Ole Miss Football Game Notes

Oct. 4, 2004

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DATE: Saturday, October 9, 2004

TIME: 12:00 p.m. (CDT)

SITE (CAPACITY/SURFACE): Williams-Brice Stadium (Natural Grass/80,250); Columbia, S.C.

TV: None

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

POLLS: South Carolina is ranked No. 25 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and received 20 votes in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25. Ole Miss is unranked.

SERIES INFO: Saturday's game will be the 13th meeting between Ole Miss and South Carolina dating back to 1947, and the fourth since the Gamecocks joined the SEC in 1992. The Rebels lead the series 7-5 and have won four straight dating back to a 20-13 win at Columbia in 1981. Ole Miss has won the three SEC meetings: 30-28 at Oxford in 1998, 36-10 in 1999 at Columbia and 43-40 in Oxford last year. The two teams have split the six previous meetings played in Columbia.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Saturday's game at No. 25 South Carolina will mark the Rebels' first game this season against a ranked opponent ... Junior RB Vashon Pearson (Ripley, Miss.) has recorded three straight 100-yard rushing games ... South Carolina boasts the SEC's top rushing defense, allowing an average of 102.4 yards per game ... Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) needs five points to crack the top 10 on the SEC's career scoring list.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH David Cutcliffe: David Cutcliffe (Alabama, 1976) is in his sixth season as the Rebels' head coach. He is 42-25 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. Cutcliffe is 2-0 against South Carolina and Gamecock head coach Lou Holtz.

SOUTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH LOU HOLTZ: Lou Holtz is in his sixth season at South Carolina, having compiled a 31-33 mark with the Gamecocks. He has a career mark of 247-128-7 in his 33rd season as a collegiate head coach, which includes stops at William & Mary (1969-71), North Carolina State (1972-75), Arkansas (1977-1983), Minnesota (1984-85) and Notre Dame (1986-1996). Holtz is 2-3 in his career against Ole Miss, going 2-1 versus the Rebels during his tenure with Arkansas and 0-2 at South Carolina. He is 0-2 versus Rebel head coach David Cutcliffe.

SOUTH CAROLINA SCOUTING REPORT: South Carolina improved to 4-1 on the year, including 2-1 in the SEC with a 20-3 win at Alabama this past Saturday. The Gamecock offense is averaging 367.2 yards and 23.6 points per game. Senior QB Dondrial Pinkins has completed 32-of-55 passes for 501 yards with two TDs and two INTs in four games, while sophomore Syvelle Newton is 27-of-44 passing for 452 yards with three TDs and two INTs. Junior WR Troy Williamson is leading the SEC in receiving yards per game, averaging 109.0 yards per contest. He has caught 19 passes for 545 yards and four TDs. The Gamecocks have five players that have gained over 100 yards rushing on the season, led by sophomore Demetris Summers with 161 yards on 28 carries in three games.

Defensively, South Carolina ranks third in the SEC and seventh nationally in total defense, allowing an average of 256.2 yards per game. The Gamecocks rank second in the conference in scoring defense, allowing an average of 7.8 points per game. South Carolina is also first in the SEC in rushing defense (102.4 ypg) and thid in passing defense (153.8 ypg). Senior LB Marcus Lawrence leads the team with 31 tackles (21 solo). Freshman FS Ko Simpson leads the SEC in passes defensed with eight. Simpson and sophomore CB Fred Bennett are also tied for second in the SEC in interceptions with three.

Junior Josh Brown is averaging 40.0 yards per punt on 19 attempts and has also made 6-of-8 field goals, with a long of 40. Sophomore Noah Whiteside is averaging 9.6 yards per punt return. Williamson has returned two kickoffs for an average of 28.5 yards per return. Senior Matthew Thomas has returned four kickoffs for an average of 13.8 yards per return.

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

Sept. 4	at Vanderbilt*	W, 31-6
SEPT. 11	GEORGIA*	L, 16-20
SEPT. 18	SOUTH FLORIDA	W, 34-3
SEPT. 25	TROY STATE	W, 17-7
Oct. 2	at Alabama*	W, 20-3
*OCT. 9*	OLE MISS*	*1 P.M.*
Oct. 16	at Kentucky*	7 p.m.
OCT. 30	TENNESSEE*	TBA
NOV. 6	ARKANSAS*	TBA
Nov. 13	at Florida*	TBA
Nov. 20	at Clemson	TBA

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

REBEL GAME NOTES
REBEL NOTEBOOK:

Ole Miss will look to even its record at 3-3 in Saturday's game at South Carolina. The Rebels have not been 2-4 after six games since going 4-7 in 1994.
At 1-1 in the SEC, Ole Miss is looking to avoid falling to 1-2 after three SEC games for the first time since 1997.
The Rebels are looking for their first road win of 2004 after dropping their first two road contests at Alabama, 28-7 on Sept. 11, and Wyoming 37-32 on Sept. 25.
The Rebels are 4-1 in their last five SEC road games since last season ... Ole Miss went 4-0 on the road in conference play last year, and is 0-1 this year after the loss at Alabama on Sept. 11.
Ole Miss has not held a halftime lead this season. The Rebels trailed Arkansas State 14-13 at halftime this past Saturday.
Ole Miss' 20-14 lead at the end of the third quarter this past Saturday marked the first time this season that the Rebels have led after three quarters of play.
Saturday's 28-21 win over Arkansas State on Homecoming improved the Rebels to 62-13-2 (.805 winning pct.) in Homecoming games ... The Rebels have also now won eight straight Homecoming games and 20 of their last 23.

CUTCLIFFE AMONG REBEL COACHING ELITE: Entering Saturday's game at South Carolina, 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 67 games. Vaught was 45-18-4 after 67 games for a .701 winning percentage. Cutcliffe is 42-25 for a .627 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 67 games:

Coach, Years	W-L-T	Pct.
John Vaught, 1947-1970; 1973	45-18-4	.701
David Cutcliffe, 1998-present	42-25	.627
Ed Walker, 1930-1937	30-31-6	.493
Billy Brewer, 1983-1993	29-35-3	.455

REBELS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:

Saturday's game at South Carolina will mark the first ranked opponent Ole Miss has faced this season.
The last time Ole Miss faced a ranked opponent was in the 2004 SBC Cotton Bowl Classic back on Jan. 2, against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys were ranked No. 21 and the 16th-ranked Rebels won the contest 31-28.
Ole Miss is 5-5 in its last 10 games versus teams ranked in the top 25, dating back to a 45-30 win over No. 25 Mississippi State in the 2000 Egg Bowl.
The Rebels are 2-8 in their last 10 games versus ranked teams on the road (not including bowl games), dating back to a 36-21 win at No. 8 LSU on Oct. 18, 1997.
Ole Miss' last road win against a top 25 team was last year at "The Swamp," when the Rebels edged No. 24 Florida 20-17 on a one-yard TD run by current junior Vashon Pearson (Ripley, Miss.) with 1:10 remaining in the game.
The Rebels are 6-9 against top 25 teams under head coach David Cutcliffe, including 1-6 on the road.

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. North Carolina State played its 10th overtime in school history this past weekend, beating Wake Forest 27-21. The Rebels are 6-3 in overtime games, tying Missouri and the Wolfpack 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 VS. SEC EAST

Since the SEC started divisional play in 1992, Ole Miss is 22-15 (.595 winning pct.) versus the SEC Eastern Division.
Entering Saturday's game at South Carolina, the Rebels have won seven of their last eight games -- including four straight -- versus the SEC East, dating back to Ole Miss' 45-38 win over Vanderbilt to end the 2001 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 (43-41).
Ole Miss is 3-0 against South Carolina since SEC began divisional play in 1992.
Ole Miss is 11-5 (.688 winning pct.) against SEC East opponents at home, and 11-10 (.524 winning pct.) against SEC East teams on the road.
The Rebels are 11-5 (.688 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*	*3-0*	*1.000*	*2003*
Tennessee	0-2	.000	1997
Vanderbilt	11-2	.846	2004

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 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).

SCHEDULE NOTES

Ole Miss' 2004 opponents have a combined record of 31-21 (.596 winning pct.).
Four 2004 opponents are ranked in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll: Auburn (No. 6), Tennessee (No. 17), LSU (No. 24) and South Carolina (No. 25).
Three 2004 opponents are ranked in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25: Auburn (No. 6), Tennessee (No. 17) and LSU (No. 24). Two other 2004 opponents also received votes for this week's ESPN/USA Today poll, South Carolina and Memphis.
Tennessee appears on Ole Miss' schedule for the first time since 1997, when the Volunteers defeated the Rebels 31-17 in Knoxville ... It will also be Tennessee's first visit to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium since recording a 20-12 win over the Rebels in 1988.
The Volunteers replace Florida on this year's schedule after the Rebels and Gators met in 2002 and 2003.
The Rebels will face five teams that advanced to bowl games last season: Memphis, Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas and LSU.

REBELS IN OCTOBER

The Rebels are 211-139-14 (.599 winning pct.) all-time in the month of October.
Ole Miss is 11-2 (.846 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 at South Carolina having won five straight games in October since losing 48-28 at Arkansas on Oct. 26, 2002.
Ole Miss is 16-4 (.800 winning pct.) under head coach David Cutcliffe during the month of October, including 8-4 (.667 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 64-85-9 (.434 winning pct.) in road games.
In SEC games played in October, Ole Miss has an overall record of 92-92-6 (.500 winning pct.) ... The Rebels 51-33-2 (.605 winning pct.) in SEC home games during October and 41-59-4 (.413 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.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

Junior WR Mario Hill (Meridian, Miss.) is tied for second in the SEC in receptions per game, averaging 4.40 per game.
Ole Miss scored on its first offensive possession for the first time this season against Arkansas State last Saturday, going 90 yards in 11 plays, capped by a 23-yard field goal by senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.).
The 90-yard scoring march was the longest of the season and the Rebels' longest since going 97 yards for a TD against Oklahoma State in the 2004 SBC Cotton Bowl Classic.
The Rebels are averaging 435.7 yards of total offense in the last three games against Vanderbilt (365), Wyoming (567) and Arkansas State (375), after totaling 432 yards combined in the season's first two games against Memphis (240) and Alabama (192).

Ole Miss did not allow a sack for the first time this season last Saturday against Arkansas State ... For the season, the Rebels are tied with Arkansas, Georgia and Kentucky for the fewest sacks allowed in the SEC with four.

CONSECUTIVE STARTS: Entering Saturday's game at South Carolina, Ole Miss has three players on its offensive line that have made at least 30 consecutive starts. Senior Marcus Johnson (Coffeeville, Miss.) made his 42nd consecutive start last Saturday against Arkansas State, drawing the start at right tackle. 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. Senior Doug Buckles (Madison, Miss.) and junior Tre' Stallings (Magnolia, Miss.) have both made 31 consecutive starts on the offensive line entering Saturday's contest at South Carolina.

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, Opponent
Vashon 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)

PEARSON RECORDS THIRD STRAIGHT 100-YARD RUSHING EFFORT: Junior RB Vashon Pearson (Ripley, Miss.) gained 129 yards rushing on 24 carries versus Arkansas State to net his third straight 100-yard rushing game. He is the first Ole Miss back to gain at least 100 yards in three consecutive games since Deuce McAllister (1997-2000) recorded five straight 100-yard rushing games to close out the 1999 campaign.

In the past three games, Pearson has rushed for 379 yards on 62 carries. The following chart shows Pearson's performance in the past three contests:

Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) leads all active SEC players in receptions with 133, four more than Georgia senior Fred Gibson at 129. Flowers has not seen action in the past two games versus Wyoming (9/25) and Arkansas State (10/2) since being injured in the Vanderbilt contest on Sept. 18.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

Sophomore CB Trumaine McBride (Clarksdale, Miss.) ranks second in the SEC in passes defensed, averaging 1.40 per game.
Senior LB Rob Robertson (Centreville, Miss.) ranks sixth in the SEC in TFLs, averaging 0.90 per game.
Senior FS Eric Oliver (Jasper, Ala.) needs 10 tackles to reach 300 for his career.
Ole Miss has intercepted a pass in 4-of-5 games this season after junior DE Jayme Mitchell (Jackson, Miss.) picked off a screen pass in the third quarter against Arkansas State.
The Rebels have allowed an opposing back to rush for over 100 yards in 4-of-5 games this season after Arkansas State's Antonio Warren netted 129 yards on 19 carries last Saturday.

OLIVER, JOHNSON AMONG SEC ACTIVE CAREER DEFENSIVE LEADERS: Entering Saturday's game at South Carolina, senior FS Eric Oliver (Jasper, Ala.) and junior CB Travis Johnson (Shannon, Miss.) both ranked among the SEC's active career defensive leaders. Oliver leads all active SEC players in career tackles with 290, 42 more than Georgia senior DE David Pollack with 248. Johnson is third among active SEC players in pass deflections with 23.

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 14.5 yards per return.
Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) ranks second among SEC kickers in scoring, averaging 8.8 points per game. He also ranks third overall in the SEC in scoring.
Sophomore Mike Espy (Madison, Miss.) ranks second in the SEC in kickoff returns, averaging 22.2 yards per return.
Senior P Cody Ridgeway (Jackson, Tenn.) ranks sixth on the Ole Miss career list for punting average, averaging 42.0 yards per punt.
Junior SS Kelvin Robinson (Jackson, Miss.) was credited with the block on Eric Neihouse's 29-yard field goal in this past Saturday's game versus Arkansas State. It was the first blocked field goal for the Rebels since current junior Jayme Mitchell (Jackson, Miss.) blocked a 30-yard field goal attempt last year at Vanderbilt.
The Rebels have recorded one blocked kick in two straight games, as senior Marvin Vaughn (Canton, Miss.) was credited with a blocked punt at Wyoming on Sept. 25.

NICHOLS RECORDS 300TH CAREER POINT AGAINST WYOMING; LOOKS TO CRACK SEC TOP 10 CAREER LIST: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) scored eight points in last Saturday's 28-21 win over Arkansas State to give him 309 for his career. The 309 career points is an Ole Miss career record and ranks 12th on the SEC's career scoring list. He needs five points this weekend at South Carolina to tie former Georgia RB Herschel Walker (1980-1982) and former Tennessee PK Fuad Reveiz (1981-1984) for ninth place on the SEC's career scoring list with 314 points.

Nichols' 309 career points also leads all active SEC players.

NICHOLS LEADS SEC IN FIELD GOALS: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) leads the SEC in field goals made, averaging 2.40 field goals made per game, which also ranks second nationally. Nichols is 12-of-16 on field goal attempts this season after going 2-for-3 in last weekend's 28-21 win over Arkansas State. In the last three games versus Vanderbilt (9/18), Wyoming (9/25) and Arkansas State (10/2), Nichols has made 10-of-13 field goal tries.

Last year, Nichols ranked second in the SEC in field goals per game, averaging 1.92 per game, connecting on 25-of-29 attempts.

NICHOLS EXTENDS PAT STREAK: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) converted both PAT attempts against Arkansas State last weekend to extend his school-record streak to 106 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*	*106*
2. Robert Menchinger, W. Michigan	77
3. Stephen Gostkowski, Memphis	74
4. Matt Leach, Florida	67
5. Taylor Begley, Kentucky	64
6. Xavier Beitia, Florida State	62
7. Mike Nugent, Ohio State	60

--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 (Bess-emer, 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.

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