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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Holds First Workout In Dallas Saturday
12/27/2003 | Football
Dec. 27, 2003
Ole Miss Media Day Quotes | Oklahoma State Media Day Quotes
Oklahoma State Practice Report
DALLAS - The No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels arrived in Dallas and held its first practice at SMU Ford Stadium in preparation for the 68th SBC Cotton Bowl Classic. The Rebels, who face No. 21 Oklahoma State on Friday, Jan. 2, practiced for two hours in helmets and shorts under warm, misty conditions. It was Ole Miss' first workout since Monday, Dec. 22, as the squad was off for three days for the Christmas break and reconvened yesterday afternoon in Dallas.
Ole Miss' head coach David Cutcliffe was pleased with what he saw from his squad in their first practice since the holiday break.
"I thought we had good work today," Cutcliffe said about the practice. "I thought we threw and caught the ball extremely well. We were throwing and catching it well when we broke (for Christmas) but I wondered myself what it would be like today. I thought we were sharp from that standpoint. I thought we looked fast and rested. You could tell they had a few days off the field. Tomorrow and Monday will be our biggest days of practice and hopefully we'll be ready."
This will be the Rebel's first traditional New Year's Day bowl since the 1970 Sugar Bowl when Archie Manning, father of current Rebel quarterback Eli Manning, guided Ole Miss to a 27-22 win over Arkansas. This will be Ole Miss' third appearance in the SBC Cotton Bowl Classic, having beaten TCU 14-13 in the 1956 Classic and falling to Texas 12-7 in the 1962 Classic.
"I think the indication of the ticket sales quickly tells you how big this is for the Ole Miss family," Cutcliffe said about the Rebels' return to Dallas. "We've talked about it a lot about what this means for our program. It raises the bar to a level you want to compete at year-in and year-out, to have a chance to be in a bowl game with the kind of tradition and magnitude of the Cotton Bowl. It's great for recruiting. It raises the level of your program to where you expect it to be, and we're trying to take advantage of that opportunity."
Oklahoma State presents many challenges for Cutcliffe's squad, but his squad will be ready.
"In all three phases of the game they are an outstanding football team - offensively, defensively and special teams," Cutcliffe said about his opponent. "As I look at this team, you don't see any glaring weaknesses. They are a balanced, solid football team. That's why they had the type of year they had. But that's the type of team you expect to play when you get into a Cotton Bowl. It will be a challenge, but we're looking forward to the challenge."
The only Rebel who did not make it to Dallas as scheduled was senior offensive lineman Stacy Andrews, who had travel difficulties but was expected to arrive later today.