.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Football Game Notes
10/30/2002 | Football
Oct. 30, 2002
AUDIO LINKS
(Thursday 6-7 p.m.) | Live Game Audio (10:30 a.m., airtime Saturday) |
OLE MISS LINKS
Ole Miss Game Notes PDF Format | Ole Miss Statistics | Depth Chart | Monday Press Conference Transcript | Game Preview
AUBURN LINKS
Auburn Game Notes in PDF Format
MISCELLANEOUS LINKS
SEC Week 10 Release in PDF Format
DATE: Saturday, November 2, 2002
TIME: 11:30 a.m.
SITE: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field (60,580)
TV: Jefferson-Pilot (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Dave Rowe, color analyst; Dave Baker, sideline reporter).
RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play; Harry Harrison, color analyst; Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter; Gary Darby, Pregame host).
POLLS: Ole Miss is unranked in both The Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls. The Rebels did receive two votes in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. Auburn is also unranked. The Tigers received 54 votes in this week's AP Top 25 and nine in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25.
SERIES INFO: Today's meeting will be the 27th all-time between the Rebels and Tigers dating back to 1928 ... Auburn holds a 19-7 advantage in the series, including a 5-1 lead in Oxford ... The Tigers have won eight of the last nine meetings since 1992 and 17-of-19 dating back to Auburn's 35-28 win in the 1971 Gator Bowl ... Auburn has won the last two games in the series, 35-27 in Oxford in 2000, and 27-21 last year in Auburn ... Ole Miss' last win the series came at Auburn in 1999, prevailing 24-17 in overtime ... The last three meetings have been decided by a total of 21 points.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ole Miss is tied with Georgia for the second-longest active SEC home winning streak at six games ... Junior QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) leads the SEC in passing, averaging 275.4 yards per game, and has thrown for 925 yards in the past three games, including a career-high 414 yards last weekend at Arkansas ... Junior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) has caught a pass in 17 straight games and is one of three Rebel receivers currently with a streak of at least 10 games with one reception.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE: David Cutcliffe (Alabama, 1976) is in his fourth full season as the head coach of the Rebels. He was named the 34th head coach at The University of Mississippi on Dec. 2, 1998 after 17 seasons as an assistant at Tennessee. He coached his first game four weeks later in the 1998 Independence Bowl and guided the Rebels to a 35-18 win over heavily-favored Texas Tech. Cutcliffe has a 28-16 record at Ole Miss, leading the Rebels to at least seven wins in each of his first three full seasons to become the only coach besides Harry J. Mehre to win at least seven games in each of his first three seasons at the school.
AUBURN HEAD COACH TOMMY TUBERVILLE: Tommy Tuberville is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Auburn Tigers. He is 26-18 with the Tigers and has a career mark of 51-38 in his eighth season as a collegiate head coach. Tuberville posted a 25-20 mark in four seasons as the head coach at Ole Miss from 1995-1998.
AUBURN SCOUTING REPORT: The Tigers snapped a two-game losing streak with a 31-7 win over LSU this past weekend in Auburn. Auburn has outscored its opponents 254-153 this season, averaging 31.8 points per game and allowing an average of 19.1. The Tiger offense is averaging 407.5 yards per game, including 207.0 yards rushing. Auburn's leading rusher, Carnell Williams, was lost for the season after sustaining a leg injury during the Florida contest. He had gained 745 yards on 141 carries and had scored 10 TDs in seven games. His replacement, sophomore Ronnie Brown, is averaging 6.1 yards per carry, rushing 71 times for 435 yards and six scores. Senior QB Daniel Cobb is 67-of-130 passing for 1,066 yards with five TDs and four interceptions in seven games, while sophomore Jason Campbell has seen action in all eight games, completing 43-of-60 for 538 yards with five TDs and one interception. Senior Marcel Willis is the Tigers' leading receiver with 25 catches for 341 yards and one score. Defensively, the Auburn secondary has intercepted 15 passes this season, including three by junior LB Karlos Dansby. The Tigers are 12th in the nation in turnover margin with a takeaway/giveaway ratio of +10. Senior punter Damon Duval is third in the nation in punting, averaging 45.0 yards per kick and has placed 10 kicks inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
2002 AUBURN SCHEDULE/RESULTS (5-3, 3-2 SEC)
HOME GAMES IN BOLD CAPS
| Sept. 2 | at Southern California | L, 17-24 |
| SEPT. 7 | WESTERN CAROLINA | W, 56-0 |
| SEPT. 14 | VANDERBILT* | W, 31-6 |
| Sept. 19 | at Mississippi State* | W, 42-14 |
| SEPT. 28 | SYRACUSE | W, 37-34 (3 ot) |
| OCT. 12 | ARKANSAS* | L, 17-38 |
| Oct. 19 | at Florida* | L, 23-30 (ot) |
| OCT. 26 | LSU* | W, 31-7 |
| Nov. 2 | at Ole Miss* | 11:30 a.m. |
| NOV. 9 | LOUISIANA-MONROE | TBA |
| NOV. 16 | GEORGIA* | TBA |
| Nov. 23 | at Alabama* | TBA |
All times are Central.
ELI MANNING FACT SHEET
MANNING SETS CAREER TD MARK: Junior Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) threw two TD passes at Arkansas last weekend to become the school's all-time leader with 45. The 45 career TD passes is currently tied for 17th place on the SEC's all-time list. Manning entered the contest tied for the school record with Romaro Miller (1997-2000) at 43. He threw the record-breaking TD pass with 7:14 left in the second quarter, connecting on a 12-yard score to junior TE Justin Sawyer (Centreville, Miss.). Manning later tossed a 20-yard TD pass to junior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) in the fourth quarter.
ELI JOINS 400 CLUB; SETS RECORD FOR COMPLETIONS: Manning became the third QB in school history to throw for at least 400 yards in a game last Saturday at Arkansas. He completed 42-of-56 passes for 414 yards -- the second-highest single-game mark in Ole Miss history -- with two scores and two interceptions to join his father, Archie Manning (1968-70), and John Darnell (1987-89) as the only Rebel signal-callers to pass for 400 yards in a game. Archie passed for a school single-game high 436 yards in the classic 1969 contest with Alabama, while Darnell passed for 412 yards in a 1989 game against Arkansas State.
ELI ADDS ANOTHER RECORD VERSUS RAZORBACKS: The 42 completions against Arkansas broke the school's single-game mark of 37 set by Kent Austin against Tennessee in 1982. It also ranks as the third-highest total in SEC history.
MORE MILESTONES REACHED AT ARKANSAS: In addition to the feats noted above, Manning reached and/or surpassed several other milestones during last weekend's game at Arkansas:
* The 414 passing yards marked his third game this season with at least 300 yards passing, tying the school record set by Stewart Patridge (1994, 96-97) in 1997.
* Became the fourth passer in Ole Miss history to total 5,000 career passing yards. Manning went over the 5,000-yard mark on a 12-yard shovel pass to junior RB Ronald McClendon (Ponchatoula, La.) in the second quarter.
* Finished the day 91 yards shy of John Fourcade (1978-81) for third place on the school's career passing list. Fourcade passed for 5,412 yards during his career. Manning has totaled 5,321 yards during his career.
* Surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for the season in passing yards to become the first Ole Miss QB to record back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons. Last season, he set an Ole Miss single-season record with 2,948 yards.
* Passed Fourcade for third place on the school's career list for completions. Manning entered the day 31 shy of tying Fourcade at 445, and finished the afternoon with 456 career completions ... He is 110 shy of Kent Austin's (1981-85) school career record.
* The 56 passing attempts marked the seventh time an Ole Miss QB has passed at least 50 times in a game and was one shy of his single-game record of 57 set earlier this season at Texas Tech.
* Totaled 413 yards of total offense to become the sixth player in school history to reach 5,000 yards in career total offense. He also passed Mark Young (1985-88) for fifth place on the school's career list with 5,276 yards.
* With 2,145 yards of total offense for the season, he joins Fourcade as the only players in school history to have back-to-back seasons with at least 2,000 yards of total offense. Manning set a new single-season record last year with 2,957 yards of total offense.
* Scored his first career rushing TD on a one-yard QB sneak for the Rebels' final score with 3:23 left in the game.
* Was responsible for three TDs (2 pass, 1 rush) to move him into a third-place tie with Romaro Miller (1997-2000) at 46.
CHART TOPPER: Enters today's game with Auburn having set 20 school records (see box below).
NOTING ELI
* Is on the Davey O'Brien Award watch list for the nation's top quarterback, and is on the Football Writers' Association of America (FWAA) All-America watch list.
* Listed as a candidate by the Walter Camp Foundation for its prestigious Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the fourth oldest individual college football award in the country.
* Named to the 2002 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team.
* Tied for third among active SEC players with 45 TD passes and ranks fourth in passing yardage (5,321), completions (456) and total offense (5,276).
* Leads the SEC in passing yards per game (275.4) and in total offense per game (268.1).
* Has completed 69.2 percent and averaged 307.7 yards passing per game in the last three contests versus Arkansas State (10/12), Alabama (10/19) and Arkansas (10/26), connecting on 74-of-107 passes for 923 yards with five TDs and four interceptions.
* Career completion percentage of 61.6 percent currently ranks first all-time at Ole Miss (min. 210 attempts).
* 2,203 passing yards this season is fifth on the Ole Miss single-season list, 745 yards shy of his single-season mark of 2,948 set last year.
* Currently fifth on the school's single-season list for completions with 181 ... Needs five completions to tie Kent Austin (1981-1985) for third place on the list at 186, and is 78 completions shy of his record of 259 set in 2001.
* 299 passing attempts is ninth on the school's single-season list, and 108 shy of his record of 408 set last season.
* 2,145 yards of total offense ranks seventh on the Ole Miss single-season list, 812 yards shy of his single-season mark of 2,957 set last year.
* Became the first quarterback in school history to record back-to-back 300-yard passing games, throwing for 374 yards at Texas Tech (9/14) and for 386 yards against Vanderbilt (9/21).
* The 386-yard performance against the Commodores was his fourth career 300-yard performance to set a new Ole Miss career record.
* Set a school single-game record against Vanderbilt for average yards per passing attempt at 9.4 (min. 40 attempts).
* Had completions of 79 and 78 yards against Vanderbilt, making him the only quarterback in school history to have two completions of over 70 yards in the same game ... Also joins Romaro Miller (1997-2000) as the only quarterbacks to have at least two completions of over 70 yards in a career at Ole Miss. Miller had three career completions of over 70 yards.
* Had a streak of 110 consecutive passes without an interception, the fifth-longest streak in school history, from the second quarter of the Texas Tech contest (9/14) to the first quarter of the Arkansas State game (10/12).
MANNING IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
(through games of October 26)
| CATEGORY | NO. | RANK |
| Passing Yards Per Game | 275.4 | 13th |
| Completions Per Game | 22.63 | 13th |
| Passing Attempts Per Game | 37.38 | 14th |
| Total Offense Per Game | 268.1 | 19th |
MANNING IN THE SEC RANKINGS
| CATEGORY | NO. | RANK |
| Completions Per Game | 22.63 | 1st |
| Passing Yards Per Game | 275.4 | 1st |
| Total Offense Per Game | 268.1 | 1st |
| Completion Percentage | 60.5 | 2nd |
| Passing Attempts Per Game | 37.38 | 2nd |
| Total Offensive Plays | 318 | 2nd |
| Lowest Percentage of Passes Intercepted | 2.0 | 3rd |
| Touchdown Passes | 14 | 3rd |
| Average Yards Per Play (rush or pass) | 6.75 | 4th |
SCHOOL RECORDS HELD BY MANNING
SINGLE GAME
Passing Attempts: 57, at Texas Tech (9/14/2002)
Completions: 42, at Arkansas (10/26/2002
Consecutive Pass Completed: 18 vs. Murray State (9/1/2001)
Completion Percentage (30-39 attempts): 80.6 (25x31) vs. Middle Tennessee (10/20/2001)
TD Passes: 6 vs. Arkansas (11/3) - broke his own record of 5 set against Murray State on Sept. 1, 2001
SEASON
Passing Yards: 2,948 (2001)
Passing Attempts: 408 (2001)
Completions: 259 (2001)
Highest Percentage of Passes for TDs: 7.60 (2001)
Pass Effic. Rating (min. 200 attempts): 144.8 (2001)
Total Offense: 2,957 (2001)
Total Offensive Plays (rush + pass): 442 (2001)
Total TDs Responsible For: 31 (2001)
Most TD Passes in a Three-Game Span: 12 from Oct. 20-Nov. 3, 2001 vs. Middle Tennessee, LSU and Arkansas
300-yard Passing Games: 3 (ties mark set by Stewart Patridge in 1997)
CAREER
Career TD Passes: 43* (tied with Romaro Miller) Consecutive Games with a TD Pass: 16, 2000 Music City Bowl - present
Consecutive 200-yard Passing Games: 11, Sept. 1, 2001- present
Consecutive 250-yard Passing Games: 6, Sept. 1-Oct. 20, 2001
Career 250-yard Passing Games: 12
Career 300-yard Passing Games: 5
MANNING'S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
-2000-
| Opponent | Cmp-Att-Int | Yds | TD |
| Tulane | 1-5-0 | 4 | 0 |
| at Vanderbilt | 2-3-0 | 17 | 0 |
| Arkansas State | 3-4-0 | 25 | 0 |
| at Alabama | 5-9-0 | 36 | 0 |
| at Arkansas | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| at Georgia | 5-12-1 | 88 | 0 |
| West Virginia -1 | 12-20-1 | 167 | 3 |
-2001-
| Opponent | Cmp-Att-Int | Yds | TD |
| Murray State* | 20-23-0 | 271 | 5 |
| at Auburn* | 24-39-1 | 265 | 1 |
| at Kentucky* | 19-36-0 | 268 | 2 |
| at Arkansas State* | 20-29-0 | 269 | 2 |
| Alabama* | 22-41-0 | 325 | 1 |
| Middle Tennessee* | 25-31-0 | 257 | 3 |
| at LSU* | 28-44-1 | 249 | 3 |
| Arkansas* | 27-42-0 | 312 | 6 |
| Georgia* | 35-47-1 | 233 | 2 |
| at Mississippi State* | 16-36-3 | 213 | 2 |
| Vanderbilt* | 23-40-3 | 286 | 4 |
-2002-
| Opponent | Cmp-Att-Int | Yds | TD |
| UL-Monroe* | 17-31-1 | 192 | 1 |
| Memphis* | 14-30-0 | 174 | 3 |
| at Texas Tech* | 34-57-1 | 374 | 3 |
| Vanderbilt* | 24-41-0 | 386 | 2 |
| Florida* | 18-33-0 | 154 | 0 |
| Arkansas State* | 14-19-1 | 290 | 3 |
| at Alabama* | 18-32-1 | 219 | 0 |
| at Arkansas* | 42-56-2 | 414 | 2 |
1- Music City Bowl at Nashville, Tenn.
BRINGING IT BACK INTO THE FAMILY: Heading into today's game with Auburn, junior QB Eli Manning has broken 12 school records in his career that were either held by Archie Manning, who played at Ole Miss from 1968-1970, or were at one time. The following chart shows marks currently held by Eli, that were also set at one time by Archie:
| CATEGORY | ELI | ARCHIE (YEAR) | WHEN ARCHIE'S MARK FELL |
| Passing Attempts - Game | 57 | 56 (1970) | Broken by Eli versus Texas Tech (9/14) |
| Passing Yards - Season | 2,948 | 1,762 (1969) | 1980 by John Fourcade (1,897) |
| Completions - Game | 42 | 33 (1969 | by Kent Austin w/37 vs. Tenn., in 1982 |
| Pass Attempts - Season | 408 | 265 (1969) | 1980 by John Fourcade (286) |
| Pass Completions - Season | 259 | 154 (1969) | 1982 by Kent Austin (186) |
| Total Offense - Season | 2,957 | 2,264 (1969) | 1980 by John Fourcade (2,299) |
| Total Plays (Rush + Pass) - Season | 442 | 389 (1969) | 1980 by John Fourcade (411) |
| TDs Responsible For - Season | 31 | 23 (1969) | 2001 by Eli Manning (31) |
| Consec. Game w/TD pass | 16 | 8** | 1999 by Romaro Miller (8) |
| Career 250-yard passing games | 12 | 6 (1968-1970) | by Kent Austin w/7 from 1981-1985 |
| Career 300-yard passing games | 5 | 3 (1968-70) | Tied by Stewart Patridge (1994, 96-97) and Romaro Miller (1997-2000) |
| Career TD Passes | 45 | 31 | Tied by Kent Austin (1981-85) |
** - Archie and Romaro Miller were tied for the record when it was broken by Eli.
COMPARING THE MANNINGS
The following chart compares the three Manning quarterbacks - Archie, Peyton and Eli - after 25 games in their careers, not including bowl games
| GP | Comp-Att-Int | Yards | Pct. | Avg/G | TD | Effic. | |
| Archie Manning, 1968-1970 | 25 | 372-686-33 | 4,381 | .542 | 175.2 | 28 | 110.5 |
| Peyton Manning, 1994-96 | 25 | 422-663-16 | 5,415 | .637 | 216.6 | 41 | 146.0 |
| Eli Manning, 2000-present | 25 | 456-740-16 | 5,321 | .616 | 212.8 | 45 | 137.8 |
MANNING ON THE OLE MISS CAREER TOP 10 CHARTS
PASSING ATTEMPTS
| Player, Years | No. | |
| 1. | Kent Austin, 1981-85 | 981 |
| . | ||
| . | ||
| 4. | Mark Young, 1985-1988 | 809 |
| 5. | Archie Manning, 1968-1970 | 761 |
| 6. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 740 |
COMPLETIONS
| Player, Years | No. | |
| 1. | Kent Austin, 1981-1985 | 566 |
| 2. | Romaro Miller, 1997-2000 | 497 |
| 3. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 456 |
PASSING YARDS
| Player, Years | No. | |
| 1. | Romaro Miller, 1997-2000 | 6,311 |
| 2. | Kent Austin, 1981-1985 | 6,184 |
| 3. | John Fourcade, 1978-1981 | 5,412 |
| 4. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 5,321 |
PASSING TDs
| Player, Years | No. | |
| 1. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 45 |
| 2. | Romaro Miller, 1997-2000 | 43 |
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE
(min. 210 attempts)
| Player, Years | Pct. | |
| 3. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 61.6 |
| 1. | Paul Head, 1993-1996 | 61.5 |
| 2. | Stewart Patridge, 1994, 96-97 | 60.8 |
PASS EFFICIENCY
(min. 210 attempts)
| Player, Years | Effic. | |
| 1. | Jake Gibbs, 1958-1960 | 145.3 |
| 2. | Glynn Griffing, 1960-1962 | 138.9 |
| 3. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 137.8 |
AVERAGE YDS/PASS ATTEMPT
(min. 210 attempts)
| Player, Years | Avg. | |
| 1. | Eagle Day, 1953-1955 | 8.7 |
| . | ||
| . | ||
| 3. | Glynn Griffing, 1960-1962 | 7.5 |
| John Darnell, 1987-1989 | 7.5 | |
| 5. | Lawrence Adams, 1993-93, 95-96 | 7.3 |
| 6. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 7.2 |
200-YARD PASSING GAMES
| Player, Years | No. | |
| 1. | Romaro Miller, 1997-2000 | 19 |
| 2. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 16 |
250-YARD PASSING GAMES
| Player, Years | No. | |
| 1. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 12 |
| 2. | Romaro Miller, 1997-2000 | 8 |
300-YARD PASSING GAMES
| Player, Years | No. | |
| 1. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 5 |
| 2. | Archie Manning, 1968-1970 | 3 |
| Romaro Miller, 1997-2000 | 3 | |
| Stewart Patridge, 1996-1997 | 3 |
TDs RESPONSIBLE FOR
| Player, Years | No. | |
| 1. | Archie Manning, 1968-1970 | 56 |
| 2. | John Fourcade, 1978-1981 | 47 |
| 3. | Romaro Miller, 1997-2000 | 46 |
| Eli Manning, 2000-present | 46 |
TOTAL OFFENSE PER GAME
(minimum 14 career games)
| Player, Years | Avg. | |
| 1. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 211.0 |
| 2. | Archie Manning, 1968-1970 | 199.1 |
| 3. | Romaro Miller, 1997-2000 | 183.2 |
TOTAL OFFENSE PER PLAY
(minimum 150 career plays)
| Player, Years | Avg. | |
| 1. | Doug Elmore, 1959-1961 | 6.64 |
| 2. | Glynn Griffing, 1960-1962 | 6.62 |
| 3. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 6.59 |
| 1. | Rocky Byrd, 1949-1951 | 6.37 |
TOTAL OFFENSE
| Player, Years | Yards | |
| 1. | John Fourcade, 1978-1981 | 6,713 |
| 2. | Romaro Miller, 1997-2000 | 6,413 |
| 3. | Kent Austin, 1981-1985 | 6,179 |
| 4. | Archie Manning, 1968-1970 | 5,576 |
| 5. | Eli Manning, 2000-present | 5,276 |
HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE
Fourth year at Ole Miss
Record at Ole Miss: 28-16 (.636)
Career Record: 28-16 (.636/4 years)
AT OLE MISS (1998-PRESENT)
* Named the 34th head coach at The University of Mississippi on Dec. 2, 1998.
* Coached first game in the 1998 Independence Bowl and guided the Rebels to a 35-18 win over heavily-favored Texas Tech in what was possibly the bowl season's biggest upset.
* Joins Harry J. Mehre as the only coach in school history to win at least seven games during each of his first three seasons at Ole Miss.
* Reached the 25-win mark at Ole Miss with a 38-16 win over Memphis on Sept. 7, tying him with legendary coach John Vaught as the fastest in school history to reach the 25-victory mark.
* The Rebels' 27 wins since 1999 is tied for the most by an SEC Western Division school, and the .628 winning percentage ranks as the best among SEC Western Division schools.
* Today's contest with Auburn, to be televised by Jefferson-Pilot, will mark Ole Miss' 28th TV appearance since Cutcliffe's first full season in 1999, including the 11th on JP.
* The 2001 team set 11 offensive team records, including most points scored with 391.
* Has had two first team All-Americans in DB Ken Lucas (2000) and OL Terrence Metcalf (2001).
* Coached 15 players to All-SEC accolades.
* Produced seven NFL draft picks, including Deuce McAllister, a first-round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints in 2001.
* Coached a total of 15 players at Ole Miss that have made professional rosters in either the NFL, CFL or NFL Europe.
PRIOR TO OLE MISS
* Spent 17 years as an assistant under Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer at Tennessee from 1982-1998 ... Helped the Volunteers compile a 154-46-7 record during his time in Knoxville, including winning five SEC championships and one national title in 1998.
* The Volunteers went to 16 bowl games in his 17 years on the UT staff.
* Was Tennessee's offensive coordinator from 1993-1998.
* Recipient of the 1998 Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
* Coached NFL quarterbacks Heath Shuler, Peyton Manning and Tee Martin.
CUTCLIFFE RECORD BREAKDOWN
| W-L | Pct. | |
| SEC: | 14-14 | .500 |
| vs. SEC West: | 7-10 | .412 |
| vs. SEC East: | 7-4 | .636 |
| Non-Conference opponents: | 14-2 | .875 |
| Bowl Games: | 2-1 | .667 |
| Home: | 17-7 | .708 |
| Away: | 9-8 | .529 |
| Neutral: | 2-1 | .667 |
| Day Games: | 16-9 | .640 |
| Night Games (6 pm start or later): | 12-7 | .632 |
| vs. Top 25 teams | 3-6 | .333 |
| When leading at halftime: | 24-6 | .800 |
| Overtime games: | 2-1 | .667 |
REBEL GAME NOTES
NEXT SATURDAY'S GEORGIA CONTEST TO KICKOFF 6:00 P.M. ON ESPN2: Next Saturday's game at Georgia will have a 6:00 p.m., (CST) kickoff and will be televised by ESPN2.
REBEL RAMBLINGS:
* The Rebels need one win to record their sixth consecutive year with at least six wins since going 5-6 in 1996.
* Last Saturday's loss at Arkansas marked the Rebels' fourth straight road loss since beating LSU 35-24 last year in Baton Rouge ... Overall, Ole Miss is 4-7 in its last 11 road contests.
* Arkansas scored 24 of its 48 points last weekend off turnovers.
* The Rebels are 10-5 (.667 winning percentage) following a loss under head coach David Cutcliffe.
* Ole Miss is 23-3 under head coach David Cutcliffe when leading after three quarters.
* Current Ole Miss running backs coach/special teams coordinator Ron Middleton is a 1985 graduate of Auburn. He lettered for the Tigers from 1982-1985 and was selected as the team's Offensive MVP for both the 1984 and 1985 seasons.
REBELS LOOK TO CONTINUE RECENT HOME SUCCESS: Entering today's game with Auburn, Ole Miss is 5-0 at home this season and has won six straight since a 35-15 loss to Georgia last November 17. The six straight home wins is currently tied with Georgia for the second-longest active streak in the SEC. LSU has the longest active home win streak in the SEC at eight games since losing to Ole Miss, 35-24, last year on Oct. 27. Overall, the Rebels have won 10 of its last 12 home games dating back to a 45-30 win over Mississippi State on Nov. 23, 2000. The following chart shows the SEC's top active home win streaks:
| School | STK | When started | Last home loss |
| LSU | 8 | 11/10/01 vs. Middle Tennessee (30-14) | 10/27/01 vs. Ole Miss (35-24) |
| Ole Miss | 6 | 12/1/01 vs. Vanderbilt (38-27) | 11/17/01 vs. UGA (35-24) |
| Georgia | 6 | 12/1/01 vs. Houston 35-7 | 11/10/01 vs. Auburn (24-17) |
| South Carolina | 2 | 9/21/02 vs. Temple (42-21) | 9/14/02 vs. Georgia (13-7) |
| Six teams at | 1 |
TOUGH ROAD AHEAD: Today's game with Auburn will mark the third game of a six-game stretch for Ole Miss where the Rebels will play at least five teams that have a .500-record or better, at the time of the game. Arkansas brought a 3-3 record into this past weekend's game in Fayetteville. Four of the games will have been road contests when the stretch is concluded. Ole Miss is coming off back-to-back road losses to Alabama and Arkansas. The four remaining teams on Rebels' schedule -- Auburn (5-3), Georgia (8-0), LSU (6-2) and Mississippi State (3-4) -- have a combined record of 22-9 (.710 winning percentage), and the Georgia Bulldogs and Tigers are currently ranked in the top 15. Georgia is ranked No. 5 in both of this week's polls, while LSU is No. 15 in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25. The followng chart shows how the Rebels have fared in the second half of the season and the current record of each of the remaining Rebel opponents:
="">| School | W-L* | Rank* | Next Game/Score | vs. UM/Site |
| Alabama> | 4-2 | 24/NR | L, 7-42 | Tuscaloosa |
| Arkansas | 3-3 | -/- | L, 28-48 | Fayetteville |
| Auburn | 5-3 | RV/RV | Sat. at Ole Miss | Nov. 2 (H) |
| Georgia | 8-0 | 5/5 | Sat. vs. Florida | Nov. 9 (A) |
| LSU | 6-2 | 15/17 | 11/9 at Kentucky | Nov. 23 (A) |
| Miss. State | 3-4 | -/- | Sat. vs. Kentucky | Nov. 28 (H) |
* - At time of the game
NOTE: The home (H) and away (A) designation reflects if it is a home or away game for Ole Miss ... The first ranking reflects The AP poll and the second the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25.
OLE MISS BEST IN THE WEST UNDER CUTCLIFFE: Since David Cutcliffe's first full season in 1999, Ole Miss' 27 wins is tied for the most by an SEC Western Division school, and the Rebels' .628 winning percentage ranks as the best in the SEC West. The Rebels are also the only SEC Western Division team to have recorded five straight seasons with at least seven wins since 1997. The following chart shows the overall standings of the SEC Western Division since 1999 (records include bowl games):
| School | W-L | Pct. |
| Ole Miss | 27-16 | .628 |
| LSU | 27-17 | .614 |
| Auburn | 26-18 | .591 |
| Alabama | 26-18 | .591 |
| Arkansas | 25-18 | .581 |
| Mississippi State | 24-18 | .571 |
REBELS IN NOVEMBER
* Ole Miss has an all-time record of 186-151-13 (.550 winning percentage) during the month of November.
* The Rebels are 110-63-5 (.632 winning percentage) in home games during November, including home contests played in Jackson and Memphis ... In home games played in Oxford during November, the Rebels are 63-24-4 (.730 winning percentage).
* In SEC games played in November, Ole Miss has an overall record of 76-78-7 (.493 winning percentage).
* In SEC home games during November, the Rebels are 47-41-2 (.533 winning percentage), including home games played in Jackson and Memphis ... In SEC home games played in Oxford during November, Ole Miss is 16-18-1 (.471 winning percentage).
REBELS TABBED FOR THIRD IN THE WEST: Ole Miss was picked to finish third in the SEC Western Division by a panel of media members at the annual SEC Media Days. The Rebels received seven first-place votes to win the West, and two votes to win the overall SEC title. The following shows the predicted order of finish for the SEC Eastern and Western Divisions from the SEC Media Days (first-place votes are listed in parenthesis):
Eastern Division
| School | Pts | |
| 1. | Tennessee (41) | 136 |
| 2. | Georgia (19) | 175 |
| 3. | Florida (19) | 197 |
| 4. | South Carolina (3) | 305 |
| 5. | Kentucky | 428 |
| 6. | Vanderbilt | 481 |
Western Division
| School | Pts | |
| 1. | LSU (43) | 140 |
| 2. | Alabama (24) | 203 |
| 3. | Ole Miss (7) | 291 |
| 4. | Auburn (3) | 311 |
| 5. | Arkansas (5) | 330 |
| 6. | Mississippi State | 447 |
SEC Champion: Tennessee (34), Florida (17), Georgia (16), LSU (4), Ole Miss (2), South Carolina (2), Alabama (1).
M*A*S*H UNIT
* Senior RB Robert Williams (Gadsden, Ala.), the team's leading rusher with 307 yards on 61 carries, missed last weekend's game at Arkansas due to a shoulder injury, suffered in the previous week's game at Alabama (10/19) ... Williams also missed two games against Florida (10/5) and Arkansas State (10/12) with a high ankle sprain suffered in the Vanderbilt contest on Sept. 21.
* Junior DB Von Hutchins (Natchez, Miss.) suffered a fracture in his left hand during an Oct. 22 practice and underwent surgery the following day. He did not start against the Razorbacks last weekend but did see action.
* Senior TE Doug Zeigler (Wilmington, Ohio) was lost for the season after suffering a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg during the first half of the Sept. 21 game with Vanderbilt. He underwent successful surgery later that night. The Rebels' starting tight end the last three seasons, Zeigler had 48 career receptions for 612 yards and five TDs in 33 games.
* Senior LB Lanier Goethie (Baxley, Ga.) is doubtful for the remainder of the year after suffering a broken bone in his left foot during the Sept. 21 contest with the Commodores ... Goethie was third on the team in tackles entering the Vanderbilt game and was this year's recipient of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award.
REBELS TO MAKE 125TH TV APPEARANCE:
* Today's game versus Auburn, to be televised by Jefferson-Pilot, will mark the Rebels' 125th TV appearance (not including local or pay-per-view broadcasts) since Ole Miss made its first TV appearance in the 1953 Sugar Bowl versus Georgia Tech ... Ole Miss is 56-66-2 (.460 winning percentage) in TV games, including a 14-11 (.560 winning percentage) mark on JP.
* The telecast will also be the Rebels' sixth TV appearance of the season, including their third on JP ... JP also televised Ole Miss' 38-16 win over Memphis on Sept. 7, and the Rebels' 45-38 victory over Vanderbilt on Sept. 21.
* This is seventh straight year Ole Miss has made at least six TV appearances.
* Today's game will mark the 28th time Ole Miss has appeared on TV under head coach David Cutcliffe since his first full season in 1999.
* To date, Ole Miss has two other games scheduled for TV this season. Next week's game at Georgia will be televised by ESPN2 at 6:00 p.m., (CST), and the Rebels' season-ending Egg Bowl showdown with Mississippi State on Thanksgiving Night, Nov. 28, will be televised by ESPN ... It will be the fifth straight year ESPN has carried the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving.
* Three Ole Miss games this season have been televised by one of the four national networks (ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC), with the Rebels appearing twice on CBS and once on ABC, marking the first time since 1979 that Ole Miss has made at least two appearances in the same season on one of the four major networks.
* This will be the seventh straight year the Ole Miss-Auburn match-up has been televised, including the sixth time by JP during that span.
* Overall, Saturday's game will mark the 13th time Ole Miss has played Auburn on TV ... The Tigers are 10-2 versus the Rebels in TV games.
REBELS ON POSTSEASON AWARDS WATCH LISTS: Ole Miss has five players to watch lists for postseason awards in 2002:
BRONKO NAGURSKI AWARD
(Nation's Top All-Around Defensive Player)
Matt Grier (Smithville, Miss.), Sr., SS
BUTKUS AWARD
(Nation's Top Linebacker)
Eddie Strong (Batesville, Miss), Sr., LB
DAVEY O'BRIEN AWARD
(Nation's Top Quarterback)
Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.), Jr., QB
LOMBARDI AWARD
(Nation's Top Lineman/Linebacker)
Ben Claxton (Dublin, Ga.), Sr., C Doug Zeigler (Wilmington, Ohio), Sr., TE
RIMINGTON TROPHY
(Nation's Top Center)
Ben Claxton (Dublin, Ga.), Sr., C
WALTER CAMP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
(Nation's Top Player)
Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.), Jr., QB
OFFENSIVE NOTES:
* 11 different receivers caught at least one pass against Arkansas, including eight with two catches or more.
* Junior Justin Sawyer (Centreville, Miss.) recorded his first career TD on his first career reception, catching a 12-yard scoring pass from junior Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) in the second quarter ... The TD was also Manning's school-record breaking 44th career TD pass ... Sawyer is pulling double-duty this season, as he is also listed as the second string center, behind senior Ben Claxton (Dublin, Ga.), and started the Texas Tech (9/14) contest when Claxton was injured in the game versus Memphis (9/7).
* The 450 yards of offense against Arkansas marked the fourth time this season the Rebels have totaled at least 450 yards.
* The Rebels recorded 27 first downs versus the Razorbacks, the fourth time this season Ole Miss has registered at least 25 first downs in a game.
* Ole Miss' 34:47 time of possession last weekend was its highest total this season. The previous high was 32:43 in a 38-16 win against Memphis (9/7).
* The Rebels are second in the SEC with 179 first downs.
FLOWERS, COLLINS COMBINE TO SET A NEW STANDARD: Sophomore WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) and junior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) were on the receiving end for much of junior QB Eli Manning's (New Orleans, La.) 414-yard passing performance against Arkansas last Saturday. Flowers caught a career-high 11 passes and Collins had a career-high 10 receptions as they became the first Rebel receiving tandem to each record double digits in receptions in the same game. Prior to last weekend's game, there had only been four 10-reception games in school history, the last by LeMay Thomas (1992-1995) on Oct. 28, 1995 versus Vanderbilt. Flowers' 11 receptions was the third-highest single-game total in school history, two shy of the record of 13 set by Barney Poole against Chattanooga in 1947 and later tied in 1969 by Floyd Franks against Alabama.
COLLINS SETS NEW STANDARD: With his career-high 138 receiving yards at Arkansas last Saturday, junior Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) took sole possession of first place on the Ole Miss all-time list for career 100-yard receiving games. The 138-yard effort was his fifth career 100-yard receiving game, surpassing Floyd Franks (1968-70), who recorded four.
COLLINS LOOKING TO REACH CENTURY MARK: Junior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) enters today's game with Auburn needing six receptions to become the ninth player in school history to reach the 100-mark in career receptions.
REBEL OFFENSE ON PACE TO BE ONE OF THE SCHOOL'S HIGHEST SCORING: Through eight games, the Ole Miss offense is on pace to be one of the highest scoring in school history. The Rebels' average of 30.75 points per game, is tied for fifth all-time in school history after eight games. Three of the teams in the top five have come during head coach David Cutcliffe's time at Ole Miss, including last year's unit that set a school single-season record with 391 points, in addition to setting 10 other school season records. The chart on the following page shows the top five scoring offenses in school history after eight games, and what they averaged for the season:
TOP FIVE REBEL SCORING OFFENSES AFTER EIGHT GAMES
| After 8 games | Season Total | |||
| Year | Points | Avg/G | Points | Avg/G |
| 2001* | 310 | 38.75 | 391 | 35.5 |
| 1961 | 265 | 33.13 | 326 | 32.6 |
| 1970 | 254 | 31.75 | 285 | 28.5 |
| 1959 | 250 | 31.25 | 329 | 32.9 |
| 1935 | 246 | 30.75 | 292 | 26.5 |
| 2000* | 246 | 30.75 | 314 | 28.5 |
| 2002* | 246 | 30.75 | ?? | ?? |
* - under head coach David Cutcliffe.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: While junior QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) gets much of the credit for the Rebels' offensive success, it's the Ole Miss ground game that seems to be the key ingredient for a Rebel win. In the Rebels' five wins this season, Ole Miss is averaging 391.6 yards of total offense, including 145.2 yards rushing. In losses to Texas Tech, Alabama and Arkansas, the Rebels totaled 116 yards rushing on 83 carries.
HANDS OFF!: Since the start of the 1999 season, Ole Miss has allowed the fewest sacks in the SEC with 40, 22 less than the next team, Georgia with 62. The Rebels have led the SEC the last two seasons, and are once again leading the SEC in 2002, having allowed seven. Ole Miss had a streak of six straight games without allowing a sack snapped during the Oct. 5 game with Florida. The following charts shows the top five teams for the fewest sacks allowed in the SEC since 1999 and the top five teams in the SEC in 2002:
FEWEST SACKS ALLOWED SINCE 1999
| Team | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | Total | |
| 1. | Ole Miss | 16 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 40 |
| 2. | Georgia | 21 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 62 |
| 3. | LSU | 25 | 12 | 19 | 8 | 64 |
| 4. | Arkansas | 14 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 66 |
| 5. | Florida | 18 | 26 | 13 | 15 | 72 |
FEWEST SACKS ALLOWED IN 2002
Team No.1. Ole Miss 72. LSU 83. Auburn 104. Vanderbilt 12 South Carolina 12
FLOWERS IN ELITE COMPANY AMONG REBEL RECEIVERS: After eight games in his sophomore season, WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) is among some elite company. With 11 receptions against Arkansas last weekend, he has 68 for his career -- the most by a receiver in school history through their sophomore campaign. Current junior Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) previously held that distinction with 67 following the completion of last season. Flowers' seven TD receptions is tied with Collins for third among Rebel receivers through their sophomore season, one shy of the record of eight by J.R. Ambrose (1984-1987) and Barney Poole (1942; 1946-1947). His 744 receiving yards currently ranks fifth on that list. The following charts show the top five Rebel receivers -- following their sophomore seasons -- for receptions, receiving yards and TD receptions, and where Flowers currently stands entering today's game versus Auburn:
RECEPTIONS
Player, Years Rec.Bill Flowers, 2001-present 68Chris Collins, 2000-present 66Grant Heard, 1996-2000* 56Ta'Boris Fisher, 1993-1996 54James Harbour, 1981-1984 53Rufus French, 1996-1998 49
RECEIVING YARDS
Player, Years YardsChris Collins, 2000-present 860Willie Green, 1986-1989* 810Grant Heard, 1996-2000 804James Harbour, 1981-1984 759Bill Flowers, 2001-present 744
TOUCHDOWNS
Player, Years No.J.R. Ambrose, 1984-87 8Barney Poole, 1942; 1946-1947 8Chris Collins, 2000-present 7Bill Flowers, 2001-present 7Willie Green, 1986-1989 5
STREAKING REBELS: Ole Miss has three players -- junior Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.), sophomore Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) and senior Jason Armstead (Moss Point, Miss.) -- with streaks of at least 10 games with at least one reception:
Receiver Streak vs. ArkansasChris Collins 17 10 rec., 138 yds, TDBill Flowers 14 11 rec., 88 ydsJason Armstead 12 4 rec., 39 yds
OFFENSIVE PLAYER THUMBNAILS
WR JASON ARMSTEAD (SR., MOSS POINT, MISS.)
* Has a reception in 12 consecutive games.
* Leads team with 626 all purpose yards (-5 rush., 226 rec., 259 PR, 146 KR), averaging 78.2 yards per game.
* Had a career-best 191 all purpose yards against Memphis (9/7) ... Set a school single-game record with 157 punt return yards on eight attempts, tying another Ole Miss record ... Returned his final punt 62 yards for a score and was named the SEC's Special Teams Player of the Week.
* Totaled 124 all purpose yards (51 rec., 73 ret.) versus Arkansas State ... The 51 receiving yards was a season high ... Also had a season-long 28-yard reception against the Indians.
* Had a season-high four receptions for 39 yards last weekend at Arkansas.
WR CHRIS COLLINS (JR, GLOSTER, MISS.)
* Currently has a streak of 17 consecutive games with at least one reception.
* Leads Ole Miss in receiving yards (441) and TD receptions (5) ... Ranks sixth in the SEC, averaging 55.1 receiving yards per game.
* Is tied for ninth in career receptions (94) and is ninth in career receiving yards (1,301) at Ole Miss ... 1,301 career receiving yards is eighth among active SEC players and his 94 career receptions ranks ninth.
* Recorded career-highs for receptions (10) and receiving yards (138) last weekend at Arkansas ... Also caught a 20-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter.
* The 138-yard effort marked his fifth career 100-yard receiving game to set a new Ole Miss record, eclipsing the previous mark of four set by Floyd Franks (1968-70).
* Is tied for fourth on the school's career list for career TD receptions with 12, four shy of the record held by Grant Heard (1996-2000) with 16.
* Became the 19th player in school history to record 1,000 career receiving yards against Vanderbilt (9/21).
WR BILL FLOWERS (SO., PELHAM, ALA.)
* Leads Ole Miss in receptions with 40 ... Is 16 shy of the Ole Miss single-season record of 56 set by LeMay Thomas (1992-1995) in 1995.
* Is second in the SEC in receptions per game, averaging 5.0.
* Has caught a pass in 14 consecutive games.
* Had eight receptions for a season-high 91 yards at Texas Tech (9/14).
* Recorded a career-long 35-yard reception versus Arkansas State (10/12).
* Set a career high with 11 catches for 88 yards last weekend at Arkansas ... The 11 receptions ranks third on the Ole Miss single-game list, and was two shy of the school single-game mark of 13.
RB ROBERT WILLIAMS (SR., GADSEN, ALA.)
* Rebels' leading rusher with 307 yards on 61 carries, for a 5.0 average per carry, and four TDs.
* Did not play last weekend at Arkansas due to a shoulder injury suffered at Alabama (10/19) ... Also missed games against Florida (10/5) and Arkansas State (10/12) with a high ankle sprain sustained versus Vanderbilt (9/21).
* Opened the season with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games versus Louisiana-Monroe (18-100-2) and Memphis (17-107-0) ... The 107 yards versus the Tigers was a career-high.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
* The Rebels are third in the SEC in sacks with 21 and fourth in the conference with 11 interceptions.
* With 21 sacks this season, Ole Miss has surpassed its total of 16 in 11 games last season.
* Ole Miss has registered at least one QB sack in 28 of its last 29 games.
* Ole Miss' 11 interceptions is one shy of last year's total of 12.
* Ole Miss is 17-0 under head coach David Cutcliffe when allowing less than 20 points.
* Five of Arkansas' six scoring drives started at or inside the Rebel 40-yard line.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER THUMBNAILS
SS MATT GRIER (SR., SMITHVILLE, MISS.)
* Second on the team with 50 tackles (34 solo).
* Intercepted his team-leading fourth pass of the season, and the sixth of his career, against Arkansas ... Tied for second in the SEC ... Six career interceptions is tied for sixth among active SEC players.
* Leads team with nine TFLs (-37 yards) and is tied for the team lead with 3.0 QB sacks (-25 yards) ... Tied for seventh in the SEC in TFLs.
* Made a season-high nine stops (five solo), including 2.0 TFLs (-5 yards) versus Florida ... Intercepted two passes, returning the second 24 yards for what provded to be the game-winning TD in the third quarter ... Also had one pass deflection ... Was named the SEC and Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week.
* Credited with eight tackles (four solo), two TFLs (-10 yards), including one QB sack (-9 yards), last weekend at Arkansas.
WS VON HUTCHINS (JR., NATCHEZ, MISS.)
* Third on the team with 48 stops (25 solo).
* Second on the team with three interceptions, tying for fifth in the SEC.
* Had a season-high eight tackles (five solo) at Texas Tech (9/14).
* Recorded his first career two-interception game against Arkansas State (10/12).
* Did not start last weekend at Arkansas after undergoing surgery last Wednesday to repair a fracture in his left hand, suffered during last Tuesday's practice ... Credited with five tackles (two solo) versus the Razorbacks.
FS ERIC OLIVER (SO., JASPER, ALA.)
* Leads Ole Miss with 75 tackles (47 solo), ranking tied for eighth in the SEC.
* Averaging 11.5 tackles in the last four games.
* Recorded 10-tackle games versus Florida (10/5), Arkansas State (10/12) and at Arkansas (10/26).
* Credited with a career-high 14 stops (11 solo), including 2.5 TFLs (-7 yards) in the upset of No. 6 Florida.
* Led Ole Miss with 13 hits (10 solo) and had one pass break-up against Arkansas State.
* Had 12 stops (seven solo) and one QB pressure last weekend versus the Razorbacks.
LB EDDIE STRONG (SR., BATESVILLE, MISS.)
* Started the last four games after being hampered by an ankle injury suffered during the preseason ... Only appearance of the season prior to the Florida contest came in limited action at Texas Tech (9/14).
* Had a season-high seven hits (five solo), with 2.5 TFLs (-16 yards) and one QB sack (-13 yards) versus Florida ... The sack came on a 4th-and-13 play at the Rebel 31 to stop a potential Florida scoring drive with 6:04 left in the game and the Rebels leading 17-14.
* The fumble recovery against Alabama in the second quarter was his first of the season and the fifth of his career.
GOETHIE WEARS CHUCKY MULLINS' NO. 38: Senior LB Lanier Goethie (Baxley, GA) was named this year's winner of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award in April, and as a result is wearing the late Mullins' No. 38 this season. He was No. 2 last season. Goethie is doubtful for the remainder of the season after suffering a broken bone in his left foot during the Sept. 21 game with Vanderbilt. In four games this season, he had recorded 22 tackles (14 solo) with two TFLs for -4 yards, and was credited with one pass deflection, one quarterback pressure and one forced fumble.
SPECIALTY NOTES
* The Rebels have not had a punt blocked in 39 straight games since the Sept. 25, 1999 game at Auburn.
* Junior Ronald McClendon (Ponchatoula, La.) tied an Ole Miss single-game record with six kickoff returns versus Alabama. He shares the record with Rick Kimbrough (1974 vs. Alabama), Tyrone Ashley (1989 vs. Alabama), Vincent Brownlee (1991 vs. Georgia), Deuce McAllister (1999 vs. Alabama and 2000 vs. Georgia).
* Ole Miss has returned at least one kick (kickoff or punt) for a score in each of the last four seasons. Deuce McAllister (1997-2000) returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score against Arkansas in 1999, and returned a punt 87 yards for a TD versus Auburn in 2000, senior Robert Williams (Gadsden, Ala.) returned a kickoff 97 yards for a score against the Razorbacks in 2000, and senior Jason Armstead (Moss Point, Miss.) returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score last season versus Murray State and had a 62-yard punt return for a TD this season versus Memphis on Sept. 7.
REBELS RECORD RARE FEAT VERSUS ARKANSAS STATE: For only the third time in school history, Ole Miss did not attempt a punt in the 52-17 win over Arkansas State on Oct. 12. The previous two occasions came in a 45-0 win over North Texas in 1956 and during a 35-9 win over Mississippi State in 1960.
SPECIAL TEAMS THUMBNAILS
PK JONATHAN NICHOLS (GREENWOOD, MISS.)
* Leads Ole Miss with 52 points scored and ranks seventh in the SEC in scoring ... Ranks third among SEC kickers in scoring.
* Made a career-long 50-yard field goal to score the Rebels' first points in the 52-17 win over Arkansas State (10/12). His previous long was 47 yards against UL-Monore (8/31) in the season opener.
* Tied for first in the SEC in PAT percentage, having converted all 28 attempts this season.
* Has made 37 consecutive extra points, the fifth longest streak in school history.
* Made a 47-yard field goal against Arkansas to put him 5-of-5 on field goals 40 yards or longer this season.
* Has made six consecutive field goals since missing a 36-yarder against Memphis (9/7).
* Became the ninth kicker to reach 100 career points at Alabama (10/19).
P CODY RIDGEWAY (JACKSON, TENN.)
* Ranks 10th nationally in punting, averaging 43.5 yards per punt.
* Placed eight punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
* Set a school single-game record with 503 punting yards against Florida, breaking the previous mark of 493 set by Greg Breland (1973-1974) versus Georgia in 1973.
* His career-high 11 punt attempts against the Gators was one shy of the Ole Miss single-game record of 12.
* Placed 4-of-11 punts against Florida inside the Gator 20-yard line.
2002 CAPTAINS: Seniors center Ben Claxton (Dublin, Ga.), linebacker Lanier Goethie (Baxley, Ga.), linebacker Eddie Strong (Batesville, Miss.), and tight end Doug Zeigler (Wilmington, Ohio) have been selected as the four permanent team captains for the 2002 season.
2002 SEASON HONORS
--AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM--
Eli Manning (Jr., QB)
--QUARTERBACK CLUB PLAYERS OF THE WEEK--
vs. Louisiana-Monroe (8/31)
Offense: Robert Williams (Sr., RB)
Defense: Matt Grier (Sr., DB)
Special Teams: Jonathan Nichols (So., PK)
vs. Memphis (9/7)
Offense: Rick Razzano (Soph., FB)
Defense: Charlie Anderson (Jr., DE)
Special Teams: Jason Armstead (Sr., KR/PR)
vs. Texas Tech (9/14)
Offense: Eli Manning (Jr., QB)
Defense: Jesse Mitchell (Jr., NT)
Special Teams: Wesley Bryan (So., P)
vs. Vanderbilt (9/21)
Offense: Eli Manning (Jr., QB)
Defense: L.P. Spence (Jr., LB)
Special Teams: Jonathan Nichols (Soph., PK)
vs. Florida (10/5
Offense: Vashon Pearson (Fr.,RB)
Defense: Matt Grier (Sr., SS)
Special Teams: Cody Ridgeway (Soph., P)
vs. Arkansas State (10/12)
Offense: Eli Manning (Jr., QB)
Defense: Von Hutchins (Jr., WS)
Special Teams: Jonathan Nichols (Soph., PK)
vs. Alabama (10/19)
Offense: Ben Claxton (Sr., C)
Defense: Jesse Mitchell (Jr., NT)
Special Teams: A.J. Kiamie (Sr., LS)
vs. Arkansas (10/26)
Offense: Eli Manning (Jr., QB)
Defense: Jesse Mitchell (Jr., NT)
Special Teams: Jonathan Nichols (Soph., PK)
--SEC GOOD WORKS TEAM--
Lanier Goethie (Sr., LB)
--SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK--
Special Teams
Jason Armstead (9/7 vs. Memphis)
Jonathan Nichols (9/21 vs. Vanderbilt)
Defense
Matt Grier (10/5 vs. Florida)
--BRONKO NAGURSKI NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK--
Matt Grier (10/5 vs. Florida)
--FWAA TEAM OF THE WEEK--
Ole Miss (10/5 vs. Florida)
WELCOME TO THE NEWLY-EXPANDED VAUGHT-HEMINGWAY STADIUM/HOLLINGSWORTH FIELD
The Aug. 31 season opener with Louisiana-Monroe marked the unveiling of the newly expanded Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field. The nearly two-year construction project, that began following the 2000 season, saw the bowling in of the south end zone. The construction raised the stadium's capacity from 50,577 in 2000 to 60,580, making it the largest on-campus facility in the state of Mississippi. A then-stadium record crowd of 58,151 watched the Rebels defeat the Indians 31-3, breaking the old attendance record of 52,476 set on Nov. 11, 2000 against LSU.
The record of 58,151 was eclipsed on Oct. 5 when a standing-room only crowd of 61,140 watched the Rebels defeat No. 6 Florida, 17-14.
Ole Miss has won 78.2 percent of its home games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field, compiling an all-time mark of 211-56-8.
STADIUM TIMELINE
1915: The stadium, known as Hemingway Stadium for much of its existence, began its historic life when students helped in construction of the first football grandstand at the site of the present field ... The construction of the stadium and its permanent foundation was a three-year, federally-sponsored project and had an original capacity listed at 24,000 ... The facility was named after the late Judge William Hemingway (1869-1937), professor of law and longtime chairman of the University's Committee on Athletics.
1950: One of the nation's longest press boxes, measuring 80 yards, was added.
1970: Astroturf was installed on the playing surface in 1970.
1971: Blue fiber glass seating was added to the West side stands in 1971 and later to the East stands in 1973.
1980: Permanent aluminum bleachers were installed in both end zones in 1980, enlarging capacity to 41,000.
OCT. 16, 1982: John Howard Vaught saw his name added to the stadium. The legendary Rebel coach compiled an impressive 190-61-12 record as head football coach at Ole Miss and brought the Rebels national championships in 1959, 1960 and 1962.
SUMMER, 1984: The astroturf was removed and replaced with prescription athletic turf.
SUMMER, 1988: The stadium received a major facelift, including a new press box, new aluminum sideline seating, restrooms and concessions stands, plus a club level section for 700 people.
1990: Lights were added.
1997: A new Sony JumboTron scoreboard/message center was installed.
1998: The Guy C. Billups Rebel Club was completed prior to the season, which included a special seating section with an enclosed concession and lounge area. The addition pushed capacity to over 50,000.
SEPT 5, 1998: The field was named in honor of Dr. Jerry Hollingsworth for his continuing generous support to the entire athletic department.
NOVEMBER 2000: Construction began on bowling in the south end zone following Ole Miss' 45-30 win over Mississippi State in the regular-season finale.
AUG. 31, 2002: In the first game since the bowling in of the south end zone, a stadium record 58,151 watched Ole Miss down Louisiana-Monroe 31-3.
OCT. 5, 2002: Ole Miss defeated No. 6 Florida 17-14 in front of a standing-room only crowd of 61,140 to break the stadium single-game record of 58,151 set in the season opener versus UL-Monroe.
