Ole Miss Football Game Notes

Sept. 13, 2004

Live Game Audio (Saturday 10:30 a.m.)

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE: Saturday, September 18, 2004

TIME: 11:30 a.m.

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

TV: Jefferson-Pilot (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Dave Rowe, color analyst; Dave Baker, sideline reporter).

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

POLLS: Neither Ole Miss or Vanderbilt are ranked in either of this week's Associated Press or ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls.

SERIES INFO: Saturday's game will be the 79th meeting between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt dating back to 1894. The Rebels lead the series 44-32-2 and have won 10 of the last 11 meetings since 1992. Vanderbilt's last win in the series was a 37-34 overtime victory in Oxford back in 1999. The Rebels are 20-3 all-time against the Commodores in Oxford and have won five of the last six meetings at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field. Ole Miss won the last meeting in Oxford, 45-38 in 2002.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ole Miss is looking to avoid its first 0-3 start since 1983 ... The Rebels have won six of their last seven games against SEC Eastern Division opponents ... Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) has a streak of 100 consecutive PATs made.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE: David Cutcliffe (Alabama, 1976) is in his sixth season as the Rebels' head coach. He is 40-24 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 4-1 against Vanderbilt and 2-0 versus Commodore head coach Bobby Johnson.

VANDERBILT HEAD COACH BOBBY JOHNSON: Bobby Johnson (Clemson, 1972) is in his third year as the head coach of the Commodores. He is 4-21 at Vanderbilt and has a career mark of 64-57 in his 11th season as a collegiate head coach. Prior to coming to Vanderbilt, Johnson spent eight seasons at Division I-AA Furman, guiding the Paladins to a 60-36 record with four trips to the Division I-AA playoffs. Johnson is 0-2 versus Ole Miss and Rebel head coach David Cutcliffe.

VANDERBILT SCOUTING REPORT: Vanderbilt opened the season on September 4 with a 31-6 loss at home to South Carolina. Junior QB Jay Cutler completed 24-of-38 passes for 270 yards with no TDs and was intercepted twice. Senior WR Brandon Smith caught seven passes for 88 yards and junior WR Erik Davis had five receptions for 71 yards. Junior TB Kwane Doster led rushing attack with five rushes for 24 yards and a TD. Doster also returned three kickoffs for a 21.3-yard average. Junior FS Kelechi Ohanaja led the defense with 18 tackles (four solo), including 1.0 TFL (-6 yards) and a 0.5 sack (-5 yards). Junior WLB Moses Osemwegie recorded 11 stops (two solo). Junior CB Dominique Morris had seven hits (three solo) and two pass deflections.

2004 VANDERBILT SCHEDULE/RESULTS
(0-1 OVERALL, 0-1 SEC)

SEPT. 4	SOUTH CAROLINA*	L, 6-31
*Sept. 18*	at Ole Miss*	*11:30 a.m.*
Sept. 25	at Navy	12:30 p.m.
OCT. 2	MISSISSIPPI STATE*	TBA
OCT. 9	RUTGERS	7 P.M.
Oct. 16	at Georgia*	TBA
OCT. 23	EASTERN KENTUCKY	1 P.M.
Oct. 30	at LSU*	TBA
NOV. 6	FLORIDA*	TBA
Nov. 13	at Kentucky*	TBA
NOV. 20	TENNESSEE*	TBA

* -- SEC game.
HOME GAMES IN CAPS

SATURDAY'S MATCH-UP
TEAM STATISTICS

OLE MISS	OPPONENT	CATEGORY	VANDERBILT	OPPONENT
24	46	First Downs	18	26
7	19	By Rushing	3	17
15	20	By Passing	13	7
2	7	By Penalty	2	2
16-133	16-116	Penalties-Yards	4-40	10-80
3-1	2-2	Fumbles-Lost	4-2	1-1
62	91	Rushing Attempts	22	57
133	347	Rushing Yards	36	269
2.1	3.8	Yards Per Rush	1.6	4.7
66.5	173.5	Rushing Yards Per Game	36.0	269.0
58-21	65-35	Pass Attempts-Completions	38-24	20-13
299	435	Passing Yards	270	184
149.5	217.5	Passing Yards Per Game	270.0	184.0
120	156	Total Offensive Plays	60	77
432	782	Total Offense	306	453
216.0	391.0	Total Offense Per Game	306.0	453.0
20	48	Total Points	6	31

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
OLE MISS

Rushing	Att.	Yds.	Avg.	TD
Vashon Pearson	26	102	3.9	1
Brandon Jacobs	10	32	3.2	0
Rick Razzano	2	20	10.0	0

Passing	Att.	Comp.	Yds.	TD/Int.
Micheal Spurlock	46	16	236	0/0
Ethan Flatt	12	5	63	1/0

Receiving	Rec.	Yds.	Avg.	TD
Mario Hill	4	43	10.8	0
Taye Biddle	3	83	27.7	0
Mike Espy	3	36	12.0	0
Bill Flowers	3	32	10.7	0

Punting	No.	Yds.	Avg.	Long
Cody Ridgeway	16	718	44.9	59
Jonathan Nichols	1	30	30.0	30

Punt Returns	No.	Yds.	Avg.	Long
Mike Espy	4	50	12.5	19

KO Returns	No.	Yds.	Avg.	Long
Mike Espy	4	115	28.8	44

Scoring	TD	PAT	FG	Total
Jonathan Nichols	0	2	2	8
Vashon Pearson	1	0	0	6
Eric Rice	1	0	0	6

Tackles	UT-AT	TT	TFL	Sacks
Rob Robertson	6-11	17	1.5-3	--
Charles Clark	8-7	15	--	--
Eric Oliver	8-6	14	1.0-3	--
Patrick Willis	8-5	13	1.0-3	--
Kelvin Robinson	8-5	13	2.0-3	--

VANDERBILT

Rushing	Att.	Yds.	Avg.	TD
Kwane Doster	24	4.8	1
Jay Cutler	8	22	2.8	0
Chris Young	1	8	8.0	0

Passing	Att.	Comp.	Yds.	TD/Int.
Jay Cutler	38	24	270	0/2

Receiving	Rec.	Yds.	Avg.	TD
Brandon Smith	7	88	12.6	0
Erik Davis	5	71	14.2	0
Marlon White	4	53	13.2	0
Chris Young	4	44	11.0	0

Punting	No.	Yds.	Avg.	Long
Abtin Iranmanesh	5	208	41.6	49

Punt Returns	No.	Yds.	Avg.	Long
--	--	--	--	--

KO Returns	No.	Yds.	Avg.	Long
Kwane Doster	3	64	21.3	24
Lorenzo Parker	1	9	9.0	9

Scoring	TD	PAT	FG	Total
Kwane Doster	1	0	0	6

Tackles	UT-AT	TT	TFL	Sacks
Kelechi Ohanaga	4-14	18	1.0-6	0.5-5
Moses Osemwegie	2-9	11	0.5-1	--
Andrew Pace	2-9	11	--	--
Otis Washington	1-9	10	--	--
Dominique Morris	3-4	7	--	--

LAST FIVE MEETINGS
August 30, 2003 - Ole Miss 24, Vanderbilt 21 at Nashville
Jonathan Nichols' 54-yard FG with 3:52 left capped 10 unanswered points by Ole Miss as the Rebels rallied for a 24-21 win in the season opener. Vanderbilt took a 21-14 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Rebels tied it on Eli Manning's 23-yard TD pass to Mike Espy with 9:53 remaining.

September 21, 2002 - Ole Miss 45, Vanderbilt 38 at Oxford
Junior RB Ronald McClendon scored on a 23-yard run with 3:12 remaining to lift Ole Miss to a 45-38 win, after the Commodores had rallied for 21 straight points to erase a 38-17 deficit entering the fourth quarter. QB Eli Manning threw for 386 yards on 24-of-41 passing with two TDs.

December 1, 2001 - Ole Miss 38, Vanderbilt 27 at Oxford
Ole Miss scored 28 fourth-quarter points to rally for a 38-27 win in the 2001 season-finale at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Jason Armstead's 39-yard TD reception from Eli Manning with 3:34 to go in the game gave the Rebels their first lead at 31-27. Joe Gunn later iced the game on a 10-yard scoring run with 1:49 remaining. Gunn finished with 157 yards rushing on 32 carries.

September 16, 2000 - Ole Miss 12, Vanderbilt 7 at Nashville
Ole Miss stopped three potential Vanderbilt scoring drives in the fourth quarter, including a Commodore march to the Rebel 32 as time expired to escape with a 12-7 win in Nashville. Deuce McAllister, who finished with 143 yards rushing on 17 carries, scored Ole Miss' only touchdown on a 50-yard run in the first quarter. Les Binkley then added field goals of 37 and 30 yards.

September 18, 1999: Vanderbilt 37, Ole Miss 34 (ot) at Oxford
Chris Zolman hooked-up with Elliott Carson for an eight-yard TD pass in overtime to lift Vanderbilt to a 37-34 win at Oxford. Vanderbilt tied the game at 31 with 49 seconds left in regulation on a three-yard TD pass from Zolman to Todd Yoder. Rebel QB Romaro Miller was 17-of-21 passing for 245 yards and two TDs in the loss.

TOP REBEL PERFORMANCES VS. VANDERBILT
INDIVIDUAL
Rushing Yards: Stephen Hindman, 30-215, 2 TDs; 11-25-1967
Passing Yards: Eli Manning, 41-24-0-386, 2 TDs; 9-21-2002
Total Offense: Eli Manning, 396 (10 rush, 386 pass); 9-21-2002
Receptions: LeMay Thomas, 10-130, TD; 10-28-1995
Receiving Yards: Eddie Small, 6-210, 2 TDs; 9-18-1993
All-Purpose Yards: Deuce McAllister, 215; 9-16-2000

TEAM
Points Scored: 63 (W, 63-28), 1979 in Oxford
Points Allowed: 91 (L, 0-91), 1915 at Memphis

SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss leads 44-32-2
In SEC games: Ole Miss leads 44-14-2
In Oxford: Ole Miss leads 20-3
In Nashville: Vanderbilt leads 24-20-2
In Memphis: Vanderbilt leads 5-3
In Jackson: Ole Miss leads 1-0

Year	Site	Score
1894	Nashville	L, 0-40
1899	Memphis	L, 0-11
1900	Nashville	L, 0-6
1902	Nashville	L, 0-29
1903	Nashville	L, 0-33
1904	Nashville	L, 0-69
1906	Nashville	L, 0-29
1907	Nashville	L, 0-60
1908	Nashville	L, 0-29
1909	Nashville	L, 0-17
1910	Nashville	L, 2-9
1911	Nashville	L, 0-21
1912	Nashville	L, 0-24
1915	Memphis	L, 0-91
1916	Nashville	L, 0-35
1925	Nashville	L, 0-7
1929	Nashville	L, 7-19
1930	Nashville	L, 0-24
1938	Nashville	L, 7-13
1939	Memphis	W, 14-7
1940	Nashville	W, 13-7
1942	Memphis	L, 0-19
1945	Nashville	W, 14-7
1946	Memphis	L, 0-7
1947	Nashville	L, 6-10
1948	Oxford	W, 20-7
1949	Nashville	L, 27-28
1950	Nashville	L, 14-20
1951	Memphis	L, 20-34
1952	Nashville	T, 21-21
1953	Oxford	W, 28-6
1954	Nashville	W, 22-7
1955	Memphis	W, 13-0
1956	Oxford	W, 16-0
1957	Nashville	W, 28-0
1959	Nashville	W, 33-0
1960	Nashville	W, 26-0
1961	Oxford	W, 47-0
1962	Memphis	W, 35-0
1963	Oxford	W, 27-7
1964	Nashville	T, 7-7
1965	Oxford	W, 24-7
1966	Jackson	W, 34-0
1967	Nashville	W, 28-7
1970	Nashville	W, 26-16
1971	Oxford	W, 28-7
1972	Nashville	W, 31-7
1973	Oxford	W, 24-14
1974	Nashville	L, 14-24
1975	Oxford	W, 17-7
1976	Nashville	W, 20-3
1977	Oxford	W, 26-14
1978	Nashville	W, 35-10
1979	Oxford	W, 63-28
1980	Nashville	W, 27-14
1981	Oxford	L, 23-27
1982	Nashville	L, 10-19
1983	Oxford	W, 21-14
1984	Nashville	L, 20-37
1985	Oxford	W, 35-7
1986	Nashville	W, 28-12
1987	Oxford	W, 42-14
1988	Nashville	W, 36-28
1989	Oxford	W, 24-16
1990	Nashville	W, 14-13
1991	Oxford	L, 27-30
1992	Nashville	L, 9-31
1993	Oxford	W, 49-7
1994	Nashville	W, 20-14
1995	Oxford	W, 21-10
1996	Nashville	W, 20-9
1997	Oxford	W, 15-3
1998	Nashville	W, 30-6
1999	Oxford	L, 34-37 (ot)
2000	Nashville	W, 12-7
2001	Oxford	W, 38-27
2002	Oxford	W, 45-38
2003	Nashville	W, 24-21

OLE MISS ANNOUNCES NEW PARKING POLICY
Starting with Saturday's home game with Vanderbilt, parking on Highway 6 during football games will no longer be allowed, but the University and City of Oxford officials are working together to create a more efficient parking situation.

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

"If they determine that you can't park there, then you can't," Bramlett said. "It will be a zero tolerance ticket and tow situation. 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 will be 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

Ole Miss is looking to avoid its first 0-3 start since 1983 ... The Rebels are off to their first 0-2 start since 1987.
Ole Miss is looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak since suffering a five-game skid during the 2002 campaign.
The Rebels have not started 0-2 in the SEC since 1988.

CUTCLIFFE AMONG REBEL COACHING ELITE: Entering Saturday's game against Vanderbilt, 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 64 games. Vaught was 42-18-4 after 64 games for a .688 winning percentage. Cutcliffe is 40-24 for a .625 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 64 games:

Coach, Years	W-L-T	Pct.
John Vaught, 1947-1970; 1973	42-18-4	.688
David Cutcliffe, 1998-present	40-24	.625
Harry J. Mehre, 1938-1945	38-25-1	.602
Ed Walker, 1930-1937	30-29-5	.508
Billy Brewer, 1983-1993	29-32-3	.477

NICHOLS NAMED TO THE SEC GOOD WORKS TEAM: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) will be featured this week as the SEC Good Works Team Player of the Week during this weekend's Jefferson-Pilot 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.

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 (Green-wood, 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 IN SEPTEMBER

Ole Miss is 135-62-7 (.679 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September.
Ole Miss is 85-22-3 (.786 winning pct.) in September home games (including home contests played in Memphis and Jackson), including a 60-9-2 (.859 winning percentage) mark in September games played in Oxford.
The Rebels have an all-time mark of 50-40-4 (.553 winning pct.) in road games during September.
Ole Miss is 93-31-6 (.738 winning pct.) all-time versus non-conference opponents during the month ... The Rebels are 20-5 (.800 winning pct.) against non-SEC teams in September since 1990.
The Rebels are 42-31-1 (.574 winning pct.) in September SEC games.
Ole Miss is 11-9 (.550 winning pct.) in September under head coach David Cutcliffe.

REBELS ON TV:

Saturday's game versus Vanderbilt, to be televised by Jefferson-Pilot, will mark Ole Miss' second TV game of the year ... ESPN2 carried last weekend's game at Alabama.
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.
Saturday's game will mark Ole Miss' 44th TV appearance since head coach David Cutcliffe's first full season in 1999.
All-time, Saturday's game will be the Rebels' 141st TV appearance since Ole Miss made its TV debut in the 1953 Sugar Bowl versus Georgia Tech ... Ole Miss is 66-72-2 (.479 winning pct.) all-time in TV games.
Ole Miss is 19-11 (.633 winning pct.) all-time on JP.
The Rebels went 4-0 on JP last season defeating Vanderbilt (24-21), Florida (20-17),Alabama (43-28) and South Carolina (43-40) ... Dating back to Ole Miss' 45-38 win over Vanderbilt in the 2001 regular-season finale,the Rebels have won six of their last seven games that have been aired by JP.
Saturday's game will be the seven straight season JP has carried the Ole Miss-Vanderbilt game.
The Rebels are 5-2 all-time against Vanderbilt in TV games.

REBELS VS. SEC EAST:

Since the SEC started divisional play in 1992, Ole Miss is 21-15 (.583 winning pct.) versus the SEC Eastern Division.
Entering Saturday's game with Vanderbilt, the Rebels have won six of their last seven games versus the SEC East, dating back to Ole Miss' 45-38 win over the Commodores 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 10-2 against Vanderbilt since SEC began divisional play in 1992.
Ole Miss is 11-5 (.688 winning pct.) against SEC East opponents at home.
The Rebels are 10-5 (.667 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*	*10-2*	*.833*	*2003*

SCHEDULE NOTES

Ole Miss' September 25 game at Wyoming will mark the Rebels' fourth game against a current member of the Mountain West Conference and the first since a 43-40 win over UNLV in Oxford during the 2000 season.
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.
Ole Miss is 31-5 (.861 winning pct.) versus non-SEC teams dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994.
The Rebels will face five teams that advanced to bowl games last season: Memphis, Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas and LSU.
Ole Miss' 2004 opponents have a combined record of 13-7 (.650 winning pct.) following last weekend's action.

OFFENSIVE NOTES:

Senior RG Marcus Johnson (Coffeeville, Miss.) has started 39 consecutive games entering Saturday's contest versus Vanderbilt.
Redshirt freshman Darryl Harris (Clarksdale, Miss.) made his first career start last Saturday at Alabama, drawing the start at left tackle.
Sophomore WR Matt Pierce (Mobile, Ala.) recorded his first career reception on a 23-yard pass from junior QB Micheal Spurlock (Indianola, Miss.) in the first quarter last Saturday at Alabama.
Sophomore QB Ethan Flatt (Nashville, Tenn.) saw his first action of the season on Ole Miss' second offensive series of the third quarter at Alabama ... Flatt attempted and completed his first career pass on the drive, hitting junior WR Mario Hill (Meridian, Miss.) for an eight-yard reception to the Alabama 42 to convert a third-and-three situation.
Flatt later recorded his first career TD pass against the Crimson Tide, hitting senior TE Eric Rice (Starkville, Miss.) on a six-yard pass in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss' 192 yards of total offense against Alabama marked the first time the Rebels had been held to under 200 yards since being limited to 191 against Florida in 2002.
The Rebels' 22:48 TOP against the Crimson Tide was their lowest since controlling the ball for 20:24 in a 20-17 loss to Georgia in 1999.

FLOWERS SEC'S ACTIVE CAREER LEADER IN RECEPTIONS: Entering Saturday's contest with Vanderbilt, senior WR Bill Flowers (Pelham, Ala.) is the SEC's active career leader in receptions with 123, one more than Georgia senior Fred Gibson at 122. Flowers' 123 career receptions is also seventh on the Ole Miss career list for receptions.

DEFENSIVE NOTES:

Senior LB Rob Robertson (Centreville, Miss.) recorded a career-high nine tackles (three solo) in last Saturday's game at Alabama.
Sophomore WS Charles Clark (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) registered a career-high eight stops (three solo) and recovered his first career fumble against the Crimson Tide.
Junior DL Michael Bozeman (Hawkinsville, Ga.) recorded his first career forced fumble against Alabama.
Sophomore DB Trumaine McBride (Clarksdale, Miss.) is tied for second in the SEC in passes defensed with four.
Ole Miss has allowed an opposing back to top the 100-yard rushing mark in each of the first two games this season. The Rebels have not allowed three-straight 100-yard rushers since the 2002 season when they did so in four straight games against Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and Georgia.
Ole Miss has not recorded a sack in the first two games this season, after having had a streak of 29 straight games with at least one QB sack.

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 has led the Rebels in tackles in each of the past two season, recording 129 (80 solo) in 2002 and 104 (73 solo) last season.

OLIVER, JOHNSON AMONG SEC ACTIVE CAREER DEFENSIVE LEADERS: Entering Saturday's game versus Vanderbilt, 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 active SEC players in career tackles with 272, 29 more than Georgia senior DE David Pollack with 243. Johnson is third among active SEC players in passes defensed with 22.

SPECIALTY NOTES

Senior P Cody Ridgeway (Jackson, Tenn.) had two punts of over 50 yards against Alabama to give him at least one punt of at least 50 yards in 10 of the last 11 games dating back to last season.
Ridgeway has hit five punts of at least 50 yards in 16 attempts this season, and has placed four inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
Ridgeway ranks second in the SEC in punting, averaging 44.9 yards per punt.
Junior Mike Espy ranks second in the SEC in both kickoff return average (28.8) and punt return average (12.5) ... Espy had a career-long 44-yard kickoff return against Alabama, breaking his previous long of 36 set the week before against Memphis.

NICHOLS SEC'S ACTIVE CAREER SCORING LEADER: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols will enter Saturday's game against Vanderbilt as the SEC's active career scoring leader with 275 points, 59 points more than Auburn senior RB Carnell Williams with 216. Nichols' 275 career points also ranks first on the Ole Miss career scoring list.

NICHOLS EXTENDS STREAK TO 100: Senior PK Jonathan Nichols (Greenwood, Miss.) converted his lone PAT attempt in last Saturday's game against Alabama to extend his school-record streak to 100 straight 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*	*100*
2. Jared Siegel, Oregon	94
3. Robert Menchinger, W. Michigan	72
4. Tyler Jones, Boise State	70
5. Stephen Gostkowski, Memphis	62
6. Taylor Begley, Kentucky	57
56
8. Matt Leach, Florida	55
9. Xavier Beitia, Florida State	48
Mike Gruzwalski, Central Michigan	48

STAFF CHANGES: Ole Miss will have two new assistant coaches on head coach David Cutcliffe's staff in 2004. Jay Hopson will serve 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 will return to coaching the linebackers after coaching the defensive backs last season.

Arlington Nunn also joins Cutcliffe's coaching staff in 2004 and will serve as the running backs coach. Nunn replaces 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.

--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.).

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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