Ole Miss Football Game Notes

Aug. 31, 2003

Live Game Audio (Saturday 10 a.m., air time)
Listen To Reb Talk With Coach Cutcliffe (Thursday 6-7 p.m.)
Game Preview
September 1 Press Conference Transcript
Ole Miss Game Notes in PDF Format
Eli Manning Web Site
2003 Season Statistics
Memphis Game Notes in PDF Format
SEC Release (Week 2) in PDF Format

DATE: Saturday, September 6, 2003

TIME: 11:00 a.m.

SITE: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (62,380); Memphis, Tenn.

TV: ESPN2 (Pam Ward, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, color analyst).

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 Memphis were ranked in last week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 or in the preseason Associated Press Top 25. The Rebels did receive 22 votes in last week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25, and 20 votes in the preseason AP poll.

SERIES INFO: Saturday's meeting will be the 53rd all-time between the two Mid-South rivals. Ole Miss holds a 42-8-2 lead in the series. The Rebels have won four straight and nine of the last 11 meetings against the Tigers. Last year's 38-16 Ole Miss win was the first meeting between the two schools since the Rebels defeated the Tigers 3-0 at the Liberty Bowl in 1999. The 1999 meeting was also head coach David Cutcliffe's first regular season game at Ole Miss. Ole Miss is 22-6-2 all-time against the Tigers in Memphis.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Senior QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) will have a shot to add three more career records to his list Saturday against Memphis. He enters the game with the Tigers with 55 career TDs responsible for, one shy of the mark held by his father, Archie Manning (1968-1970) with 56. He is 29 yards of total offense shy of tying John Fourcade (1978-1981) for first place on the Ole Miss career list with 6,713 and is 26 passing attempts shy of Kent Austin's (1981-1985) school career record of 981. Manning already owns 27 Ole Miss single-game, season career records.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH David Cutcliffe: David Cutcliffe (Alabama, 1976) is entering his fifth season as the Rebels' head coach. He is 31-19 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 2-0 against Memphis and 1-0 versus Tiger head coach Tommy West.

MEMPHIS HEAD COACH TOMMY WEST: Tommy West (Tennessee, 1976) is in his third season as the Tigers' head coach. He has a 9-15 record at Memphis and has career ledger of 44-50 in his ninth season as a collegiate head coach. West served as the head coach at Chattanooga for one season, guiding the Mocs to a 4-7 record before being named the head coach at Clemson prior to the 1993 Peach Bowl. He would lead the Tigers for five seasons, compiling a 31-28 record. Prior to becoming the head coach at Memphis, he was the school's defensive coordinator in 2000 under former head coach Rip Scherer. West received his first coaching assignment at Ole Miss in 1979, working with the running backs on former Rebel coach Steve Sloan's staff. West is 0-1 against the Rebels and Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe.

MEMPHIS SCOUTING REPORT: Memphis opened its season with a 40-10 win over NCAA Division I-AA foe Tennessee Tech at the Liberty Bowl. The Tigers rolled up 567 yards of total offense, with junior QB Danny Wimprine passing for 266 yards. Wimprine completed 15-of-21 passes and tossed two TDs. Junior TB DeAngelo Williams, a preseason Doak Walker Award candidate, had 196 all-purpose yards in the win against Tennessee Tech. He gained 61 yards on 14 carries with a score, and also caught four passes for 135 yards and two TDs. Defensively, Senior OLB Coot Terry led the way with seven tackles. Senior DE Treveco Lucas and junior NT Albert Means both had sacks in the game. Memphis allowed 321 yards of total offense, including 138 on the ground in 25 attempts.

2003 MEMPHIS SCHEDULE/RESULTS
(1-0 OVERALL, 0-0 C-USA)

AUG. 30	TENNESSEE TECH	W, 40-10
SEPT. 6	OLE MISS	11 A.M.
Sept. 13	at Southern Miss*	1:30 p.m.
SEPT. 27	ARKANSAS STATE	1 P.M.
OCT. 4	UAB*	1 P.M.
Oct. 11	at Mississippi State	1:30 p.m.
Oct. 18	at Houston*	7 p.m.
Oct. 25	at Tulane*	TBA
NOV. 1	EAST CAROLINA*	1 P.M.
Nov. 15	at Louisville*	2 p.m.
NOV. 22	CINCINNATI*	1 P.M.
NOV. 29	SOUTH FLORIDA*	1 P.M.

* - Conference USA game.
HOME GAMES IN CAPS
All Times Central

NOTING ELI:

Was 22-of-33 for 275 yards and a TD in the season-opening 24-21 win at Vanderbilt
Broke Kent Austin's Ole Miss career record for completions of 566 when he connected with Mike Espy for an 8-yard reception in the third quarter
His 23-yard TD pass to Espy in the fourth quarter moved him to within one TD responsible for of the school career record, held by his father, Archie Manning (1968-1970) with 56
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)
Ranked second in the SEC in passing yards per game (275.0), completion percentage (66.7), and total offense per game (272.0), and was third in passing efficiency (146.7) through last Saturday's games.
Named to the Southeastern Conference Good Works Team

REBEL RAMBLINGS:

The Rebels are aiming for the 575th win in the program's history ... Ole Miss enters Saturday's game at Memphis with an all-time record of 574-425-35 (.572 winning pct.) ... With a win, Ole Miss would become the 30th program in NCAA Division I-A history to win 575 games.
Ole Miss entered the 2003 season with a string of six straight seven-wins seasons, the Rebels' longest such streak since posting 12 consecutive seven-win campaigns from 1952-1963.
The Rebels return 50 letterwinners, including 18 starters, from last year's team.
Last Saturday's win improved the Rebels to 5-0 all-time in the month of August.
Ole Miss was the least penalized team in the SEC in 2002, averaging 5.6 infractions per game (73 penalties in 13 games). The Rebels were also tied with Vanderbilt for the fewest penalty yards per game in the SEC at 47.7 yards per game. Ole Miss also averaged the fewest penalty yards per game in the SEC in 2001 at 42.3 yards per game ... Ole Miss was penalized twice for 15 yards last weekend at Vanderbilt, which were both the lowest totals in the SEC through last Saturday's games.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

Nine different players caught at least one pass in last Saturday's 24-21 win at Vanderbilt, including a game-high six by senior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.).
Collins' six receptions extended his streak to 23 straight games with at least one reception. It is the second longest known streak in school history behind Willie Green's (1986-1989) 37-game streak.
Junior WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) saw action in last weekend's game at Vanderbilt but did not catch a pass to halt his streak at 19 straight games with at least one catch.
With his six receptions, Collins moved past Green and into a fourth-place tie with Floyd Franks (1968-1970) on the school's career receptions list with 127 ... Collins recorded the 125th reception of his career on a 42-yard pass from senior QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) in the fourth quarter.
Collins also passed Michael Harmon (1979-1982) and Franks and into fifth place on the Ole Miss career list for receiving yards with 1,763, after recording 91 yards against Vanderbilt.
After last Saturday's games, Collins was tied for second in the SEC in receptions per game (6.0) and ranked fifth in receiving yards per game (91.0).
With 351 points scored last season, Ole Miss has scored at least 300 points in three consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.
Ole Miss returns 13 players that recorded at least one reception last season, including Manning, who caught his own deflected pass against Mississippi State on Nov. 28, and senior OL Justin Sawyer (Centreville, Miss.), who saw time at tight end last season ... The Rebels also return seven players that caught 10 or more passes last year.
Ole Miss totaled 273 first downs last season to break the school record of 268 set in 2001 ... The Rebels tallied 167 first downs via the air to also set a school season record.
The Rebel offense also set season standards for total plays (899) and total yards (4,663) last fall.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

Ole Miss held Vanderbilt to 101 yards rushing on 38 carries in last Saturday's win. The Commodores netted 79 yards on 15 carries in the first quarter before the Rebel defense held Vanderbilt to 22 yards on 23 carries the rest of the afternoon.
Vanderbilt's average of 2.7 yards per rush was the lowest allowed by the Ole Miss defense since allowing an average of 1.63 yards (39 yards on 24 carries) in a 35-17 win over Kentucky on Sept. 30, 2000.
Dating back to last season, the Ole Miss has not allowed a rushing touchdown in 19 quarters. The last time the Rebels surrendered a TD on the ground was last November 9 in the first quarter against Georgia when the Bulldogs' J.T. Wall scored on a one-yard plunge.
Senior DE Charlie Anderson (Jackson, Miss.) and senior DT Jesse Mitchell (Moss Point, Miss.) combined on one sack against Vanderbilt to give Rebels a sack in 17 straight games and in 34 of their last 35 games.
With senior LB L.P. Spence's (Corinth, Miss.) interception in the second quarter, the Rebels have picked off at least one pass in five straight games dating back to last season.
Sophomore DB Kelvin Robinson ranked second in the SEC in tackles with nine (five solo), through last Saturday's games.
Senior DE Josh Cooper (Marietta, Ga.) had two TFLs against Vanderbilt is tied for first in the SEC.
Freshman DB Charles Clark (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) is tied for first in the SEC in passes defensed with two through last Saturday's games.
The Rebels entered the 2003 season 18-1 under head coach David Cutcliffe when allowing less than 20 points in a game ... The only time Ole Miss has lost a game during the Cutcliffe era when allowing less than 20 points was last Nov. 23 to LSU 14-13 in Baton Rouge.
The Rebels return 24 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last year's defensive unit ... The 24 returning letterwinners had combined to start 138 games during their career entering 2003.
Junior FS Eric Oliver's (Jasper, Ala.) 129 tackles last season was the most by a Rebel since Abdul Jackson (1991-1994) recorded 139 in 1994.
Senior DB Von Hutchins (Natchez, Miss.) ranked second in the SEC in interceptions last season with six.

SPECIALTY NOTES

The Rebels have not had a punt blocked in 45 straight games since the Sept. 25, 1999, game at Auburn.
Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) scored 10 points (3 FG, 1 PAT) against Vanderbilt to move past Les Binkley (1999-2000) and into sixth place on the Ole Miss career list for points by a kicker with 151 ... The 151 points is also tied with FB Paige Cothren (1954-1956) for ninth on the school's all-time overall scoring list.
Nichols converted his only PAT attempt against the Commodores to extend his streak to 50 straight PATs without a miss, the third longest streak in school history and nine shy of the school record held by Steve Lavinghouze (1973-1975) at 59... Nichols' 40 PATs made last season was the most made in a season without a miss in school history.
Nichols' 85 points last season was an Ole Miss season record for points by a kicker, breaking the previous mark of 78 set by Les Binkley (1999-2000) in 1999.
Ole Miss entered 2003 having 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, Robert Williams (1999-2002) returned a kickoff 97 yards for a score against the Razorbacks in 2000, and Jason Armstead (2001-2002) returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score in the 2001 season opener versus Murray State and had a 62-yard punt return for a TD last season versus Memphis on Sept. 7.

NICHOLS RECORDS A FIRST AGAINST THE COMMODORES: Senior PK and Lou Groza Award candidate Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) became the first kicker in school history to make two field goals of over 50 yards in the same game against Vanderbilt last Saturday. Nichols made a 51-yarder on his first attempt in the second quarter to break his career long of 50 set last season against Arkansas State. He then bettered that with a 54-yard effort with to break a 21-21 tie with 3:52 remaining in the game and lift the Rebels to a 24-21 win. The 54-yarder is tied for the fourth longest in Ole Miss history.

Dating back to last season, Nichols has made his last eight kicks of over 40 yards, and for his career he is 8-for-9 (.889) on field goal attempts of over 40 yards. His only miss was on a 46-yarder on his first career field goal attempt at Arkansas State on Oct. 6, 2001.

SEASON REVIEW NOTES
GAME #1 - OLE MISS 24, VANDERBILT 21

Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) made a 54-yard FG with 3:52 left in the game to break a 21-21 tie and lift the Rebels to a 24-21 season-opening win over the Commodores ... Nichols made a 51-yard FG in the second quarter to give the Rebels a 3-0 lead as he became the first kicker in school history to make two field goals of over 50 yards in the same game.
Ole Miss scored the game's final 10 points to rally from a 21-14 deficit in the fourth quarter.
Senior QB Eli Mannig (New Orleans) finished the afternoon 22-of-33 passing for 275 yards and a TD to break Kent Austin's (1981-1985) school career completion record of 566 ... Manning connected with sophomore WR Mike Espy (Madison, Miss.) on a 23-yard scoring strike with 9:24 left in the game to tie the game at 21-21.
Ole Miss held Vanderbilt to 22 yards rushing on 23 carries after the first quarter.

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