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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Game Notes
9/19/2005 | Football
Sept. 19, 2005
Coach O's Press Conference | Press Conference Transcript | Wyoming Game Preview | Wyoming Game Notes | SEC Weekly Release
Game 3: Wyoming (2-1) at Ole Miss (1-1)
DATE: Saturday, September 24, 2005
TIME: 6:00 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, pregame and postgame host)
POLLS: Neither Ole Miss nor Wyoming is ranked in this week's USA Today Coaches Top 25 or in the Associated Press Top 25.
SERIES INFO: This game will mark only the second meeting between Ole Miss and Wyoming. The Cowboys took the first ever encounter last year in Laramie, 37-32.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: This game against Wyoming will mark Ole Miss' 2005 home-opener ... The Rebels are 91-13-5 (.858 winning pct.) all-time in home openers ... Ole Miss is 33-6 (.846 winning pct.) versus non-SEC teams dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994 ... The Rebels are 24-2 (.923 winning pct.) against non-conference opponents in Oxford during that span ... The Rebels are 8-3 all-time against current members of the Mountain West Conference ... Senior WR Mario Hill leads the SEC in receiving yards per game at 119.0, and is the first Rebel receiver to record consecutive 100-yard receiving games since Chris Collins in 2002.
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.
WYOMING HEAD COACH JOE GLENN: Joe Glenn (South Dakota, 1971) is in his third year as the head coach at Wyoming and has a record of 13-14 with the Cowboys. In 2004, Glenn directed Wyoming to a 7-5 record and a 24-21 victory over UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. He has a career record of 170-73-1 in his 21st season as a collegiate head coach. Prior to coming to Wyoming, Glenn spent 18 years as the head coach at Doane College (1976-1979), Northern Colorado (1989-1999) and Montana (2000-2002). He guided Northern Colorado to the NCAA Division II national championship in 1996 and 1997 and led the Grizzlies to the NCAA Division I-AA national title in 2001.
WYOMING SCOUTING REPORT: After opening the season with a 32-14 loss at No. 10 Florida, Wyoming rebounded for consecutive victories against Louisiana-Monroe and Air Force. On Saturday, the Cowboys scored the game-winning TD with 1:25 remaining to steal a 29-28 road win over the Falcons. Wyoming is averaging 27.0 points and 340.3 yards of offense per game. Senior QB Corey Bramlet has completed 46-of-84 passes for 640 yards with three TDs and three INTs. Senior WR and preseason Biletnikoff Award candidate Jovon Bouknight has caught 13 passes for 217 yards with three TDs, while averaging 36.3 yards per kickoff return. Junior WR Tyler Holden has hauled in 10 catches for 114 yards. Redshirt freshman RB Wynel Seldon has rushed for 244 yards on 56 carries with three touchdowns. Defensively, Wyoming is allowing an average of 20.0 points and 323.3 yards per game. Junior FS John Wendling has recorded a team-high 21 tackles (14 solo) with an interception. Senior DE John Flora has posted 13 stops with a team-high three sacks. Sophomore CB Julius Stinson has provided two of the Cowboys' four interceptions.
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
• Ole Miss is 91-13-5 (.858 winning pct.) in home openers and had won 16 straight home openers before falling to Memphis 20-13 last season ... Prior to that defeat, the Rebels' previous home-opening loss had been a 31-10 setback to Arkansas in Jackson on Sept. 12, 1987 (Ole Miss used to play some home games in both Jackson and Memphis).
• When playing their home opener in Oxford, the Rebels are 68-6-4 (.897 winning pct.).
• Ole Miss is 33-6 (.846 winning pct.) versus non-SEC teams dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994 ... The Rebels are 24-2 (.923 winning pct.) against non-conference opponents in Oxford during that span.
• The Rebels enter the game with an all-time record of 588-436-35 (.572 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.
OLE MISS-WYOMING CONNECTIONS: Former Wyoming RB Walker "Sonny" Jones, who played for the Cowboys during the 1948 and 1949 seasons, is the father of former Ole Miss TB-DB Walker (Bill) Jones III, who played for the Rebels from 1967-1969. "Sonny" is also the grandfather of current Ole Miss Assistant AD for Internal Affairs Walker Jones IV, who played WR and LB for the Rebels from 1994-1997.
REBELS VERSUS THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE: The Rebels enter the Wyoming game with an 8-3 all-time record against current members of the Mountain West Conference. Prior to last year's Wyoming game in Laramie, Ole Miss' previous matchup versus a Mountain West opponent came in 2000, when the Rebels edged the UNLV Rebels 43-40 in an overtime game in Oxford. Ole Miss' most frequent MWC foe is first-year conference member TCU, whom the Rebels boast a 5-1 mark against with a pair of bowl victories in the 1948 Delta Bowl and the 1956 Cotton Bowl. Ole Miss' other three Mountain West contests came against Air Force in bowl games, with the Falcons winning the 1983 Independence and the Rebels prevailing in the 1989 and 1992 Liberty Bowls.
DEBUTS: Ole Miss had a trio of players make their Rebel debuts against Vanderbilt: Rob Park (Fr., P), Robert Russell (Fr., LB) and Burnell Wallace (Fr., WR). With those three first-year players, the Rebels have had seven true freshmen and 19 players overall see their first action in the Red and Blue this season.
FIRST-TIME STARTERS: One Rebel made his first career start in Saturday's game at Vanderbilt.
OFFENSE: #74- Michael Oher (Fr., RG)
OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER
• Ole Miss is 137-63-7 (.679 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September.
• Ole Miss is 86-21-3 (.795 winning pct.) in September home games (including home contests played in Memphis and Jackson), including a 61-8-2 (.873 winning percentage) mark in September games played in Oxford.
• Ole Miss is 94-31-6 (.740 winning pct.) all-time versus non-conference opponents during the month ... The Rebels are 21-5 (.810 winning pct. against non-SEC teams in September since 1990.
• The Rebels have an all-time mark of 51-42-4 (.546 winning pct.) in road games during September.
• The Rebels are 43-32-1 (.572 winning pct.) in September SEC games, including a 11-5 (.667 winning percentage) record in games played in Oxford.
• The Rebels went 1-3 in September last season (Memphis, L, 13-20; at Alabama, L, 7-28; Vanderbilt, W, 26-23; at Wyoming, L, 32-37) Prior to 2003, Ole Miss posted at least a .500 record in 14 consecutive Septembers.
HILL AMONG TOP SEC RECEIVERS: Senior WR Mario Hill enters the week as the Southeastern Conference leader in receiving yards at 119.0 per game and is tied for second in receptions at 7.0 per outing. Hill turned in his second straight 100-yard receiving game on Saturday with 106 yards on six catches. The last Rebel receiver to manage back-to-back 100-yard games was Chris Collins in 2002. Hill also registered his third career TD grab and first since the 2003 campaign. The Meridian native was Ole Miss' leading receiver in 2004 with 36 receptions for 426 yards.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss has scored on the opening drive in both of this season's games, and picked up a 35-yard field goal in each instance ... The Rebels scored on their opening drive only twice in 11 games last year.
• Ole Miss' 20 straight points in the second half against Vanderbilt was the most unanswered in a game by a Rebel team since scoring 24 consecutive points in the 2004 Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma State.
• Ole Miss scored 14 points in the third quarter against the Commodores, marking the first time in seven games to record two touchdowns in a quarter ...The last time the Rebels managed the feat was in the first quarter of last year's South Carolina game.
• With 72 yards on the ground at Vanderbilt, redshirt freshman RB Mico McSwain topped the Rebels in rushing for the second straight game ... The last Rebel freshman to lead Ole Miss in rushing in consecutive outings was Joe Gunn in 1998 ... McSwain's 53-yard TD run on Saturday is the Rebels' longest play from scrimmage this season.
• Senior QB Micheal Spurlock recorded new career-highs for completions and passing yardage at Vanderbilt, finishing 16-of-32 for 257 yards to best his totals from the season-opener against Memphis ... Spurlock also tossed his third career TD pass in the third quarter and first since the 2003 season.
• With his start at right tackle at Vanderbilt, senior OL Tre' Stallings extended his stretch of consecutive starts to 39, which is the third-longest active streak in the SEC.
• Senior WR Taye Biddle tied his career-high for receptions against Vanderbilt with 5 ... Biddle has 9 catches through the first two games after only 15 all of last year.
• Senior WR Larry Kendrick hauled in a career-long 32 yard reception in the third quarter on Saturday.
• Ole Miss returns 19 letterwinners, including four starters, on offense this year.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Rebel LBs Patrick Willis and Kelvin Robinson are tied for second in the SEC in tackles, averaging 10.0 per game.
• The Rebels had their streak of consecutive quarters without allowing a touchdown end at nine with the Commodores' second-quarter TD ... The streak dated back to last year's season finale vs. Mississippi State.
• The Ole Miss defense has forced and recovered a fumble in each of the first two games.
• Seeing his first career action, true freshman LB Robert Russell led the Rebels at Vanderbilt with 10 tackles, including 9 solo stops, with a forced fumble.
• Senior DE Corvelli Haynes registered his second career blocked field goal in the fourth quarter against Vanderbilt ... Haynes was also the last Rebel to block a FG when he turned away a 28-yard attempt by Arkansas' Chris Balseiro last season ... In addition, Haynes collected a career-high 3.0 TFLs on Saturday.
• Sophomore LB Garry Pack recorded a career-high 9 tackles, including 8 solos, at Vanderbilt ... He registered his first career interception at the goalline in the final 20 seconds of the victory at Memphis. • In the season-opening win at Memphis, the Ole Miss defense held All-American senior running back DeAngelo Williams under 100 yards rushing for only the third time in his last 23 games.
• The Rebel defense forced Memphis into three-downs-and-out on six of 12 possessions.
• Ole Miss returns 19 letterwinners on defense, including seven starters, from last season.
ESPY STARS AS PUNT RETURNER: With the Rebels rallying in the fourth quarter at Vanderbilt Saturday, senior Mike Espy ran back a punt 51 yards for a his first career return for a touchdown. It marked the first punt return for a score by a Rebel since Jason Armstead scampered 62 yards against Memphis in 2002. Espy's 52 punt return yards against the Commodores moved him into fifth on the Rebel all-time PR list with 636 career yards. Espy currently ranks second in the SEC and 29th in the nation with an average of 12.7 yards per punt.
HISTORIC PAT STREAK ENDS: The Rebels had their streak of 120 consecutive PATs snapped when junior Will Moseley's attempt was blocked in the fourth quarter of Saturday's Vanderbilt game. The stretch of extra points made had been the longest active streak by a team in the nation, and stands as the fifth longest in SEC history. The first 117 conversions of the streak were recorded by Jonathan Nichols, while the final three were handled by Moseley.
SPECIALTY NOTES
• Junior P-K Will Moseley connected on his first career field goal, a 35-yarder, in the first quarter of the Vanderbilt game.
• The Rebels' 128 kickoff return yards at Vanderbilt was their most since gaining 141 against Texas Tech in 2003.
• Redshirt freshman PK Matt Hinkle's was good on his first career field goal attempt, connecting from 35 yards out in the first quarter of the Memphis game.
• Ole Miss is replacing both PK Jonathan Nichols and P Cody Ridgeway, both of whom were mainstays of the Rebel special teams unit for the past three seasons.
• Nichols graduated holding 15 Ole Miss records and was the 2003 Lou Groza Award recipient for the nation's top place kicker ... His 344 career points ranked sixth on the SEC's career scoring list.
• Ridgeway ended his career with 10,021 career punting yards to become the third player in school history to record 10,000 career punting yards. He also finished sixth on the school's career list for punting average, averaging 42.1 yards on 238 career kicks.
P-O-W HONORS: Junior LB Patrick Willis (Bruceton, Tenn.) was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 6, following the Rebels' 10-6 season-opening win at Memphis. It marked the SEC's first POW selections of the 2005 season and the first of Willis' career. Making his first career start, Willis recorded a career-high 15 tackles, including 10 solo stops, with a forced fumble and two tackles for loss against the Tigers.
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.).
ROBINSON WEARS CHUCKY MULLINS' NO. 38 IN 2005: Senior LB Kelvin Robinson (Jackson, Miss.) 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, Robinson wore No. 39. Before switching to linebacker in the spring, Robinson started all but one game over the last two years at strong safety, and boasts 153 career tackles and 15 TFLs.
2005 TEAM CAPTAINS: On August 29, Ed Orgeron announced his two permanent team captains for the 2005 campaign. A pair of linemen will wear the title -- OL Tre' Stallings (Magnolia, Miss.) and DL Michael Bozeman (Hawkinsville, Ga.).
REBELS ON POSTSEASON AWARDS WATCH LISTS: Ole Miss has a pair of players on preseason watch lists for postseason awards in 2004. Senior C Tony Bonds (Russellville, Ala.) is on the Rimington Award watch list for the nation's top center, while senior DT McKinley Boykin (Bessemer, Ala.) is on the watch list for the Rotary Lombardi Award, presented to the nation's top lineman/linebacker.
