Ole Miss Football Game Notes

Sept. 29, 2003

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2003 Season Statistics
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Florida Game Notes in PDF Format

DATE: Saturday, October 4, 2003

TIME: 11:30 a.m.

SITE: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (88,548); Gainesville, Fla.

TV: Jefferson Pilot (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Dave Rowe, color analyst; Dave Baker, sideline reporter). The game will also be shown on a tape delayed basis on the Sunshine Network on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. CT (David Steele, play-by-play; Nat Moore, color analyst, and Steve Babik, 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: Florida is No. 24 in both this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches and Associated Press Top 25 polls. Ole Miss is unranked.

SERIES INFO: Saturday's game will be the 21st all-time between Ole Miss and Florida, with the Rebels holding a 10-9-1 advantage. The Gators have won eight of the last 11 meetings dating back to 1964, however, the two teams have split the last four. Ole Miss upset the then No. 6-ranked Gators 17-14 last year in Oxford, in what was the first meeting between the two teams since 1995. Saturday's game will be the first at "The Swamp" since 1995, when Florida won 28-10. Ole Miss is 4-3-1 all-time against Florida in Gainesville.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ole Miss is looking for its second straight 2-0 start in the SEC and its third since 1970 ... Senior QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) has thrown for 1,054 yards in the last three games, the most in a three-game span in school history ... Manning needs 168 yards passing to crack the SEC's all-time top 10 list.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH David Cutcliffe: David Cutcliffe (Alabama, 1976) is in his fifth season as the Rebels' head coach. He is 32-21 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 1-0 against Florida and Gator head coach Ron Zook.

FLORIDA HEAD COACH RON ZOOK: Ron Zook (Miami of Ohio, 1976) is in his second season as the head coach of the Gators. Zook is 11-7 at Florida and this is his first career head coaching assignment. A former Florida assistant from 1991-1995, Zook spent six seasons as an NFL assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1996-1998), Kansas City Chiefs (1999) and New Orleans Saints (2000-2001) before returning to the Gators. Zook served as defensive coordinator while with the Saints. He is 0-1 versus Ole Miss and Rebel head coach David Cutcliffe.

FLORIDA SCOUTING REPORT: Florida is 3-2 on the season and 1-1 in the SEC after scoring 21 fourth-quarter points to rally for a 24-21 win at Kentucky last weekend. The Gators averaging 39.0 points and 434.4 yards of total offense per game. Florida is averaging 270.4 yards passing per game. True freshman Chris Leak and sophomore QB Ingle Martin have split time at quarterback. Leak has passed for 627 yards on 54-of-84 passing with four TDs and four interceptions, and was 20-of-35 for 268 yards and two interceptions and two TDs versus the Wildcats. Martin did not play against Kentucky, but in four games this season is 47-of-77 pasing for 654 yards with three TDs and two interceptions. Senior WR Kelvin Kight has caught a team-high 21 passes for 278 yards and two TDs. Freshman DeShawn Wynn and senior Ran Carthon have combined to average 5.2 yards per rush, having totaled 518 yards on 99 carries with 10 TDs. Wynn has gained 289 yards on 49 carries with five TDs, and Carthon 229 yards on 50 attempts with five TDs. Defensively, the Gators are allowing an avearge of 17.8 points and 327.0 yards per game. Senior FS Daryl Dixon leads the team with 47 tackles (21 solo), including two TFLs (-5 yards) and has intercepted one pass. Senior DE Bobby McCray has recorded a team-high four sacks (-23 yards). Senior CB Johnny Lamar and senior SS Guss Scott are tied for the team lead in interceptions with two.

2003 FLORIDA SCHEDULE/RESULTS
(3-2 OVERALL, 1-1 SEC)

AUG. 30	SAN JOSE STATE	W, 65-3
Sept. 6	at Miami (Fla.)	L, 33-38
SEPT. 13	FLORIDA A&M	W, 63-3
SEPT. 20	TENNESSEE*	L, 10-24
Sept. 27	at Kentucky*	W, 24-21
*OCT. 4*	OLE MISS*	*11:30 A.M.*
Oct. 11	at LSU*	TBA
Oct. 18	at Arkansas*	TBA
Nov. 1	vs. Georgia* (J'ville, Fla.)	2:30 p.m.
NOV. 8	VANDERBILT*	TBA
Nov. 15	at South Carolina*	TBA
NOV. 29	FLORIDA STATE
2:30 P.M.

* - SEC game.
HOME GAMES IN CAPS
All Times Central

NOTING ELI
Career Highlights

Holds 38 Ole Miss single-game, season and career records.
Is tied for fourth on the SEC's all-time list for the lowest percentage of interceptions thrown (2.69).
Ranks eighth in SEC history in career TDs responsible for (66) and ninth in career TD passes (63).
Needs seven completions and 168 yards passing to enter the top 10 on SEC's career list in both categories.

2003 Season

Leads the SEC in passing yards per game (332.2), completions (98), TD passes (11), pass efficiency (152.5) and total offense per game (333.2) ... Ranks fourth nationally in total offense and is 12th in passing efficiency.
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, has thrown for 1,054 yards in the last three games to break his own school record for the most passing yards in a three-game span ... Completed a season-long 58-yard pass to Mike Espy in the fourth quarter ... 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 a season-high 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 ... Completed a season-long 49-yard pass for a TD to sophomore WR Taye Biddle in the third 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:

Ole Miss is aiming for its second straight 2-0 start in the SEC and its third since 1970. Last year's 2-0 SEC start was the Rebels' first since Archie Manning's senior year as quarterback in 1970
Last Saturday's 49-45 loss to Texas Tech dropped Ole Miss to 2-2 on the season, marking the first time since 1995 that the Rebels have not opened the year 3-1.
Ole Miss is looking to avoid its first 2-3 start since 1994.
The Rebels went 1-2 during the month of September snapping a streak of 15 consecutive seasons that Ole Miss posted at least a .500 record during the month. Ole Miss also had a streak of seven straight seasons with a winning record during September halted.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

Ole Miss has had 14 different players catch at least one pass, including five with 10 or more receptions, through the first four games of the season ... The Rebels have five players with over 150 yards receiving and three with over 200 yards.
Sophomore WR Mike Espy (Madison, Miss.) recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game last Saturday against Texas Tech, catching six passes for 157 yards, incluing one TD. Espy was also on the receiving end of the longest pass play by Ole Miss this season, catching a 58-yard pass from senior QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) to start the fourth quarter. The 157 yards receiving is the sixth-highest single-game total in school history.
Espy's 157-yard receiving game was the third 100-yard receiving game by a Rebel this season. Sophomore WR Taye Biddle (Decatur, Ala.) and senior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) both went over the 100-yard mark in receiving yards during the Sept. 13 game versus UL-Monroe.
26 of the Rebels' 83 offensive plays versus Texas Tech went for 10 or more yards.
Collins caught four passes against Texas Tech to extend his receptions streak to 26 straight games. It is the second longest known streak in school history behind Willie Green's (1986-1989) 37-game streak.
Collins is second in the SEC in receptions per game at 6.25 and ranks third in receiving yards per game at 79.2. Espy is seventh in the conference in receiving yards per game at 65.2.
Ole Miss scored on 7-of-8 trips inside the red zone (2 TDs, 5 FGs) against Texas Tech last Saturday, and have scored on 21-of-23 trips (91.3 percent) inside the red zone this season to rank second in the SEC in red zone offense.
Ole Miss has scored on 52.8 percent (28-of-53) of its offensive possessions this season.
The Rebels have converted on 16-of-27 (59.3 percent) of their third-down conversions in the last two games against UL-Monroe and Texas Tech after going a combined 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) on third downs in the season's first two games. Ole Miss was 10-of-18 on third downs versus Texas Tech.
Sophomore RB Vashon Pearson's (Ripley, Miss.) 61-yard run in the fourth quarter versus Texas Tech is the longest by a Rebel this season and the longest since Deuce McAllister's (1997-2000) 72-yard run against Mississippi State in 2000.
Junior OL Marcus Johnson (Coffeeville, Miss.) has made 28 straight starts at right guard.

OLE MISS LEADS SEC IN PASSING, SCORING AND TOTAL OFFENSE, RANKS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Ole Miss will enter Saturday's game Florida ranking first in the SEC in passing offense (340.8 ypg), scoring offense (40.5 ppg), and total offense (492.0 ypg). The Rebels also rank in the top 10 nationally in all three categories. Ole Miss is fourth nationally in total offense, seventh in passing offense and eighth in scoring offense.

REBEL OFFENSE HAS ANOTHER BIG DAY AGAINST TEXAS TECH: Ole Miss recorded 578 yards of total offense in last Saturday's game versus Texas Tech after posting the second-highest single-game output in school history with 612 yards against Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 13. The 578 yards against the Red Raiders rates eighth on the school's single-game list. Ole Miss has posted over 400 yards of total offense in the last three games versus Memphis (408), UL-Monroe and Texas Tech, totaling a combined 1,598 yards - an average of 532.7 yards per game. In the last two games versus the Indians and Red Raiders, Ole Miss has gained 1,190 yards of total offense.

COLLINS SETS CAREER RECEPTIONS MARK: Senior WR Chris Collins (Gloster, Miss.) caught a six-yard pass from senior QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) on the Rebels' third play from scrimmage against Texas Tech to become Ole Miss' all-time leader in receptions. The catch was the 143rd of Collins' career to break the previous mark of 142 set by Grant Heard (1996-2000). Collins would catch four passes against the Red Raiders to give him 146 for his career entering Saturday's game at Florida.

Collins entered the 2003 season already Ole Miss' career leader in TD receptions and 100-yard receiving games. Last season, he set new season marks for TD receptions (10) and 100-yard receiving games (4). Collins has twice during his career tied the school's single-game mark for TD receptions with three.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

Senior DE Charlie Anderson (Jackson, Miss.) had one sack against Texas Tech to give Ole Miss at least one sack in 20 straight games, and in 37 of the last 38 contests.
Sophomore SS Kelvin Robinson (Jackson, Miss.) intercepted his first career pass and returned it 80 yards for a TD in the second quarter versus Texas Tech. The 80-yard return is the seventh longest in Ole Miss history.
Ole Miss has returned an interception for a score in back-to-back games. Sophomore CB Travis Johnson (Shannon, Miss.) returned an interception 45 yards for a score in the 59-14 win over UL-Monroe on Sept. 13.
Junior FS Eric Oliver (Jasper, Ala.) was unofficially credited with 10 tackles against Texas Tech to give him three straight games with at least 10 stops (official defensive stats from the coaches' film study will be available Tuesday).
Ole Miss is second in the SEC and 10th nationally in rushing defense, allowing an average of 74.8 yards per game. The Rebels are allowing an average of 2.5 yards per rushing attempt.
Ole Miss is tied for second in the SEC in turnover margin, with a takeaway/giveaway ratio of +4.
The Rebels are 19-1 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 November 23 to LSU 14-13 in Baton Rouge.

SPECIALTY NOTES

The Rebels have not had a punt blocked in 48 straight games since the September 25, 1999, game at Auburn.
Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) has made 15 straight field goal attempts since having a 32-yard attempt blocked in the second quarter during last year's Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.
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 October 6, 2001.
Ronald McClendon (Ponchatoula, La.) returned five kickoffs for 136 yards against Texas Tech, with the 136 yards ranking as the third-highest single-game total in school history.
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 HAS RECORD DAY VERSUS RED RAIDERS: Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) set Ole Miss single-game records for points by a kicker (21), field goals made (6) and field goals attempted (6) in last Saturday's contest versus Texas Tech. The previous single-game record for points by a kicker was 16 by Brian Lee (1989-1992) against Tulane in 1991 and Walter Grant (1993-1994) versus UT-Chattanooga in 1993. Lee also held the school single-game record for field goals made with five in that 1991 contest with the Green Wave. Nichols' six field goals versus the Red Raiders also tied the SEC single-game mark set five times previously, most recently by Georgia's Billy Bennett against Georgia Tech in 2001.

NICHOLS LEADS SEC IN SCORING: Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) leads the SEC in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game. Alabama's Shaud Williams is second at 9.6 points per game. Nichols also ranks fifth nationally in scoring. For the season, he has made 16-of-16 PAT attempts and is 12-of-12 on field goal attempts for 52 points.

NICHOLS ALSO LEADS SEC, NATION IN FIELD GOALS: Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) will enter Saturday's game at Florida leading the SEC and the nation in field goals made per game at 3.0. Nichols was 6-of-6 on field goal tries in this past Saturday's game versus Texas Tech, and is 12-of-12 on the season.

PAT STREAK STILL GOING: Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) made all three of his PAT attempts versus Texas Tech to extend his school-record streak to 65 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.

NICHOLS CLOSES IN ON CAREER MARK FOR POINTS BY A KICKER: Junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) will enter Saturday's game at Florida 14 points shy of tying the Ole Miss career record for points by a kicker, held by Brian Lee (1989-1992) with 207. Nichols currently ranks third on the list with 193 career points, and is 13 shy of tying Bryan Owen (1985-1988) for second place at 206. Nichols is also fourth on the Ole Miss overall career scoring list, 53 points shy of Deuce McAllister's (1997-2000) career mark of 246 points.

-2003 SEASON REVIEW NOTES-
GAME #4 - TEXAS TECH 49, OLE MISS 45

Texas Tech scored on a nine-yard TD pass from B.J. Symons to Carlos Francis with 1:04 left to rally for a 49-45 win.
The Red Raiders scored two touchdowns in the final five minutes to rally from a 45-34 deficit.
The two teams combined for 1,291 yards of total offense, including 1,070 through the air. Texas Tech QB B.J. Symons passed for 661 yards on 44-of-64 passing with six TDs and one interception. Rebel QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) was 29-of-49 passing for 409 yards with three TDs and two interceptions.
The 94 combined points was tied for the second-highest scoring game in school history since 1933, behind only the 58-56 seven-overtime loss to Arkansas in 2001.

GAME #3 - OLE MISS 59, LOUISIANA-MONROE 14

Ole Miss won the first game on its new AstroPlay surface at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field, 59-14 over Louisiana-Monroe.
After the Indians tied the game at 7-7 with 5:30 left in the first quarter, Ole Miss scored the game's next 45 points.
The Rebels finished with 612 yards of total offense, the second highest single-game total in school history and 11 yards shy of the record of 623 set against Auburn in 1951. It also marked the first time Ole Miss has totaled over 600 yards of offense in a game since 1971 against Chattanooga (601).
Redshirt freshman RB Jamal Pittman (Columbia, Miss.) carried the ball 13 straight times on Ole Miss' final two series of the game to finish with a game-high 75 yards. Pittman capped the evening's scoring with a one-yard run with 5:01 left in the game.

GAME #2 - MEMPHIS 44, OLE MISS 34

Memphis scored the game's final 23 points to earn a 44-34 win at the Liberty Bowl on September 6.
The Tigers took the lead with 6:12 left in the game when QB Danny Wimprine connected with Tavarious Davis on a 92-yard TD reception to put Memphis up 38-34 ... Memphis would later add two Stephen Gostkowski field goals.
Memphis out-gained Ole Miss 258-76 in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss trailed 21-17 at halftime before scoring 17 unanswered points in the third quarter ... Junior RB Lorenzo Townsend (Monticello, Miss.) scored his first career TD on a five-yard pass from QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.) to give the Rebels a 24-21 lead ... On the Rebels' next possession, Manning connected with junior WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) on a 40-yard strike to make it 31-21, and junior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) extended the lead to 34-21 on a 25-yard FG with 1:30 left in the quarter.
The two teams combined for 914 yards of total offense, including 681 in the air, with Memphis holding a 506-408 advantage.
Manning completed 26-of-48 passes for 292 yards with four TDs and two interceptions en route to becoming the Ole Miss career leader for passing attempts, TDs responsible for and total offense.

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.
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.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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