Ole Miss Football Game Notes

Oct. 17, 2005

Game 7: Kentucky (1-4, 0-2) at Ole Miss (2-4, 0-3)

Updated Ole Miss Game Notes in PDF Format

DATE: Saturday, October 22, 2005

TIME: 1:00 p.m. CT

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

TV: None

RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play; Harry Harrison, color analyst; Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter; Richard Cross and Pete Cordelli, pregame and postgame hosts). Sirius Satellite Radio channel 147.

POLLS: Neither Ole Miss nor Kentucky is ranked in this week's USA Today Coaches Top 25 or in the Associated Press Top 25.

SERIES INFO: This will be the 38th meeting all-time between the Rebels and Wildcats and first since the 2001 season. Ole Miss holds a 25-12-1 edge in the series and has won five of the last six encounters. After seven years without a game, the teams matched up in 2000 and 2001 with the Rebels prevailing in each game, including a 42-31 count in Lexington in the last meeting. The Rebels enjoy a 6-2 advantage in games played in Oxford and have won three straight over the Cats in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Rebels and Wildcats are playing for the first time in four years ... Both Ole Miss and Kentucky will be looking for their first SEC victory of the year ... Ole Miss has won eight of its last 12 games against SEC Eastern Division foes ... Junior LB Patrick Willis leads the nation in solo tackles (9.40 per game) and the SEC in total tackles (12.6 per game) ... Redshirt freshman RB Mico McSwain needs 86 yards to reach the Rebel freshman rushing record.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH Ed Orgeron: Ed Orgeron (Northwestern State, 1984) is in his first season as the Rebels' head coach, having been hired on Dec. 16, 2004. Ole Miss is Orgeron's first career head coaching position, although he possesses 20 years of college coaching experience, most recently as an assistant head coach on USC's 2003 and 2004 national champion teams.

KENTUCKY HEAD COACH RICH BROOKS: Rich Brooks (Oregon State, 1963) is in his third season at Kentucky and has a record of 7-21 with the Wildcats. In his 19 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Brooks has a 98-130-4 mark and four bowl appearances with Oregon in his 17-year stint with the Ducks (1977-94). In 1994, Brooks earned National Coach of the Year honors after leading Oregon to a 9-4 record and a Rose Bowl berth. He spent 1995-96 as head coach of the NFL's St. Louis Rams, going 13-19 over the two seasons.

KENTUCKY SCOUTING REPORT: On a three-game skid, the Wildcats are 1-4 on the year and at the bottom of the SEC Eastern Division with a 0-2 league record. Kentucky fell to South Carolina in Columbia 44-16 on Oct. 8 before taking Saturday off. Offensively, the Cats are averaging 24.6 points per game and 291.0 yards of total offense. Sophomore QB Andre' Woodson has completed 64-of-109 passes for 792 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. Sophomore RB Rafael Little leads Kentucky in rushing with 460 yards on 91 carries, averaging 92.0 yards per game and 5.1 per attempt. Senior WR Scott Mitchell is the team's top receiver with 15 catches, 212 yards and two TDs. Little has 15 receptions for 119 yards, while sophomore TE Jacob Tamme boasts 11 grabs for 113 yards with one score. The UK defense is allowing 446.0 yards and 38.2 points per game. Sophomore LB Wesley Woodyard has recorded a team-high 44 tackles (34 solo) with two pass break-ups. Senior FS Muhammed Abdullah has 42 stops (37 solo), and freshman LB Braxton Kelley has 32 tackles. Senior K Taylor Begley has made good on 15-of-16 PATs and 2-of-3 field goals. Freshman P Tim Masthay is averaging 36.7 yards in his 20 punts.

REBEL SCHEDULE UPDATE: Game time for Ole Miss' Oct. 29 game at Auburn is set for 11:30 a.m. CT and will be televised by JP Sports.

OLE MISS BEGINS COACH "O" ERA: Ole Miss officially kicked off the Ed Orgeron era with a 10-6 victory at Memphis on Sept. 5. Orgeron was hired as the 35th head coach in the history of the University of Mississippi on December 16, 2004. Prior to coming to Ole Miss, Orgeron served the previous seven seasons as the defensive line coach at the University of Southern California and played a key role in Pete Carroll's Trojans winning back-to-back national championships in 2003 and 2004. He also served as USC's recruiting coordinator from 2001-2004 and was named assistant head coach in 2003.

REBEL NOTEBOOK
The last time the Rebels were 2-4 after six games was 1994.
Ole Miss is looking to avoid its first 0-4 SEC start since opening 0-5 in 1984.
The Rebels have scored first in five of this season's six games.
After trailing at the break in the first four games, Ole Miss has held halftime leads in the last two outings.
The Rebels enter the game with an all-time record of 589-439-35 (.571 winning percentage).
The University of Mississippi is in its 111th football season dating back to 1893 ... Ole Miss did not field teams in 1897 due to an epidemic of yellow fever, and also in 1943 when football was abolished at all Mississippi state-supported institutions by the Board of Trustees.

SECOND-HALF REBELS: Ole Miss has been a strong second-half team this season, outscoring the opposition 68-52 after the halftime break. Conversely, the Rebels have struggled to a 56-36 point deficit in the first half, including a 36-0 opponent's edge in the second quarter.

OLE MISS VS. SEC EAST
Since the SEC started divisional play in 1992, Ole Miss is 23-18 versus the SEC Eastern Division.
Entering the game with Kentucky, the Rebels have won eight of their last 12 games versus the SEC East, dating back to Ole Miss' 45-38 win over Vanderbilt to end the 2001 season.
Last year, Ole Miss was 2-1 against SEC East opponents, defeating Vanderbilt 26-23 (OT) and South Carolina 31-28 and losing to No. 13 Tennessee 21-17 ... In 2003, the Rebels recorded their first three-game sweep of their SEC East opponents.
Ole Miss is 3-1 against Kentucky since SEC began divisional play in 1992.
Ole Miss is 11-6 against SEC East opponents at home, and 12-12 against SEC East teams on the road.

McSWAIN EYES FRESHMAN RECORD: With 461 rushing yards on the season, redshirt freshman RB Mico McSwain trails Joe Gunn (547 in 1998) by 86 yards for the Rebel all-time freshman rushing record. McSwain has led Ole Miss in rushing in all six games this season, and carried 27 times against Alabama on Saturday, the most rushes since Gunn had 32 carries against Vanderbilt in 2001. A native of Richton, Miss., McSwain has registered a pair of 100-yard rushing performances with three TDs and three runs of 50-plus yards, including a 60-yard TD run against Wyoming in what is the Rebels' longest play from scrimmage this season. McSwain currently ranks eighth in the SEC in rushing at 76.8 yards per game, and among backs averaging 10 carries per game, he tops the SEC with a 5.8 average per rush. McSwain spent time at wide receiver and free safety during his true freshman year before moving to running back in preseason drills.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
Senior QB Micheal Spurlock reached the 200-yard mark in passing yards against Alabama for the third straight game and the fourth time this season ... Spurlock was the first QB to pass for 200 yards against Alabama this season ... Spurlock has tossed a TD pass in four of the last five games.
Senior WR Taye Biddle tied his career-high for receptions with five for 77 yards on Saturday.
Senior WR Mario Hill hauled in his second TD of the season and fourth of his career against the Tide ... In his four games of play, Hill is averaging 90.5 yards.
The Rebels totaled 69 rushing yards against Alabama, marking the third time this season to total less than 70 yards on the ground.
With his start at right tackle against Wyoming, senior OL Tre' Stallings extended his stretch of consecutive starts to 43, which is the third-longest active streak in the SEC.
Ole Miss returned 19 letterwinners, including four starters, on offense this year.

WILLIS LEADS NATION IN SOLO TACKLES: Junior LB Patrick Willis tops the nation in solo tackles at 9.40 per game, and leads the SEC in total tackles at 12.6 per game, which ranks eighth nationally. In his four complete games of play, Willis has recorded at least 14 tackles in each outing and totaled 7.5 TFLs. The Rebels are 2-2 in those games, and the defense has allowed 60.8 yards and 4.8 points less than its season averages. Against Alabama, Willis posted 15 tackles with 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks. After missing two weeks of practice and the Wyoming game with injury, Willis showed up in the starting lineup at Tennessee with a large cast on his right hand. He led the Rebels against the ninth-ranked Volunteers with 14 tackles (10 solo) with two TFLs. At Memphis in his first career start, the Bruceton, Tenn., native recorded a career-high 15 tackles with a forced fumble and two tackles for loss. Willis also directed a Rebel defense that contained Tiger All-American RB DeAngelo Williams under 100 yards rushing for only the third time in his last 23 games. For his effort, Willis was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
Ole Miss held Alabama to a season low in points (13) and a tie for its least rushing yards (121) ... The Tide was averaging 29.6 points per game.
The Rebel defense limited Alabama to three first-half points, marking the fourth half of the season in which Ole Miss held its opponent without a TD.
Ole Miss forced two fumbles against the Tide for the second time this season, with the other instance being at Memphis.
The Rebels limited The Citadel to 81 yards of total offense on the game, the least allowed by the Rebels since holding Vanderbilt to 51 total yards in 1993.
Senior DB Travis Johnson scored his third career TD against The Citadel on a fumble return, with the other two coming off interception returns during the 2003 season ... Johnson also recorded his first interception of the season and 10th of his career, tying him for eighth on the Rebel all-time list.
Ole Miss returned 19 letterwinners on defense, including seven starters, from last season.

STRONG-LEGGED MOSELEY: When it comes to kickoffs, junior K Will Moseley is No. 1 among SEC kickers, recording touchbacks on 15 of his 23 kickoffs for a league-leading 65.2 percentage. The Bailey, Miss., native is also tied for fourth in the conference in field goals over 40 yards, knocking down 2-of-4 from that distance, including a 50-yarder against Tennessee.

SPECIALTY NOTES
Junior K Will Moseley had his 35-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter blocked, marking the Rebels' first blocked FG since the 2002 Mississippi State game.
Freshman P Rob Park turned in Rebel season-highs of seven punts and 297 punting yards vs. Alabama ... Park booted a pair of punts of 50-plus yards ... His 62-yard punt against The Citadel was the Rebels' longest since Cody Ridgeway's 65-yarder in the 2003 Arkansas game.
Three different kickers have been used by the Rebels this season. Below charts how redshirt freshman K Robert Bass, sophomore Matt Hinkle and junior Will Moseley have performed:
Bass: 7-7 PAT, 2-3 FG
Hinkle: 0-0 PAT, 1-2 FG
Moseley: 3-4 PAT, 3-6 FG
Senior Mike Espy ran back a punt 51 yards for a his first career return for a TD at Vanderbilt ... It marked the first punt return for a score by a Rebel since Jason Armstead scampered 62 yards against Memphis in 2002.

OLE MISS IN OCTOBER
The Rebels are 213-142-14 (.596 winning pct.) all-time in the month of October.
Ole Miss is 13-6 (.684 winning pct.) in October since 2001.
The Rebels went 2-2 in October last year ... The 21-17 loss to No. 13 Tennessee on Oct. 16 snapped a six-game win streak during the month of October.
In SEC games played in October, Ole Miss has an overall record of 93-96-6 (.492 winning pct.) ... The Rebels 51-36-2 (.584 winning pct.) in SEC home games during October and 42-60-4 (.415 winning pct.) in SEC road games during the month.
The Rebels are 148-57-5 (.717 winning pct.) in home games during October and 65-86-9 (.434 winning pct.) in road games.
Against non-conference opponents in October, Ole Miss is 120-47-8 (.709 winning pct.) ... The Rebels are 97-21-3 (.814 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.

ROBINSON NAMED TO SEC GOOD WORKS TEAM: Senior LB Kelvin Robinson was featured as the SEC Good Works Team Player of the Week for the week of the Ole Miss at Tennessee contest. A criminal justice major from Jackson, Miss., Robinson has been active in the Oxford Pantry Canned Food Drive, the Oxford Highway Clean-up, Reading with the Rebels and Toys for Tots. He has visited patients at the North Mississippi Regional Medical Center and with the elderly at the Azalea Gardens Retirement Center and Heritage Gardens Retirement Center. He also visited area elementary schools, speaking to children at Costa Rica Elementary School during a study abroad program and during National Student-Athlete Day at Oxford Elementary School. Also, he has been part of the Ole Miss Team Mentoring Program.

GRADUATING REBELS: The Rebels have four players on this year's team who have completed their undergraduate degrees -- DT McKinley Boykin (Bessemer, Ala.), LB Kelvin Robinson (Jackson, Miss.), QB Micheal Spurlock (Indianola, Miss.) and OL Tre' Stallings (Magnolia, Miss.).

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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