 winning percentage) as a starter, including wins in the 1998 and 1999 Independence Bowls ... Miller is third in the SEC in passing efficiency with a rating of 127.8.
Redshirt freshman Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) played most of the fourth quarter against Alabama, and was 5-of-9 passing for 36 yards ... Manning has seen action in four games and has completed 11-of-21 passes for 82 yards.
RUNNING BACKS
Senior RB Deuce McAllister (Morton, Miss.) played sparingly against Alabama after suffering a high left ankle sprain. He rushed just four times for 10 yards ... Despite not scoring at least one TD in a game for the first time this season versus Alabama, McAllister still leads the SEC and is tied for sixth in the nation in scoring, averaging 11.0 ppg. He is also second in the SEC and 19th nationally in all-purpose yards, averaging 147.7 yards per game ... Deuce needs 114 all-purpose yards to become the first player in Ole Miss history to record three consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 all-purpose yards. Last year, McAllister set a school single-season record with 1,692 all-purpose yards in 10 games. This year, he has 886 all-purpose yards on 110 touches -- an average of 8.1 yards per play ... McAllister has established six school career records this season: rushing attempts (538), rushing yards (2,739), rushing TDs (31), 100-yard rushing games (11), points scored (210), and total TDs scored (35). He also entered the season as the Rebels' career leader in all-purpose yards (4,287) ... With 11 TDs this season, McAllister is three shy of Kayo Dottley's and Archie Manning's school single-season record of 14 ... McAllister enters the week fifth in the SEC in rushing, averaging 74.3 yards per game (446 yards, 81 rushes, 8 TDs).
Junior FB Charles Stackhouse (West Memphis, Ark.) is averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season, having rushed for 96 yards on 19 carries. He had a career-long 30-yard run against Auburn (9/9).
Junior RB Joe Gunn (Amory, Miss.) set a career-high with five receptions against Alabama, bettering his previous high of three set in the 1998 game against the Crimson Tide. He finished the game with 50 yards receiving, including scoring on a 34-yard screen pass from Romaro Miller in the second quarter for Ole Miss' only points of the game.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Senior Grant Heard (Lake Jackson, Texas) leads the Rebels in receiving with 23 catches for 297 yards and four TDs ... Heard has caught a pass in 15 straight games that he has played in dating back to Sept. 26, 1998 ... Heard caught three passes for 18 yards against Alabama to move into fifth-place on the Ole Miss career receptions list with 121. He needs 18 receptions to tie Ta'Boris Fisher's (1993-96) school career record of 139. Heard also ranks sixth in career receiving yards at Ole Miss with 1,671 ... Heard is just one of eight players in school history to record at least 100 career receptions and 1,000 career receiving yards ... Heard is in his fifth season at Ole Miss after receiving a medical redshirt after missing all but one game last season. He underwent two knee surgeries after being injured during Ole Miss' workouts for the 1998 Sanford Independence Bowl.
Senior L.J. Taylor (Clewiston, Fla.) has a reception in five of the Rebels' six games this season. He is the team's second-leading receiver with 17 catches for 241 yards and one TD ... Taylor set career-highs for receptions and receiving yards versus Arkansas State (10/7), catching five passes for 76 yards with one TD. He was also on the receiving end of Romaro Miller's record-breaking TD pass, scoring on a 23-yard pass with 32 seconds left in the first half to put the Rebels up 21-3.
True freshman Chris Collins (Liberty, Miss.) set a season-high with three receptions for 20 yards against Arkansas State (10/7). For the season, Collins has six catches for 80 yards and one TD. His first career TD was a 36-yard reception from Romaro Miller against Kentucky (9/30).
JUCO transfer Omar Rayford (Holly Springs, Miss.) has eight receptions for 59 yards. He caught his first career pass against Vanderbilt (9/16), recording two receptions for 20 yards.
TIGHT ENDS
Sophomore Doug Zeigler (Wilmington, Ohio) has a reception in five of six games this season. He had two catches for 16 yards against Alabama, giving him 12 for 147 yards this season. Last season, Zeigler caught four passes for 83 yards.
Freshman Eric Tucker (Starkville, Miss.) caught his first career pass against Alabama with a nine-yard reception in the fourth quarter. Tucker has appeared in three games this season ... Tucker is a nephew of San Francisco 49ers' star WR Jerry Rice.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Sophomore C Ben Claxton (Dublin, Ga.) saw action against Alabama for the first time since suffering a fractured left fibula in the season-opener against Tulane. Claxton started all 12 games last year and was a Freshmen All-America selection by The Sporting News.
Junior Matt Koon (Myrtle, Miss.) made his first career start against Alabama, drawing the start at center. Koon had replaced senior Charlie Perkins (Macon, Miss.) after Perkins suffered a right knee injury against Arkansas State (10/7). Perkins had replaced Claxton at center after Claxton was injured in the season-opener against Tulane (9/2). Perkins is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Sophomore Augustus Carwell (Ft. Laud-erdale, Fla.) missed the Alabama game after sustaining an injury to his left knee against Arkansas State (10/7). Carwell was the No. 2 right guard behind senior Keydrick Vincent (Bartow, Fla.). Freshman Marcus Johnson (Coffeeville, Miss.) is now listed as the No. 2 right guard.
Sophomore German Bello (Pompano Beach, Fla.) drew his first career start against Kentucky (9/30), starting at left guard.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Senior DE Derrick Burgess (Riverdale, Md.) leads the team in TFL's with 10 (-53 yards) and QB sacks at 5.5 (-46 yards). He is also second on the team in tackles with 36, including 27 solo ... Burgess recorded a career-high eight tackles (seven solo) against Kentucky (9/30).
Senior DE Shane Elam (Covington, Tenn.) tied a career-high with two QB sacks against Alabama (10/14). Elam finished the game with five tackles (three solo), with four TFLs (-22 yards) and the two QB sacks (-18 yards).
Junior Anthony Sims (Memphis, Tenn.) recorded a career-high 12 tackles (four solo) against Auburn (9/9). The 12 tackles is the most by an Ole Miss player in a game this season.
LINEBACKERS
Senior Shawn Johnson (Brewton, Ala.) recorded his second, 10-tackle game of the season against Alabama. He was also credited 10 stops against Auburn (9/9).
Junior Kevin Thomas (Courtland, Miss.) intercepted two passes against Vanderbilt (9/16). The picks were the first of his career.
Pre-season Butkus Award candidate Eddie Strong (Batesville, Miss.) missed his sixth straight game against Alabama with a stress fracture in his left foot. He underwent surgery on Sept. 14 to repair the stress fracture and is out indefinitely.
SECONDARY
Senior CB Ken Lucas (Cleveland, Miss.) intercepted a pass for the second straight game when he picked-off an Andrew Zow pass in the first quarter against Alabama. Lucas is tied with LB Kevin Thomas for the team-lead in interceptions with two, and leads the team in passes defensed with 11.
Jim Thorpe Award candidate Syniker Taylor (Gulfport, Miss.) leads the Rebels in tackles with 40 (27 solo) and in fumble recoveries with two. Taylor has also been credited with three TFLs (-8 yards) and seven passes defensed.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Ole Miss had a pair of special team's performers named to pre-season "watch lists" for postseason accolades. Senior PK Les Binkley (Memphis, Tenn.) is on the Lou Groza Award "watch list" for the nation's top placekicker, and senior Reagan King (Ackerman, Miss.) has been named to the first-annual Ray Guy Award "watch list" for the nation's top punter.
Binkley is the Rebels' second-leading scorer with 31 points. He is 4-of-5 on FGs after having a 35-yard attempt blocked against Alabama. Binkley is also 19-of-21 on extra points.
King is averaging 39.0 yards per punt on 28 attempts. He had a season-long kick of 51 yards against Tulane (9/2) and Vanderbilt (9/16). He has placed eight kicks inside the opponent's 20-yard line with three touchbacks.
Senior Deuce McAllister is second in the SEC and 10th nationally in punt returns, averaging 15.9 yards per return ... He returned a punt 87 yards for a score against Auburn (9/9) to mark his first career TD on a punt return. On kickoff returns, McAllister is averaging 19.6 yards per return on eight attempts, with a long 27. In his career, McAllister has returned both a punt and a kickoff for a TD. Last season, he returned the game's opening kickoff against Arkansas 100 yards for a score.
Sophomore Robert Williams (Gadsden, Ala.) has recorded a team-high nine special teams tackles.
HOMECOMING 2000
Saturday's game with UNLV will also be Ole Miss' Homecoming game for the 2000 season. The Rebels have won three straight Homecoming games, and 15 of the last 18. Last year at Homecoming, Ole Miss defeated Tulane 20-13 on Oct. 9. The last time Ole Miss lost its Homecoming game was Nov. 16, 1996, 39-7 to LSU. Overall, the Rebels own an impressive 57-13-2 (.806 winning percentage).
2000 HOMECOMING COURT
Senior Annabeth Freeman of Vicksburg, Miss., has been elected the 2000 Homecoming Queen. Senior George Haymans of Oxford will serve as Colonel Reb, and senior Laura Payne was voted Miss Ole Miss.
REBELS VS. REBELS
Saturday's Ole Miss-UNLV game is believed to be the first time that two teams with the nickname Rebels will meet on the football field. Out of the 608 universities and colleges that sponsor football at the NCAA Division I-A, I-AA, II or III levels this season, only Ole Miss and UNLV call themselves "Rebels." In fact, according to the 1999-2000 Blue Book of College Athletics For Senior Junior and Community Colleges, the name Rebels is used by just seven four-year or two-year schools across the country: Ole Miss and UNLV at the NCAA Division I level, and UAB-Walker, Dixie (UT), East Central (MO), Hill (TX), Lee (TX) Community Colleges. Out of those five junior colleges, only Dixie plays football.
THEY'RE NOT RUNNIN'
UNLV's official nickname is Rebels, and not Runnin' Rebels. Runnin' Rebels refers only to UNLV's men's basketball team. The name Runnin' Rebels was coined in 1974 by then UNLV SID Dominic Clark.
OLE MISS VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
Ole Miss has played just one of the eight schools that currently form the Mountain West Conference -- the Air Force Academy. The Rebels and Falcons have clashed three times, all in postsesaon action. Ole Miss is 2-1 against Air Force, losing 9-3 in the 1983 Independence Bowl, and defeating the Falcons 42-29 in the 1989 Liberty Bowl, and 13-0 in the 1992 Liberty Bowl.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
The Mountain West Conference is in its second year of existence after forming in May 26, 1998 when eight members of the then 16-school Western Athletic Conference announced they were leaving the league. You can almost look at the Mountain West as the "old" WAC as seven of its eight members were members of the WAC for at least 20 years. UNLV joined the WAC from the Big West when the conference expanded to 16 teams in 1996. The seven other members of the MWC are: Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State Utah and Wyoming. Air Force was a member of the WAC when the Falcons played the Rebels in their three bowl game meetings.
DEUCE STILL AMONG SEC, NATIONAL LEADERS
Despite missing nearly the entire Alabama game after suffering a high left ankle sprain in the first quarter, senior RB Deuce McAllister is still among the SEC and national leaders in scoring, punt returns and all-purpose yards. McAllister leads the SEC and is tied for sixth in scoring, averaging 11.0 points per game. In punt returns, he is second in the conference and 10th in the country with an average of 15.9 yards on nine returns. McAllister's 147.7 all-purpose yards per game ranks second in the SEC and 19th in NCAA Division I-A. He entered the Alabama game ranked ninth nationally in all-purpose yards at 175.2 yards per game, but only tallied 10 yards rushing before suffering the injury.
DEUCE VS. FORMER HEISMAN TROPHY RUNNING BACKS
Six former Heisman Trophy-winning running backs, and seven total former Heisman winners rank among the NCAA career leaders in all-purpose yards (2000 NCAA Record Book, page 47). While Ole Miss senior RB Deuce McAllister doesn't rank on that list (he needs 1,428 more all-purpose yards to do so), he does have more than the 375 minimum all-purpose touches to qualify for the record of yards per play.
When comparing McAllister's average yards per play to the six Heisman Trophy-winning RBs on that list, Deuce's average of 6.698 would rank first on the list, slightly better than Ohio State's Archie Griffin's average of 6.679. It is also noteworthy that like McAllister, Griffin also returned some kickoffs for the Buckeyes.
The six former Heisman Trophy-winning RBs on that list include the last two winners: Texas's Ricky Williams (1998) and Wisconsin's Ron Dayne (1999). The others: Pittsburgh's Tony Dorsett, Southern California's Charles White, Georgia's Herschel Walker and South Carolina's George Rogers.
The other Heisman Trophy winner that ranks among the NCAA's career all-purpose yards leader is Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers (1970-72), who is listed as a WR by the NCAA in its award section.
The chart on the following page shows how Deuce's average yards per play (or touch) ranks against the six former Heisman Trophy-winning RBs on the NCAA's career list for all-purpose yards:
Player, School YPP
Deuce McAllister, Ole Miss* 6.698
Archie Griffin, Ohio State* 6.679
Ricky Williams, Texas 6.635
Charles White, Southern California* 6.0
Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh* 5.9
George Rogers, South Carolina* 5.9
Ron Dayne, Wisconsin 5.8
Herschel Walker, Georgia* 5.6
*- Includes kickoff and punt return yardage.
RUSHING KING
With a nine-yard run on his second carry of the game against Arkansas State on Oct. 7, senior RB Deuce McAllister became Ole Miss' career leader in rushing yards, breaking Kayo Dottley's 50-year old record of 2,654 yards. Through Oct. 14, McAllister has rushed for 2,739 yards (see the Ole Miss Record Book on page 24).
Dottley and McAllister are the only two pl-ayers in school history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a season. Dottley rushed for 1,312 yards in 1949, and 1,007 in 1950. McAllister recorded 1,082 yards in 1999.
CHART TOPPER
In addition to becoming Ole Miss' career rushing leader, Deuce McAllister has set five other school career records this season and holds seven total. He entered the 2000 season as the Rebels' career leader in all-purpose yards. This season in addition to setting a new career rushing record at Ole Miss, McAllister also set new career marks for rushing attempts (538), 100-yard rushing games (11), rushing TDs (31), total TDs scored (35) and total points scored (210).
McALLISTER NEARING SINGLE-SEASON SCORING MARKS
With three more TDs, Deuce McAllister will tie Kayo Dottley's and Archie Manning's Ole Miss single-season TD mark of 14. Dottley scored 14 times in 1949 and Manning in 1969. Through six games in 2000, McAllister has scored 11 TDs. Last season, McAllister finished a TD shy of Dottley and Manning, scoring 13 TDs in 10 games.
McAllister's 66 points in 2000 is 20 shy of Manning's single-season record of 86 set in 1969. Manning also scored a two-point conversions to go along with his 14 TDs (see the Ole Miss Record Book on page 24).
DEUCE NEARING 1,000 ALL-PURPOSE YARDS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT SEASON
Through six games, Deuce McAllister has tallied 886 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving and all returns) and needs 114 all-purpose yards to become the first player in school history to record three consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 all-purpose yards. McAllister recorded 1,236 all-purpose yards in 1998 and set a school single-season mark with 1,692 last season. He is one of five Ole Miss players in school history to record back-to-back seasons with at least 1,000 all-purpose yards and would be the first to record three straight seasons. The others to record consecutive seasons with 1,000 all-purpose yards are: Kayo Dottley (1949-50), J.R. Ambrose (1985-86) Pat Coleman (1988-89) and John Avery (1996-97).
For his career, McAllister has totaled 4,287 all-purpose yards on 640 touches -- an average of 6.7 yards per play. The following charts shows McAllister's 2000 game-by-game and year-by-year all-purpose yard totals:
--2000--
Opponent Rush Rec. KR PR Total
Tulane 29 52 48 6 135
Auburn 104 1 56 96 257
Vanderbilt 143 47 2 23 215
Kentucky 75 5 51 9 140
Arkansas St. 85 35 0 9 129
Alabama 10 0 0 0 10
Total 446 140 157 143 886
Number of touches: 110
Average per touch: 8.1
Touchdowns: 11
--CAREER--
Year Rush Rec. PR KR Total
1997 402 71 0 0 473
1998 1,082 154 0 0 1,236
1999 809 201 30 652 1,692
2000 446 140 143 157 886
Total 2,739 566 173 809 4,287
Number of touches: 640
Average per touch: 6.7
Touchdowns: 35
DEUCE'S SCORING STREAK SNAPPED
Forced to miss most the Alabama game after suffering a high left ankle sprain, Deuce McAllister failed to score at least one TD in a game for the first time in six games this season. Including last December's Sanford Independence Bowl, McAllister had a string of six straight games with at least one TD. He had scored three TDs in a game three times this season against Tulane (9/2), Auburn (9/9) and Arkansas State (10/7).
Over the Rebels' last 12 games, including last December's Sanford Independence Bowl, dating back to Oct. 16, 1999 against Alabama, McAllister has scored 22 TDs. In Ole Miss' last 11 regular-season games, McAllister has scored 20 of his 35 career TDs. The chart on the following page shows Deuce's TD production in the past 12 games dating back to Oct. 16, 1999.
Date Opponent Rush Rec. KR Pr Total
10-16-99 Alabama 2 0 0 0 2
10-30-99 LSU 2 0 0 0 2
11-6-99 Arkansas 2 0 1 0 3
11-20-99 Georgia 2 0 0 0 2
11-25-99 Miss. State 0 0 0 0 0
12-31-99 Oklahoma -1 1 1 0 0 2
9-2-00 Tulane 2 1 0 0 3
9-9-00 Auburn 2 0 0 1 3
9-16-00 Vanderbilt 1 0 0 0 1
9-30-00 Kentucky 1 0 0 0 1
10-7-00 Arkansas St. 2 1 0 0 3
10-14-00 Alabama 0 0 0 0 0
Total 17 3 1 1 22
1- Sanford Independence Bowl.
NOTE: Bowl games do not count towards career totals.
11 GAMES, 1,000 YARDS
While it won't go into the record books as a 1,000-yard season, senior RB Deuce McAllister has rushed for 1,070 yards over the course of the Rebels' last 11 games dating back to Oct. 30, 1999, including this past December's Sanford Independence Bowl. During that 11-game span, McAllister has recorded seven, 100-yard rushing games.
McAllister finished the 1999 campaign with five straight 100-yard rushing games, including a 121-yard effort in the Independence Bowl victory over Oklahoma (bowl games do not count in regular season or career totals). The following chart shows McAllister's rushing totals in the last 11 games:
Date Opponent Att. Yards TD LP Avg.
10-30-99 LSU 25 140 2 26 5.6
11-6-99 Arkansas 21 125 2 40 6.0
11-20-99 Georgia 9 104 2 84 11.6
11-25-99 Miss. State 36 134 0 15 3.7
12-31-99 Oklahoma -1 17 121 1 80 7.1
9-2-00 Tulane 9 29 2 11 3.2
9-9-00 Auburn 19 104 2 26 5.5
9-16-00 Vanderbilt 17 143 1 50 8.4
9-30-00 Kentucky 19 75 1 14 3.9
10-7-00 Arkansas St. 13 85 2 29 6.5
10-14-00 Alabama* 4 10 0 4 2.5
TOTAL 189 1070 15 84 5.7
Average per game: 97.3
1- Sanford Independence Bowl
* - injured in the first quarter and played sparingly the remainder of the game.
DEUCE TOPS AMONG SEC ACTIVE LEADERS
Senior RB Deuce McAllister entered the weekend of Oct. 21* as the SEC's active career leader in rushing yards (2,739), all-purpose yards (4,287) and total TDs scored (35). He is also second in total points scored with 210. (Please see page 12 of this release -- the second page of McAllister's Award Candidate flyer -- for the SEC Active Career Performers Chart). NOTE- SEC's Active Career Performers list will be updated Tuesday.
DEUCE ON DOAK WALKER AWARD "WATCH LIST"
Deuce McAllister is one of 35 pre-season candidates for the 2000 Doak Walker Award Presented by Vectrix, which is award annually to the nation's top college running back. The Southwestern Bell-SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select eight semifinalists on Nov. 8, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will ultimately vote on the winner in late November. The National Selection Committee consists of former All-Pro and All-America running backs, print and electronic media members and selected special representatives.
The winner of the 2000 Doak Walker Award Presented by Vectrix will be announced live on ESPN's Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 7. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas on Jan. 30, 2001.
DEUCE RATED AS TOP SENIOR FOR THE 2001 NFL DRAFT
In addition to all of his numerous pre-season accolades, Deuce McAllister has been rated by National Football Scouting, Inc., as the No. 1 rated college senior for next April's NFL Draft. National Football Scouting, Inc., is one of two combine services that provide analysis to 27 NFL teams. The other, Blesto, rated Deuce as the No. 2 college senior. Deuce has also been named as the top collegiate prospect by Lonestar Football.
McALLISTER A HIT IN CYBERSPACE
Through Oct. 12, Ole Miss' official Deuce McAllister for Heisman website, www.thedeuceisloose.com, has received 88,281 hits since going live on June 13 -- an average of 724 visitors per day. The site received 43,640 hits during the month of August. Thedeuceisloose.com was ranked by Sports Illustrated in its 2000 college football preview as the top website by a school promoting a player for the annual award. The Associated Press also named the site as one of its top five Heisman websites to bookmark for the 2000 college football season.
During the season, the site will contain Deuce's updated career statistics, 2000 game-by-game stats and updated bio information.
21 AND COUNTING
Ole Miss will carry a 21-game win streak against non-conference opponents into Saturday's contest with UNLV. The last time the Rebels lost a non-conference game was against Memphis, 17-16, in Oxford back on Nov. 5, 1994. Ole Miss is 2-0 versus non-conference foes this season, having beaten Tulane 49-20 in the season-opener on Sept. 2, and Arkansas State 35-10 on Oct. 7. Head coach David Cutcliffe is 7-0 against non-conference opponents during his time at Ole Miss. During the 21-game streak, Ole Miss' average margin of victory has been 17.1 points, outscoring its non-conference foes 692-333. The chart on following chart shows Ole Miss' 21-game win streak against non-conference opponents:
Date Opponent Result
10-7-00 Arkansas State W, 35-10
9-2-00 Tulane W, 49-20
12-31-99 vs. Oklahoma@ W, 27-25
10-9-99 Tulane W, 20-13
9-11-99 Arkansas State W, 38-14
9-4-99 at Memphis W, 3-0
12-31-98 vs. Texas Tech@ W, 35-18
10-24-98 Arkansas State W, 30-17
9-26-98 at SMU W, 48-41 (OT)
9-5-98 Memphis W, 30-10
12-26-97 vs. Marshall# W, 34-31
11-15-97 at Tulane W, 41-24
9-6-97 SMU W, 23-15
8-30-97 Central Florida W, 24-23 (OT)
10-26-96 Arkansas State W, 38-21
9-7-96 VMI W, 31-7
8-31-96 Idaho State W, 38-14
11-4-95 at Memphis W, 34-3
10-7-95 Tulane W, 20-17
9-9-95 Indiana State W, 56-10
11-12-94 at Tulane W, 38-0
@ - Sanford Independence Bowl (Shreveport, La.)
#- Ford Motor City Bowl (Pontiac, Mich.)
OFFENSE ONE OF SEC'S MOST EFFICIENT
Entering this past weekend's action, Ole Miss ranked third in the SEC in drive efficiency (number of scored divided by total possessions). The Rebels have scored on 32.8 percent of their possessions this season, scoring 20 TDs and four FGs. Florida is first in the SEC in drive efficiency at 48.9 percent, following by Tennessee at 36.6 percent. The following chart shows the SEC's top five offenses in terms of drive efficiency in 2000:
Team Scores-Drives Pct.
Florida 45-92 48.9
Tennessee 26-71 36.6
Ole Miss* 24-73 32.9
LSU 31-96 32.3
South Carolina 30-94 31.9
* - see the Ole Miss Drive Efficiency Chart on page 7.
NOTE- Statistics will be updated Monday by the SEC Media Relations Office.
MILLER SETS NEW STANDARD
Senior QB Romaro Miller threw three TD passes against Arkansas State on Oct. 7 to become Ole Miss' career leader in TD passes. Miller enters the UNLV game with 35 career TD passes after throwing for a 34-yard TD on a screen pass to Joe Gunn against Alabama. The previous record was 31 held by Archie Manning (1968-70), Kent Austin (1981-85) and Mark Young (1985-88) (see the Ole Miss Record Book on page 24).
In 27 career regular-season starts, Miller has thrown at least one TD pass in 20 games. Last season, he tied Archie Manning's school record by throwing at least one TD pass in eight straight games.
VETERAN LEADER
Coaches will often tell you that you can't put a value on the price of a veteran quarterback. Well, did you know that Ole Miss QB Romaro Miller is one of 15 NCAA Division I-A QBs to have recorded 24 or more career starts. He made his 27th career regular-season start against Alabama on Oct. 14. Including bowl games, Miller has started 29 games, and is 19-10 (.655 winning percentage) as a starter The following chart shows the 14 NCAA Division I-A signal-caller with 24 or more starts through games of Oct. 14 (list will be updated on Monday).
Quarterback, School Starts
1. Jason McKinley, Houston 36*
T2. Cleo Lemon, Arkansas State 34
Jay Stoner, Wyoming 34
Butchie Washington, Akron 34*
T5. Drew Brees, Purdue 32*
Ryan Kealy, Arizona State 32
T7. Quincy Carter, Georgia 30*
Pete Shepherd, C. Michigan 30
T9. Mike Bath, Miami (Ohio) 29*
Chris Weinke, Florida State 29
11. Romaro Miller, Ole Miss 27
12. Mike McMahon, Rutgers 26
T13. Major Applewhite, Texas 25
Jesse Palmer, Florida 25
15. Wes Counts, Middle-Tennessee St. 24
*- Consecutive starts.
- Compiled by the University of Houston SID Office.
MILLER NAMED TO AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM
Senior QB Romaro Miller was named to the 11-player, NCAA Division I-A 2000 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team on Sept. 20. The Good Works team honors those who show exceptional dedication to community service and to the betterment of the communities in which they live. This is the second straight year an Ole Miss player has been selected to the team as senior RB Deuce McAllister made the 1999 AFCA Good Works Team.
Miller often speaks to various church youth groups with a primary message of dealing with drugs, alcohol and not giving up. He participated in the University of Mississippi Journalism Department workshop for minority high school students, volunteered in the Read-Across-America program at Oxford Elementary School, and has worked with kids at Mother Goose Day Care. Miller also visits local senior citizens and participated in a project which built a community playground and Bramlett Elementary School.
Miller was also named to the 2000 SEC Good Works team and was featured at halftime of Jefferson Pilot's telecast of the Ole Miss-Tulane game on Sept. 2.
MILLER ON JOHNNY UNITAS GOLDEN ARM AWARD "WATCH LIST"
Senior QB Romaro Miller is one of 23 senior quarterbacks on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award "watch list," presented annually to the nation's top senior signal-caller by the Frank Camp Chapter of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation.
The watch list is compiled from a select committee of football experts from across the country. The committee will choose five finalists on Oct. 25. The winner will be announced Nov. 21 with the award presentation to be made in Louisville, Ky., Dec. 8. NFL Hall of Fame QB Johnny Unitas will attend the ceremony to make the official presentation at the Grand Ballroom of the Galt House East Hotel in Louisville.
CLAXTON MAKES RETURN AGAINST ALABAMA
Sophomore C Ben Claxton (Dublin, Ga.) returned to action against Alabama on Oct. 14 for the first time since suffering a fractured left fibula in the season-opener against Tulane on Sept. 2. Claxton started all 12 games last season as a redshirt freshman and earned Freshmen All-America honors from The Sporting News.
Claxton missed four games with the injury and was replaced by senior Charlie Perkins (Macon, Miss.). Perkins then suffered a possible season-ending knee injury against Arkansas State on Oct. 7. Junior Matt Koon (Myrtle, Miss.) filled-in for Perkins at center and started the Alabama-game on Oct. 14.
INJURIES ADD UP FOR OLE MISS
Combined, Ole Miss starters and key reserves have missed 13 games due to injuries this season. Junior LB Eddie Strong has missed all six games this season with a stress fracture in his left foot. Ben Claxton missed four games after suffering a fractured left fibula versus Tulane, senior SS Anthony Magee (Collins, Miss.) missed the Arkansas State due to injury, and senior C Charlie Perkins and sophomore OL Augustus Carwell missed the Alabama-game after sustaining injuries in the Arkansas State contest. Perkins is expected to miss the remainder of the season, while Carwell is out indefinitely.
In addition, senior RB Deuce McAllister (Morton, Miss.) has missed nearly a full game due to injuries this season. McAllister sat out the fourth quarter of the Vanderbilt game on Sept. 16 due to a shoulder injury, and he missed nearly all of last Saturday's game against Alabama after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter.
PASS DEFENSE MUCH IMPROVED
Despite the 296 yards of passing by Alabama on Oct. 14, Ole Miss is allowing an average of 48.2 fewer yards per game this season than after six games last season. Last year through six games, opponents were averaging 249.7 yards per game through the air, connecting on 55.7 percent of its passes. This season, the Rebels are yielding 201.5 yards passing per game and allowing just 48.5 percent of the opposition's passes to be completed.
TAYLOR ON THORPE AWARD "WATCH LIST"
Junior FS Syniker Taylor is one of five SEC defensive backs to be listed on the 2000 pre-season Jim Thorpe Award "Watch List." The award has been presented annually since 1986 to the best defensive back in college football by the Jim Thorpe Association. Finalists for the award will be invited to ESPN's College Football Awards Show at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., where the winner will be announced Dec. 7. A formal presentation of the award will be at a banquet held in February in Oklahoma City.
Taylor was credited with nine tackles, including seven solo, against Alabama on Oct. 14. He leads the Rebels in total hits this season with 40, including 27 solo, and has recovered a team-high two fumbles. Taylor has also registered three TFLs (-8 yards) and seven passes defensed.
KING ON RAY GUY AWARD "WATCH LIST"
Senior P Reagan King is one of 32 punters and one of three from SEC to be named to the first Ray Guy Award "watch list" for the nation's top punter.
King is averaging 39.0 yards per punt on 28 attempts this season with a season-long of 51. He has placed eight punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line with just three touchbacks. Perhaps, his biggest kick of the year was a 32-yard punt against Vanderbilt on Sept. 16 that went out-of-bounds at the Commodores' one-yard line with 1:05 left in the game and the Rebels leading 12-7.
MAGEE WEARING CHUCKY MULLINS' NO. 38 IN 2000
Senior SS Anthony Magee is wearing No. 38 this season as he is the recipient of this year's Chucky Mullins' Courage Award. The award was started in the spring of 1990 by the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity at Ole Miss and is awarded annually to the Rebels' most outstanding defensive player. Prior to this season, Magee was No. 27.
EXTRA POINTS
The 38-point loss by the Rebels to Alabama on Oct. 14 was greater than Ole Miss' five previous losses under second-year head coach David Cutcliffe. Entering the Alabama game, Ole Miss had lost five games under Cutcliffe by a combined total of 23 points, with the biggest margin being eight against Auburn (35-27) on Sept. 9.
The 38-point margin was the Rebels' largest margin of defeat since losing 41-3 to Tennessee on Oct. 3, 1996 in Memphis.
The seven points scored by Ole Miss against Alabama was the first time in 17 games, including last December's Sanford Independence Bowl, that the Rebels failed to score at least 10 points. Previously, the last time Ole Miss failed to score in double figures was in the 1999 season-opener when the Rebels defeated Memphis 3-0.
The 45 points scored by Alabama was the first time Ole Miss had allowed 40 points in a game since SMU scored 41 on Sept. 26, 1998, a game which the Rebels won 48-41 in overtime. It was also the most points scored against Ole Miss since Auburn defeated the Rebels 45-28 on Sept. 14, 1996.
The Rebels' four turnovers against Alabama (3 interceptions, 1 fumble) was their most since committing four turnovers last year at Mississippi State on Nov. 25.
Ole Miss has been outscored 52-14 in the fourth quarter this season. It is the only quarter in which the Rebels have been outscored. Ole Miss has outscored its opponents 43-23 in the first quarter, 57-35 in the second, and 51-24 in the third.
