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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Game Notes
9/3/2000 | Football
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE: Saturday, September 9, 2000
TIME: 6:00 p.m.
SITE: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field (50,577) in Oxford, Mississippi
TV: ESPN2 (Ron Franklin, play-by-play, Mike Gottfried, color analysis, 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 is 1-0 on the year after opening its season with a 49-20 victory over Tulane in Oxford ... Auburn opened its season on Aug. 31 with a 35-21 win at home against Wyoming.
RANKINGS: Ole Miss is ranked No. 18 in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25, down one spot from last week. The Rebels also fell one spot in this week's Associated Press Top 25 to No. 19, despite their 49-20 victory over Tulane ... Auburn is unranked in the latest ESPN/USA Today Top 25 but did receive seven votes. The Tigers garnered 24 votes in this week's AP poll.
COACHES: David Cutcliffe is in his second full season as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. He is 10-4 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 1-0 versus Auburn and head coach Tommy Tuberville ... Tommy Tuberville is in his second season at Auburn. Tuberville is 6-6 at Auburn and 31-26 overall in his sixth year as a collegiate head coach. He went 25-20 in four seasons as the head coach at Ole Miss from 1995-1998. Tuberville is 0-1 against Ole Miss and Cutcliffe.
STORYLINES:
* Saturday's game is the SEC opener for both Ole Miss and Auburn.
* The Rebels are looking for their third 2-0 start in the last four years.
* Ole Miss is looking to snap a streak of seven straight losses in its SEC opener -- six of those have come at the hands of Auburn. The last time the Rebels won their conference opener was against the Tigers, 45-21, in Oxford back in 1992.
* Senior RB Deuce McAllister needs one-yard rushing to pass Dou Innocent (1991-92, 1994-95) for sole possession of second-place on the school's career rushing list. McAllister enters Saturday's game with 2,322 yards -- 332 shy yards of the record held by Kayo Dottley (1947-50) with 2,654.
SERIES INFO
Auburn leads 17-7
Last meeting: 1999 in Auburn, with Ole Miss winning 24-17 in OT.
In Oxford: Auburn leads 4-1
In Auburn: Auburn leads 8-1
Other Sites: 5-5
Bowl Games: 1-1 (Ole Miss 13-7, 1965 Liberty, Auburn 35-28, 1971 Gator)
Largest Ole Miss win: 40-7 in Montgomery, Ala., 1949.
Largest Auburn win: 41-0 in Auburn, 1985.
Longest Ole Miss win streak: 3, 1949-1952
Longest Tulane win streak: 9, 1971-1991
NOTES: Last year's 24-17 win by Ole Miss snapped a six-game losing streak to the Tigers and was the Rebels' first-ever win at Auburn in nine tries ... Since 1971, Auburn has 15 of the last 17 meetings.
GAME NOTES
SEC OPENERS: Since the formation of the Southeastern Conference in 1933, Ole Miss is 28-35-3 (.447 winning percentage) in SEC openers. The Rebels are looking to snap a string of seven straight losses in their conference opener. The last time Ole Miss won its first SEC game of the year was back in the 1992, 45-21 versus Auburn in Oxford. Auburn has been the team to beat Ole Miss in six of the Rebels' last seven losses in a SEC opener. Vanderbilt edged Ole Miss last year, 37-34 in overtime, in the Rebels' SEC opener in Oxford.
When opening its SEC schedule at home, Ole Miss is 15-14 (.517 winning percentage), including home games played in Jackson, Miss., and Memphis, Tenn. In SEC openers contested in Oxford, the Rebels are 5-6 (.455 winning percentage), and have lost the last three times they have done so, including twice to Auburn.
The Rebels have opened SEC play with the Tigers 14 times previously, going 2-12. Ole Miss has played only Kentucky more often (25 times) in its conference opener than Auburn.
OLE MISS LOOKS FOR 2-0 START: Ole Miss will be looking for its third 2-0 start in the last four years, Saturday against Auburn. The Rebels got off to 2-0 starts in 1996, 1997 and 1999. In 1998, Ole Miss defeated Memphis 30-10 in the season-opener before losing 17-0 to Auburn. Last season, the Rebels started with wins over Memphis (3-0) and Arkansas State (38-14).
REBELS ON TV: Saturday's game with Auburn will be the second of four scheduled televised games for the Rebels in 2000, and the second in as many weeks, as ESPN2 will televise the game at 6:00 p.m. Jefferson Pilot aired last Saturday's 49-20 win over Tulane. JP is also slated to carry the Rebels' game at Vanderbilt on Sept. 16 at 11:30 a.m., and ESPN will show the annual season-ending Egg Bowl battle with Mississippi State on Thanksgiving Night, Nov. 23, at 7:00 p.m. It will be the third consecutive year that ESPN will televise the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving.
Overall, Saturday's game will mark the Rebels' 106th TV appearance dating back to Ole Miss' first network TV appearance in the 1953 Sugar Bowl against Georgia Tech. The Rebels are 48-55-2 (.467 winning percentage) in TV games. Ole Miss is 3-4 all-time on ESPN2, including 1-1 against Auburn. The Rebels appeared on ESPN2 twice last year, defeating Arkansas 38-16 on Nov. 6 and falling 20-17 to Georgia on Nov. 20.
All-time against Auburn on TV, the Rebels are 2-8.
Last year, Ole Miss appeared on TV seven times, tying the school record set in 1997.
MILLER CATCHES A WAVE: Senior QB Romaro Miller turned in one of the best performances of his career in Ole Miss' 49-20 win over Tulane. Miller recorded the third 300-yard passing game of his career, connecting on 18-of-26 passes for 302 yards and three TDs. It was Miller's highest passing output since throwing for a career-best 351 yards while rallying the Rebels to 48-41 overtime win at SMU in overtime on Sept. 26, 1998. His three career 300-yard passing games ties the legendary Archie Manning (1968-70) for the most in school history. He also tied Manning and Stewart Patridge (1994-97) for second-place on the Ole Miss career chart for 250-yard passing games with six, one shy of Kent Austin's (1981-85) record of seven.
In the first week of NCAA Division I-A statistics, Miller ranks fifth nationally in passing efficiency with a rating of 204.9, and is 10th in total offense with 305 yards.
MILLER CLIMBING CAREER CHARTS: Romaro Miller's three touchdown passes against Tulane inched him closer to the school record of 31 career TD passes. Miller is currently fourth with 28, surpassing Charlie Conerly (1942, 1946-47), with 26, and John Fourcade (1978-81), with 25, this past Saturday against Tulane. Kent Austin (1981-85), Archie Manning (1968-70) and Mark Young (1985-88) share the Ole Miss career mark for TD passes.
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 coming into 2000, Ole Miss signal-caller Romaro Miller was one of 10 NCAA Division I-A quarterbacks to have made 20 or more career starts. The following list shows the 10 NCAA Division I-A QBs heading into 2000 with 20 or more career starts:
Quarterback, School Starts1. Jay Stoner (Sr.), Wyoming 322. Ryan Kealy (Sr.), Arizona St. 31*3. Jason McKinley (Sr.), Houston 30**4. Cleo Lemon (Sr.), Arkansas St. 285. Drew Brees (Sr.), Purdue 25**6. Quincy Carter (Jr.), Georgia 24**7. Major Applewhite (Jr.), Texas 23 Chris Weinke (Sr.), Florida State 239. Mike Bath (Sr.), Miami (OH) 22**10. Romaro Miller (Sr.), Ole Miss 21*- Kealy has been suspended for the Sun Devils' first two games of 2000.**- Consecutive starts.-- compiled by the University of Houston SID Office.
GOOD WORK!: Senior QB Romaro Miller has been 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.
... OUT OF THE BACKFIELD: While Tulane's defense was poised to stop the run, Ole Miss' running backs still played a pivotal part in the Rebels' recording 424 yards of total offense. The backfield combined for nine receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Deuce McAllister had two catches for 52 yards, including a 47-yard TD catch to put Ole Miss up 21-17 in the third quarter, and start a string of 35 unanswered points. Sophomore FB Toward Sanford took a screen pass from Romaro Miller and rambled 67 yards for a score to put the Rebels up 35-17 late in the third. The following is a breakdown of the Rebels' backfield day receiving:
Player No. Yds TD LPJoe Gunn 3 15 0 15Toward Sanford 2 79 1 67Deuce McAllister 2 52 1 47Charles Stackhouse 2 37 0 27Total 9 183 2 67
IT'S QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY THAT COUNTS: While he had a light workload in the offense, RB Deuce McAllister still managed to show why he received so much pre-season attention. McAllister accumulated 135 all-purpose on 14 touches -- an average of 9.6 yards per touch -- and scored three TDs. His 47-yard TD catch from Romaro Miller in the third quarter started a run of 35 unanswered points as Ole Miss took control en route to a 49-20 win. The following chart breaks down McAllister's all-purpose yards:
Opponent Rush Rec. KR PR TotalTulane 29 52 48 6 135
Number of touches: 14Average per touch: 9.6Touchdowns: 3
MR. TOUCHDOWN: Deuce McAllister's three-TD performance against Tulane marked the third time in his career that he found paydirt three times in a game. McAllister scored three TDs in Ole Miss' 35-18 win over Texas Tech in the 1998 Sanford Independence Bowl, scoring on a 32-yard pass, a four-yard run, and a 43-yard kickoff return on an onside kick attempt by the Red Raiders. Last year against Arkansas, in a game televised by ESPN2, McAllister returned the game's opening kickoff 100 yards for a score for the first of three scores on the night. He later added a one-yard plunge and a 40-yard run.
After one week, McAllister is tied with Auburn's Rudi Johnson for the SEC scoring lead with 18 points, and is tied for second nationally.
SCORING ON THE CHARTS: With his three touchdown day against Tulane, Deuce McAllister moved up on three Ole Miss career scoring charts. McAllister scored his 26th career TD to surpass Archie Manning's (1968-70) career record of 25 on his 47-yard TD reception in the third quarter. He would later add his 27th career TD on a one-yard run with 7:03 left in the game. With his two rushing TDs against Tulane, McAllister moved into a first-place tie with Manning for the most rushing TDs in a career by an Ole Miss player with 25. The 18 points scored by Deuce against Tulane moved him into fifth-place on the Ole Miss career scoring list with 165 points. Former kicker Brian Lee (1989-92) holds the career record with 207 points.
CHASING KAYO: Deuce McAllister gained 29 yards rushing against Tulane to move into a tie with Dou Innocent (1991-92, 1994-95) for second-place on the Ole Miss career rushing list with 2,322 yards. McAllister is now 332 yards shy of catching Kayo Dottley (1947-50) for first-place with 2,654 yards.
DEUCE TOPS AMONG SEC ACTIVE LEADERS: RB Deuce McAllister is the Southeastern Conference's active career leader in rushing yards (2,322), touchdowns scored (27) and entered the 2000 campaign first in all-purpose yards (3,401). McAllister is also the SEC's second-leading active career scorer (162). The following charts shows where Deuce stands among the SEC's active career leaders:
RUSHINGNo. Player, School Yards1. Deuce McAllister, Ole Miss (1997-) 2,322 2. Travis Henry, Tennessee (1997-) 1,899 3. Jared McGrath, Vanderbilt (1997-) 1,636 4. Derek Homer, Kentucky (1997-) 1,569 5. Joe Gunn, Ole Miss (1998-) 1,510
ALL-PURPOSE*No. Player, School Yards1. Deuce McAllister, Ole Miss (1997-) 3,401 2. Bo Carroll, Florida (1997-) 2,374 3. Derek Homer, Kentucky (1997-) 2,360 4. Jimmy Williams, Vanderbilt (1997-) 2,329 5. Jared McGrath, Vanderbilt (1997-) 1,861*- entering the 2000 season.
TOUCHDOWNS SCOREDNo. Player, School TDs1. Deuce McAllister, Ole Miss (1997-) 27 2. Travis Henry, Tennessee (1997-) 15T3. Joe Gunn, Ole Miss (1998-) 13 Derek Homer, Kentucky (1997-) 13 Rodney Williams, Vanderbilt (1998-) 13
SCORINGNo. Player, School Pts. 1. Jeff Chandler, Florida (1997-) 172 2. Deuce McAllister, Ole Miss (1997-) 162 3. John Markham, Vanderbilt (1997-) 154 4. Seth Hanson, Kentucky (1997-) 123 5. Travis Henry, Tennessee (1997-) 90
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.
THE DEUCE IS LOOSE.COM: Ole Miss' official Deuce McAllister for Heisman website,www.thedeuceisloose.com, has been 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 the 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.
HEARD JOINS CENTURY CLUB: With his second of five receptions against Tulane, senior WR Grant Heard became the eighth player at Ole Miss to record at least 100 catches in a career. Cory Peterson (1996-99) was the last to join the 100-receptions club, doing so last year against Vanderbilt on Sept. 18. For his career, Heard has 103 career receptions, ranking eighth on the school's career list. Ta'Boris Fisher holds the Ole Miss career receptions record with 139.
STRONG ON BUTKUS AWARD "WATCH LIST": Junior LB Eddie Strong is one of 10 SEC players to be named to the 2000 Butkus Award "Watch List". The Butkus Award is given to the nation's top collegiate linebacker. The list will be trimmed to 10 semi-finalists on Oct. 19. Three finalists will be named on a national teleconference on Nov. 9, and the winner will be announced Dec. 8 during the Butkus Award Gala.
Strong did not play in the season-opener against Tulane, sitting out with an injury to his left foot. His is listed as day-to-day and his status for the Auburn game will be evaluated during the week. Strong led Ole Miss in tackles last season with 72, and entered the 2000 season ranked eighth on the SEC's active career list for tackles with 138.
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 made seven tackles, four of them solo, including one TFL for one yard and had one pass break-up in Ole Miss victory over Tulane.
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.
In the season-opener against Tulane, King averaged 43.6 yards on five punts. He had a long of 51 and twice pinned the Green Wave inside its own 20-yard line. King ranks second in the SEC in punting.
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.
SACK ATTACK: Ole Miss recorded three QB sacks against Tulane to extend its streak to 25 straight games with at least one QB sack. The last time Ole Miss did not record a sack was in the 1997 Ford Motor City Bowl versus Marshall. Freshman DE Charlie Anderson, senior DE Derrick Burgess and sophomore LB Lanier Goethie all recorded sacks against the Green Wave. The sacks by Anderson and Goethie were the first of their careers.
Last season, the Rebels registered 37 sacks as a team during thre regular-season, tying for the third in the SEC. The 37 sacks was also the most by an Ole Miss team since being credited with 39 in 1992.
REBELS IN SEPTEMBER: Ole Miss has an all-time record of 127-55-7 (.690 winning percentage) during the month of September. Last year, Ole Miss went 3-1 in September to mark the fourth straight year that the Rebels have finished with an above .500-record for the month. The last time Ole Miss recorded a losing record in September was back in 1988, going 1-2. During the decade of the 1990s, Ole Miss was 25-13 (.657 winning percentage) in the month of September.
998 ... 999 GAMES: Saturday's game against Auburn will mark the 999th game in Ole Miss' football history. The Rebels will play their 1,000th game at Vanderbilt on Sept. 16. Ole Miss played its first-ever game on Nov. 11, 1893, defeating SWBU, 56-0, in Oxford. Entering Saturday's game with Auburn, Ole Miss has an all-time record of 553-410-35 (.572 winning percentage).
2000 CAPTAINS: Seniors DE Derrick Burgess, DE Shane Elam, RB Deuce McAllister and QB Romaro Miller are Ole Miss' captains for the 2000 season.
SEVEN HOME GAMES IN 2000: Ole Miss has seven home games scheduled in 2000 for the first time since 1996, however, the Rebels played a home game in Jackson and Memphis that season. This season will be the first time that Ole Miss will play seven home games all in Oxford. Saturday's game with Auburn will be the Rebels' second game home date of the year, as they kicked-off the season last Saturday at home with a 49-2o win against Tulane. Also scheduled to make visits to Oxford in 2000 include: Kentucky (Sept. 30), Arkansas State (Oct. 7), UNLV (Oct. 28), LSU (Nov. 11) and Mississippi State (Nov. 23).
REBELS TABBED SECOND IN THE SEC WEST AT SEC MEDIA DAYS: Ole Miss was picked second in the SEC Western Division behind pre-season favorite Alabama by a panel of 89 voters at the SEC Media Days in Birmingham, Ala. The Rebels garnered three first-place votes and were a solid second, finishing 159 points ahead of third-place Mississippi State in the voting. Ole Miss also received two votes to win the SEC championship.
The Rebels were also picked second in the SEC West by Athlon, Lindy's, College Football News, The Sporting News and Street & Smith's in its 2000 previews.
NATION'S BEST BACKFIELD: Ole Miss' offensive backfield was rated as the best in the nation by The Sporting News in its 2000 college football preview. The Rebels return their top five rushers, including junior Joe Gunn (182 att., 951 yds., 5 TDs in 1999) and senior Deuce McAllister (151-809-12), and fullback Charles Stackhouse from last year's team that finished second in the SEC in rushing with an average of 182.5 yards per game. Gunn and McAllister last year combined to rush for 1,760 yards to form the nation's fourth-best rushing tandem. Senior QB Romaro Miller returns for his third-year as the Rebels' starting QB and was one passing yard shy last year of becoming the first signal-caller in school history to record back-to-back seasons with at least 2,000 yards passing. The following is a list of The Sporting News' top five offensive backfields:
1. Ole Miss, 2. Florida State, 3. Nebraska, 4. Miami (FL), 5. Texas
ALABAMA REBELS: Ole Miss has six players on its roster that hail from the state of Alabama: freshman WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.), redshirt freshman DE Barnabas Harris (Birmingham, Ala.), freshman TE Bo Hartsfield (Birmingham, Ala.), senior LB Shawn Johnson (Brewton, Ala.), junior QB David Morris (Mobile, Ala.), and sophomore RB Robert Williams (Gadsden, Ala.).
MISSISSIPPI TIGERS: According to its 2000 media guide, Auburn has five players on its roster that call Mississippi their home state: freshman QB Jason Campbell (Taylorsville, Miss.), sophomore TE Lorenzo Diamond (Biloxi, Miss.), junior OG Kendall Simmons (Ripley, Miss.), redshirt freshman QB Allen Tillman (Newton, Miss.), and junior OT Jeremy Toungett (Olive Branch, Miss.).
EXTRA POINTS
* The 49-20 win over Tulane marked Ole Miss' 20th straight win over a non-conference opponent. The last time the Rebels lost a non-conference game was against Memphis, 17-16, in Oxford back on Nov. 5, 1994.
* Last Saturday's win against Tulane marked Ole Miss' fifth straight season-opening win and the 13th straight win in its home-opener.
* The Rebels are now 78-23-5 (.759 winning percentage) in season-openers, and 88-12-5 (.862 winning percentage) in home-openers.
* Ole Miss' 21 points in the third quarter was the most points scored in a quarter by the Rebels since putting 21 on the board in the second quarter last year at South Carolina (10/2).
* The 49 points by Ole Miss was the most scored in a season-opener by the Rebels since 1952 when they defeated Memphis State 54-6.
* The 49 points is also the Rebels' biggest output since defeating Indiana State 56-10 on Sept. 9, 1995.