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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Game Notes
10/8/2000 | Football
Oct. 8, 2000
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE: Saturday, October 14, 2000
TIME: 6:00 p.m. (CDT)
SITE: Bryant-Denny Stadium (83,818)
TV: ESPN (Ron Franklin, play-by-play, Mike Gottfried, color analyst, Adrian Karsten, sideline reporter).
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 improved to 4-1 on the year with a 35-10 non-conference win over Arkansas State last Saturday. The Rebels are 2-1 in the SEC ... Alabama is 2-3 overall and 2-1 in the SEC. The Crimson Tide were off last week after beating South Carolina, 27-17, in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 14.
RANKINGS: Ole Miss re-entered the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 after a four-week absence, checking in at No. 25. The Rebels were ranked No. 18 in the pre-season Coaches Top 25. This week's Associated Press Top 25 was not available at the time of this release. Ole Miss was unranked in last week's AP Top 25, but did receive 15 votes. Alabama was unranked in this week's coaches poll but did receive one vote. The Crimson Tide also received one vote in last week's AP Top 25.
COACHES: David Cutcliffe is in his second full season as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. He is 13-5 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. He is 0-1 against Alabama and Crimson Tide head coach Mike DuBose ... DuBose is in his fourth year as the head coach of Alabama. He is 23-18 with the Crimson Tide. A 1974 graduate of Alabama, this is DuBose's first career head coaching position. He is 1-0 against Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe and 3-0 versus Ole Miss.
SERIES INFORMATION
Alabama leads 39-6-2
Last meeting: 1999, Alabama 30-24 in Oxford.
In Oxford: Alabama leads 4-0
In Tuscaloosa: Alabama leads 18-1
Other Sites: Alabama leads 17-5-2 (Birmingham, Ala.: Alabama leads 7-0-1, Columbus, Miss: Alabama leads 1-0, Greenville, Miss: Ole Miss leads 1-0, Jackson: Alabama leads 6-4-1, Montgomery, Ala.: Alabama leads 1-0, Mobile, Ala.: Alabama leads 1-0, New Orleans, La.: Alabama leads 1-0 (1954 Sugar Bowl).
Largest UM win: 48-23, 1970 (Jackson)
Largest UA win: 64-0, 1930 (Tuscaloosa)
Longest UM win streak: 1, six times
Longest UA win streak: 12, 1912-1932
NOTES: Alabama has won nine straight on-the-field meetings and 14 of the last 15 dating back to 1977. Ole Miss was awarded a forfeit win for a 19-14 setback in 1993. The Rebels' last on-the-field victory came in 1988, 22-12 in Tuscaloosa ... The last three meetings -- all Alabama wins -- have been decided by a total of 18 points ... The two teams played each other in the 1954 Sugar Bowl, with Alabama edging the Rebels 12-7 ... The series dates back to 1894.
DEUCE WATCH:
* Heisman Trophy and Doak Walker Award candidate Deuce McAllister set school career records for rushing yards (2,729) and points (210) during last Saturday's 35-10 win over Arkansas State.
* McAllister enters this week tied for second in the nation in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game.
* McAllister also ranks ninth in the nation in all-purpose yards, averaging 175.2 yards per game, and 11th in punt returns at 15.9 yards per return.
GAME NOTES
McALLISTER SETS OLE MISS CAREER RUSHING RECORD: Senior RB Deuce McAllister gained 85 yards rushing on 13 carries against Arkansas State to surpass Kayo Dottley's (1947-50) 50-year old school career rushing record of 2,654 yards. The record-breaking carry came on McAllister's second attempt of the game, a nine-yard gain in the first quarter. For his career, McAllister now has 2,729 career rushing yards.
Dottley and McAllister are the only two players 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.
MORE RECORDS FALL FOR DEUCE: With his three TDs against Arkansas State, Deuce McAllister surpassed Brian Lee's (1989-92) school career scoring record of 207 points. McAllister entered the Arkansas State-game 15 points shy with 192 points, and now has 210 points. He now holds seven career records at Ole Miss: rushing attempts (534), rushing yards (2,729), rushing TDs (31), career 100-yard rushing games (11), all-purpose yards (4,277), total TDs scored (35), in addition to total points scored.
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 1,309 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 6.725 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 following chart 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 YPPDeuce McAllister, Ole Miss* 6.725Archie Griffin, Ohio State* 6.679Ricky Williams, Texas 6.635Charles White, Southern California* 6.0Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh* 5.9George Rogers, South Carolina* 5.9Ron Dayne, Wisconsin 5.8Herschel Walker, Georgia* 5.6*- Includes kickoff and punt return yardage.
MR. TOUCHDOWN: For the third time this season, Deuce McAllister scored three TDs in a game as he rushed for two and scored on a 33-yard reception against Arkansas State. It was also his fifth career, three TD-game, including the 1998 Sanford Independence Bowl against Texas Tech. McAllister is the only player in school history to record three games with at least three TDs.
Over the Rebels' last 11 games, including last December's Sanford Independence Bowl, dating back to Oct. 16, 1999 against Alabama, McAllister has scored 22 TDs. In the Ole Miss' last 10 regular-season games dating back to last Oct. 16, McAllister has scored 20 of his 35 career TDs. The chart on the following page shows Deuce's TD production in the past nine games dating back to Oct. 16, 1999 against Alabama:
Date Opponent Rush Rec. KR PR Total10-16-99 Alabama 2 0 0 0 210-30-99 LSU 2 0 0 0 211-6-99 Arkansas 2 0 1 0 311-20-99 Georgia 2 0 0 0 211-25-99 Miss. State 0 0 0 0 012-31-99 Oklahoma -1 1 1 0 0 29-2-00 Tulane 2 1 0 0 39-9-00 Auburn 2 0 0 1 39-16-00 Vanderbilt 1 0 0 0 19-30-00 Kentucky 1 0 0 0 110-7-00 Arkansas State 2 1 0 0 3 Total 17 3 1 1 22
1- Sanford Independence Bowl.NOTE: Bowl games do not count towards career totals.
DEUCE NEARING 1,000 ALL-PURPOSE YARDS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT SEASON: With 876 all-purpose yards in five games this season, senior Deuce McAllister needs 124 all-purpose yards to crack the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight season. 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 (188-89) and John Avery (1996-97).
For his career, McAllister has totaled 4,277 all-purpose yards on 636 touches -- an average of 6.725 yards per play. The chart on the following page shows McAllister's year-by-year all-purpose yard totals:
Year Rush Rec. PR KR Total1997 402 71 0 0 4731998 1,082 154 0 0 1,2361999 809 201 30 652 1,6922000 436 140 143 157 876Total 2,729 566 173 809 4,277
Number of touches: 636Average per touch: 6.725Touchdows: 35
ALL-PURPOSE DEUCE: In three quarters of action against Arkansas State, senior Deuce McAllister tallied 129 all-purpose yards on 18 touches with three TDs. McAllister was held out of the fourth quarter as the Rebels were leading comfortably 35-3. McAllister ranks second in the SEC and 11th in the nation in all-purpose yards with an average of 175.2 yards per game.
The following chart shows McAllister's game-by-game all-purpose yardage for the 2000 season:
Opponent Rush Rec. KR PR TotalTulane 29 52 48 6 135Auburn 104 1 56 96 257Vanderbilt 143 47 2 23 215Kentucky 75 5 51 9 140Arkansas St. 85 35 0 9 129Total 436 140 157 143 876
Number of touches: 106Average per touch: 8.3Touchdowns: 11
THE DEUCE IS LOOSE (RUSHING): With his 85 yards rushing against Arkansas State, senior RB Deuce McAllister has now rushed for 1,060 yards over the Ole Miss' last 10 games, including last December's Sanford Independence Bowl, dating back to Oct. 30, 1999. During that span, McAllister has rushed for at least 100 yards in seven times.
McAllister finished the 1999 campaign with five straight 100-yard rushing games, including a 121-yard effort against Oklahoma in the Sanford Independence Bowl (bowl games do not count in career totals). The following chart shows McAllister's rushing totals over the past nine games:
Date Opponent Att. Yards TD LP Avg.10-30-99 LSU 25 140 2 26 5.611-6-99 Arkansas 21 125 2 40 6.011-20-99 Georgia 9 104 2 84 11.611-25-99 Miss. State 36 134 0 15 3.712-31-99 Oklahoma -1 17 121 1 80 7.19-2-00 Tulane 9 29 2 11 3.29-9-00 Auburn 19 104 2 26 5.59-16-00 Vanderbilt 17 143 1 50 8.49-30-00 Kentucky 19 75 1 14 3.910-7-00 Arkansas St. 13 85 2 29 6.5 TOTAL 185 1060 15 84 5.7
Average per game: 106.01- Sanford Independence Bowl
PLAYING KEEP AWAY: One of the main reasons for Deuce McAllister's low total in the return game the last two games (69 yards) has been that opponents have been kicking away from the speedy McAllister. Against Arkansas State this past Saturday, the Indians attempted six punts and only two were returnable for McAllister. Three were kicked away from McAllister and were downed or went out-of-bounds. Another was returnable but a holding penalty on a short punt wiped out what would have been a minimal return by McAllister. Of the two kickoffs that McAllister was set to return against ASU, one was kicked short and away, and the other was an onside kick attempt by the Indians.
Against Kentucky on Sept. 30, the Wildcats punted three of their four kicks out-of-bounds, while their first punt of the game was returned by McAllister for nine yards.
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 awarded 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.
REBELS RE-ENTER TOP 25: After a four-week absence, Ole Miss re-entered the top 25 this week as the Rebels are ranked No. 25 in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. This week's Associated Press Top 25 was unavailable at the time of this release. Ole Miss was ranked No. 18 in the pre-season coaches Top 25 and fell out of the rankings following a 35-27 loss to Auburn on Sept. 9. The Rebels did receive votes in the poll for the following four weeks before cracking the top 25 again. The following chart tracks the Rebels in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches and Associated Press Top 25 polls during the 2000 season:
Date ESPN/USA Today APPre-season 18 18Aug. 28 17 18Sept. 3 18 19Sept. 10 RV (81) RV (54)Sept. 17 RV (27) RV (23)Sept. 24 RV (20) RV (15)Oct. 1 RV (31) RV (15)Oct. 8 25 N/A
RV () - Received Votes with the number of votes.
REBELS AIM FOR SECOND STRAIGHT 5-1 START: Off to its third 4-1 start in as many years, Ole Miss will look for its second straight 5-1 start at Alabama Saturday. Last year's 5-1 start by the Rebels was their best since the 1991 campaign when they also started 5-1. In the last two years that Ole Miss has started 4-1, the Rebels advanced to postseason and won their bowl game to finish 7-5 in 1998 and 8-4 in 1999.
"ROAD SWEET ROAD": Ole Miss is 5-1 in its last six road games dating back to 1999, including 4-1 in SEC games, with the lone loss coming at Mississippi State 23-20 last Thanksgiving. The Rebels are 1-0 in away games this season after defeating Vanderbilt, 12-7, on Sept. 16. Last year, Ole Miss won road games at Memphis (3-0), Auburn (24-17, ot), South Carolina (36-10) and LSU (42-23).
CUTCLIFFE RETURNS TO ALMA MATER: Second-year Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe will make return to his alma mater for the first time as a collegiate head coach Saturday. Cutcliffe is a 1976 graduate of Alabama and signed a football scholarship with the Crimson Tide in 1972 when the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant was Alabama's head coach. However, an injury ended his career before ever playing for the Crimson Tide.
CUTCLIFFE AMONG REBEL COACHING ELITE: Second-year head coach David Cutcliffe's 13-5 record at Ole Miss is tied for the third best start by a Rebel coach after 18 games. Only Harry J. Mehre (1938-45) and the legendary John Vaught (1947-70, 73) had better records after 18 games, both going 15-3. The following chart shows the top five starts by a Rebel coach after 18 games at Ole Miss:
Coach W-L-T Pct.Harry J. Mehre (1938-45) 15-3-0 .833John Vaught (1947-70, 73) 15-3-0 .833David Cutcliffe 13-5-0 .722Billy Kinard (1971-72) 13-5-0 .722Dr. Nathan P. Stauffer (1909-11) 12-4-2 .722
REBELS ON TV: Saturday's game at Alabama will mark the fourth time this season Ole Miss has appeared on television. The Rebels opened the season with three straight TV games. Jefferson Pilot aired the Sept. 2, season-opener against Tulane, and the Sept. 16 contest at Vanderbilt. ESPN2 carried the Rebels' Sept. 9 game versus Auburn. Ole Miss is also scheduled to appear on TV Thanksgiving night against Mississippi State on ESPN.
All-time, Saturday's game will be Ole Miss' 108th TV appearance. The Rebels are 49-56-2 (.467 winning percentage) in TV games. Ole Miss has played on ESPN 10 times previously, going 5-5 in those contests.
Against Alabama, Ole Miss is 2-10 against the Crimson Tide in TV games. CBS aired last year's game in Oxford.
REBELS DOMINATE THIRD DOWNS AGAINST INDIANS: The Ole Miss offense converted on 13-of-16 third-down conversions (81.3 percent) against Arkansas State, while the Rebel defense held the Indians to just 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) on third-down conversions.
During one stretch from the Ole Miss' second series of the first quarter until their first possession of the fourth quarter, Ole Miss converted on 11 consecutive third downs. Defensively, Ole Miss did not allow ASU to convert on seven straight third downs from the Indians' second attempt on their first possession of the game to their second possession of the fourth quarter. The following chart breaksdown Ole Miss' third-down conversion offense and defense against Arkansas State:
Distance UM ASU1-3 8-8 (1.000) 2-4 (.500)4-6 2-2 (1.000) 0-0 (.000)7-10 2-3 (.667) 0-3 (.000)11+ 1-3 (.333) 0-2 (.000)TOTAL 13-16 (.813) 2-9 (.222)
PASS DEFENSE MUCH IMPROVED: Perhaps the biggest area of improvement for the Rebels this year has been their passing defense. Ole Miss returns all four of its starters in the secondary from a year ago in corners Justin Coleman (Columbus, Ga.) and Ken Lucas, SS Anthony Magee (Collins, Miss.) and FS Syniker Taylor. In addition, SS Kenny Woods returns for a fifth year after receiving a medical redshirt.
Through five games last year, Ole Miss was allowing an average of 231.8 yards passing per game and opponents were completing 54.2 percent of its passes with five TDs and five interceptions. This year, Ole Miss ranks 28th in the nation in passing defense, allowing an average of 182.6 yards per game and opponents are completing just 43.8 percent of its passes with four TDs and eight interceptions. Out of the top 69 passing defenses in the nation, Ole Miss' 43.8 completion percentage allowed is tied for third with Virginia Tech. Only Oregon (37.58) and Clemson (43.78) have allowed a lower completion percentage than the Rebels.
In the last two games against Kentucky and Arkansas State, the Ole Miss defense has allowed just 271 yards on 28-of-68 passing with five interceptions and two touchdowns. The Rebels have also recorded six QB sacks for 53 yards. Ole Miss held Kentucky QB Jared Lorenzen, who was averaging 351.5 yards passing per game heading into the game with Ole Miss, to 192 yards on 17-of-42 passing. It was the first time in five games for Kentucky that Lorenzen failed to top the 300-yard passing mark.
OFFENSE ONE OF SEC'S MOST EFFICIENT: The Ole Miss offense entered last weekend's game with Arkansas State as one of the Southeastern Conference's most efficient. The Rebels ranked second in the SEC in red zone (inside the opponents' 20-yard line) scoring efficiency (91.7 percent) and were third in the conference in drive efficiency (36.7 percent). Drive efficiency is the percentage of times that the offense scores when it has the ball.
Against the Indians, Ole Miss was 2-of-3 inside the red zone (2 TDs, 1 TO), and scored on five of its 11 possessions (5 TDs). For the season, Ole Miss is now 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) inside the red zone, and have scored on 38.3 of its possessions (23-of-60) (see Rebels In the Redzone in the box on the right, and the Rebel Drive Chart on page 8). The following show the top five offenses in the SEC for redzone scoring and drive efficiency (list will be updated on Monday):
RED ZONE SCORINGSchool Scores-Opp. Pct.Mississippi State 13-14 .929Ole Miss 11-12 .917Tennessee 18-20 .900Kentucky 16-18 .889Arkansas 12-14 .857
DRIVE EFFICIENCYSchool Scores-Drives Pct.Florida 32-69 46.4Tennessee 24-57 42.1Ole Miss 18-49 36.7Auburn 24-67 35.8Kentucky 23-67 34.3
-- Compiled by the Southeastern Conference Office.
MILLER SETS CAREER MARK FOR TD PASSES AT OLE MISS: Senior QB Romaro Miller tossed three TD passes against Arkansas State to break the Ole Miss career record for TD passes. Miller tied with Archie Manning (1968-70, Kent Austin (1981-85) and Mark Young (1985-88) for first-place on the Ole Miss career list with 31 TD passes. He threw the record-breaking pass when he connected with L.J. Taylor on a 23-yard strike with 32 seconds left in the first half. Miller later added his 33rd and 34th career TD passes in the game, hitting Deuce McAllister for a 33-yard TD, and Grant Heard for a six-yard score.
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.
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 14 NCAA Division I-A QBs to have recorded 24 or more career starts. He made his 26th career regular-season start this past Saturday against Arkansas State. Including bowl games, Miller has started 28 games and has a 19-9 record (.679 winning percentage). The following chart shows the 14 NCAA Division I-A signal-caller with 24 or more starts through games of Sept. 30 (list will be updated Monday):
Quarterback, School Starts1. Jason McKinley (Sr.), Houston 35*2. Jay Stoner (Sr.), Wyoming 34T3. Ryan Kealy (Sr.), Arizona St. 32 Cleo Lemon (Sr.), Arkansas St. 32 Butchie Washington (Sr.), Akron 32*6. Drew Brees (Sr.), Purdue 30*T7. Pete Shepherd (Jr.), C. Michigan 28 Quincy Carter (Jr.), Georgia 28*9. Mike Bath (Sr.), Miami (OH) 27*T10. Mike McMahon (Sr.), Rutgers 25 Romaro Miller (Sr.), Ole Miss 25 Chris Weinke (Sr.), Florida State 25T13. Major Applewhite (Jr.), Texas 24 Wes Counts (Jr.), Middle Tenn. St. 24*
*- Consecutive starts.-- compiled by the University of Houston SID Office.
... OUT OF THE BACKFIELD: Through the first five games of 2000, Ole Miss RBs have caught 26 passes for 299 yards and three TDs. The Rebels have two backs with at least 100 yards receiving in Deuce McAllister with 12 catches for 140 yards and sophomore FB Toward Sanford (Batesville, Miss.) with five catches for 100 yards and one TD. In the season-opener against Tulane, the backfield combined for nine receptions for 183 yards and two scores, including a 47-yard TD pass from Romaro Miller to McAllister to put the Rebels up 21-17 in the third quarter en route to a 49-20 victory. Last year, the Rebel backfield caught 37 passes for 465 yards and two TDs. The following chart shows the Ole Miss backfield's production in the passing game:
Player Rec. Yds TD LPDeuce McAllister 12 140 2 47Joe Gunn 6 27 0 15Toward Sanford 5 100 1 67Charles Stackhouse 3 32 0 27Total 26 299 3 67
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.
STRONG, CLAXTON OUT INDEFINITELY: Junior LB Eddie Strong and sophomore C Ben Claxton are both sidelined indefinitely with injuries. Strong has missed all four Ole Miss games this season with a stress fracture in his left foot. He underwent surgery on Sept. 14 to repair the stress fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. Claxton suffered a fracture in his lower left leg (fibula) in the third quarter season-opener against Tulane, and has missed the last three games.
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 unofficially credited with two stops (one solo) against Arkansas State, including one TFL for six yards. For the season, Taylor leads the Rebels in tackles with 31 (20 solo), including three TFLs for eight yards. Taylor also has defended seven passes and has recovered a team-high two fumbles.
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 38.5 yards per punt on 22 attempts this season with a long of 51. He has placed six punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line with just two touchbacks. Perhaps his biggest punt of the year was a 32-yard kick 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 35-10 win over Arkansas State this past Saturday was Ole Miss' 21st consecutive win over a non-conference opponent dating back to 1994. The last time the Rebels dropped a non-conference game was Nov. 5, 1994, 17-16 to Memphis in Oxford.
* Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe is 7-0 against non-conference opponents as coach of the Rebels.
* The Rebels are 4-1 in their last five road night games dating back to 1997. Ole Miss was 3-1 in road night games last season, defeating Memphis (3-0), South Carolina (36-10) and LSU (42-23). Mississippi State defeated the Ole Miss 23-20 in Starkville on Thanksgiving Night.
