Ole Miss Football Game Notes

Listen to the Ole Miss-Tennessee Game (Air Time, 7 p.m.)

Oct. 11, 2004

DATE: Saturday, October 16, 2004

TIME: 8:00 p.m.

SITE (CAPACITY/SURFACE): Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field (60,580/AstroPlay)

TV: ESPN2 (Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Bill Curry, color analyst; David Norris, color analyst; and Alex Flanagan, sideline reporter).

RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play; Harry Harrison, color analyst; Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter).

POLLS: Tennessee is ranked No. 13 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and No. 14 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25.

SERIES INFO: Saturday's game will mark the 61st meeting between the Rebels and Volunteers dating back to 1902. Tennessee holds a 41-18-1 advantage in the series and has won 10 straight in the series since a 41-17 win in 1984 and 12 of the last 13 dating back to 1981. This will be the first meeting between the two schools since a 31-17 win by Tennessee at Knoxville in 1997. The Volunteers will be making their first visit to Oxford since posting a 20-12 victory in 1988, and their third overall. Tennessee recorded a 45-21 win in its only other visit to Oxford in 1951.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Saturday's game will mark the first meeting between Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer and his former assistant current Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe ... Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) needs two points to tie former LSU RB Kevin Faulk (1995-1998) for seventh place on the SEC's career scoring list with 318 points ... Ole Miss will enter Saturday's game having won five straight versus SEC Eastern Division opponents.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH David Cutcliffe: David Cutcliffe (Alabama, 1976) is in his sixth season as the Rebels' head coach. He is 43-25 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 five seasons. Ole Miss has been Cutcliffe's only career head coaching position. This will be Cutcliffe's first-ever meeting against Tennessee and Volunteer head coach Phillip Fulmer. Prior to taking the head coaching assignment at Ole Miss, Cutcliffe spent 17 years as an assistant at Tennessee under both Johnny Majors and Fulmer.

TENNESSEE HEAD COACH PHILLIP FULMER: Phillip Fulmer is in his 13th season at the helm of the Tennessee Volunteers, recording a 117-29 record. He took over head coaching duties during the 1992 season and went 4-0, including a 38-23 win over Boston College in the 1993 Hall of Fame Bowl. The Volunteers have since made 11 straight bowl appearances under Fulmer and won the 1998 national championship with a 23-16 victory over Florida State in the 1999 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The Volunteers also won five SEC Eastern Division titles and two SEC Championships in 1997 and 1998. Fulmer is 2-0 against Ole Miss, and Saturday's game will mark his first-ever meeting against his former longtime assistant David Cutcliffe.

TENNESSEE SCOUTING REPORT: The Volunteers are 4-1 on the season and 2-1 in the SEC after defeating Georgia 19-14 last weekend in Athens. Tennessee is averaging 28.6 points and 416.2 yards of offense per game. The Volunteers are averaging 204.8 yards rushing per game, with junior RB Gerald Riggs having rushed for 403 yards on 77 carries and senior Cedric Houston having gained 393 yards on 68 attempts. Freshman QB Erik Ainge has completed 65-of-112 passes for 831 yards with 11 TDs and five INTs. Junior WR Chris Hannon and senior WR Tony Brown lead the team with 13 and 12 receptions, respectively.

Defensively, the Volunteers are allowing an average of 22.0 points and 351.0 yards per game. Junior FS Jason Allen leads the team with 46 tackles (33 solo). Junior DT Jesse Mahelona has recorded 21 stops and leads the SEC in both TFLs (8.0) and QB sacks (4.0).

On special teams, senior P Dustin Colquitt ranks second in the SEC in punting, averaging 43.3 yards on 15 attempts. Sophomore PK James Wilhoit has made 4-of-9 field goal attempts and 17-of-18 PAT tries. Senior Corey Larkins is averaging 19.2 yards per kickoff return on six attempts, and freshman Jonathan Hefney is averaging 6.4 yards on 14 punt returns.

2004 TENNESSEE SCHEDULE/RESULTS
(4-1 OVERALL, 2-1 SEC)

SEPT. 5	UNLV	W, 42-17
SEPT. 18	FLORIDA*	W, 30-28
SEPT. 25	LOUISIANA TECH	W, 42-17
OCT. 2	AUBURN*	L, 10-34
Oct. 9	at Georgia*	W, 19-14
*Oct. 16*	at Ole Miss*	*9 p.m.*
OCT. 23	ALABAMA*	TBA
Oct. 30	at South Carolina*	TBA
NOV. 6	NOTRE DAME	TBA
Nov. 20	at Vanderbilt*	TBA
NOV. 27	KENTUCKY*	TBA

* -- Southeastern Conference game
HOME GAMES IN CAPS
All times Eastern

OLE MISS HEAD COACH David Cutcliffe
Sixth year at Ole Miss
Record at Ole Miss: 43-25 (.632/6th year) Career Record: 43-25 (.632/6th year)

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 Texas Tech.
Has guided Ole Miss to a bowl game in four of his five full seasons at the helm ... Ole Miss' appearance in the 2004 SBC Cotton Bowl Classic was the Rebels' first New Year's Day bowl game since the 1991 Gator Bowl.
Is the only coach in school history to win at least seven games in each of his first five seasons, and joins legendary head coach John Vaught as the only coach in school history to record at least five straight seven-win seasons.
Led Ole Miss to its first 10-win season since 1971 in 2003,going 10-3, including a 31-28 win over Oklahoma State in the 2004 SBC Cotton Bowl Classic.
Guided Ole Miss to its first-ever share of the SEC Western Division title in 2003 -- the Rebels' first SEC title of any kind since winning the SEC Championship in 1963.
Produced four first team All-Americans: DB Ken Lucas (2000), OL Terrence Metcalf (2001), QB Eli Manning (2003) and current senior PK Jonathan Nichols (2003).
Coached 31 All-SEC performers.
Coached 12 NFL Draft picks, including first-round selections in McAllister (23rd overall, New Orleans; 2001) and Manning (1st overall, San Diego; 2004).
Saturday's game, to be televised by ESPN2, will mark Ole Miss' 45th TV appearance since Cutcliffe's first full season in 1999.

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.
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

SEC	24-19	.558
vs. SEC West	12-14	.462
vs. SEC East	12-5	.706
Non-Conference opponents	19-6	.760
Bowl Games	4-1	.800
Home	25-11	.694
Away	14-13	.519
Neutral	4-1	.800
Day Games	27-13	.675
Night Games (6 pm start or later)	16-12	.571
vs. Top 25 teams	7-9	.438
When leading at halftime	34-8	.810
Overtime games	3-1	.750

OLE MISS ANNOUNCES NEW PARKING POLICY
Parking on Highway 6 during football games is no longer allowed, but the University and City of Oxford officials have worked together to create a more efficient parking situation.

According to Oxford Police Chief Steve Bramlett, the state and the city have "total jurisdiction" over the Highway 6 bypass.

"It will be a zero tolerance ticket and tow situation," Bramlett said. "If someone decides to pull their car over and park it (along Highway 6), it won't be there when they get back."

On-campus parking is available at the following locations with shuttles provided to the stadium before and beginning 30-45 minutes after the game:

Former MDOT lot on Old Taylor Road at Highway 6
Kinard Hall off Rebel Drive
Intramural Fields near the Coy Waller Laboratory complex off Jackson Avenue
Behind Guyton Hall off Fraternity Row

In addition, the City of Oxford will provide parking at the following locations with shuttles to the stadium before and after the game:

Oxford Middle School and Central Elementary School on Washington Avenue
Oxford High School on Bramlett Boulevard
The Oxford Activity Center on Price Street
Oxford Electric Department on McElroy Drive
Oxford Park Commission Fields on McElroy Drive
Oxford Conference Center on Sisk Avenue

The City of Oxford's Double Decker bus will also shuttle fans from the Oxford Square to the intersection of Sorority Row and West Jackson Avenue.

Officials estimate this will provide up to 1,600 additional parking spaces.

REBEL GAME NOTES
REBEL NOTEBOOK:

At 3-3, Ole Miss will look to move above the .500-mark for the first time season with a win Saturday night against No. 13 (AP) Tennessee ... The Rebels have not been below .500 after seven games since 1995 when Ole Miss was 3-4 and finished the season with a 6-5 mark.
Ole Miss is 8-3 in its last 11 home games since a 24-12 win over Mississippi State in the 2002 Egg Bowl. The Rebels are 5-1 in SEC home games during that stretch.
The Rebels' 21-14 halftime lead against South Carolina last Saturday marked the first time this season that Ole Miss has held the lead at the break.
Ole Miss was penalized a season-low 30 yards in last Saturday's 31-28 win at South Carolina. The previous low was 50 against both Vanderbilt (9/18) and Arkansas State (10/2).

BOYKIN EARNS SEC DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK HONORS FOR SECOND TIME IN 2004: Junior DL McKinley Boykin (Bessemer, Ala.) was named the Southeastern Conference's Defensive Lineman of the Week for the second time this season, by the conference office on Monday. Boykin was credited with six solo stops, including 2.0 TFLs (-11 yards), and registered one of the Rebels' four sacks in the 31-28 win at No. 25 South Carolina last Saturday. He also earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors following Ole Miss' 26-23 overtime win over Vanderbilt on Sept. 18.

OLE MISS-TENNESSEE CONNECTIONS: Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe spent 17 seasons as an assistant at Tennessee under Johnny Majors and current Volunteer head coach Phillip Fulmer from 1982-1998. He served as the Volunteers offensive coordinator from 1993-1998, and was the 1998 recipient of the Broyles Award, given to the nation's top assistant coach ... Ole Miss defensive ends coach Marion Hobby played four seasons for the Volunteers from 1985-1989 and served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Tennessee in 1998 ... Quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper was a graduate assistant coach at Tennessee from 1996-1998 ... Wide Receivers coach T.D. Woods was a four-year letterman for the Volunteers from 1986-1989, earning All-SEC honors in 1988 and 1989.

Current Tennessee Assistant Athletics Director for Football Operations Gerry Dickey, served in a similar capacity at Ole Miss when Cutcliffe accepted the head coaching position at Ole Miss prior to the 1998 Independence Bowl until returning to Tennessee in August 2003.

CUTCLIFFE AMONG REBEL COACHING ELITE: Entering Saturday's game versus Tennessee, Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe trails only the legendary John Vaught (1947-1970; 1973) for the best winning percentage among Ole Miss coaches through 68 games. Vaught was 45-18-4 after 67 games for a .701 winning percentage. Cutcliffe is 43-25 for a .632 winning percentage, including his win in the 1998 Independence Bowl over Texas Tech during his Ole Miss coaching debut. Cutcliffe is also the only coach in school history to win at least seven games in each of his first five seasons with the Rebels, and joins Vaught as the only coaches to ever record five straight seven-win campaigns at any time during their tenure at the school. The following chart shows the win total of the five Ole Miss coaches who have led the Rebels in at least 68 games:

Coach, Years	W-L-T	Pct.
John Vaught, 1947-1970; 1973	46-18-4	.706
*David Cutcliffe, 1998-present*	*43-25*	*.632*
Ed Walker, 1930-1937	31-31-6	.500
Billy Brewer, 1983-1993	30-35-3	.463

OVERTIME REBELS: Ole Miss' 26-23 overtime win over Vanderbilt on September 18 marked the Rebels' first overtime contest since losing 58-56 to Arkansas in the seven-overtime classic in Oxford on Nov. 3, 2001. The Vanderbilt game was the ninth overtime game in school history, which ranks second in NCAA Division I-A for the most overtime games played. The Rebels are 6-3 in overtime games, tying Missouri and North Carolina State for the most overtime wins in NCAA Division I-A. The following charts show the most overtime wins and overtime games played by NCAA Division I-A schools:

--Overtime Wins--

School	W-L	Pct.
*Ole Miss*	*6-3*	*.667*
Missouri	6-3	.667
North Carolina State	6-4	.600
Arkansas	5-1	.833
Oklahoma State	5-3	.625
Cincinnati	5-4	.556

--Most Overtime Games Played--

School	No.	W-L
North Carolina State	10	6-4
Cincinnati	9	5-4
Missouri	9	6-3
*Ole Miss*	9	*6-3*
Oklahoma State	8	5-3
Southern California	8	3-5
Washington State	8	2-6

REBELS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:

Saturday's game versus Tennessee will mark the second ranked opponent Ole Miss has faced this season ... The Volunteers are ranked No. 13 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and No. 14 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25.
Ole Miss has won three of its last four games against top 25 teams and is 6-5 versus ranked opponents dating back to a 45-30 win over No. 25 Mississippi State in the 2000 Egg Bowl.
The Rebels are 7-9 against top 25 teams under head coach David Cutcliffe, including 4-4 at home.

REBELS VS. SEC EAST

Since the SEC started divisional play in 1992, Ole Miss is 23-15 (.605 winning pct.) versus the SEC Eastern Division.
Entering Saturday's game versus Tennessee, the Rebels have won eight of their last nine games -- including five straight -- versus the SEC East, dating back to Ole Miss' 45-38 win over Vanderbilt to end the 2001 season.
All of the Rebels' last five wins against SEC East opponents have been decided by three points.
A win Saturday over the Volunteers would mark the second straight season that Ole Miss has won all three of its games against SEC East opponents. The Rebels have defeated SEC East foes Vanderbilt (26-23, ot) and South Carolina (31-28) this season.
Last year, Ole Miss recorded its first three-game sweep of its SEC East opponents, defeating Vanderbilt (24-21), Florida (20-17) and South Carolina (43-40).
Ole Miss is 0-2 against Tennessee since the SEC began divisional play in 1992.
Ole Miss is 11-5 (.688 winning pct.) against SEC East opponents at home, and 12-10 (.545 winning pct.) against SEC East teams on the road.
The Rebels are 12-5 (.706 winning pct.) versus the East under head coach David Cutcliffe.
The following chart shows the Rebels' record versus SEC Eastern Division opponents since divisional play started in 1992:

School	W-L	Pct.	Last Game
Florida	2-2	.500	2003
Georgia	3-8	.273	2002
Kentucky	3-1	.750	2001
South Carolina	4-0	1.000	2004
*Tennessee*	*0-2*	*.000*	*1997*
Vanderbilt	11-2	.846	2004

REBELS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN SEC WEST: Ole Miss was picked to finish third in the SEC Western Division in a vote by media members attending the 2004 SEC Media Days. LSU was picked to win the West, receiving 71-of-88 possible first-place votes. The Rebels garnered two first-place votes. Georgia was tabbed to win the SEC East, garnering 78-of-88 first-place votes. The Bulldogs were also picked to win the overall SEC crown, tallying 61 first-place votes. The following chart shows the predicted order of finish in both the SEC West and East.

Western Division	Pts
1. LSU (71)	108
2. Auburn (14)	197
*3. Ole Miss (2)*	*304*
4. Alabama (1)	331
5. Arkansas	418
6. Mississippi State	490

Eastern Division	Pts
1. Georgia (78)	100
2. Florida (9)	186
3. Tennessee	278
4. South Carolina (1)	375
5. Vanderbilt	419
6. Kentucky	490

SEC Champion: Georgia (61), LSU (19), Florida (5), Auburn (1), Ole Miss (1), South Carolina (1).

REBELS ON POSTSEASON AWARDS WATCH LISTS: Ole Miss has four players on preseason watch lists for postseason awards in 2004. Junior WR Mike Espy (Madison, Miss.) is on the Maxwell Award Watch List for the college player of the year, senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) is on the Lou Groza Award Watch List for the nation's top placekicker and junior C Chris Spencer (Madison, Miss.) is on watch lists for the Lombardi Award, presented to the nation's top lineman/linebacker, and the Rimington Award for the nation's top center. Nichols won the Groza Award last season. Senior P Cody Ridgeway (Jackson, Tenn.) was named as one of 36 punters to the Ray Guy Award watch list, for the nation's top punter, on September 10.

REBELS ON TV

Saturday's game against Tennessee, to be televised by ESPN2, will mark the Rebels' third TV appearance of the season and their second on ESPN2.
ESPN2 aired the September 11 game at Alabama, and Ole Miss appeared on Jefferson-Pilot against Vanderbilt on September 18.
The Rebels are 5-12 all-time on ESPN2.
Saturday's game will mark Ole Miss' 45th TV appearance since head coach David Cutcliffe's first full season in 1999, including the 23rd time on either ESPN or ESPN2.
All-time, Saturday's game will be the Rebels' 142nd TV appearance since Ole Miss made its TV debut in the 1953 Sugar Bowl versus Georgia Tech ... Ole Miss is 67-72-2 (.482 winning pct.) all-time in TV games.
Saturday's game will be the ninth time Ole Miss and Tennessee has appeared on TV ... CBS aired the last meeting between the two teams in 1997, a 31-17 Volunteer victory in Knoxville.
Ole Miss is 3-5 against Tennessee in TV games.
Last year, the Rebels appeared on TV 10 times, tying the school record set in 2002.
Ole Miss has made at least eight TV appearances in three of the last four years, entering the 2004 campaign.

REBELS IN OCTOBER

The Rebels are 212-139-14 (.600 winning pct.) all-time in the month of October.
Ole Miss is 12-2 (.857 winning pct.) in October since 2001, including 8-0 at home ... The Rebels went 4-0 in October last year to begin a six-game win streak, defeating Florida (20-17), Arkansas State (55-0), Alabama (43-28) and Arkansas (19-7).
The Rebels will enter Saturday's game versus Tennessee having won six straight games in October since losing 48-28 at Arkansas on Oct. 26, 2002.
Ole Miss is 17-4 (.810 winning pct.) under head coach David Cutcliffe during the month of October, including 9-4 (.692 winning pct.) against SEC teams ... The Rebels are 8-0 versus non-conference opponents in October under Cutcliffe.
The Rebels are 147-54-5 (.726 winning pct.) in home games during October and 65-85-9 (.437 winning pct.) in road games.
In SEC games played in October, Ole Miss has an overall record of 93-92-6 (.503 winning pct.) ... The Rebels 51-33-2 (.605 winning pct.) in SEC home games during October and 42-59-4 (.419 winning pct.) in SEC road games during the month.
Against non-conference opponents in October, Ole Miss is 119-47-8 (.707 winning pct.) ... 96-21-3 (.813 winning pct.) in non-conference home games in October and 23-26-5 (.472 winning pct.) in road games versus non-SEC teams in October.

100-YARD RUSHER, 100-YARD RECEIVER: The 139 yards rushing by junior Vashon Pearson (Ripley, Miss.) and the 142 yards receiving by junior WR Mario Hill (Meridian, Miss.) at Wyoming on Sept. 25 gave Ole Miss its first 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver combo since last year against South Carolina, when Tremaine Turner (1999-2003) rushed for 117 and Chris Collins (2000-2003) had 125 yards receiving in the Rebels' 43-40 win over the Gamecocks. Pearson and Hill are the sixth recorded 100-yard rushing and 100-yard receiving combo in school history. The following chart shows Ole Miss' six 100-yard rushing and 100-yard receiving single-game tandems:

Rusher/Receiver, OpponentVashon Pearson (139 rush); Mario Hill (142 rec.) at Wyoming (2004)Tremaine Turner (117 rush); Chris Collins (125 rec). vs. S. Carolina (2003)Joe Gunn (113 rush); Chris Collins (119 rec.) at Kentucky (2001)Joe Gunn (102 rush); Doug Zeigler (102 rec.) vs. Arkansas (2001)Dou Innocent (137 rush); Ta'Boris Fisher (101 rec.) at Auburn (1995)Dou Innocent (102 rush); Roell Preston (150 rec.) vs. Miss. State (1994)

SCHEDULE NOTES

Ole Miss' 2004 opponents have a combined record of 36-25 (.590 winning pct.).
Four 2004 opponents are ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll: Auburn (No. 4), Tennessee (No. 13), and LSU (No. 20) ... Ole Miss' Sept. 25 opponent, Wyoming, received one vote in this week's AP poll.
Three 2004 opponents are ranked in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25: Auburn (No. 4), Tennessee (No. 14) and LSU (No. 21). Three other 2004 opponents also received votes for this week's ESPN/USA Today poll: Memphis,Alabama and South Carolina.
The Rebels will face five teams that advanced to bowl games last season: Memphis, Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas and LSU.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

Junior WR Mario Hill (Meridian, Miss.) is tied for fourth in the SEC in receptions per game, averaging 4.0 per game.
The Rebels are averaging 430.2 yards of total offense in the last four games after totaling 432 yards combined in the first two games against Memphis (240) and Alabama (192).
The 29-yard TD reception by senior WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) from sophomore QB Ethan Flatt (Nashville, Tenn.) for the game-winning TD last Saturday at South Carolina, was the first TD reception by a Rebel receiver this season.
Flatt has completed 70.6-percent of his passes in the last two games versus Arkansas State (10/2) and South Carolina (10/9), going a combined 36-of-51 for 393 yards with three TDs and one INT.

NO SACKS ALLOWED: Ole Miss did not allow a sack for the second straight game against South Carolina this past Saturday. For the season, the Rebels are tied with Arkansas for the fewest sacks allowed in the SEC with four.

CONSECUTIVE STARTS: Entering Saturday's game versus Tennessee, Ole Miss has three players on its offensive line that have made at least 30 consecutive starts. Senior Marcus Johnson (Coffeeville, Miss.) made his 43rd consecutive start last Saturday against South Carolina, drawing the start at right guard. He had made 39 straight starts at right guard before injuries on the offensive line forced him to move over to right tackle against Vanderbilt on September 18. Johnson made three starts at right tackle against the Commodores, Wyoming (9/25) and Arkansas State (10/2) before switching back to right guard against the Gamecocks. Senior Doug Buckles (Madison, Miss.) and junior Tre' Stallings (Magnolia, Miss.) have both made 32 consecutive starts on the offensive line entering Saturday's contest versus Tennessee.

PEARSON JUST MISSES FOURTH STRAIGHT 100-YARD RUSHING EFFORT: Junior RB Vashon Pearson (Ripley, Miss.) just missed recording his fourth straight 100-yard rushing effort, netting 96 yards on 21 carries with one TD in last Saturday's 31-28 win at No. 25 South Carolina. Pearson gained at least 100 yards rushing in three straight games versus Vanderbilt (9/18), Wyoming (9/25) and Arkansas State (10/2) to become the first Ole Miss back to record three consecutive 100-yard rushing games since Deuce McAllister (1997-2000) recorded five straight 100-yard rushing games to close out the 1999 campaign.

In the past four games, Pearson has rushed for 475 yards on 83 carries -- an average of 118.8 yards per game. For the season, he has rushed for 577 yards on 109 carries with three TDs and ranks third in the SEC in rushing, averaging 96.3 yards per game.

The following chart shows Pearson's performance in the past four contests:

Opponent (Date)	Att.	Yds	TD	Avg.
Vanderbilt (9/18)	17	111	1	6.5
at Wyoming (9/25)	21	139	0	6.6
Arkansas State (10/2)	24	129	0	5.4
at South Carolina (10/9)	21	96	1	4.6
Totals	83	475	2	5.7

Average Yards Per Game In Last 4 Games: 118.8

QUARTERBACK ROTATION: Ole Miss opened last Saturday's game at No. 25 South Carolina using three different quarterbacks on its first three offensive plays. Sophomore Ethan Flatt (Nashville, Tenn.) opened the game with an incomplete pass, junior Micheal Spurlock (Indianola, Miss.) then gained six yards on second down and redshirt freshman Robert Lane (Monroe, La.), in his first career action, lost three yards on an option play on third down. Lane would later score his first career TD on a five-yard run in the first quarter to give the Rebels a 14-0 lead. The following chart shows how all three QBs performed against the Gamecocks:

	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Quarterback	Att-Yds-TD	Att-Cmp-Int-Yds-TD	Plys-Yds
Ethan Flatt	1-(-10)-0	27-18-0-214-1	28-204
Micheal Spurlock	8-34-0	5-2-0-22-0	13-56
Robert Lane	4-16-1	2-0-0-0-0	6-16
Totals	13-40-1	34-20-0-236-1	47-276

FLOWERS SEC'S ACTIVE CAREER LEADER IN RECEPTIONS: Entering Saturday's versus Tennessee, senior WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) leads all active SEC players in receptions with 137, one more than Georgia senior Fred Gibson at 136. Flowers saw his first action since being injured against Vanderbilt on Sept. 18 last weekend at South Carolina. He caught four passes for 64 yards including the game-winning TD on a 29-yard reception with 1:05 remaining.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

Junior DL McKinley Boykin (Bessemer, Ala.) is tied for fourth in the SEC in TFLs, averaging 1.0 per game.
Junior SS Kelvin Robinson (Jackson, Miss.) is tied for sixth in the SEC in sacks with 2.5, and is also tied for eighth in TFLs, averaging 0.83 per game.
Ole Miss recorded four QB sacks last Saturday at No. 25 South Carolina to give the Rebels 14 sacks in the last four games after no recording a sack in the season's first two games.
The Rebels rank third in the SEC in QB sacks with 14.
Senior FS Eric Oliver (Jasper, Ala.) needs eight tackles to reach 300 for his career.

JOHNSON, McBRIDE RANK 1-2 IN THE SEC IN PASSES DEFENSED: Junior CB Travis Johnson (Shannon, Miss.) and sophomore CB Trumaine McBride (Clarksdale, Miss.) rank first and second, respectively, in the SEC in passes defensed. Johnson is averaging an SEC best 1.40 passes defensed per game, having recorded seven pass deflections in five games. McBride is tied with South Carolina's Ko Simpson for second in the SEC with an average of 1.33 passes defensed per game. In six games this season, McBride has recorded six pass deflections and intercepted two passes.

This past Saturday at No. 25 South Carolina, Johnson recorded three pass deflections, while McBride registered one pass deflection.

OLIVER, JOHNSON AMONG SEC ACTIVE CAREER DEFENSIVE LEADERS: Entering Saturday's game versus Tennessee, senior FS Eric Oliver (Jasper, Ala.) and junior CB Travis Johnson (Shannon, Miss.) both rank among the SEC's active career defensive leaders. Oliver leads all active SEC players in career tackles with 292, 41 more than Georgia senior DE David Pollack with 251. Johnson is third among active SEC players in pass deflections with 26.

OLIVER WEARS CHUCKY MULLINS' NO. 38 IN 2004: Senior FS Eric Oliver (Jasper, Ala.) is this year's recipient of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award and as a result is wearing the late Mullins' No. 38. Prior to the honor, Oliver wore No. 26. Oliver led the Rebels in tackles in each of the past two season, recording 129 (80 solo) in 2002 and 104 (73 solo) last season.

SPECIALTY NOTES

Ole Miss ranks first in the SEC in kickoff coverage, allowing an average of 14.8 yards per return.
Senior K Wesley Bryan (Meridian, Miss.) recorded touchbacks on 5-of-6 kickoffs last Saturday at No. 25 South Carolina while handling kickoff duties for senior Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.).
Sophomore Mike Espy (Madison, Miss.) ranks second in the SEC in kickoff returns, averaging 22.3 yards per return.
Senior P Cody Ridgeway (Jackson, Tenn.) ranks sixth on the Ole Miss career list for punting average, averaging 42.2 yards per punt.

NICHOLS LEADS SEC IN FIELD GOALS, SCORING: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) leads the SEC in scoring and field goals made. Nichols is averaging 8.5 points per game after scoring seven points in last Saturday's 31-28 win at No. 25 South Carolina. Nichols has converted on 13-of-18 field goal tries, for an average of 2.17 field goals made per game this season, which also ranks third nationally.

NICHOLS CRACKS SEC'S TOP 10 CAREER SCORING LIST: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) scored seven points in last Saturday's 31-28 win at No. 25 South Carolina to give him 316 career points to rank ninth on the SEC's career scoring list. Nichols entered the South Carolina game ranked 12th on the list and surpassed Alabama PK Van Tiffin (1983-1986), who ranked 11th with 312 points, and Georgia RB Herschel Walker (1980-1982) and Tennessee PK Fuad Reveiz (1981-1984) for ninth place with 314 points. Nichols will enter Saturday's game versus Tennessee one point shy of former Tennessee PK John Becksvoort (1991-1994) for eighth place with 317 points and two points shy of former LSU RB Kevin Faulk (1995-1998) for seventh place with 318 points. The following chart shows the SEC's top 10 career scorers:

Player, School (Years)	No.
1. Billy Bennett, Georgia (2000-2003)	409
2. Jeff Hall, Tennessee (1995-1998)	371
3. Jeff Chandler, Florida (1997-2001)	368
4. Kevin Butler, Georgia (1981-1984)	353
5. Philip Doyle, Alabama (1987-1990)	345
6. Michael Proctor, Alabama (1992-1995)	326
7. Kevin Faulk, LSU (1995-1998)	318
8. John Becksvoort, Tennessee (1991-1994)	317
*9. Jonathan Nichols, Ole Miss (2001-present)*	*316*
10. Herschel Walker, Georgia (1980-1982)	314
Fuad Reveiz, Tennessee (1981-1984)	314

NICHOLS EXTENDS PAT STREAK: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) converted all four PAT attempts last weekend at South Carolina to extend his school-record streak to 110 consecutive PATs made. The streak is also the longest active streak in the country. The following chart shows the top active streaks in the nation for PATs made:

Kicker, School	No.
*1. Jonathan Nichols, Ole Miss*	*110*
2. Stephen Gostkowski, Memphis	74
3. Matt Leach, Florida	70
4. Taylor Begley, Kentucky	66
5. Xavier Beitia, Florida State	64
6. Mike Nugent, Ohio State	61

RIDGEWAY LEADS SEC IN PUNTING: Senior P Cody Ridgeway (Jackson, Tenn.) leads the SEC in punting with an average of 43.4 yards per punt on 35 attempts this season. Ridgeway averaged 48.2 yards on six punts this past Saturday at No. 25 South Carolina.

--2004 SEASON REVIEW NOTES--
STAFF CHANGES: Ole Miss has two new assistant coaches on head coach David Cutcliffe's staff in 2004. Jay Hopson is serving as the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator after spending the last three years as an assistant at Southern Miss. Hopson replaces Jim Knowles who resigned to become the head coach at Cornell University. Third-year defensive coordinator Chuck Driesbach has returned to coaching the linebackers after coaching the defensive backs last season.

Arlington Nunn also joins Cutcliffe's coaching staff in 2004 and is serving as the running backs coach. Nunn replaced Ron Middleton, who accepted a position with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers in February. Prior to coming to Ole Miss, Nunn spent the three seasons coaching the wide receivers at Troy State.

2004 CAPTAINS: Senior OL Doug Buckles (Madison, Miss.), senior WR Kerry Johnson (Oxford, Miss.), senior OL Marcus Johnson (Coffeeville, Miss.), senior DB Eric Oliver (Jasper, Ala.) and senior LB Rob Robertson (Centreville, Miss.) are serving as team captains for the 2004 season.

NICHOLS NAMED TO THE SEC GOOD WORKS TEAM: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) has been named to the 2004 SEC Good Works Team and was featured during Jefferson-Piliot Sports telecast of the Vanderbilt-Ole Miss contest. Nichols participates in "Reading with the Rebels" program in elementary and pre-schools and visits patients at North Mississippi Regional Center. He has also visited senior citizens at Azalea Gardens, has been a mentor at Scott Center and is active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Campus Crusade for Christ. Nichols has also been nominated for the National Football Foundation Postgraduate Scholarship.

BOYKIN NAMED SEC DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: Junior DT McKinley Boykin (Bessemer, Ala.) was named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Lineman of the Week, following his performance in the 26-23 overtime win over Vanderbilt on September 18. Boykin recorded five solo stops, including two TFLs (-9 yards). He also recorded one of the Rebels' six QB sacks on the afternoon.

NICHOLS NAMED SEC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) was named the Southeastern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week by the conference office following the Wyoming contest on Sept. 25. Nichols totaled 14 points in last Saturday's 37-32 loss to the Cowboys, connecting on 4-of-4 field goal attempts and 2-of-2 PAT tries. Nichols made field goals of 37, 26, 30 and 43 yards en route to becoming the 14th player in SEC history to reach the 300-mark for career points scored.

--2004 SEASON GAME-BY-GAME NOTES--
GAME #1 - MEMPHIS 20, OLE MISS 13

Ole Miss dropped its season opener for the first time since 1995 as Memphis downed the Rebels 20-13 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field ... The loss also snapped the Rebels' streak of 16 consecutive wins in home openers.
The crowd of 61,112 was the third largest in school history.
Junior QB Micheal Spurlock (Indianola, Miss.) made his first career start.

GAME #2 - ALABAMA 28, OLE MISS 7

Ole Miss dropped to 0-2 for the first time since 1987 following a 28-7 loss at Alabama.
QB Brodie Croyle completed 14-of-22 passes for 169 yards and two TDs and RB Ray Hudson rushed for 116 yards and a score to lead the Alabama offense.
Sophomore QB Ethan Flatt (Nashville, Tenn.) directed Ole Miss' only scoring drive, marching the Rebels 66 yards in 10 plays capped by his six-yard TD pass to senior TE Eric Rice (Starkville, Miss.).

GAME #3 - OLE MISS 26, VANDERBILT 23 (OT)

Senior PK Jonathan Nichols' (Greenwood, Miss.) 35-yard FG in overtime lifted Ole Miss to its first win of 2004 with a 26-23 victory over Vanderbilt in front of 55,824 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field ... Nichols made 4-of-6 field goal tries on the afternoon, also making kicks of 40, 26 and 34 yards.
The Rebels trailed 23-10 after Matthew Tant scored from three yards out with 7:20 left in the third quarter ... The 13-point deficit marked Ole Miss' largest come-from-behind win since rallying from 17 points down to defeat the Commodores 38-27 in Oxford on Dec. 1, 2001.
Sophomore QB Ethan Flatt (Nashville, Tenn.) made his starting debut and connected on 21-of-32 passes for 187 yards ... He was 8-of-10 passing for 64 yards in engineering two fourth-quarter scoring drives to force overtime.
Junior RB Vashon Pearson (Ripley, Miss.) recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game, netting 111 yards on 17 carries, including a 54-yard TD run to give the Rebels a 10-3 lead in the first quarter.

GAME #4 - WYOMING 37, OLE MISS 32

Ole Miss totaled a season-high 567 yards but committed five turnovers in a 37-32 loss at Wyoming.
Junior RB Vashon Pearson (Ripley, Miss.) rushed for a career-high 139 yards on 21 carries to record his second straight 100-yard rushing effort.
Junior WR Mario Hill (Meridian, Miss.) caught a career-high eight passes for 142 yards to record his first career 100-yard receiving game.
Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) made 4-of-4 field goal attempts and both PAT tries to become the 14th player in SEC history to score 300 career points.
Ole Miss pulled to within 37-32 on junior RB Brandon Jacobs (Long Beach, Miss.) one-yard TD run with 1:38 left in the game and the Rebels then recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt. However, the Rebels failed to convert on a fourth-and-seven from the Ole Miss 42 to give the ball back to Wyoming with 33 seconds remaining.

GAME #5 - OLE MISS 28, ARKANSAS STATE 21

Ole Miss converted two second-half turnovers by Arkansas State into 15 points to post a 28-21 Homecoming win over the Indians.
Junior DE Jayme Mitchell (Jackson, Miss.) intercepted a screen pass and returned it 31 yards to set-up a sophomore QB Ethan Flatt's (Nashville, Tenn.) nine-yard TD pass to senior FB Lorenzo Townsend (Monticello, Miss.) and put the Rebels up 20-14.
Flatt finished 18-of-24 passing for 179 yards with two TDs and one INT. He also connected with Townsend for an 11-yard TD strike in the second quarter to put the Rebels up 13-7.
Junior RB Vashon Pearson (Ripley, Miss.) notched his third straight 100-yard rushing effort, gaining 129 yards on 24 carries.

GAME #6 - OLE MISS 31, (#25) SOUTH CAROLINA 28

Sophomore QB Ethan Flatt (Nashville, Tenn.) found senior WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) in the corner of the end zone for a 29-yard TD pass on fourth down with 1:05 remaining to lift Ole Miss to a 31-28 road win over No. 25 (AP) South Carolina.
The Rebels played all three QBs in the game -- Flatt, junior Micheal Spurlock (Indianola, Miss.) and redshirt freshman Robert Lane (Monroe, La.) ... Lane, in his first career action, scored his first career TD on a five-yard run in the first quarter to put Ole Miss up 14-0.
Junior RB Vashon Pearson (Ripley, Miss.) just missed his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game, netting 96 yards on 21 carries, including scoring on a 17-yard run with 7:24 left in the first half to extend the Ole Miss lead to 21-7.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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