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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Game Notes
9/23/2001 | Football
Sept. 23, 2001
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE: Saturday, September 29, 2001
TIME: 12:30 p.m. CDT (1:30 p.m. EDT)
SITE: Commonwealth Stadium (67,530) in Lexington, Ky.
TV: Saturday's game will be available on a Pay-Per-View basis though TeleSouth Communications. Contact your local cable company for availability.
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.Ole MissSports.com.
IN THE POLLS: Ole Miss and Kentucky are both unranked in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches and Associated Press Top 25 polls. The Rebels did, however, receive one vote in The AP Top 25.
SERIES INFO: Saturday's game will be the 38th all-time between Ole Miss and Kentucky. The Rebels lead the series 24-12-1, however, the Wildcats hold a 9-8-1 advantage in Lexington. Ole Miss has won four of the last five meetings since 1990, including 35-17 last year in Oxford. This is the first game between the two schools in Lexington since 1993, when Kentucky blanked Ole Miss 21-0.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFE: David Cutcliffe is in his third full season as head coach at Ole Miss Rebels. He is 17-10 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 Cutcilffe'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 1-0 against Kentucky.
KENTUCKY HEAD COACH GUY MORRISS: Guy Morriss is in his first year as head coach of Kentucky, inheriting the reigns of the Wildcat program on Feb. 6, 2001 after serving as Kentucky's assistant head coach and offensive line coach the past four years. This is Morriss' first career collegiate head coaching job, and has a 1-2 record. Prior to moving to Kentucky in 1997, Morriss served as the offensive line coach at Mississippi State in 1996. This will be Morriss' first career game as a head coach against Ole Miss.
KENTUCKY SCOUTING REPORT: Kentucky is 1-2 on the year and 0-1 in the SEC after losing 44-10 to No. 2 Florida this past Saturday in Lexington. Kentucky has been outscored 100-48 on the season, allowing an average of 33.3 points and 492.7 yards per game. Offensively, the Wildcats are averaging 16.0 points and 287.3 yards per game. Redshirt freshman QB Shane Boyd has completed 61.2-percent of his passes, connecting on 41-of-67 for 452 yards with three TDs and one interception. Sophomore WR Derek Abney has caught 12 passes for 148 yards and a TD, and junior TE Derek Smith has 10 receptions for 100 yards and a score. Sophomore RB Chad Scott is the leading rusher with 149 yards on 22 carries - an average of 6.8 yards per rush - and one TD. Abney is also averaging 27.7 yards per punt return on three attempts, including returning one for a TD, and has a 20.3-yard average per return on seven kickoffs.
2001 KENTUCKYSCHEDULE/RESULTS (1-2, 0-1 SEC)SEPT. 1 LOUISVILLE L, 10-36SEPT. 8 BALL STATE W, 28-20Sept. 15 at Indiana PPDSEPT. 22 FLORIDA* L, 10-44SEPT. 29 OLE MISS* 12:30 P.M.Oct. 6 at South Carolina* 12 p.m.OCT. 13 LSU* 6 P.M.Oct. 20 at Georgia* TBANov. 3 at Mississippi State* 1:30 p.m.Nov. 10 at Vanderbilt* 1 p.m.NOV. 17 TENNESSEE* 12:30 P.M.REBEL GAME NOTES
* - SEC GameAll Times Central
REBEL NOTEBOOK
* Ole Miss has not started 1-2 since 1998 when the Rebels finished 5-6.
* Ole Miss needs a win Saturday at Kentucky to secure its 13th straight non-losing September. The Rebels' last had a losing record in the month of September in 1988 when they started 1-2.
* The Rebels have had five consecutive winning Septembers since 1996.
* Ole Miss' 27-21 loss at Auburn on Sept. 8 marked the Rebels' ninth straight SEC opening loss. The Rebels' last win in their SEC opener was in 1992, 45-21 over Auburn in Oxford.
* The Rebels have not started 0-2 in SEC play since 1988, when they lost 27-15 to Florida and 36-12 to Georgia to open their conference schedule.
* Auburn scored 24 points off four Rebel turnovers in the Tigers' 27-21 win on Sept. 8.
* Ole Miss is 7-2 following a loss under Head Coach David Cutcliffe.
* Since the Southeastern Conference started divisional play in 1992, Ole Miss is 14-13 (.519 winning percentage) against Eastern Division teams.
VANDERBILT GAME RESCHEDULED FOR DEC. 1: The Ole Miss-Vanderbilt game, originally scheduled for Sept. 15 in Oxford, has been rescheduled for Dec. 1, at 1 p.m., at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field. The game was postponed when all NCAA Division I-A schools postponed their Sept. 15 games following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. No decision has been made on whether the game will be televised or not. The Sept. 15 contest was originally slated to be televised by Jefferson Pilot.
LONG LAYOFFS: Saturday's game at Kentucky will be end a 20-day break between games for Ole Miss. The Rebels' last game was Sept. 8 at Auburn. Ole Miss was scheduled to play Sept. 15, but that game was postponed to Dec. 1. The 20-day layoff between games is tied for the longest layoff in the school's modern era (since 1947). The Rebels' also had a 20-day break in 1964, when Ole Miss played at Tennessee on Nov. 14 and didn't play again until hosting Mississippi State on Dec. 5.
With the Sept. 15 game versus Vanderbilt having been rescheduled until Dec. 1, Ole Miss isn't slated to play at home again until hosting Alabama on Oct. 13. The Rebels haven't played at home since Sept. 1 when they hosted Murray State.
REBELS STILL LAST TO BEAT OKLAHOMA: Ole Miss still holds the distinction of being the last team to defeat defending national champion Oklahoma as the Sooners extended their winning streak to 16, with a 37-10 win over North Texas on Sept. 8. The Rebels handed the Sooners their last loss, 27-25 in the 1999 Sanford Independence Bowl when Les Binkley booted a 39-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
OFFENSIVE NOTES:
* Senior WR Omar Rayford (Holly Springs, Miss.) caught four passes for 88 yards against Auburn to extend his streak to 12 consecutive games with a reception.
* Senior WR Jamie Armstrong (Plantersville, Miss.) enters the week leading the SEC in receptions per game at 6.5. Armstrong and fellow senior WR Omar Rayford are also both ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in receiving yards per game. Rayford is fifth at 84.5 yards per game, and Armstrong is seventh at 73.5 yards per game.
* Sophomore WR Chris Collins is tied for second in the SEC in TD receptions with three.
* All three of Ole Miss' scoring drives against Auburn were at least 80 yards. The Rebels drove for touchdowns on marches of 80 (13 plays), 85 (5 plays) and 80 (16 plays).
* Junior TE Doug Zeigler tied a career high with four receptions for 30 yards against Auburn. He also caught four passes in last year's season opener against Tulane.
* Senior FB Charles Stackhouse's (West Memphis, Ark.) five-yard TD in the fourth quarter against Auburn marked his first rushing TD since his true freshman year in 1998 against Vanderbilt.
* Ole Miss' scoreless first quarter at Auburn marked its first scoreless period since the first quarter of last year's Egg Bowl against Mississippi State, snapping a streak of 11 straight scoreless quarters.
MANNING SETS ANOTHER MARK: With his 50-yard TD pass to senior WR Omar Rayford against Auburn, sophomore QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) has thrown nine TD passes in his last three games, including last December's Music City Bowl against West Virginia, to break the Ole Miss record for TD passes in a three-game span. The previous record was eight, set by Eli's father, Archie Manning, in 1970, and Charlie Conerly in 1947. Eli threw three, fourth-quarter TD passes against the Mountaineers in last December's bowl game, and passed for a school single-game record five scores in Ole Miss' season-opening, 49-14 win over Murray State on Sept. 1. Archie and Conerly still hold the school record for TD passes in a three-game span during the same season with eight. Eli can tie their mark with two TD passes in Saturday's contest at Kentucky. The following chart compares, Eli's, Archie's and Conlery's stats during their record-setting three-game spans:
Charlie ConerlyDate Opponent Cmp-Att-Int Yds TD11-8-47 Tennessee 34-19-1 246 411-15-47 Chattanooga 32-20-0 159 211-23-47 Miss. State 18-13-0 180 2REBEL RECEIVING CORP SETS A FIRST: Sophomore WR Chris Collins' 100-yard receiving total against Murray State on Sept. 1, and Jamie Armstong's 108-yard effort against Auburn last Saturday marks the first time in school history that Ole Miss has had 100-yard receiving games in back-to-back contests.
Archie ManningDate Opponent Cmp-Att-Int Yds TD11-26-70 Kentucky 30-12-0 177 210-3-70 Alabama 24-10-1 157 310-10-70 Georgia 31-17-3 254 3*10-17-70 Southern Miss 56-30-3 341 2
Eli ManningDate Opponent Cmp-Att-Int Yds TD12-28-00 West Va. (1) 20-12-1 167 39-1-01 Murray State 23-20-0 271 5**9-8-01 Auburn 39-24-1 265 1
* - had two, three-game stretches with eight TD passes in 1970.** - school record.
ARMSTRONG HAS CAREER DAY AGAINST TIGERS: Senior WR Jamie Armstrong set career highs for receptions (9) and receiving yards (108) at Auburn on Sept. 8. The 108-yard receiving game was Armstrong's first career 100-yard receiving game. The nine receptions was tied for the fifth-best single-game total in school history, four shy of the Ole Miss single-game record of 13 set by Barney Poole, on Nov. 15, 1947 against Chattanooga ,and Floyd Franks, on Oct. 4, 1969 versus Alabama. In two games this season, Armstrong has already surpassed his reception and receiving yardage output from last season. Armstrong enters this week's game against Kentucky with 13 catches for 147 yards. Last year in 11 games, he totaled 10 receptions for 103 yards.
GUNN NEARING 2,000: Senior RB Joe Gunn (Amory, Miss.) needs 38 yards rushing against Kentucky Saturday to become the fifth player in Ole Miss history to rush for 2,000 yards in a career. Gunn currently has 1,962 career rushing, ranking fifth on the Ole Miss career rushing list. He is 173 yards away from tying Leon Perry (1976-1979) for fourth-place with 2,135 yards. The following chart shows the top five leading rusher in Ole Miss history:
Player, Pos., Years Yards1. Deuce McAllister, RB, 1997-2000 3,0602. Kayo Dottley, FB, 1947-50 2,6543. Dou Innocent, RB, 1991-92, 1994-95 2,3224. Leon Perry, FB, 1976-79 2,1355. Joe Gunn, RB, 1998-present 1,962METCALF ON LOMBARDI AWARD AND OUTLAND TROPHY "WATCH LISTS": Senior OT Terrence Metcalf (Clarksdale, Miss.) has been named to both the Lombardi and Outland Trophy "watch lists." Metcalf is one 52 preliminary candidates for the 32nd annual Rotary Lombardi Award, presented to the nation's top lineman (offense or defense). The winner will be selected from a list of 12 semifinalists on Dec. 5 in Houston.
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the nation's top interior offensive or defensive lineman. Metcalf is one of 26 players to be named to the award's watch list. The 2001 Outland Trophy winner will be named Dec. 6 on the ESPN College Football Awards Show from Orlando, Fla.
METCALF RATED BY THE SPORTING NEWS AS TOP OFFENSIVE GUARD FOR THE 2002 NFL DRAFT: Senior OT Terrence Metcalf was rated by The Sporting News as the nation's top prospect at offensive guard for the 2002 NFL Draft, in its 2002 NFL Draft Preview. Metcalf has played both guard and tackle during his career at Ole Miss, and started at left tackle last Saturday against Murray State. In its preview, The Sporting News said Metcalf could go as high as some of the top offensive tackles.
STRONG NAMED TO BUTKUS AWARD "WATCH LIST:" Junior LB Eddie Strong (Batesville, Miss.) is one of 69 players to be named to the "watch list" for the 2001 Butkus Award, given annually to the nation's top linebacker. The list will be pared to 10 semi-finalists on Oct. 18 and then to three finalists on Nov. 8. The winner will be announced Fri., Dec. 7 at the Butkus Award Gala in Orlando, Fla. Strong was ranked by Lindy's as the nation's fifth-best outside linebacker heading into 2001. Lindy's also tabbed Strong as a first team preseason All-SEC selection, and he earned second team preseason All-SEC honors from The Birmingham News and at SEC Media Days.
Strong was credited with 11 tackles, including six solo, and two TFLs against Auburn on Sept. 8. In two games this season, Strong has 16 stops, including eight solo.
TAYLOR NAMED TO JIM THORPE AWARD "WATCH LIST": Senior DB Syniker Taylor was one of 38 players across the country named to the 2001 preseason "watch list" for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is presented to the nation's top defensive back. A screening committee will narrow the field to 10 semifinalists, which will be announced the first week in November. That list will be submitted to a national selection committee consisting of coaches, journalists and former players from around the nation. Three finalists will then be announced the Monday before Thanksgiving and be invited to ESPN's College Football Awards Show at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., where the winner will be announced Dec. 6.
Taylor registered five solo tackles at Auburn on Sept. 8, and also intercepted his second pass of the season - and the ninth of his career - when he intercepted Tiger quarterback Jason Campbell's pass in the end zone to thwart a scoring threat on Auburn's opening possession. For the season, Taylor has been credited with 11 stops, including nine solo.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
* Senior DT Kenny Jackson (New Orleans, La. ) and sophomore DE Josh Cooper (Marietta, Ga.) were credited with career highs in tackles on Sept. 8 against Auburn. Jackson recorded a team-high 12 tackles, including six solo, to better his previous best of six, set twice last year. Cooper registered nine tackles, including six solo, bettering his previous high of five.
* Auburn's five scoring drives totaled just 135 yards - an average of 27 yards - as the Tigers took possession four times inside the Ole Miss 40-yard line. Twice, the defense held Auburn to a field goal, including once when the Tigers took possession at the Rebels' 23-yard line.
* Auburn was 1-of-5 on third down conversions of three yards or less against Ole Miss, including 0-for-4 on third-and-two or less.
TAYLOR EARLY SEC LEADER IN INTERCEPTIONS: With interceptions in both of Ole Miss' games this season, senior DB Syniker Taylor leads in the SEC in interceptions and ranks second in NCAA Division I-A.
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. Thomas appeared in all 12 games last season, drawing 11 starts. This season, Thomas has registered 11 tackles, including seven solo, and has one TFL.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES:
* Ole Miss ranks first in the SEC and third nationally in kickoff returns with an average of 35.4 yards per return.
* Redshirt freshman Jonathan Nichols has converted on all 10 of his extra-point attempts since taking over the place-kicking duties from the graduated Les Binkley. Nichols kicked seven extra-points in Ole Miss' 49-14 win over Murray State to open the season on Sept. 1.
* Ole Miss has returned a kickoff for a touchdown three straight years. JUCO transfer Jason Armstead (Moss Point, Miss.) returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score in the season opener against Murray State.
REBELS AIM FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT WINNING SEASON: Ole Miss is in search of its fifth straight winning season after finishing with a 7-5 mark last season. The Rebels' current run of four straight winning campaigns is their longest such streak since stringing together seven straight from 1965--1971.
Ole Miss has won at least seven games in each of the past four years, going 8-4, 7-5, 8-4 and 7-5. It is the first time the Rebels have registered four straight seven-win campaigns since doing so from 1968-1971. A fifth-straight, seven-win campaign in 2001 would mark the first time the Rebels have done so since legendary coach John Vaught's teams reeled off 12 consecutive seven-win seasons from 1952-1963.
REBELS PICKED FOR SIXTH IN THE SEC WEST: Ole Miss was picked to finish sixth in the SEC Western Division by a panel of 84 media members at SEC Media Days. LSU is the preseason favorite to capture the SEC West crown, while Florida is the pick to win the SEC East. The Gators are also favored to win the overall SEC championship, receiving 66 of a possible 84 votes. The Rebels did receive one vote to win the overall SEC title. The following is the SEC's predicted order of finish:
WEST EAST1. LSU (40) 1. Florida (78)2. Mississippi St. (34) 2. Tennessee (5)3. Alabama (8) 3. South Carolina (1)4. Auburn (1) 4. Georgia5. Arkansas 5. Vanderbilt6. Ole Miss (1) 6. KentuckyOVERALL CHAMPION: Florida 66, Mississippi State 4, Tennessee 4, LSU 2, Alabama 1, Ole Miss 1, South Carolina 1.
