Football Game Notes

Sept. 8, 2002

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE: Saturday, September 14, 2002
TIME: 2:30 p.m. (CDT)
SITE: Jones SBC Stadium (51,000); Lubbock, Texas

TV: Saturday's game is one of three ABC will be televising on a regional basis during its 2:30 p.m., time slot. The Ole Miss-Texas Tech game will be available to viewers throughout much of the south, including Mississippi and Texas (Tim Brant, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, analyst; Sam Ryan-Herbst, 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: Neither Ole Miss or Texas Tech are ranked in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 or The Associated Press Top 25 polls. The Rebels did, however, received 25 votes in the ESPN/USA Today poll to rank 10th among "Other Receiving Votes," and 15 in the AP poll to finish 13th in the "Others Receiving Votes" category (see this week's polls on page 6).

SERIES INFO: Saturday's meeting will be the third-ever between the Rebels and Red Raiders, the first-ever regular-season match-up. The two schools have met twice before in the Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La., with Ole Miss winning both match-ups. The Rebels won the 1986 Independence Bowl 20-17, as quarterback Mark Young passed for 343 yards and Bryan Owen hit a 48-yard field goal with 12:16 left to play to break a 17-17 tie. The two teams met 12 years later in Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe's first game with the Rebels, and Deuce McAllister scored three TDs to pace the Rebels to a 35-18 win.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The contest will feature two of the nation's top quarterbacks from a year ago in Ole Miss' Eli Manning and Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury, a senior, averaged 314.0 yards passing per game last season, while Manning was sixth in the nation with 31 TD passes ... Ole Miss has won 24 straight regular-season games over non-conference opponents.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE: David Cutcliffe's (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 25-13 record at Ole Miss, guiding the Rebels to at least seven wins in each of his first full three 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. Ole Miss' 24-13 mark since 1999 is the best in the SEC Western Division.

TEXAS TECH HEAD COACH MIKE LEACH: Mike Leach (BYU, 1983) is in his third season at Texas Tech, posting a 15-12 record with the Red Raiders. It is Leach's first collegiate head coaching position. He has guided Texas Tech to bowl games in each of his first two seasons, taking the Red Raiders to the 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl and the 2001 Alamo Bowl. Prior to Texas Tech, Leach served as the offensive coordinator at Kentucky from 1997-1998 and at Oklahoma in 1999.

TEXAS TECH SCOUTING REPORT: Saturday's game with the Rebels will mark the Red Raiders' 2002 home opener. Texas Tech opened its season with a 45-21 loss at Ohio State on Aug. 24 in the Pigskin Classic, before evening its mark at 1-1 with a 24-14 win over SMU last weekend. The offense is averaging 430.0 yards per game and is directed by senior QB Kliff Kingsbury, who is averaging 355.0 yards passing per game. He is coming off a 369-yard effort against the Mustangs, completing 32-of-49 passes with three TDs and two interceptions. For the season, Kingsbury is 58-of-93 for 710 yards with six TDs and has been picked off three times. Kingsbury's favorite targets have been junior RB Wes Welker (14 rec., 270 yds, 2 TDs) and junior WR Mickey Peters (10 rec., 94 yds, 1 TD). Junior RB Foy Munlin is Texas Tech's leading rusher with 92 yards on 15 carries. Defensively, the Red Raiders are allowing an average of 424.0 yards per game, including 272.0 rushing. Senior LB Lawrence Flugence is the team's leading tackler with 36 (18 solo).

2002 TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS SCHEDULE/RESULTS (1-1, 0-0 BIG 12)

Aug. 24	at Ohio State	L, 21-45
Sept. 7	at SMU	W, 24-14
SEPT. 14	OLE MISS	2:30 P.M.
SEPT. 21	NORTH CAROLINA STATE	7 PM
Sept. 27	at New Mexico	TBA
Oct. 5	at Texas A&M*	TBA
Oct. 12	at Iowa State*	TBA
OCT. 19	MISSOURI*	1 P.M.
Oct. 26	at Colorado*	TBA
NOV. 2	BAYLOR*	1 P.M.
NOV. 9	OKLAHOMA STATE*	1 P.M.
NOV. 16	TEXAS*	1 P.M.
Nov. 23	at Oklahoma*	TBA

* - Big 12 conference game
HOME GAMES IN BOLD CAPS
All times are Central.

ELI MANNING FACT SHEET
PRESEASON HONORS
* Named to the Playboy All-America team.
* Selected second team preseason All-America by Football Action.
* Named second team All-SEC by The Birmingham News, The Sporting News, The Southeastern Post, and at SEC Media Days.
* Named "Best Leader" in the SEC by The Birmingham News.

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.
* Ranks fourth among active SEC players in passing yardage (3,310), completions (292) and total offense (3,323) (updated on Tuesdays).
* Ranks in the top 10 in 14 career offensive categories at Ole Miss.
* Threw three TD passes against Memphis to extend his streak to 14 consecutive games with at least one TD pass, dating back to the 2000 Music City Bowl - a school record ... Has thrown at least 2 TD passes in 11-of-14 games during that span.
* 35 TD career ranks second on the Ole Miss career list, eight shy of Romaro Miller's (1997-2000) career record of 43.
* Was 14-of-30 passing for 174 yards and three TDs versus Memphis, marking his lowest total for completions and passing yards as a starter ... His previous completion low as a starter was 16 last year against Mississippi State, and his previous low total for passing yards was 192 in the season opener versus Louisiana-Monroe.
* Will take sole possession of the school record for career 250-yard passing games, currently shared with Romaro Miller at 8, with his next 250-yard performance.
* Finished in the top 25 nationally in 12 offensive categories last season.
* Engineered three fourth-quarter come-from-behind wins last season against Alabama, LSU and Vanderbilt.

MANNING IN THE FINAL 2001 NATIONAL RANKINGS

CATEGORY	NO.	RANK
Touchdown Passes:	31	6th
Completions Per Game:	23.55	T6th
Points Responsible For:	16.91	T8th
Passing Attempts Per Game:	37.09	T9th
TD-to-INT Ratio:	3.44:1	T9th
Highest Percentage of TD Passes:	7.60	12th
Passing Yards Per Game:	268.0	13th
Completion Percentage:	63.48	14th
Total Offense (Yards Per Game):	268.82	17th
Lowest Percentage of Passes Intercepted:	2.21	18th
Average Total Player Per Game (rush+pass):	40.18	20th
Passing Efficiency:	144.84	20th

SCHOOL RECORDS HELD BY MANNING
SINGLE GAME
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

CAREER
Consecutive Games with a TD Pass: 12, 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: 8 (tied with Romaro Miller)

ELI AMONG THE NATION'S TOP RETURNING PASSERS
Passing Efficiency

	Player, School	Rating
1.	Rex Grossman, Florida	170.8
2.	Ryan Dinwiddie, Boise State	164.7
3.	Byron Leftwich, Marshall	164.6
4.	Jeff Smoker, Michigan State	162.8
5.	Chris Rix, Florida State	156.6
6.	Casey Clausen, Tennessee	150.0
7.	Darian Durant, N. Carolina	149.3
8.	Ben Roethlisberger, Miami (OH)	146.5
9.	Ken Dorsey, Miami (FL)	146.1
*10.*	*Eli Manning, Ole Miss*	*144.8*

Total Offense (Yards Per Game)

	Player, School	Yds/Gm
1.	Rex Grossman, Florida	354.9
2.	Byron Leftwich, Marshall	352.0
3.	Luke McCown, La. Tech	316.5
4.	Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech	314.0
5.	Ryan Dinwiddie, Boise State	285.5
6.	Chris Rix, Florida State	283.9
	Marquel Blackwell, S. Florida	283.9
8.	Casey Bramlet, Wyoming	277.1
9.	Ben Roethlisberger, Miami (OH)	274.5
*10.*	*Eli Manning, Ole Miss*	*268.8*

Points Responsible For

	Player, School	Points/GM
1.	Rex Grossman, Florida	21.27
2.	Byron Leftwich, Marshall	21.00
3.	Ryan Dinwiddie, Boise State	17.82
4.	Luke McCown, La. Tech	17.45
5.	*Eli Manning, Ole Miss*	*16.91*

Completions Per Game

	Player, School	Comp/Gm
1.	Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech	33.09
2.	Byron Leftwich, Marshall	26.25
3.	Luke McCown, La. Tech	25.18
4.	Jose Fuentes, Utah State	23.64
5.	*Eli Manning, Ole Miss*	*23.55*
	Rex Grossman, Florida	23.55

CLUTCH PERFORMER: When the game is on the line, Eli Manning has a knack for performing in the clutch during the fourth quarter. His passing efficiency rating during the final 15 minutes in 2001 was 169.60, over 27 points higher than in any other quarter (excluding overtime). Entering Saturday's game at Texas Tech, Manning's career passing efficiency rating of 157.58 in the fourth quarter, is the highest of any quarter. The following chart breaks down Manning's career stats by quarter:

FIRST QUARTER

Year	Cmp-Att-Int	Yds	TD	Rating
2000	--	--	--	--
2001	59-86-0	638	3	142.33
2002	4-16-1	39	0	32.98
TOTAL	63-102-1	677	3	125.26

SECOND QUARTER

Year	Cmp-Att-Int	Yds	TD	Rating
2000	1-3-0	15	0	75.33
2001	70-109-4	756	8	139.36
2002	10-16-0	126	3	190.53
TOTAL	81-128-4	897	11	144.26

THIRD QUARTER

Year	Cmp-Att-Int	Yds	TD	Rating
2000	3-5-0	21	0	95.28
2001	62-106-1	646	3	117.14
2002	6-17-0	92	0	80.75
TOTAL	71-128-1	759	3	111.45

FOURTH QUARTER

Year	Cmp-Att-Int	Yds	TD	Rating
2000	24-45-2	301	3	122.63
2001	58-93-4	811	12	169.60
2002	11-12-0	109	1	195.47
TOTAL	93-150-6	1221	16	157.58

OVERTIME

Year	Cmp-Att-Int	Yds	TD	Rating
2001	10-14-0	97	5	247.49
TOTAL	10-14-0	97	5	247.49

NOTE: Totals include the 2000 Music City Bowl

BRINGING IT BACK INTO THE FAMILY: Eli Manning's 31 TDs responsible for (TDs scored + TD passes) last season broke his father's, Archie, record of 23 set in 1969. Eli also set seven other school records last season that at one time were held by Archie. The following chart shows marks set by Eli last season that were also broken by Archie during his career at Ole Miss from 1968-1970.

CATEGORY	ELI	ARCHIE (YEAR)	WHEN ARCHIE'S MARK FELL
Passing Yards - Season	2,948	1,762 (1969)	1980 by John Fourcade (1,897)
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	13	8**	1999 by Romaro Miller (8)
Career 250-yard passing games	8*	6 (1968-1970)	by Kent Austin w/7 from 1981-1985

* - currently tied with Romaro Miller for the career record.
** - Archie and Romaro Miller were tied for the record when it was broken by Eli.

COMPARING THE MANNING'S
The following chart compares the three Manning quarterbacks -- Archie, Peyton and Eli -- through their sophomore seasons in college. Archie's statistics are for just his sophomore year in 1968 as freshman were ineligible to participate at that time.

	GP	Comp-Att-Int	Yards	Pct.	Avg/G	TD	Long	Effic.
Archie Manning, 1968	10	127-263-17	1,510	.483	151.0	8	65	93.63
Peyton Manning, 1994-95	22	333-524-10	4,095	.635	186.1	33	80	146.2
Eli Manning, 2000-2001	17	275-441-10	3,118	.624	183.4	31	56	140.4

MANNING ON THE OLE MISS CAREER TOP 10 CHARTS

PASSING ATTEMPTS

	Player, Years	No.
1.	Kent Austin, 1981-85	981
.
.
.
6.	Russ Shows, 1989-1992	560
7.	Josh Nelson, 1994-1995	558
8.	Stewart Patridge, 1994, 96-97	510
9.	*Eli Manning, 2000-present*	*502*

COMPLETIONS

	Player, Years	No.
1.	Kent Austin, 1981-1985	566
.
.
.
5.	Archie Manning, 1968-1970	402
6.	Josh Nelson, 1994-1995	311
7.	Stewart Patridge, 1994, 96-97	310
8.	*Eli Manning, 2000-present*	*306*

PASSING YARDS

	Player, Years	No.
1.	Romaro Miller, 1997-2000	6,311
.
.
.
6.	Russ Shows, 1989-1992	3,778
7.	Josh Nelson, 1994-1995	3,703
8.	Stewart Patridge, 1994, 96-97	3,564
9.	*Eli Manning, 2000-present*	3,484

PASSING TDs

	Player, Years	No.
1.	Romaro Miller, 1997-2000	43
2.	Eli Manning, 2000-present	35

COMPLETION PERCENTAGE
(min. 210 attempts)

	Player, Years	Pct.
1.	Paul Head, 1993-1996	61.5
2.	*Eli Manning, 2000-present*	*61.0*
3.	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*	*137.9*

AVERAGE YDS/PASS ATTEMPT
(min. 210 attempts)

	Player, Years	Avg.
1.	Eagle Day, 1953-1955	8.7
.
.
4.	Glynn Griffing, 1960-1962	7.5
	John Darnell, 1987-1989	7.5
6.	Lawrence Adams, 1993-93, 95-96	7.3
7.	Romaro Miller, 1997-2000	*7.0*
	Stewart Patridge, 1994, 1996-97	*7.0*
9.	*Eli Manning, 2000-present*	*6.9*

200-YARD PASSING GAMES

	Player, Years	No.
1.	Romaro Miller, 1997-2000	19
2.	Kent Austin, 1981-1985	11
	*Eli Manning, 2000-present*	11

250-YARD PASSING GAMES

	Player, Years	No.
1.	*Eli Manning, 2000-present*	8
	Romaro Miller, 1997-2000	8

300-YARD PASSING GAMES

	Player, Years	No.
1.	Archie Manning, 1968-1970	3
	Romaro Miller, 1997-2000	3
	Stewart Patridge, 1996-1997	3
4.	John Darnell, 1987-1989	2
	Mark Young, 1985-1988	2
	*Eli Manning, 2000-present*	2

TDs RESPONSIBLE FOR

	Player, Years	No.
1.	Archie Manning, 1968-1970	56
.
.
4.	Deuce McAllister, 1997-2000	42
5.	Mark Young, 1985-1988	38
6.	*Eli Manning, 2000-present*	35

TOTAL OFFENSE PER GAME
(minimum 14 career games)

	Player, Years	Avg.
1.	Archie Manning, 1968-1970	199.1
2.	*Eli Manning, 2000-present*	*184.5*
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*	*6.48*
4.	Rocky Byrd, 1949-1951	6.37

TOTAL OFFENSE

	Player, Years	Yards
1.	John Fourcade, 1978-1981	6,713
.
.
.
5.	Mark Young, 1985-1988	5,031
6.	Russ Shows, 1989-1992	3,919
7.	John Darnell, 1986-1989	3,525
8.	*Eli Manning, 2000-present*	*3,505*

HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE

Fourth year at Ole Miss
Record at Ole Miss: 25-13 (.658)
Career Record: 25-13 (.658/4 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 last week's 38-16 win over Memphis, tying him with legendary coach John Vaught as the fastest in school history to reach the 25-victory mark.
* The 24-13 record since 1999 ranks as the best in the SEC Western Division.
* Saturday's game, to be televised by ABC, will be Ole Miss' 24th TV appearance during Cutcliffe's three-plus full seasons, including the first on ABC.
* The 2001 team set 12 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:	12-12	.500
vs. SEC West:	7-8	.467
vs. SEC East:	5-4	.556
Non-Conference opponents:	13-1	.929
Bowl Games:	2-1	.667
Home:	14-7	.667
Away:	9-5	.643
Neutral:	2-1	.667
Day Games:	13-6	.684
Night Games (6 pm start or later):	12-7	.632
vs. Top 25 teams	2-5	.286
When leading at halftime:	22-6	.786
Overtime games:	2-1	.667

REBEL GAME NOTES

ARMSTEAD HONORED: Senior Jason Armstead (Moss Point, Miss.) was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance last weekend versus Memphis, the conference office announced Monday. Armstead returned eight punts for 157 yards and one TD to break Will Glover's 55-year old school single-game record record of 151 punt return yards, set on Nov. 15, 1947 versus Chattanooga. The 157 punt return yards is also tied for the sixth-highest single-game total in SEC history. In addition, Armstead's eight punt returns tied the school single-game record, which was set previously by Doug Cunningham against Southern Miss on Oct. 16, 1966, and tied him for fifth on the SEC's single-game list.

Armstead returned his final punt against the Tigers 62 yards for a score with 2:47 left in the game to seal the Rebels' 38-16 win. He is the first Rebel since Deuce McAllister against Auburn in 2000 to return a punt for a score.

REBELS IN SEPTEMBER
* Ole Miss is 133-56-7 (.696 winning percentage) all-time during the month of September.
* The Rebels have an all-time mark of 50-38-4 (.565) in road games during September ... Ole Miss has won six of its last seven and seven of its last 10 September road games.
* The 38-16 win over Memphis last weekend improved the Rebels to 83-18-3 (.813 winning percentage) in September home games (including home contests played in Memphis and Jackson), including 58-5-2 (.910 winning percentage) in September games played in Oxford.
* Ole Miss is 9-3 (.750 winning percentage) in September under head coach David Cutcliffe.
* A win Saturday would secure Ole Miss its seventh straight winning record in September, and its 14th consecutive September with at least a .500 record.
* Ole Miss has won 19 straight September games over non-conference opponents since losing to Arkansas, prior to the Razorbacks joining the SEC, 24-17 in Jackson, Miss., on Sept. 23, 1989 ... 15 of those 19 wins have come in home games (including two games played in Jackson).
* Last weekend's 38-16 win over Memphis extended Ole Miss' unbeaten streak to 25 games versus non-SEC teams in Oxford during the month of September ... The last non-conference team to defeat the Rebels in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium during September was Tulane, 26-24, on Sept. 27, 1980 ... During the 25-game unbeaten streak, the Rebels tied once, playing to a 10-10 draw against Arkansas State on Sept. 20, 1986.

REBELS ON TV:
* Saturday's game, to be televised regionally on ABC, is the second of four scheduled TV games for the Rebels this season.
* The Rebels are in the midst of a three-week stretch in which they will appear on TV. Jefferson-Pilot aired last weekend's 38-16 win over Memphis in Oxford, and following this weekend's telecast by ABC, the Rebels will again appear on JP when Ole Miss hosts Vanderbilt in its SEC opener on Sept. 21.
* Ole Miss will also appear on TV Thanksgiving Night, Nov. 28, as ESPN will televise the annual Egg Bowl battle with Mississippi State for the fifth straight year.
* Saturday's game will mark the 24th time Ole Miss has appeared on TV under head coach David Cutcliffe since 1999, and its first on ABC. The Texas Tech contest will be the Rebels' first appearance on ABC since 1994 at Alabama.
* All-time, it will be the Rebels' 121st TV appearance. Ole Miss has an all-time record of 54-64-2 in TV games, including an 8-19-2 mark on ABC.
* The Rebels made their first-ever network TV appearance on ABC in the 1952 Sugar Bowl against Georgia Tech.
* Ole Miss is 2-0 versus the Red Raiders on TV, as the 1986 Independence Bowl was carried by MizzLou and USA, and ESPN aired the 1998 Independence Bowl.

DID YOU KNOW?: Ole Miss was involved in the first-ever prime-time telecast of a college football game when ABC aired what would become a classic between the Rebels and Alabama, on Oct. 4, 1969 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. The Crimson Tide prevailed in the contest 33-32 despite Rebel quarterback Archie Manning's 540 yards of total offense. The 540 yards of total offense is still an SEC single-game best, and was only matched last season by LSU's Rohan Davey. Manning's 435 passing yards in that game is still an Ole Miss single-game record.

CUTCLIFFE NOTCHES WIN NO. 25: Last weekend's 38-16 win over Memphis gave Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe his 25th career win with the Rebels. Cutcliffe tied legendary Ole Miss coach John Vaught as the second-fastest to reach the 25-win plateau, doing so in 38 games. Only Hary J. Mehre reached 25 wins faster, doing so in 31 games from 1938 through the final game of 1940.

BEST IN THE WEST: Since David Cutcliffe's first full season in 1999, Ole Miss has recorded more wins (24) and has the best winning percentage (.649) than any other SEC Western Division school. The Rebels are also the only SEC Western Division team to have recorded five straight seasons with at least seven wins since 1997. The chart on the following page shows the overall standings of the SEC Western Division since 1999 (records include bowl games):

School	W-L	Pct.
*Ole Miss*	*24-13*	*.649*
Arkansas	22-15	.595
Mississippi State	21-15	.583
Auburn	22-16	.579
LSU	22-16	.579
Alabama	21-17	.553

STAFF CHANGES: Ole Miss welcomes two new full-time assistants to the coaching staff in 2002. Chuck Driesbach was named the Rebels' new defensive coordinator and linebacker coach this past February, after serving as the defensive coordinator/inside linebacker coach at TCU in 2001. Former Rebel center Matt Luke was hired as the new tight ends coach last spring, replacing Richard Bisaccia, who joined Jon Gruden's coaching staff with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Luke will also assist with the offensive line. Fourth-year assistant Ron Middleton, who coached the tight ends his first three years in Oxford, will now coach the running backs and special teams.

THE DRIESBACH FILE
* While serving as the defensive coordinator at TCU, the Horned Frogs ranked 10th nationally against the run and 24th in the NCAA against the pass.
* Defensive coordinator at Western Michigan from 1997-2000 ... Also coached outside linebackers and safeties ... The Broncos finished fourth in the nation in scoring defense and ninth in total defense in 2000.
* Defensive coordinator at Cornell from 1990-1992 and at Pittsburgh from 1993-1996.
* Coached running backs and the secondary at Ole Miss in 1989 .. Coached the late Chucky Mullins.
* Served as running backs coach at East Carolina during the 1987 and 1988 seasons.
* From 1984-1986 at Wake Forest, coached the defensive line, receivers and tight ends.
* Served as an assistant at Kansas State from 1976-1983, where he coached the tight ends, tackles, receivers and the secondary during his tenure in Manhattan, Kan.

THE LUKE FILE
* Spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons coaching with former Ole Miss assistant Joe Pannunzio at Murray State.
* After his playing career at Ole Miss, served as a student assistant coach with the Rebels in 1999, working with the centers and guards.

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 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.

This past weekend's attendance against Memphis was 54,718, making it the second-largest figure in the stadium's history.

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).

REBEL OFFENSE RE-WRITES THE RECORD BOOK IN 2001: En route to becoming the highest scoring unit in school history during the 2001 season, the Rebel offense established a total of 12 school records. The following shows the list of records set, along the previous mark that was broken.

Category	2001	Previous (Year)
Points Scored	391	329 (1959)
Most Touchdowns	55	47 (1961)
Most Passing TDs	31	19 (4x, last 2000)
Most PATs made	48	40 (1971)
Most PATs made kicking	47	39 (1971)
Most First Downs	268	245 (1980)
Most First Downs Passing	141	116 (1997)
Most Total Yards	4,565	4,320 (1998)
Most Passing Attempts	417	365 (1995)
Most Completions	263	233 (1997)
Most Passing Yards	2,978	2,694 (1997)
Most Passing Yards PG	270.7	244.9 (1997)

REBEL RAMBLINGS:
* Ole Miss is 2-0 for the first time since 1999 and is looking for its first 3-0 start since 1989.
* Saturday's game at Texas Tech will mark Ole Miss' first visit to the Lone Star State since 1998 when the Rebels traveled to Dallas and defeated SMU, 48-41 in overtime at the Cotton Bowl.
* Saturday's game at Texas Tech will be the Rebels' first road game of the season. Ole Miss is 5-5 in its last 10 road games (not counting bowl games).
* Saturday's game in Lubbock, Texas will be the farthest west the Rebels have traveled for a regular-season contest. Ole Miss traveled to El Paso, Texas, 430 miles west of Lubbock, for the 1967 Sun Bowl versus UTEP.
* Saturday's game at Jones SBC Stadium will mark the Rebels' first game on artificial turf since defeating Vanderbilt 30-6 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., in 1998. The Commodores have since installed natural grass at their home stadium in 1999.
* The Rebels were been outscored 10-0 in the first quarter during the first two games against UL-Monroe and Memphis, but outscored the Indians and Tigers 69-9 from the second quarter on, including 38-0 in the second quarter.
* Ole Miss has been penalized 13 times for 243 yards in two games this season. The 13 penalties is nearly 25-percent of the Rebels' total of last season, when they were flagged 54 times in 11 games. The 243 penalty yards is over 30-percent of last season's total penalty yardage of 465. Ole Miss led the SEC in the fewest penalty yards last season, averaging 42.3 penalty yards per game.
* Ole Miss entered the 2002 season with five straight seven-win seasons, its longest such streak since having 12 consecutive seasons with at least seven victories from 1952-63.
* The Rebels are looking to return to the bowl scene after having its streak of four straight bowl appearances snapped last season, despite a 7-4 mark. Prior to last season, Ole Miss was the only team in the SEC Western Division to appear in a bowl game in four straight years.
* Ole Miss returns 51 letterwinners from last season, including 17 starters (including specialists).
* Ole Miss redshirted 17 players last season from the 22-member signing class of 2001.

LONE STAR STATE COMEBACK REMEMBERED: It was perhaps the greatest comeback in school history when Ole Miss last traveled to the state of Texas. Trailing SMU 41-19 in Dallas with 9:45 remaining in the game on Sept. 26, 1998, Ole Miss scored 22 unanswered points, capped by Romaro Miller's 44-yard TD pass to Grant Heard with 31 seconds remaining to tie the game at 41 and force overtime. Deuce McAllister scored on a four-yard run in the extra session and the Rebel defense stopped the Mustangs for a 48-41 win. Cory Peterson's 92-yard punt return with 5:55 left in the fourth pulled Ole Miss to within 41-34, and after forcing SMU to punt, the Rebels started the game-tying drive at their own 12-yard line with 2:43 remaining.

INDEPENDENCE BOWL FLASHBACK: The 1998 Independence Bowl meeting between Ole Miss and Texas Tech was the Rebels' first game under current head coach David Cutcliffe, after he was hired four weeks earlier from his offensive coordinator position at Tennessee. Despite having to quickly assemble a staff and become familiar with his new team, Cutcliffe guided Ole Miss to a 35-18 win over the heavily-favored Red Raiders, in what was possibly the biggest upset of the bowl season.

TEXAS ROAD TRIPS: Ole Miss traveled to the state of Texas for the first time in 1914, losing to Southwestern 18-0 on Nov. 20 in Georgetown. Since then, the Rebels have traveled to the Lone Star State 18 more times, including five times for bowl games. Ole Miss is 9-10 all-time in games played in Texas, but have won in their last two trips, defeating TCU 20-7 in 1983, and SMU 48-41 in overtime in 1998. The following chart is a list of all-time Ole Miss road trips to Texas:

Opponent, Site (Date)	Score
SMU, Dallas (9-26-1998)	W, 48-41 ot
TCU, Fort Worth (10-15-1983)	W, 20-7
Texas A&M, College Station (9-13-1975)	L, 0-7
Baylor, Waco (9-6-1975)	L, 10-20
UTEP, El Paso (12-30-1967) -1	L, 7-14
Texas, Houston (12-17-1966) -2	L, 0-19
Tulsa, Houston (12-19-1964) -2	L, 7-14
Houston, Houston (10-5-1963)	W, 20-6
Texas, Dallas (1-1-1962) -3	L, 7-12
Houston, Houston (9-17-1960)	W, 42-0
Houston, Houston (9-19-1959)	W, 16-0
Trinity, San Antonio (10-4-1958)	W, 21-0
Trinity, San Antonio (9-21-1957)	W, 44-0
TCU, Dallas (1-2-1956) -3	W, 14-13
Houston, Houston (11-13-1954)	W, 26-0
TCU, Fort Worth (10-22-1949)	L, 27-33
SMU, Dallas (10-26-1929)	L, 0-52
Texas, Austin (10-3-1925)	L, 0-25
Southwestern, Georgetown (11-20-1914)	L, 0-18

NOTE: 1- Sun Bowl; 2- Bluebonnet Bowl; 3- Cotton Bowl.

REBELS VERSUS TEXAS SCHOOLS: Entering Saturday's game at Texas Tech, Ole Miss is 32-17 (.653 winning percentage) all-time versus Texas schools, including 2-0 versus the Red Raiders. It will also the Rebels' first match-up with a Texas school since the 35-18 win over Texas Tech in the 1998 Independence Bowl. The chart on the following page shows Ole Miss' all-time record versus Texas schools:

School	W-L-T	Pct.	Last Game
Baylor	0-1-0	.000	1975
Houston	15-3-0	.833	1970
North Texas	4-0-0	1.000	1956
Rice	1-0-0	1.000	1961
SMU	2-1-0	.667	1998
Southwestern (TX)	0-1-0	.000	1914
Texas	1-5-0	.167	1966
Texas A&M	0-4-0	.000	1980
TCU	5-1-0	.833	1983
UTEP	0-1-0	.000	1967
*Texas Tech*	*2-0-0*	*1.000*	*1998*
Trinity	2-0-0	1.000	1958

REBELS LOOK TO EXTEND NON-CONFERENCE WIN STREAK:
* Ole Miss will once again put its regular-season win streak over non-conference opponents on the line Saturday, when the Rebels travel to Texas Tech. The Rebels extended their streak to 24 games with a 38-16 win over Memphis last Saturday in Oxford.
* Memphis was the last non-SEC team to defeat the Rebels during the regular season, edging Ole Miss 17-16 on Nov. 5, 1994 in Oxford.
* During the 24-game win streak, Ole Miss' average margin of victory has been 19.6 points.
* Ole Miss is 19-0 in home games during the 24-game streak ... The last road game Ole Miss played during the streak was last Oct. 7 at Arkansas State. Ole Miss won that game 35-17.
* Including bowl games, Ole Miss has won 27 of its last 28 games against non-conference opponents. The Rebels' only loss during that span was a 49-38 loss to West Virginia in the 2000 Music City Bowl.
* Head coach David Cutcliffe is 11-0 against non-conference opponents during the regular season.
* The following chart on the following page shows the results of Ole Miss' 24-game regular-season win streak over non-conference opponents:

Opponent (Date)	Score
at Tulane (11-12-94)	W, 38-0
Indiana State (9-9-95)	W, 56-10
Tulane (10-7-95)	W, 20-17
at Memphis (11-4-95)	W, 34-3
Idaho State (8-31-96)	W, 38-14
VMI (9-7-96)	W, 31-7
Arkansas State (10-26-96)	W, 38-21
Central Florida (8-30-97)	W, 24-23 (ot)
SMU (9-6-97)	W, 23-15
at Tulane (11-15-97)	W, 41-24
Memphis (9-5-98)	W, 30-10
at SMU (9-26-98)	W, 48-41 (ot)
Arkansas State (10-24-98)	W, 30-17
at Memphis (9-4-99)	W, 3-0
Arkansas State (9-11-99)	W, 38-14
Tulane (10-9-99)	W, 20-13
Tulane (9-2-2000)	W, 49-20
Arkansas State (10-7-2000)	W, 35-10
UNLV (10-28-2000)	W, 43-40 (ot)
Murray State (9-1-2001)	W, 49-14
at Arkansas State (10-6-2001)	W, 35-17
Middle Tennessee (10-20-2001)	W, 45-17
Louisiana-Monroe (8-31-2002)	W, 31-3
Memphis (9-7-2002)	W, 38-16

REBELS VERSUS BIG 12 SCHOOLS: Ole Miss will enter Saturday's game at Texas Tech with a 5-13 (.278 winning percentage) record all-time versus schools currently in the Big 12 Conference, including a 2-0 mark versus the Red Raiders. It will be Ole Miss' first game against a Big 12 school since defeating Oklahoma 27-25 in the 1999 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. The following chart shows Ole Miss' record versus schools currently in the Big 12:

School	W-L-T	Pct.	Last Game
Baylor	0-1-0	.000	1975
Missouri	1-3-0	.250	1979
Oklahoma	1-0-0	1.000	1999
Texas	1-5-0	.167	1966
Texas A&M	0-4-0	.000	1980
*Texas Tech*	*2-0-0*	*1.000*	*1998*

REBELS ON POSTSEASON AWARDS WATCH LISTS: Ole Miss has four players on preseason watch lists for postseason awards in 2002:

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

FWAA ALL-AMERICA WATCH LIST: In addition to junior QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) four other Rebels have been named to the Football Writers' Association of America's All-America watch list: senior center Ben Claxton (Dublin, Ga.), junior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.), senior LB Eddie Strong (Batesville, Miss.) and senior TE Doug Zeigler (Wilmington, Ohio).

CLAXTON TABBED FIRST TEAM PRESEASON ALL-SEC: Senior center Ben Claxton (Dublin, Ga.) was named to the first team preseason All-SEC team at the SEC Media Days. In addition, he earned first team preseason All-SEC honors from Athlon, The Sporting News, Street & Smith's, The Southeastern Post, and Lindy's, as well as second team honors from The Birmingham News. Claxton is also a preseason second team All-America selection by Lindy's and a third-team pick by Athlon and Street & Smith's.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
* Senior RB Robert Williams (Gadsden, Ala.) recorded his second straight 100-yard rushing effort last weekend versus Memphis, gaining 107 yards on 17 carries ... Williams is fourth in the SEC in rushing, averaging 103.5 yards per game ... Williams also ranks third in the SEC in all-purpose yards, averaging 145.5 yards per contest.
* Ole Miss' 214 rushing yards versus the Tigers was the most by the Rebels since recording 229 in last year's 42-31 win at Kentucky.
* Sophomore FB Rick Razzano (Milford, Ohio) scored his first career TD on a 2-yard run with 3:43 left in the third quarter to give the Rebels a 24-7 lead ... He also set career highs for receptions (3) and receiving yards (32) versus Memphis, and had a career-long 12-yard reception.
* Redshirt freshman RB Vashon Pearson (Ripley, Miss.) scored his first career TD on a 15-yard pass from Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) in the fourth quarter.
* Junior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) caught three passes for 35 yards and one TD last weekend to extend his streak to 11 consecutive games with at least one reception.
* Collins is 94 receiving yards shy of becoming the 19th player in school history to reach the 1,000-yard mark in career receiving yards.
* Collins enters Saturday's game with Texas Tech tied with Floyd Franks (1968-1970) for the Ole Miss career record for 100-yard receiving games with four.
* Ole Miss ran 68 offensive plays, including 35 rushing, against Louisiana-Monroe on Aug. 31 without recording negative yardage. It was the first time in 121 games, since Oct. 5, 1991 versus Kentucky (40 rush, 28 pass), that the Rebels went an entire game without having a negative-yardage play.
* Ole Miss returns seven starters from last year's unit that set 12 school records, including most points scored with 391.
* Ole Miss ranked 11th in the nation last season in scoring offense, averaging 35.6 points per game, and topped the 40-point mark four times.
* The Rebels return 64.2 percent of its total scoring and 73.7 percent of its total yardage gained from last season. Junior QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) accounted for 64.8 percent of the Rebels' total offense a year ago, as he amassed a school single-season record of 2,957 yards of total offense.

COLLINS AHEAD OF THE PACK: Junior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) ended his sophomore season having totaled the most receptions and the most receiving yards of any Ole Miss player in school history after their sophomore season. The following chart shows the top five list for receptions and receiving yards by players after their sophomore seasons, and what their totals were following their junior seasons:

--RECEPTIONS--

Player,Years	Soph. Year	Junior Year
Chris Collins, 2000-present	66	??
Grant Heard, 1996-2000*	56	96
Ta'Boris Fisher, 1993-1996	54	99
James Harbour, 1981-1984	53	55
Rufus French, 1996-1998	49	84

--RECEIVING YARDS--

Player,Years	Soph. Year	Junior Year
Chris Collins, 2000-present	860	??
Willie Green, 1986-1989*	810	1,458
Grant Heard, 1996-2000	804	1,363
James Harbour, 1981-1984	759	781
Cory Peterson, 1999-1999	631	1,232
Ta'Boris Fisher, 1993-1996	601	1,094

* - denotes Ole Miss career record holder.

HANDS OFF!: Since the start of the 1999 season, Ole Miss has allowed the fewest sacks in the SEC with 33, 17 less than the next team, Georgia and Arkansas with 50. The Rebels have led the SEC in the fewest sacks allowed the last two seasons, yielding seven in 2000 and 10 in 2001. Ole Miss has not allowed a sack in two games this season against UL-Monroe and Memphis. The following chart shows the top five teams for the fewest sacks allowed in the SEC since 1999 (will be updated on Monday):

	Team	1999	2000	2001	Total
1.	*Ole Miss*	16	7	10	0	33
2.	Georgia	21	12	15	2	50
	Arkansas	14	17	19	0	50
4.	Florida	18	26	13	3	60
	LSU	25	12	19	4	60

DEFENSIVE NOTES
* Senior LB Eddie Strong (Batesville, Miss.) has missed the first two games of the season due to an ankle injury suffered during a preseason scrimmage ... Strong led the Rebels in tackles last season with 105, becoming the first Ole Miss player since current Green Bay Packer linebacker Nate Wayne to record over 100 stops in a season.
* Strong's 243 career tackles ranked third among active SEC players, and his eight career sacks was fourth among active players entering the 2002 season (updated on Tuesday's).
* Ole Miss limited Memphis to 18 yards rushing on 20 carries, the fewest rushing yards allowed by the Rebels since holding LSU to 15 yards on 25 carries during a 42-23 win in Baton Rouge on Oct. 30, 1999 ... It was also the first time in 21 games, since holding Kentucky to 39 yards rushing on Sept. 30, 2000, that Ole Miss has allowed fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
* Ole Miss is tied for second in the SEC and tied for 14th nationally in rushing defense, allowing an average of 68.0 yards per game.
* The Rebels are second in the SEC and 14th nationally in scoring defense, allowing an average of 9.50 points per game.
* Ole Miss held both UL-Monroe and Memphis to under 20 points. Last season, opponents scored 20 or more points on the Rebels in 8-of-11 games.
* The five sacks by Ole Miss against Memphis was the most by the Rebels since being credited with seven during a 45-30 Egg Bowl win over Mississippi State on Nov. 23, 2000 in Oxford.
* The defense has recorded at least one QB sack in 22 of Ole Miss' last 23 games dating back to Sept. 16, 2000 at Vanderbilt.
* Ole Miss has been credited with 17 TFLs in the first two games, including seven sacks.
* The Rebels have held their opponents to 23.3 percent (7x30) on third-down conversions, ranking third in the SEC.
* Ole Miss ranked second in the SEC last season in pass defense efficiency with a rating of 109.3. The Rebels also allowed the lowest percentage of passes completed in the conference, holding the opposition to a 49.5 completion percentage (136x275) ... Ole Miss has held the opposition to a 47.5 (29x61) completion percentage during the first two games, and has intercepted three passes.

GOETHIE TO WEAR 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, will wear the late Mullins' No. 38 this season. He was No. 2 last season. Goethie played in all 11 games last season, including making 10 starts at middle linebacker, and finished fourth on the team in tackles with 85 (43 solo).

SPECIALTY NOTES:
* Senior Jason Armstead's (Moss Point, Miss.) 62-yard punt return for a TD against Memphis was the first by an Ole Miss player since Deuce McAllister returned a punt 87 yards for a score against Auburn on Sept. 9, 2000.
* With Armstead's 62-yard punt return for a score versus Memphis, the Rebels have returned at least one kick for a score in each of the last four seasons. Deuce McAllister 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, Robert Williams returned a kickoff 97 yards for a score against the Razorbacks in 2000, and Armstead returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score last season versus Murray State.
* Sophomore Cody Ridgeway (Jackson, Tenn.) leads the SEC in punting, averaging 48.8 yards per kick.
* Senior Robert Williams (Gadsden, Ala.) is 14th in the nation in kickoff returns at 28.0 yards per return, and senior Jason Armstead (Moss Point, Miss.) is fourth in the SEC and 21st nationally in punt returns at 16.2 yards per return ... Armstead ranked second in the SEC and ninth nationally in kickoff returns last season, averaging 27.6 yards per return.
* Redshirt freshman Mike Espy (Madison, Miss.) is eighth in the SEC in punt returns at 11.5 yards and Ole Miss, as a team, ranks third in the SEC at 15.5 yards per return.
* Sophomore Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) ranks third in the SEC in scoring for a kicker, averaging 7.5 points per game.
* Nichols made a career-long 47-yard field goal on his first attempt of the season during the third quarter of the season opener against UL-Monroe ... Last season, Ole Miss did not attempt its first field goal until the fourth game of the season against Arkansas State.
* Ole Miss is third in the SEC in kickoff coverage, allowing an average of 15.6 yards per return.
* The Rebels averaged 24.4 yards per kickoff return as a unit last season to establish a new school record.

ARMSTEAD BREAKS 55-YEAR OLD RECORD; TIES ANOTHER AGAINST MEMPHIS: Senior Jason Armstead's (Moss Point, Miss. ) 157 punt return yards against Memphis broke Will Glover's Ole Miss single-game mark of 151 set against Chattanooga on Nov. 15, 1947. Armstead also tied the school single-game record with eight returns against the Tigers, which was previously set by Doug Cunningham against Southern Miss on Oct. 16, 1966. The eight returns is also tied as the fifth-highest single-game total in SEC history and the 157 return yards is tied for sixth.

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.

MISSISSIPPI RED RAIDERS: Texas Tech does not have a player on its roster that calls Mississippi their home state, but does have two players that played in the JUCO ranks in Mississippi. Senior DL Rodney McKinney played at Mississippi Delta Community College and senior WR Anton Paige played at Northwest Mississippi Community College.

TEXAS REBELS: Ole Miss has three players on its roster that are from the Lone Star State, including one from Lubbock: junior DE Billy Armstrong (Galveston, Texas); junior DB Doug Reeves (Lubbock, Texas) and redshirt freshman DL John Pratt (Parker, Texas).

2002 OLE MISS PRESEASON HONORS
JASON ARMSTEAD, SR., WR/KR
* Preseason All-SEC kick returner by The Sporting News
* Second team preseason All-SEC kick returner by Athlon and The Southeastern Post
* Listed as the SEC's "Best Kick Returner" by The Birmingham News

DOUG BUCKLES, SOPH., OL
* First team preseason All-SEC by Street & Smith's
* Jeff Hamm Memorial Award winner as Ole Miss' most improved player on offense during spring practice.

BEN CLAXTON, SR., OL
* Named one of four permanent team captains for 2002
* Named to Lombardi Award watch list for the nation's top lineman or linebacker
* Named to the Rimington Trophy watch list for the nation's top center
* Named to the FWAA All-America watch list
* First team preseason All-SEC by Athlon, The Sporting News, Street & Smith's, The Southeastern Post, Lindy's and at SEC Media Days
* Second team preseason All-SEC by The Birmingham News
* Second team preseason All-America Lindy's
* Third team preseason All-America by Street & Smith's

CHRIS COLLINS, JR., WR
* Named to the FWAA All-America watch list

LANIER GOETHIE, SR., LB
* Named one of four permanent team captains for 2002
* 2002 Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner

RONALD McCLENDON, JR., RB
* The Sporting News preseason SEC Offensive Newcomer of the Year

ELI MANNING, JR., QB
* Named to the Davey O'Brien Award watch list for the nation's top quarterback
* Named to the FWAA All-America watch list
* Named to the Playboy All-America team
* Football Action second team preseason All-America
* Second team preseason All-SEC by The Birmingham News, The Sporting News, The Southeastern Post and at SEC Media Days
* Named "Best Leader" in the SEC by The Birmingham News

EDDIE STRONG, SR., LB
* Named one of four permanent team captains for 2002
* Named to the FWAA All-America watch list
* Named third team preseason All-America by Athlon
* First team preseason All-SEC by Athlon, The Southeastern Post and Street & Smith's
* Named second team preseason All-SEC at SEC Media Days

DOUG ZEIGLER, SR., TE
* Named one of four permanent team captains for 2002
* Named to Lombardi Award watch list for the nation's top lineman or linebacker
* Named to the FWAA All-America watch list
* Second team preseason All-America by The Sporting News
* Third team preseason All-America by Athlon
* Named first team preseason All-SEC by Athlon, The Birmingham News, The Southeastern Post, and The Sporting News
* Earned second team preseason All-SEC honors from Lindy's and at SEC Media Days

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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