The University of Mississippi Athletics

Ole Miss Football Game Notes

10/19/2003 | Football

Oct. 19, 2003

DATE: Saturday, October 25, 2003

TIME: 6:15 p.m.

SITE: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field (60,580); Oxford, Miss.

TV: ESPN2 (Dave Barnett, play-by-play; Bill Curry, color analyst; Heather Cox, sideline reporter).

RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play; Harry Harrison, color analyst; Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter; Gary Darby, pregame host). Live audio will also be available on the official Ole Miss athletic website, www.OleMissSports.com.

POLLS: Arkansas is No. 20 in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 and No. 21 in The Associated Press Top 25. Ole Miss received 30 votes in this week's AP Top 25 and 21 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25.

SERIES INFO: Saturday's game will the 50th all-time between Ole Miss and Arkansas dating back to 1908. Ole Miss records show the Rebels trailing the series 23-25-1, while Arkansas' records indicate a 26-22-1 advantage for the Razorbacks. Arkansas claims a forfeit victory in a 1914 game that Ole Miss won 13-7. The two teams met almost yearly from 1937-1969 before the series took a hiatus until 1981. The two schools have played yearly since then, and Ole Miss is 8-13-1 against Arkansas since the series resumed. Arkansas has won six of the 11 games since joining the SEC in 1992. Ole Miss is 4-1 versus Arkansas in Oxford. The Razorbacks recorded their first win at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in 2001, prevailing 58-56 in the seven-overtime classic. Arkansas won last year's game 48-28 in Fayetteville.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Off to its first 3-0 SEC start since 1970, Ole Miss is aiming for its first 4-0 start since Archie Manning quarterbacked that 1970 squad in his senior year ... Senior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) needs 26 receiving yards to break the Ole Miss career record of 2,274 set by Willie Green (1986-1989) ... A win Saturday would give the Rebels' their first four-game winning streak since winning five in a row during the 2001 season.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH David Cutcliffe: David Cutcliffe (Alabama, 1976) is in his fifth season as the Rebels' head coach. He is 35-21 at Ole Miss and is the only coach in school history to lead the Rebels to at least seven wins in each of his first four seasons. Ole Miss is Cutcliffe's first career head coaching position. Cutcliffe is 2-2 versus Arkansas and Razorback head coach Houston Nutt.

ARKANSAS HEAD COACH HOUSTON NUTT: Houston Nutt is in his sixth season as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. He is 43-25 with the Razorbacks and has a career mark of 79-47 in 11 seasons a collegiate head coach. Prior to Arkansas, Nutt served four seasons as the head coach at Murray State from 1993-1996, posting a 31-16 record, and coached Boise State for one season in 1997, leading the Broncos to a 5-6 mark. Nutt is 3-2 against Ole Miss, and 2-2 versus Rebel Head Coach David Cutcliffe.

ARKANSAS SCOUTING REPORT: After starting the year 4-0, including a 38-28 upset over then fifth-ranked Texas, the Razorbacks will enter Saturday's game having dropped two straight. Arkansas lost 10-3 to Auburn on Oct. 11 and fell 33-28 to Florida last weekend, with both games in Fayetteville. Arkansas is averaging 29.8 points and 434.5 yards of total offense per game. Senior TB Cedric Cobbs leads a rushing attack that is averaing 225.0 yards per game. Cobbs has rushed for 728 yards on 118 carries with six TDs. Junior QB Matt Jones has totaled 1,206 yards of total offense. He has completed 64-of-110 passes for 894 yards with seven TDs and four interceptions, and has added 312 yards rushing on 41 attempts with three TDs. Senior SE George Wilson leads the team with 24 receptions for 418 yards and three TDs. Defensively, the Razorbacks are allowing an average of 20.3 points and 327.8 yards of offense per game. Arkansas is allowing an average of 186.2 yards per game through the air. Senior FS Tony Bua leads the team with 55 tackles (35 solo). Bua has also intercepted a team-high two passes. Senior SLB Caleb Miller has 53 hits (39 solo) and is tied for the team lead with seven TFLs (-22 yards).

2003 ARKANSAS SCHEDULE/RESULTS
(4-2 OVERALL, 1-2 SEC)

SEPT. 6TULSAW, 45-13
Sept. 13at (#5) TexasW, 38-28
SEPT. 20NORTH TEXAS (Little Rock)W, 31-7
Sept. 27at Alabama* (2 OT)W, 34-31
OCT. 11AUBURN*L, 3-10
OCT. 18FLORIDA*L, 28-33
Oct. 25at Ole Miss*6:15 p.m.
Nov. 1at Kentucky*TBA
NOV. 6SOUTH CAROLINA*6:30 P.M.
NOV. 15NEW MEXICO STATETBA
NOV. 22MISSISSIPPI STATE*TBA
Nov. 28at LSU*1:30 p.m.
* - SEC game.
HOME GAMES IN CAPS
All Times Central

NOTING ELI

Career Highlights

  • Holds 43 Ole Miss single-game, season and career records.
  • Is fourth on the SEC's all-time list for the lowest percentage of interceptions thrown (2.66).
  • 73 TDs responsible for is seventh in SEC history and his 69 TD passes is tied for seventh on the SEC's career list.
  • Is eighth in SEC history in completions (706) and is ninth in passing attempts (1,165).
  • Ranks eighth on the SEC's career list for passing yards with 8,646 and is eighth in total offense with 8,548 yards.
  • Is five offensive plays (rush or pass) shy of tying the Ole Miss career record of 1,275 set by John Fourcade (1978-1981).

2003 Season

  • Leads the SEC in passing yards per game (303.9), completions (152), TD passes (17), pass efficiency (154.2) and total offense per game (305.1) ... Ranks 11th nationally in total offense per game and 14th in pass efficiency ... Is second in the SEC with a 62.6 completion percentage.
  • Averaging 14.0 yards per completion this season, which ranks first on the Ole Miss single-season list (minimum) 150 completions).
  • With three 300-yard passing games this season, is one shy of his school season record of four set last year .... His three games of at least 300 yards of total offense this season ties the school season record held by Archie Manning (1969), Stewart Patridge (1997) and Eli last season.
  • Ranks third on the school's single-season list for 250-yard passing games (6), fifth for TD passes (17) and sixth for passing yards (2,127).
  • vs. Alabama (10/18): Completed 14-of-22 passes for 230 yards with three TDs to snap a string of seven consecutive 250-yard passing games dating back to last year's Independence Bowl ... Was 7-of-9 for 121 yards with TD passes of 23 and 55 yards to Taye Biddle in the first quarter as the Rebels built a 24-0 lead ... Recorded his 700th career completion on a four-yard pass to Bill Flowers in the second quarter ... Connected on a 41-yard TD pass to Kerry Johnson with 1:39 left in the first half to give the Rebels a 31-10 lead at the break en route to the 43-28 win.
  • vs. Arkansas State (10/11): Recorded his third 300-yard passing game of the season, completing 23-of-36 passes for 306 yards with three TDs and one interception during three quarters of action in the 55-0 win ... The 306-yard passing game was his seventh consecutive game of over 250 yards passing to break his own school record of six set during the 2001 season.
  • at Florida (10/4): Completed 17-of-29 passes for 262 yards with one INT to lead Ole Miss to a 20-17 upset of the No. 24 Gators at "The Swamp" ... Completed a 41-yard pass to Mike Espy on Ole Miss' first play from scrimmage to set-up a 33-yard FG and give Ole Miss a 3-0 lead ... Hit Bill Flowers on a season-long 59-yard pass in the third quarter to set-up a 23-yard field goal and pull the Rebels to within 17-13 ... Led the Rebels on an 8-play, 50-yard scoring drive that resulted in Vashon Pearson's one-yard TD run with 1:10 left to lift Ole Miss to the win ... Was 2-for-2 for 30 yards on the drive, hitting Chris Collins on an 18-yard pass to the Florida 16, and following a penalty, connected with Collins for 12 yards to the nine ... It was the sixth fourth-quarter win (either tied or trailing in the fourth) in his career.
  • vs. Texas Tech (9/27): Passed for a season-high 409 yards on 29-of-49 passing with three TDs and two interceptions ... The 409-yard effort was his second career 400-yard passing game and was the fourth-highest single-game total in school history ... With the 409 yards passing, passed for 1,054 yards in three games versus Memphis (9/6), Louisiana-Monroe (9/13) and the Red Raiders to break his own school record for the most passing yards in a three-game span ... Also had two yards rushing for 411 yards of total offense, the fourth-highest single-game total in school history ... The 411 yards of total offense marked his seventh career game of over 300 yards of total offense, breaking the school record of six set by his father, Archie Manning (1968-1970).
  • vs. Louisiana-Monroe (9/13): Completed 21-of-26 passes for 353 yards with three TDs in under three quarters of action ... Also rushed twice for five yards, including a three-yard TD run in the second quarter ... Was 7-of-7 for 115 yards and two TDs in the third quarter ... With 358 yards of total offense, surpassed the 7,000-yard mark for his career.
  • at Memphis (9/6): Passed for 292 yards, completing 26-of-48 attempts with four TDs and two INTs ... Became the school's all-time leader in passing attempts, TDs responsible for, and total offense ... Broke John Fourcade's (1978-1981) career mark for total offense of 6,724, on a 20-yard completion to Chris Collins in the second quarter ... The 17-yard TD pass to Taye Biddle in the second quarter was his 57th career TD responsible for to break Archie Manning's career record of 56 ... Recorded the 982nd pass attempt of his career on an 11-yard completion to Kerry Johnson in the second quarter, surpassing Kent Austin's (1981-1985) career record of 981 ... Eclipsed the 7,000-yard mark in career passing yards on a 40-yard TD pass to Bill Flowers in the third quarter ... Threw his first interception of the year in the fourth quarter, snapping a streak of 133 straight attempts without a pick, which was the fourth longest streak in Ole Miss history
  • at Vanderbilt (8/30): Was 22-of-33 for 275 yards and a TD in the season-opening 24-21 win ... Broke Kent Austin's Ole Miss career record for completions of 566 when he connected with Mike Espy for an eight-yard reception in the third quarter ... Led the Rebels back from a 21-14 deficit in the fourth quarter to record his fifth career fourth-quarter win (either tied or trailing in the fourth) ... Named College Sports Report SEC Performer of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week by the Quarterback Club
  • Named to the Southeastern Conference Good Works Team

REBEL RAMBLINGS:

  • Last Saturday's 43-28 win over Alabama gave Ole Miss its first 3-0 start in the SEC since Archie Manning's senior season at quarterback in 1970. The Rebels are now aiming for their first 4-0 start in league play since 1970 this Saturday versus Arkansas.
  • Ole Miss' current three-game win streak is its longest since winning five consecutive during the 2001 season. That streak was halted by Arkansas in the 58-56 seven-overtime game played in Oxford.
  • The Rebels have now won two straight versus SEC West opponents since breaking a six-game skid against SEC West-foes with last year's 24-12 win over Mississippi State in the regular-season finale.
  • Ole Miss outscoring the opposition 94-26 in the third quarter this season.
  • The Rebels are 3-1 at home this season on their new AstroPlay surface. This is the second time Vaught-Hemingway Stadium has had an artificial surface. The stadium had an astroturf surface from 1970-1983 and Ole Miss compiled a 23-11 (.676 winning pct.) record at home. All-time, the Rebels are 26-12 (.684 winning pct.) in Oxford on artificial turf.

CUTCLIFFE AMONG REBEL COACHING ELITE: In his first four full seasons at Ole Miss, head coach David Cutcliffe is the only coach in school history to guide the Rebels to at least seven wins every season. During that time, Ole Miss has appeared in three bowl games - 1999 Independence, 2000 Music City and 2002 Independence. Through 56 games (including his coaching debut in the 1998 Independence Bowl), Cutcliffe is one victory off the pace set by the legendary John Vaught, who coached the Rebels from 1947-1970 and for part of the 1973 season. Vaught had a 36-16-4 (.679 winning pct.), while Cutcliffe will bring a 35-21 (.625 winning pct.) into Saturday's game with Arkansas. The following chart shows the win total of the five Ole Miss coaches who have led the Rebels in at least 56 games:

Coach, Years                     W-L-T     Pct.John Vaught, 1947-1970; 1973   36-16-4    .679David Cutcliffe, 1998-present    35-21    .625Harry J. Mehre, 1938-1945      34-21-1    .616Ed Walker, 1930-1937           25-26-5    .491Billy Brewer, 1983-1993        25-28-3    .473

PITTMAN LOST FOR SEASON: Ole Miss lost redshirt freshman RB Jamal Pittman (Columbia, Miss.) for the season after he sustained significant tear to the ACL and a moderate sprain of the MCL in his left knee during the fourth quarter of the Oct. 11 game with Arkansas State. He suffered the injury at the end of a 15-yard run. Pittman rushed for 214 yards on 42 carries with one TD in five games.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

  • Ole Miss has scored on its opening possession in five straight games and in 5-of-7 games this season. The Rebels took the opening kickoff and went 32 yards in nine plays to set-up a 51-yard field goal by junior Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) in last weekend's 43-28 win over Alabama.
  • Senior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) caught four passes against Alabama to extend his streak to 29 straight games with at least one reception, the second-longest known streak in school history behind Willie Green's (1986-1989) 37-game streak.
  • Collins' four receptions against Alabama gives him 42 on the season to make him the third player in school history to have three straight seasons with at least 40 receptions. The others were Ta'Boris Fisher from 1994-1996 and Cory Peterson (1997-1999).
  • Ole Miss' 216 yards rushing against Alabama last Saturday was the third time this season the Rebels have gone over 200 yards rushing in a game. Prior to this season, Ole Miss had not topped 200 yards on the ground in a game since the 2001 season versus Kentucky.
  • Ole Miss' 1,236 rushing yards through seven games this season already surpasses last year's total of 1,236 yards in 13 games ... Senior RB Tremaine Turner's (Springfield, Tenn.) total of 359 yards is 19 shy of the 378 yards last season by Ronald McClendon (Ponchatoula, La.) that led the team.
  • Ole Miss has scored on 51.1-percent (47-of-92) of its offensive series this season, ranking first in the SEC.
  • Ole Miss did not commit a turnover in last weekend's game versus Alabama to mark the Rebels' first turnover-free game since last year's Independence Bowl win over Nebraska.

REBEL OFFENSE ON PACE TO SET NEW SCHOOL SCORING MARKS: Through seven games this season, the Ole Miss offense is averaging 40.0 points per game, having totaled 280 points. With 20 points against Arkansas, the 2003 squad will become the eighth unit in school history to score 300 points in a season and tie the 2001 team as the fastest to reach 300 points. The 2001 offense also reached the 300 mark in the eighth game of the season en route to scoring a school-record 391 points on the season. At the current pace, the Ole Miss offense is on pace to score a school record 480 points in 12 regular-season games, which would also rank fifth in SEC history.

REBELS TOP 40-POINT MARK AGAIN TO TIE SCHOOL RECORD FOR 40-POINT GAMES: Ole Miss' 43-28 win over Alabama last weekend marked the fourth time this season the Rebels have scored over 40 points in a game, tying the school record for 40-point games in a season. The 1959, 1961, 1971 and 2001 teams also scored 40 or more points in four games. This season, Ole Miss has broken the 40-point mark in games versus Louisiana-Monroe (W, 59-14), Texas Tech (L, 45-49), Arkansas State (W, 55-0) and Alabama (W, 43-28).

REBEL OFFENSE RANKS AMONG SEC, NATION'S BEST: Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks in the top 10 nationally in passing, scoring and total offense. The Rebels are averaging 497.3 yards per game, ranking fourth nationally. Ole Miss' 320.7 yards passing and 40.0 points per game are both eighth in the nation.

COLLINS SET TO BECOME OLE MISS CAREER LEADER IN RECEIVING YARDS: Senior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) will enter Saturday evening's game with Arkansas needing 26 receiving yards to break the Ole Miss career record of 2,274 set by Willie Green (1986-1989). Collins currently ranks second on the Ole Miss career list with 2,249 yards. Collins is the fourth player in school history to record 2,000 yards receiving in a career. In addition to Collins and Green, Grant Heard (1996-2000) with 2,029 and J.R. Ambrose (1984-1987) with 2,012 also gained 2,000 yards receiving in a career for the Rebels.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

  • Senior DT Jesse Mitchell (Moss Point, Miss.) did not start last Saturday's game with Alabama but did see action after undergoing a meniscetomy of the lateral meniscus in his left knee on Oct. 13. He was credited with one solo tackle in the 43-28 win over the Crimson Tide.
  • The defense has not allowed the opposition to score on 6-of-7 opening possessions this season. Memphis was the only team to score on its first offensive series against the Rebel defense when the Tigers took advantage of a recovered fumble to go 26 yards in three plays for a touchdown.
  • Ole Miss tied a season-high with three QB sacks against Alabama to extend its streak to 23 straight game with at least one sack. The Rebels have also registered at least one sack in 40 of the last 41 contests.
  • Senior DB Von Hutchins (Natchez, Miss.) intercepted his 10th career pass in last weekend's game versus Alabama to move into a tie for seventh place on the Ole Miss career list.
  • Ole Miss intercepted two passes last weekend to give the Rebels an interception in five straight games and in 6-of-7 games this season. The only game the Rebels did not record an interception was in the Sept. 6 game at Memphis.
  • Alabama's Shaud Williams' three-yard TD run with 10:52 left in the second quarter marked the first points allowed by the Rebels in 110:53, dating back seven quarters to the second quarter of the Oct. 4 game at Florida.
  • Ole Miss' 2.8 yards allowed per rush ranks third in the SEC. The Rebels are also third in the SEC and 14th nationally against the run, allowing an average of 87.3 yards per game.
  • Ole Miss has allowed 663 yards passing in the last three games - an average of 221.0 yards per game - since giving up the 661 yards through the air to Texas Tech on Sept. 27.

SPECIALTY NOTES

  • The blocked punt by Alabama in the third quarter marked the first time in 51 games that Ole Miss has had a punt blocked. Prior to last weekend, the time the Rebels had a punt blocked was on Sept. 25, 1999 at Auburn.
  • Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) hit a 51-yard field goal in the first quarter against Alabama to give him three field goals of over 50 yards this season. He is the first kicker in school history to make at least three field goals of over 50 yards in the same season.
  • The 51-yard field goal was also Nichols' fourth career field goal of over 50 yards to set a new Ole Miss career record. Cloyce Hinton (1969-1971) and Brian Lee (1989-1992) were tied with the previous mark of three.
  • Nichols made two field goals against Alabama to give him 36 for his career and moving him to within five of the Ole Miss career record of 41 set by Brian Lee (1989-1992).

NICHOLS NOW AIMS FOR OVERALL CAREER SCORING MARK: With 11 points against Alabama last weekend, junior PK Jonathan Nichols closed to within 21 points of the overall Ole Miss career scoring record currently held by former RB Deuce McAllister (1997-2000) with 246. Nichols is currently second on the Ole Miss career scoring list with 225 points.

SEASON SCORING MARKS ALSO IN REACH: Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) will enter Saturday's game versus Arkansas needing one point to tie his own school season record for points by a kicker, set last season with 85. Nichols has scored a team-high 84 points this season, which is 18 points shy of the overall school season scoring record of 102 set by former RB Deuce McAllister (1997-2000) in 2000.

NICHOLS CONTINUES TO LEAD SEC IN SCORING: Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) continues to lead the SEC in scoring with an average of 12.0 points per game. Georgia's Billy Bennett is second in the SEC in scoring at 9.6 points per game. Nichols is also the nation's third-leading scorer. For the season, he has scored 84 points, making 18-of-19 field goal attempts and all 30 PAT tries.

NICHOLS ALSO LEADS SEC IN FIELD GOALS: Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) also leads the SEC and ranks second nationally in field goals, averaging 2.57 field goals made per game.

NICHOLS SETS OLE MISS SEASON RECORD FOR FIELD GOALS: With a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter against Arkansas State on Oct. 11, junior PK Jonathan Nichols broke the Ole Miss single-season field goal record of 15 that he tied last season. Brian Lee (1989-1992) originally set the mark with 15 in 1992.

PAT STREAK STILL GOING: Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) made all five of his PAT tries last Saturday versus Alabama to extend his school-record streak to 79 consecutive PAT kicks made. Nichols broke the previous mark of 59, held by Steve Lavinghouze (1973-1975), in the Sept. 13 game versus UL-Monroe.

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