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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Game Notes
11/11/2001 | Football
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE: Saturday, November 17, 2001
TIME: 11:30 a.m.
SITE: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field (45,577)
TV: Saturday's game will be televised by Jefferson-Pilot (Dave Neal, play-by-play, Dave Rowe color analyst, Scott Pryzwansky, sideline reporter).
RADIO: Saturday's game and all Ole Miss games can be heard on stations along the Ole Miss Football Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play, Pete Cordelli, color analyst, Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter, Gary Darby, pregame show host). The radio broadcast can also be heard on the official Ole Miss athletic website at www.OleMissSports.com.
IN THE POLLS: Ole Miss is ranked in neither of this week's Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. The Rebels did, however, receive 63 votes in the AP Top 25 and 42 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Georgia is ranked No. 23 in the latest AP Top 25 and received 57 votes to finish third among "Others Receiving Votes" in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25.
SERIES INFO: Saturday's meeting will be the 40th all-time between Ole Miss and Georgia. The Bulldogs hold a 26-12-1 advantage in the series that dates back to 1940, and has won the last four meetings, including 32-14 last year in Athens. The Bulldogs' current four-game win streak is the longest since Georgia won a series-high 12 in a row from 1977-1988. Ole Miss' last win was in 1996, 31-27 in Athens. Six of the last seven games have been decided by eight points or less. Saturday's game will be the 13th played in Oxford. Georgia holds a 7-5 lead in Oxford, including winning the last meeting 20-17 in 1999.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE: David Cutcliffe is in his third full season as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. He is 22-11 with the Rebels since taking over the program on Dec. 6, 1998, less than a month prior to leading Ole Miss to a 35-18 win in his head coaching debut against Texas Tech in the Sanford Independence Bowl. This is Cutcliffe's first head coaching position. Prior to coming to Ole Miss, he spent 17 seasons as an assistant on both Johnny Majors' and Phillip Fulmer's staffs at Tennessee. Cutcliffe is 0-2 against Georgia and 0-0 versus Bulldog Head Coach Mark Richt.
GEORGIA HEAD COACH MARK RICHT: Mark Richt is in his first season as head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. He has led the Bulldogs to a 5-3 mark. This is Richt's first head coaching position after spending 15 years as a college assistant. He spent the last 11 seasons serving as the quarterback coach at Florida State, coaching Heisman Trophy winners Charlie Ward (1993) and last year's recipient Chris Weinke. Richt started as a graduate assistant at Florida State in 1985. He spent one year as the offensive coordinator at East Carolina in 1989 before returning to Bobby Bowden's Seminole staff. In addition to coaching the quarterbacks, Richt had been FSU's offensive coordinator since 1994 before accepting the head coaching position at Georgia.
GEORGIA SCOUTING REPORT: The Bulldogs are 5-3 on the season, including 4-3 in the SEC, after losing 24-17 to Auburn last weekend in Athens. Georgia is averaging 26.8 points and 436.1 yards of offense per game. Redshirt freshman QB David Greene is completing 61.0 percent of his passes this season, connecting on 164-of-269 for 2,276 yards with 13 TDs and six interceptions. His favorite target has been junior SE Terrence Edwards, who has caught 30 passes for 440 yards and four scores. Sophomore TB Musa Smith is the team's leading rusher having gained 488 yards on 107 carries and six TDs. Defensively, the Bulldogs are allowing 21.1 points and 404.5 yards per game. Junior MLB Tony Gilbert leads the team with 80 tackles (48 solo) and has six TFLs and two QB sacks. Sophomore PK Billy Bennett is the team's leading scorer with 56 points. Bennett has made 11-of-19 field goals with a long of 55, and has made all 23 PAT attempts. Junior P Jonathan Kilgo is averaging 43.7 yards on 36 punts with a long of 63 and has placed eight kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Freshman Fred Gibson has returned 10 kickoffs for a 28.6-yard average, and also leads the team with an average of 134.4 all-purpose yards per game. Sophomore Damien Gary is averaging 12.8 yards per punt return on 21 attempts with one TD.
2001 GEORGIA SCHEDULE/RESULTS (5-3, 4-3 SEC)SEPT. 1 ARKANSAS STATE W, 45-17SEPT. 8 SOUTH CAROLINA* L, 9-14SEPT. 29 ARKANSAS* W, 34-23Oct. 6 at Tennessee* W, 26-24Oct. 13 at Vanderbilt* W, 30-14OCT. 20 KENTUCKY* W, 43-29Oct. 27 vs. Florida* (J) L, 10-24NOV. 10 AUBURN* L, 17-24Nov. 17 at Ole Miss* 11:30 a.m.Nov. 24 at Georgia Tech 6:45 p.m.DEC. 1 HOUSTON 12 P.M.REBEL GAME NOTES
* - SEC Game All Times CentralJ - at Jacksonville, Fla.
REBEL NOTEBOOK:
* Ole Miss is off to a 6-2 start for the fourth straight year.
* At 6-2, Ole Miss is bowl eligible for the fifth straight year. The Rebels are currently the only SEC West team to have advanced to a bowl in each of the past four seasons, making trips to the 1997 Motor City, 1998 and 1999 Independence and 2000 Music City Bowls.
* A win Saturday would give Ole Miss five straight seasons with at least seven wins for the first time since having 12 consecutive seasons with at least seven victories from 1952-1963.
* Saturday's game with Georgia is the Rebels' first against a ranked team this season.
* Ole Miss is outscoring the opposition 97-31 in the fourth quarter this season.
* The Rebels are 6-9 in November since 1997.
* The 58-56 seven-overtime loss to Arkansas on Nov. 3 snapped Ole Miss' five-game winning streak, its longest since closing out a 9-3 campaign in 1992 with five straight victories.
* The loss also ended Ole Miss' SEC win streak at three games, the Rebels' longest since a four-game conference win streak in 1990.
* Ole Miss ranks as the SEC's least penalized team in terms of penalties per game (4.9) and penalty yards per game (40.4).
OLE MISS SEC WEST'S WINNINGEST PROGRAM SINCE 1997: In addition to being the only SEC Western Division team to play in a bowl game each of the past four seasons, Ole Miss has also posted the best overall winning percentage in the West during that span. The Rebels are 36-20 since 1997, having won 64.3 percent of their games. Ole Miss also has the best winning percentage in the SEC West since Head Coach David Cutcliffe's first full season in Oxford in 1999, having gone 21-11 for a .656 winning percentage. The following charts show the overall records of all six SEC Western Division schools since the start of the 1997 season, and since Cutcliffe's first full season in Oxford in 1999. Records include bowl games:
Since 1997
| School | W-L | Pct. | Bowls |
| Ole Miss | 36-20 | .643 | 4 |
| Mississippi State | 35-20 | .636 | 3 |
| Auburn | 34-23 | .596 | 2 |
| Arkansas | 33-23 | .589 | 3 |
| LSU | 29-25 | .537 | 2 |
| Alabama | 28-28 | .500 | 2 |
Since 1999
| School | W-L | Pct. | Bowls |
| Ole Miss | 21-11 | .656 | 2 |
| Auburn | 21-12 | .636 | 1 |
| Mississippi State | 20-12 | .625 | 2 |
| Arkansas | 20-13 | .606 | 2 |
| LSU | 17-15 | .531 | 1 |
| Alabama | 17-16 | .515 | 1 |
REBELS ON TV:
* Ole Miss will make its fifth of seven scheduled TV appearances this season as Jefferson-Pilot will televise Saturday's home game versus Georgia at 11:30 a.m.
* This will be the Rebels' third appearance on JP this season. JP also carried Ole Miss' Sept. 8 game at Auburn (L, 21-27) and the Rebels' 27-24 victory over Alabama on Oct. 13.
* Ole Miss is 11-10 (.524 winning percentage) all-time in games televised by JP.
* This will be the third straight game that the Rebels have appeared on TV. ESPN2 carried Ole Miss' Oct. 27 game at LSU (W, 35-24) and the 58-56, seven-overtime loss to Arkansas on Nov. 3.
* ESPN will carry Ole Miss' game at Mississippi State on Thanksgiving Night at 6:30 p.m., and JP will carry the Rebels' regular-season finale against Vanderbilt on Dec. 1 at 11:30 a.m.
* JP was originally scheduled to carry the Vanderbilt game on Sept. 15 before that contest was postponed.
* Saturday's game will be 117th time Ole Miss has appeared on TV since the Rebels made their television debut against Georgia Tech in the 1953 Sugar Bowl.
* The Rebels are 52-62-2 (.457 winning percentage) all-time in TV games, including 3-7 versus Georgia.
* The Rebels will be making their 21st appearance on regional or national television under Head Coach David Cutcliffe.
THREE REBELS NAMED TO VERIZON DISTRICT VI ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: Ole Miss placed three players on the Verizon District VI All-Academic Team, released Thursday. Soph-omore QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) and sophomore DB Von Hutchins (Natchez, Miss.) were named to the first team, and junior OL German Bello (Pompano Beach, Fla.) was named to the second team. Manning and Hutchins will now be placed on the national ballot for the 2001 Verizon Academic All-America team.
MANNING SEMIFINALIST FOR DAVEY O'BRIEN AWARD: Sophomore QB Eli Manning has been named as one of 12 national semifinalists for the 2001 Davey O'Brien Award, presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback. Manning is one of two sophomores to be listed among the 12 semifinalists. The O'Brien Advisory Committee, composed of national sportswriters and commentators, will vote again later this month to trim the list to three finalists, which will be announced Tuesday, Nov. 27.
The Walter Camp Football Foundation earlier listed Manning as one of the 10 leading candidates for its prestigious "Player of the Year" award, which is the fourth oldest individual college football award in the country.
NOTING ELI (MANNING):
* Ranks in the top 10 nationally in TD-to-INT ratio (1st), completions per game (7th), TD passes (T-7th), completion percentage (8th), passing yards per game (9th), passing efficiency (9th) and points responsible for (9th).
* Recorded his second 300-yard passing game of the season against Arkansas, completing 27-of-42 for 312 yards and six TDs.
* The six TD passes breaks his own school single-game record of five set in the season opener against Murray State on Sept. 1.
* Has thrown 12 TD passes in the last three games against Middle Tennessee (10/20), LSU (10/27) and Arkansas (11/3) to break his own school record for TD passes in a three-game span. His previous mark was nine from last year's Music City Bowl through the first two games of 2001.
* Has completed at least 20 passes in 7-of-8 games this season. The only game in which he did not reach 20 completions was at Kentucky on Sept. 29, when he completed 19-of-36 passes for 268 yards.
* Has thrown multi-TD passes in 6-of-8 games this season, and in 7-of-9 games since last December's Music City Bowl.
* Sophomore QB Eli Manning was listed as one of the top 100 college players in the country in ESPN.com's, The Blitz midseason rankings. He was 11th among quarterbacks on the list.
CHART-TOPPER MANNING: Sophomore QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) has set four Ole Miss single-season or career marks this season and is closing in on several others. In addition, through eight games this season, Manning holds the highest single-season completion percentage (64.9) and pass efficiency rating (155.5) in school history among passers with a minimum of 120 passing attempts. The 155.5 efficiency rating is nearly 20 points higher than the current school single-season record of 136.4 set by Glynn Griffing in 1962 (Manning has also attempted 163 more passes than Griffing's total of 122 in 1962). The following is a list of single-season and career records set by Manning this season, and marks he is chasing:
* 23 TD passes this season breaks the school single-season record of 18 set by Charlie Conerly in 1947 and Romaro Miller in 2000.
* Has at least one TD pass in nine consecutive games dating back to last December's Music City Bowl, breaking the school record of eight set by his father, Archie Manning (1968-1970), and Romaro Miller (1997-2000).
* Has thrown for at least 200 yards in all eight games this season, setting a school record for consecutive 200-yard passing games.
* Set a school record with six straight games of at least 250 yards passing during the season's first six games.
* Two, 300-yard passing games this season is one shy of Stewart Patridge's school single-season record of three set in 1997.
* The two 300-yard passing games is also one shy of the school career record of three held by Archie Manning (1968-1970), Romaro Miller (1997-2000) and Stewart Patridge (1996-1997).
* Is third on the school's single-season list for completions with 185, 43 shy of Stewart Patridge's record of 228 set in 1997.
* Ranks fourth on the Ole Miss single-season list for passing yards with 2,216. He is 451 yards shy of Stewart Patridge's 1997 record of 2,667.
* Is currently sixth on the Ole Miss single-season list for total offense with 2,223 yards. He needs 336 yards of total offense to tie the single-season record of 2,559 set by Stewart Patridge in 1997.
* Is tied for second, along his father, Archie Manning (1968-70) on the single-season list for TDs responsible for with 23, four shy of Charlie Conerly's (1942, 1946-47) single-season record of 27.
MANNING BECOMES FASTEST TO REACH 2,000 YARDS IN A SEASON: With his 312 yards passing against Arkansas on Nov. 3, sophomore QB Eli Manning became the seventh passer in school history to throw for at least 2,000 yards in a season, and the fastest to reach the 2,000-yard mark. Manning reached the 2,000-yard mark in the eighth game of the season, breaking the record of nine set by Stewart Patridge in 1997 and Romaro Miller in 1998. Earlier this year, Manning became the fastest to reach 1,000 yards for a season, doing so in four games.
ELI'S TD-TO-INT RATIO NATION'S BEST: Sophomore QB Eli Manning enters the week with the nation's best TD-to-interception ratio, throwing 11.5 TD passes to every one interception. Of the top five passers in the country in TD-to-INT ratio, Manning's 35.6 passing attempts per game ranks second behind Fresno State's David Carr's 37.9. The following chart shows the nation's top five passers in terms of TD-to-INT ratio:
| Player, Team | GP | Att | TD-Int | Ratio |
| Eli Manning, Ole Miss | 8 | 285 | 23-2 | 11.5:1 |
| Brandon Doman, BYU | 10 | 304 | 24-4 | 6:1 |
| David Carr, Fresno State | 10 | 379 | 30-6 | 5:1 |
| Joey Harrington, Oregon | 10 | 300 | 23-5 | 4.6:1 |
| Wes Counts, Middle Tenn. | 10 | 245 | 17-4 | 4.25:1 |
MANNING SHINES IN THE FOURTH QUARTER: Throughout the season, sophomore QB Eli Manning has had a habit of making the big play in the fourth quarter. He led the Rebels to fourth-quarter comeback wins against Alabama (10/13) and LSU (10/27) and engineered a fourth-quarter TD drive against Arkansas to tie the game and send it into overtime. His pass efficiency rating of 179.44 in the fourth quarter is 17.11 points higher than any other quarter in regulation. During the fourth quarter this season, Manning has completed 38-of-59 passes for 533 yards and seven TDs, despite not playing in the final period against Murray State and attempting only one fourth-quarter pass against Middle Tennessee. His seven TDs in the fourth quarter is tied with his seven in the second quarter for the most in any period. The following charts break down Manning's numbers by quarter, and charts his big-play performances in the final stanza during the 2001 campaign: Quarter-by-Quarter Statistics
| Quarter | C-A-I | Yds | TD | Pct. | Eff. |
| First | 42-57-0 | 523 | 2 | .737 | 162.33 |
| Second | 50-78-1 | 566 | 7 | .641 | 154.67 |
| Third | 45-77-1 | 497 | 2 | .584 | 118.63 |
| Fourth* | 38-59-0 | 533 | 7 | .644 | 179.44 |
| Overtime | 10-14-0 | 97 | 5 | .714 | 247.49 |
*- Did not play in the fourth quarter vs. Murray St., and attempted only one pass against Middle Tenn.
Manning's Game-by-GameFourth Quarter StatisticsOpponent C-A-I Yds TDMurray State (9/1) DNPat Auburn (9/8) 8-12-0 104 1 Key Plays: 50-yard TD pass to Omar Rayford to pull
Rebels within 27-14, 5x9, 40 yards on UM's last
scoring drive to make it 27-21.at Kentucky (9/29) 5-8-0 69 0 Key Plays: Leading 35-31 late in the fourth,
completed a 43-yard pass to Jamie Armstrong to
set-up Toward Sanford's 1-yard TD to seal the 42-31
win.at Arkansas State (10/6) 3-3-0 65 1 Key Plays: Delivers knockout punch with a 51-yard
TD pass to Chris Collins with 6:08 remaining to make
it 35-17.Alabama (10/13) 9-17-0 155 1 Key Plays: Completed passes of 21 to Doug Zeigler
and 23 to Chris Collins to set-up Charles
Stackhouse's 19-yard run to close Ole Miss' deficit to
24-20 with 9:24 left ... Hooked up with Jamie
Armstrong for 24 yards on a 1st-and-20, Completed
41-yard pass to Toward Sanford to set-up three-yard
swing pass to Joe Gunn for game-winning TD.Middle Tennessee (10/20) 1-1-0 27 1 Key Plays: Completed only pass attempt of the
quarter to Bill Flowers for a 27-yard TD pass to extend
the Rebels' lead to 38-10.LSU (10/27) 6-10-0 65 2 Key Plays: Completed a 17-yard TD pass to Doug
Zeigler with 6:26 left to give Ole Miss a 28-24 lead ...
Hit Zeigler on a four-yard TD pass with 2:19
remaining to seal the Rebels' 35-24 win.Arkansas (11/4) 6-8-0 48 1 Key Plays: Completed 6-of-8 passes for 48 yards
on a 15-play, 85-yard scoring drive to tie the game
at 17-17 with 4:50 remaining and send the game
into overtime ... Capped the drive with a three-yard TD pass to Jason Armstead.
OFFENSIVE NOTES:
* The 310 points scored by the Rebels this season is 19 shy of the school record of 329 set by the 1959 team.
* Ole Miss has scored 30 or more points in 6-of-8 games this season.
* The Rebels rank seventh nationally in scoring offense, averaging 38.75 points per game.
* Junior WR Jason Armstead (Moss Point, Miss.) caught three TD passes against Arkansas (11/3) to tie the school single-game record held by Johnny Brewer (1960 vs. Tulane), Louis Guy (1962 vs. Houston), Pat Coleman (1989 vs. Arkansas State) and Chris Collins (Sept. 1 vs. Murray State).
SOPHOMORE WR CHRIS COLLINS (GLOSTER, MISS.)
* Collins' six TD receptions is three shy of the school single-season record of nine set by Ken Toler in 1980 and Grant Heard in 2000.
* His three 100-yard receiving games this season is a new Ole Miss single-season record. He recorded 100-yard receiving games against Murray State (6 rec., 100 yards, 3 TDs), Kentucky (7-119-1) and Alabama (8-110-0).
* Collins is one, 100-yard receiving game shy of the Ole Miss career record of four set by Floyd Franks (1968-1970).
FRESHMAN WR BILL FLOWERS (PELHAM, ALA.)
* Set career highs for receptions and receiving yards versus Arkansas (11/3), catching seven passes for 97 yards and a score.
* Has 17 receptions for 225 yards and three TDs in the last three games after not catching a pass since the season opener on Sept. 1 against Murray State.
SENIOR RB JOE GUNN (AMORY, MISS.)
* Ranks third on the Ole Miss career rushing list with 2,495. Needs 159 rushing yards to tie Kayo Dottley (1947-50) for second place with 2,654 yards.
* 516 career rushing attempts is second all-time at Ole Miss, 55 shy of the career mark of 616 set by Deuce McAllister (1997-2000).
* Rushed a career-high 31 times for 102 yards and two TDs against Arkansas (11/3) to record his 100-yard rushing game of the season.
* 11 career 100-yard rushing games is second all-time at Ole Miss, three shy of Deuce McAllister's (1997-2000) school record of 14.
* Is averaging 95.5 yards rushing in the last four games, gaining 382 yards on 84 carries and five TDs. He averaged 58.5 yards rushing in the season's first four games, carrying 47 times for 234 yards and a score.
GUNN AMONG SEC ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS: Senior RB Joe Gunn (Amory, Miss.) enters today's game as the SEC's active career leader in rushing with 2,495 yards, 401 yards ahead of South Carolina's Derek Watson with 2,094. Gunn also ranks second among active SEC players in TDs scored (23), is fourth in all-purpose yardage (2,866) and is seventh in points scored with 138.
JUNIOR TE DOUG ZEIGLER (WILMINGTON, OHIO)
* Set career highs for receptions (5) and receiving yards (102) versus Arkansas (11/3).
* The 102 yards receiving against the Razorbacks is the third-highest single-game total by a tight end in school history.
METCALF IN "BAD COMPANY": Senior OT Terrence Metcalf (Clarksdale, Miss.) was listed among some "bad" company in ESPN The Magazine's Oct. 29 issue, as the magazine featured the nation's five most fearsome blockers on the offensive line.
METCALF ON OUTLAND TROPHY "WATCH LIST": Senior OT Terrence Metcalf is one of 26 players on the watch list for the 2001 Outland Trophy, awarded to the nation's top interior offensive or defensive lineman. The 2001 Outland Trophy winner will be named Dec. 6 on the ESPN College Football Awards Show from Orlando, Fla.
METCALF RATED HIGH FOR NEXT APRIL'S NFL DRAFT: Senior OT Terrence Metcalf has been projected to be one of the top offensive linemen selected in next April's NFL Draft by both The Sporting News and ESPN.com draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. In its 2002 NFL Draft Preview, The Sporting News listed Metcalf as the nation's top prospect at offensive guard, even though, Metcalf has started all eight games at left tackle this season. Metcalf has played both guard and tackle during his career at Ole Miss. In its preview, The Sporting News went on to say that Metcalf could go as high as some of the top offensive tackles. Kiper lists Metcalf as the nation's 16th best senior prospect, fourth among offensive linemen.
DEFENSIVE NOTES:
* Ole Miss has held the opposition to a 40.2 completion percentage in the past four games, allowing 41-of-102 passes to be completed for 609 yards with six TDs and four interceptions.
* Ole Miss is second nationally in passing yards allowed (141.5 ypg) and 11th in pass efficiency defense (97.05).
* The Rebels have intercepted a pass in 7-of-8 games this season, and in 17 of the last 18 contests dating back to last year's game at Vanderbilt on Sept. 16, 2000.
* Ole Miss had eight players record double figures in tackles against Arkansas led by junior DB Matt Grier (Smithville, Miss.) with 20.
* Senior DT Kenny Jackson (New Orleans, La.) recorded a career-high 17 stops against the Razorbacks, bettering his previous best of 12 set at Auburn on Sept. 8.
* Junior LB Eddie Strong (Batesville, Miss.) registered 14 hits against Arkansas and now has recorded at least 10 tackles in four of the last five games.
TAYLOR SEC'S ACTIVE LEADER IN INTERCEPTIONS: Senior DB Syniker Taylor (Gulf-port, Miss.) enters today's game as the SEC's active career leader in interceptions with 10, one ahead of Alabama's Reggie Myles. Taylor also is first among active SEC players in passes defensed with 40.
THOMAS WEARING CHUCKY MULLINS' NO. 38: Senior LB Kevin Thomas (Courtland, Miss.) received the 2001 Chucky Mullins Courage Award this spring, and as a result, is wearing the late Mullins' No. 38 this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
* The Rebels are fifth nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 26.4 yards per return.
* Junior Jason Armstead is third nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 33.0 yards per return.
* Jason Armstead's 33.0-yard average per kickoff return is currently first on the Ole Miss single-season list with a minimum of 10 returns.
* Redshirt freshman PK Jonathan Nichols' (Greenwood, Miss.) 38 extra points made this season is one shy of the Ole Miss single-season record of 39 set by Cloyce Hinton in 1971, who converted 39-of-42 PAT attempts.
