Ole Miss Football Game Notes

Nov. 15, 2004

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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE: Saturday, November 20, 2004

TIME: 7:00 p.m.

SITE (CAPACITY/SURFACE): Tiger Stadium; Baton Rouge, La. (91,600/Natural Grass)

TV: In Louisiana - Tiger Vision (pay-per-view); Outside Louisiana - ESPN Game Plan

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

POLLS: LSU is No. 14 in both of this week's Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls. Ole Miss is unranked.

SERIES INFO: Saturday's game will be the 93rd all-time between the Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers dating back to 1894 ... LSU is Ole Miss' second-most played opponent besides Mississippi State, who the Rebels will play for the 101st time on November 27 in Oxford ... LSU holds a 51-37-4 advantage in the series ... The Tigers have won three of the last four meetings, including two straight after last year's 17-14 win in Oxford ... LSU is 34-24-1 against Ole Miss in Baton Rouge, however, the Rebels have won three of the last four at Tiger Stadium since a 36-21 win 1997 ... LSU's 14-13 win at Tiger Stadium in 2002 snapped Ole Miss' three-game win streak in "Death Valley."

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ole Miss is looking to snap a three-game losing streak and avoid its first four-game skid since dropping five straight in 2002 ... Senior WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) has caught at least one pass in 19 straight games.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH David Cutcliffe: David Cutcliffe (Alabama, 1976) is in his sixth season as the Rebels' head coach. He is 43-28 (.606 winning pct.) 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. Prior to taking the head coaching assignment at Ole Miss, Cutcliffe spent 17 years as an assistant at Tennessee under both Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer. Cutcliffe is 2-3 versus LSU and 1-3 against Tiger head coach Nick Saban.

LSU HEAD COACH NICK SABAN: Nick Saban is in his fifth year as the head coach of the LSU Tigers. He is 46-15 (.754 winning pct.) with the Tigers and is 89-41-1 (.683 winning pct.) overall in his 11th year as a collegiate head coach. Saban has also served head coaching stints at Toledo (1990) and Michigan State (1995-1999). He guided the Rockets to a 9-2 mark in his only year at the school, and posted a five-year mark of 34-24-1 with the Spartans from 1995-1999. He has taken his teams to a total of seven bowl appearances and led the Tigers to a share of the 2003 national championship. Saban is 3-1 against Ole Miss and Rebel head coach David Cutcliffe.

LSU SCOUTING REPORT: LSU has won four straight after defeating Alabama 26-10 last Saturday night in "Death Valley." The Tigers are 7-2 overall, including 4-2 in the SEC.

The LSU offense is averaging 27.7 points and 388.0 yards of offense per game. The Tigers are averaging 172.6 yards rushing per contest, led by junior RB Joseph Addai, who has gained 507 yards on 70 carries -- an average of 7.2 yards per carry. Addai has also scored three rushing TDs. Sophomore Alley Broussard has netted 427 yards rushing on 87 carries and has six TDs. Senior QB Marcus Randall has completed 80-of-128 passes for 992 yards with seven TDs and five INTs. Sophomore WR Craig Davis has recorded 34 receptions for 540 yards with a score.

On defense, the Tigers are allowing an average of 15.2 points and 249.8 yards per game. The Tigers rank second in the SEC in total defense, including first in rushing defense, allowing an average of 99.9 yards per game on the ground. Sophomore FS LaRon Landry leads the team with 73 hits (38 solo). Senior DE Marcus Spears has recorded a team-high 12 TFLs (-63 yards) and also leads LSU with five QB sacks (-39 yards). Senior CB Corey Webster has two interceptions and a team-high six pass deflections.

On special teams, sophomore Chris Jackson has 14-of-18 PATs and 4-of-9 FG attempts. Sophomore PK Ryan Gaudet has converted 11-of-13 PAT tries and has made 6-of-7 FGs. He is also averaging 39.2 yards on 40 punts. Junior Skyler Green is averaging 10.4 yards per punt return. Freshman Xavier Carter is averaging 20.3 yards per kickoff return.

2004 LSU SCHEDULE/RESULTS
(7-2 OVERALL, 4-2 SEC)

SEPT. 4	OREGON STATE	W, 22-21 (ot)
SEPT. 11	ARKANSAS STATE	W, 53-3
Sept. 18	at Auburn*	L, 9-10
SEPT. 25	MISSISSIPPI STATE*	W, 51-0
Oct. 2	at Georgia*	L, 16-45
Oct. 9	at Florida*	W, 24-21
OCT. 23	TROY	W, 24-20
OCT. 30	VANDERBILT*	W, 24-7
NOV. 13	ALABAMA*	W, 26-10
*NOV. 20*	OLE MISS*	*7 P.M.*
Nov. 26	at Arkansas*	1:30 p.m.

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

REBEL GAME NOTES
REBEL NOTEBOOK:

Ole Miss is 0-3 against SEC West opponents, after losing 35-3 at Arkansas this past Saturday. The Rebels also droppd a 28-7 decision at Alabama on Sept. 11 and lost 35-14 to Auburn on Oct. 30.
The Rebels have dropped three straight games, their longest skid since losing five straight during the 2002 season.
The Rebels have trailed at halftime in 8-of-9 games this season. The only time Ole Miss held a lead at the break was at South Carolina on Oct. 9, leading 21-14 en route to a 31-28 victory.

REBELS SEE STREAK SNAPPED: With the 35-3 loss at Arkansas this past Saturday, Ole Miss dropped to 3-6 on the season with two games remaining. It will mark the first time since going 5-6 in 1996 that the Rebels will post a losing record, snapping a streak of seven consecutive winning seasons. The seven straight winning seasons from 1997-2003 was Ole Miss' longest such streak since recording seven consecutive from 1965-1971.

SATURDAY'S GAME TO BE AVAILABLE ON PAY-PER-VIEW: Saturday's Ole Miss-LSU game, scheduled for 7 p.m., at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., will be televised by TigerVision, LSU's in-house pay-per-view network. Residents in Louisiana can purchase the game through their local cable television system or through the The Dish Network or DirecTV. Residents outside Louisiana can purchase TigerVision through ESPN's Game Plan package. The cost is $34.50.

The TigerVision pregame show will start at 6:45 p.m., with Doug Greengard and Greg Bowser calling the action.

LOUISIANA REBELS: Ole Miss has seven players on its 2004 roster that call the state of Louisiana home: sophomore C Ben Boyce (Gonzales, La.), freshman DE Chris Bowers (Shreveport, La.), freshman OL Tim Henderson (Shreveport, La.), freshman OL Paul Hurd (Monroe, La.), redshirt freshman QB Robert Lane (Monroe, La.), freshman RB Seth Michaelson (Baton Rouge, La.) and sophomore DL Andrew Wicker (Zachary, La.).

MISSISSIPPI TIGERS: LSU has three players on its roster that call the state of Mississippi home: redshirt freshman OL Will Arnold (Gloster, Miss.), freshman TE Mit Cole (Picayune, Miss.) and redshirt freshman DE Sean Merrill (D'Iberville, Miss.).

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

CUTCLIFFE AMONG REBEL COACHING ELITE: Entering Saturday's game at LSU, 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 71 games. Vaught was 47-19-5 after 71 games for a .697 winning percentage. Cutcliffe is 43-28 for a .606 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 71 games:

Coach, Years	W-L-T	Pct.
John Vaught, 1947-1970; 1973	47-19-5	.697
David Cutcliffe, 1998-present	43-28	.606
Ed Walker, 1930-1937	33-32-6	.507
Billy Brewer, 1983-1993	33-35-3	.486

SCHEDULE NOTES

Ole Miss' 2004 opponents have a combined record of 60-45 (.571 winning pct.).
Three 2004 opponents are ranked in both of this week's Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls: Auburn (#2 AP/#3 ESPN), LSU (#14 ESPN/#14 AP), and Tennessee (#15 AP/#16 ESPN). Alabama also received votes in both polls, and Memphis garnered votes in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.

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).

SEVEN REBELS EARN ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT VI HONORS: Ole Miss had seven players named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VI team, released this past Thursday. Earning first team honors were senior DL Daniel Booth (Amory, Miss.), who holds a 3.43 GPA in International Studies, senior P Cody Ridgeway (Jackson, Tenn.), with a 3.82 GPA in Banking/Finance, senior LB Rob Robertson (Centreville, Miss.), with a 3.95 GPA in Biology, and sophomore DB Trumaine McBride (Clarksdale, Miss.), with a 3.67 GPA in Liberal Arts.

Named to the second team was redshirt freshman DL Jeremy Garrett (Senatobia, Miss.), with a 3.22 GPA in Management, junior long snapper Sidney McLaurin (Brandon, Miss.), with a 3.66 GPA in Political Science, and senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.), carrying a 3.47 GPA in International Business.

REBELS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:

Saturday's game at LSU will mark the fourth ranked opponent the Rebels will face this season.
Ole Miss is 1-2 against ranked teams this season:def. No. 25 South Carolina, 31-28; lost to No. 13 Tennessee 21-17; lost to No. 3 Auburn 35-14.
The Rebels are 3-4 versus top 25 teams dating back to a 45-30 win over No. 25 Mississippi State in the 2000 Egg Bowl.
Ole Miss is 7-11 against top 25 teams under head coach David Cutcliffe, including 3-5 on the road.
Ole Miss is 43-108-2 all-time versus ranked teams.
The Rebels are 11-57 all-time versus ranked teams on the road.
When facing LSU, when the Tigers are ranked, the Rebels are 6-14.
When facing LSU in "Death Valley," when the Tigers are ranked, Ole Miss is 3-11 ... The Rebels upset the Tigers, in Baton Rouge, when they were ranked No. 8, 36-21, back on Oct. 18, 1997.

REBELS IN NOVEMBER

Ole Miss has an all-time record of 190-156-13 (.547 winning percentage) during the month of November.
The Rebels are 112-65-5 (.629 winning percentage) in home games during November, including home contests played in Jackson and Memphis ... In home games played in Oxford during November, the Rebels are 65-26-4 (.705 winning percentage).
Ole Miss is 78-91-8 (.463 winning percentage) in road games during November.
In SEC games played in November, Ole Miss has an overall record of 80-83-7 (.491 winning pct.).
In SEC home games during November, the Rebels are 49-43-2 (.527 winning pct.), including home games played in Jackson and Memphis ... In SEC home games played in Oxford during November, Ole Miss is 18-20-1 (.474 winning pct.).
In SEC road games during November, Ole Miss is 31-40-5 (.441 winning percentage).
Ole Miss is 7-12 (.368 winning pct.) in November under head coach David Cutcliffe.
The Rebels went 3-1 in November last season to post their first winning November since going 3-1 in 1997.

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)

OFFENSIVE NOTES

Junior WR Taye Biddle (Decatur, Ala.) had two receptions for 37 yards against Arkansas to become the 20th player in school history to record 1,000 career receiving yards.
Ole Miss is averaging 22.0 first downs per game in the last seven games entering Saturday's contest at LSU.
Ole Miss is averaging 167.7 yards rushing in the last six games after netting 175 on the ground this past Saturday at Arkansas.
The Rebels' 24:49 time of possession against Arkansas snapped their streak of four straight games in which Ole Miss held the advantage in possession time.
Ole Miss allowed two QB sacks against Arkansas and has allowed 13 in the last three games versus Tennessee (10/16), Auburn (10/30) and Arkansas(11/13) ... The Rebels allowed a season-high seven sacks in the 35-14 loss to Auburn.
The Rebels have converted on 16-of-67 third downs (23.9 percent) in the last five games, including 2-of-12 last Saturday at Arkansas.

FLOWERS CLIMBS CAREER RECEIVING CHARTS: Senior WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) caught five passes against Arkansas to pass Grant Heard (1996-2000) for second place on the Ole Miss career receptions list with 146. Heard had 142 career receptions. Chris Collins (2000-2003) is the Ole Miss career leader in receptions with 198.

Flowers also had 68 yards receiving against the Razorbacks to pass Michael Harmon (1979-1982) and Floyd Franks (1968-1970) for sixth place on the school's career list for receiving yards with 1,774. Cory Peterson (1996-1999) is fifth in career receiving yards in Ole Miss history with 1,842.

FLOWERS EXTENDS STREAK TO 19: Senior WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) caught a 14-yard pass from sophomore QB Ethan Flatt (Nashville, Tenn.) on the Rebels' first offensive play against Arkansas to extend his streak to 19 straight games with a reception. Flowers missed two games this season against Wyoming (9/25) and Arkansas State (10/2) due to injury, however, games missed due to injury due to not effect streaks. The 19-game streak ties his career long set from Oct. 20, 2001-Dec. 27, 2002. The last game in which Flowers did not catch a pass was in last year's season opener at Vanderbilt. For his career, Flowers has caught at least one pass in 39-of-44 career games played.

CONSECUTIVE STARTS: Entering Saturday's game at LSU, Ole Miss will have three players on its offensive line that have made at least 30 consecutive starts. Senior Marcus Johnson (Coffeeville, Miss.) has made 46 consecutive starts. He 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. He made three starts at right tackle before returning to right guard against South Carolina on October 2. Senior Doug Buckles (Madison, Miss.) has made 36 consecutive starts on the offensive line, and junior Tre' Stallings (Magnolia, Miss.) has drawn 35 straight starts on the offensive line.

QUARTERBACK ROTATION: In the last four games, Ole Miss has used a quarterback rotation, after predominatly using either sophomore Ethan Flatt (Nashville, Tenn.) or junior Micheal Spurlock (Indianola, Miss.) in the first five games. The Rebels used three quarterbacks -- Flatt, Spurlock and redshirt freshman Robert Lane (Monroe, La.) -- in three straight games against South Carolina (10/9), Tennessee (10/16) and Auburn (10/30), before using just Flatt and Lane against Arkansas this past Saturday.

Against the Razorbacks, Lane took 34 snaps under center, rushing nine times for 94 yards, including a season long run of 50 yards, and completed 4-of-13 passes for 42 yards. Flatt had 28 snaps, completing 11-of-21 passes for 126 yards.

In the last four games since Ole Miss began splitting time with the quarterbacks, the Rebels are averaging 361.8 yards of offense per game. Ole Miss averaged 347.8 yards per game in the season's first five games.

The following chart shows the three quarterback's production in the past four games:

	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Quarterback	Att-Yds-TD	Att-Cmp-Int-Yds-TD	Plys-Yds
Ethan Flatt	11-(-35)-0	88-51-2-712-3	99-677
Robert Lane	30-169-1	27-11-1-111-0	57-280
Micheal Spurlock	11-46-0	9-5-0-35-0	20-81
Totals	52-180-1	124-67-3-858-3	176-1038

DEFENSIVE NOTES

Sophomore LB Patrick Willis (Bruceton, Tenn.) recorded a career-high 13 tackles (eight solo) against Arkansas. The 13 tackles was the most by a Rebel player this season.
The Rebels did not force a turnover for the first time this season against Arkansas last weekend. It was the first time Ole Miss has not recorded a takeaway since last year's SBC Cotton Bowl Classic against Oklahoma State.
Ole Miss has allowed the opposition to score on its opening drive in 4-of-9 games this season (3 TDs, 1 FG) after Arkansas marched 80 yards in eight plays for a TD this past Saturday.
The Rebels have allowed a 100-yard rusher in 7-of-9 games this season.
Ole Miss has not recorded a sack in back-to-back games and has registered one in the last three games.

McBRIDE, JOHNSON RANKS 1-2 IN THE SEC IN PASSES DEFENSED: Sophomore CB Trumaine McBride (Clarksdale, Miss.) and junior CB Travis Johnson (Shannon, Miss.) ranks first and second, respectively, in the SEC in passes defensed. McBride is averaging 1.44 passes defensed per game in nine games, and Johnson is averaging 1.38 in eight games this season.

Both McBride and Johnson recorded two pass deflections in last Saturday's game at Arkansas.

OLIVER, JOHNSON AMONG SEC ACTIVE CAREER DEFENSIVE LEADERS: Entering Saturday's game at LSU, 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 315, 33 more than Georgia senior DE David Pollack with 282. Johnson is third among active SEC players in pass deflections with 30.

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

Senior P Cody Ridgeway (Jackson, Tenn.) ranks sixth on the Ole Miss career list for punting average, averaging 42.1 yards per punt.
Ridgeway ranks second in the SEC in punting, averaging 42.6 yards per punt.
Ridgeway had three punts of at least 50 yards against Arkansas, tying his season high set in the season opener versus Memphis.
Junior Mike Espy (Madison, Miss.) is seventh on the school's career list for punt return yards with 522. He needs 57 yards to tie Jason Armstead (2001-2002) for sixth place with 579.

ESPY LEADS SEC IN KICKOFF RETURNS: Junior Mike Espy (Madison, Miss.) leads the SEC in kickoff returns, averaging 20.3 yards per return. Espy has returned 18 kickoffs for 366 yards with a long of 44. He also ranks ninht in the SEC in punt returns, averaging 5.4 yards per return on 23 attempts.

NICHOLS LEADS SEC IN FIELD GOALS; RANKS THIRD IN SCORING: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) leads the SEC, and ranks eighth nationally, in field goals made, averaging 1.67 per game. He has made 15-of-21 field goal attempts this season after making his lone attempt last Saturday at Arkansas, a 33-yarder just before halftime. Nichols is also fourth in scoring, averaging 6.8 points per game.

NICHOLS LOOKS TO MOVE UP SEC CAREER SCORING LIST: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) will enter Saturday's game at LSU tied with former Alabama PK Michael Proctor (1987-1990) for sixth place on the SEC's career scoring list with 326 points. The following chart shows the SEC's top 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
*Jonathan Nichols, Ole Miss (2001-present)*	*326*

NICHOLS EXTENDS PAT STREAK: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) will enter Saturday's game at LSU with the nation's longest active streak for PATs made with 114. The streak also ranked as the fifth-longest in SEC history. The following chart shows the top active streaks in the nation for PATs made:

Kicker, School	No.
*1. Jonathan Nichols, Ole Miss*	*114*
2. Matt Leach, Florida	94
3. Taylor Begley, Kentucky	73
Mike Nugent, Ohio State	73
5. Xavier Beitia, Florida State	72

NICHOLS HOLDS 15 SCHOOL RECORDS: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) will enter Saturday's game at LSU with 15 school records to his credit. The following chart shows the 15 Ole Miss records set by Nichols during his career:

Scoring (Career) - 326 (2001-)
Scoring (Season) - 124 (2003)
Points Kicking (Career) - 326 (2001-)
Points Kicking (Season) - 124 (2003)
Points Kicking (Game) - 21, vs. Texas Tech (9/27/2003)
PATs Made (Game) - 8, vs. Louisiana-Monroe (9/13/2003)
PATs Made (Career) - 152 (2001-)
PATs Attempted (Career) - 154 (2001-)
Consecutive PATs Made - 114 (current)
Field Goals Made (Game) - 6, vs. Texas Tech (9/27/2003)*
Field Goals Made (Season) - 24 (2003)
50-yard Field Goals (Game) - 2, vs. Vanderbilt (8/31/2003)
50-yard Field Goals (Season) - 3 (2003)
50-yard Field Goals (Career) - 4 (2001-)

* -- Tied SEC record.

--2004 SEASON REVIEW NOTES--
STAFF CHANGES: Ole Miss added two new assistant coaches on head coach David Cutcliffe's staff for the 2004 season. 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 TWICE EARNS SEC DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK ACCOLADES: Junior DT McKinley Boykin (Bessemer, Ala.) has twice earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors. He received the award following his performance in the Rebels' 26-23 overtime win over Vanderbilt on Sept. 18, registering five solo stops, including two TFLs (-9 yards) and one QB sack (-6 yards). He then again won the award following Ole Miss' 31-28 victory at No. 25 South Carolina on Oct. 9, recording six solo hits. He also had two TFLs (-11 yards) and registered one of the Rebels' four 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.

PEARSON RECORDS THREE STRAIGHT 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES: Junior RB Vashon Pearson (Ripley, Miss.) recorded three straight 100-yard rushing games, earlier this season, against Vanderbilt (9/18), Wyoming (9/25) and Arkansas (10/2) to become the first Ole Miss back to record three consecutive 100-yard rushing performances since Deuce McAllister (1997-2000) recorded five straight to close out the 1999 campaign. During that three-game stretch, Pearson rushed for 379 yards on 62 carries. The following chart shows Pearson's performance in the past five 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
Totals	62	379	1	6.1

ARCHIE MANNING TO RECEIVE 4TH ANNUAL DAVEY O'BRIEN LEGENDS AWARD: Former Ole Miss All-America QB Archie Manning (1968-70) has been selected to be the fourth recipient of the Davey O'Brien Legends Award. He will be honored at the 28th annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner on Feb. 21, 2005 at the Fort Worth Club in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The Davey O'Brien Legends Award recognizes a quarterback who has made a significant contribution to the game of football, distinguished himself as an extraordinary leader, and demonstrates exemplary conduct and reputation both on and off the field. Manning's youngest son, Eli, was the Rebels' starting quarterback from 2001-2003, and helped Ole Miss to a share of the SEC Western Division title in 2003.

SUGAR BOWL ANNOUNCES CREATION OF MANNING AWARD: In honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning, the Sugar Bowl Committee announced the creation of the Manning Award, to be presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback. The first Manning Award recipient will be honored at a presentation ceremony in January. The winner will be determined by a select national panel of media covering college football. Also voting will be each of the Mannings, along with a former Sugar Bowl MVP quarterback, which will rotate annually. Voting for the award will take place immediately following the holiday season.

--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.

GAME #7 - (#13/14) TENNESSEE 21, OLE MISS 17

The announced crowd of 62,028 was the second largest crowd in stadium history, behind the crowd of 62,552 last year against LSU.
Junior RB Brandon Jacobs (Long Beach, Miss.) scored a rushing TD for the fourth straight game when he scored from one-yard out in the second quarter, becoming the first Ole Miss back to score a rushing TD in four consecutive games since Joe Gunn in 2001.
Sophomore DB Bryan Brown (Corinth, Miss.) recorded his first career interception in the fourth quarter when he intercepted Erik Ainge's pass and returned it 34 yards for a TD.
The Rebels continued to use all three QBs -- sophomore Ethan Flatt (Nashville, Tenn.) took 42 snaps, redshirt freshman Robert Lane (Monroe, La.) had 16 snaps and junior Micheal Spurlock (Indianola, Miss.) had 10.
Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) converted both PAT attempts on the evening to extend his school record streak to 112 consecutive PATs made, which is also the longest active streak in the nation.

GAME #8 - (#3/4) AUBURN 35, OLE MISS 14

No. 3 Auburn scored the game's final 14 points to pull away from Ole Miss and post a 35-14 win in front of 60,787 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field and an ESPN national TV audience ... The crowd of 60,787 was the sixth-largest in stadium history.
Sophomore QB Ethan Flatt (Nashville, Tenn.) completed 12-of-20 passes for 225 yards with two TDs ... He hit senior WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) for a 64-yard scoring strike in the second quarter to pull the Rebels within 14-7 ... Flatt later connected with junior WR Taye Biddle (Decatur, Ala.) on a 25-yard scoring pass early in the fourth quarter to make it 21-14.
The contest marked the Rebels' third straight game against a ranked opponent ... Ole Miss defeated No. 25 South Carolina 31-28 on Oct. 9 and lost 21-17 to No. 13 Tennessee on Oct. 16.

GAME #9 - ARKANSAS 35, OLE MISS 3

Arkansas rolled up 297 yards rushing, including 126 yards by senior QB Matt Jones, en route to a 35-3 win over Ole Miss in front of 63,474 at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
It marked the first time since a 20-9 loss to LSU on Nov. 11, 2000 in Oxford that the Rebels failed to score a TD in a game.
Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) accounted for Ole Miss' only points of the game, making a 33-yard FG just prior to halftime.
Redshirt freshman QB Robert Lane (Monroe, La.) rushed for 94 yards on nine carries, including breaking a season-long 50-yarder.
The loss makes the Rebels ineligible for a bowl game for the first time since 1996.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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