Ole Miss Football Game Notes

Season Opener: Ole Miss vs. Memphis

DATE: Sunday, September 3, 2006

TIME: 3:32 p.m. CT

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

TV: ESPN (Dave Barnett, play-by-play; Bill Curry, color analyst; Dave Ryan sideline reporter)

RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play; Pete Cordelli, color analyst; Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter; Richard Cross and Harry Harrison, pregame and postgame hosts). Sirius Satellite Radio channel 123 (Ole Miss broadcast).

POLLS: Ole Miss received three votes in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 and is not ranked in the USA Today Coaches poll, which has Memphis receiving five votes. The Tigers do not appear in the AP rankings.

SERIES INFO: This meeting will be the 56th all-time between the Mid-South rivals. It is the Rebels sixth-most played series and most frequent with any school not currently or formerly in the SEC. Ole Miss holds a 43-10-2 lead in the series and took last years Labor Day encounter, 10-6 at the Liberty Bowl. The Rebels have won 10 of the last 14 meetings dating back to 1988, and prior to 2003, had won four straight over Memphis. Ole Miss is 16-2 against the Tigers in Oxford and won the first 14 games in Mississippi. Memphis prevailed 20-13 in the last bout at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: This game will mark the kickoff of the 112th season of football at Ole Miss and the second under head coach Ed Orgeron ... Ole Miss has won nine of its last 10 season openers, including last years 10-6 victory at Memphis ... Ole Miss has matched up with Memphis in its season opener more than any other foe, having kicked off the year with the Tigers 33 times ... In season openers against Memphis, the Rebels are 28-3-2.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH ED ORGERON: Ed Orgeron (Northwestern State, 1984) is entering his second season as the Ole Miss head coach, having been hired on Dec. 16, 2004. The Rebels were 3-8 in his debut campaign. Ole Miss is Orgerons first career head coaching position, although he possesses over 20 years of college coaching experience, most recently as an assistant head coach on USCs 2003 and 2004 national champion teams. Orgeron is 1-0 vs. Memphis.

MEMPHIS HEAD COACH TOMMY WEST: Tommy West (Tennessee, 1976) is in his sixth season as the Tigers head coach. He has a 32-28 record at Memphis and has a career ledger of 67-63 in 11 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Last year, West led Memphis to a 7-5 record as the Tigers earned a third straight bowl bid, knocking off Akron 38-31 in the Motor City Bowl. West has also made head coaching stops at Chattanooga and Clemson. He went 4-7 with the Mocs before being named the head coach at Clemson prior to the 1993 Peach Bowl. He guided the Clemson program for five seasons, compiling a 31-28 ledger. West received his first coaching assignment at Ole Miss in 1979, working with the running backs on former Rebel coach Steve Sloans’ staff. West is 2-2 against the Rebels.

MEMPHIS SCOUTING REPORT: The Tigers return eight starters from an offense that averaged 27.2 points and 397.9 yards of offense per game last season. However, lost is All-American RB DeAngelo Williams, who finished his career as the NCAA record holder in all-purpose yards (7,573). The Tigers 2005 passing leader Maurice Avery is gone as well, but returning QBs Will Hudgens and Billy Barefield both saw action last season. Also back is senior Patrick Byrne, who started last years season opener against Ole Miss but suffered a season-ending injury on the first offensive series. The top three receivers return including senior WR Ryan Scott, who hauled in 37 passes for 577 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, Memphis returns six starters from a unit that yielded an average of 23.0 points and 405.4 yards of offense per game. Three of the Tigers top six tacklers are back, including three-time All-C-USA DB Wesley Smith. Senior CB Brandon McDonald recorded three interceptions and 11 pass break-ups last season, while junior LB Rod Smith totaled 50 total tackles and two picks. Memphis must replace PK Stephen Gostkowski, who is the C-USA all-time leader in scoring, field goals and PATs.

OLE MISS FOOTBALL ENTERS YEAR TWO OF COACH “O” ERA: After an exciting offseason that saw the signing of a highly touted recruiting class, the Rebel nation is energized for Ed Orgeron’s second season at the Ole Miss helm. 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.

REBELS ADD HERALDED SIGNING CLASS: This preseason, Ole Miss has welcomed what many have called the greatest recruiting class in school history. Highlighted by JUCO All-American QB Brent Schaeffer and Parade High School All-American DL Marcus Tillman, the Rebels’ signing class has been ranked as high as ninth in college football. Below charts where the media experts tabbed Ole Miss’ 2006 incoming class:

            CBS SportsLine.com: 9th

            SuperPrep: 13th

            ESPN.com: 14th

            Tom Lemming: 15th

            Scout.com: 15th

            CollegeFootballNews.com: 15th

            Rivals.com: 16th

            Max Emfinger: 16th

ORGERON RADIO SHOW KICKS OFF FRIDAY: The first installment of Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron’s weekly call-in radio show, Reb Talk, will air Friday from 6 to 7 p.m. CT from the Oxford University Club on the Oxford Square. For the remainder of the season, the show will follow its usual format of Thursdays from 7 to 8 p.m. 

REBEL NOTEBOOK

This game will mark the start of the 112th football season at The University of Mississippi 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.

The Rebels enter the 2006 season with an all-time record of 590-443-35 (.569 winning percentage).

Ole Miss is 34-7 versus non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994 ... The Rebels are 25-3 in their last 28 non-conference games in Oxford.

Ole Miss is returning 35 lettermen and 12 starters from last year’s squad.

MEMPHIS-AREA REBELS: Ole Miss has 16 players on its roster from the Memphis area: freshman DB Zac Craig, freshman DL Cecil Frison, freshman DL Greg Hardy, freshman LB Sam Holcomb, junior DE Brandon Jenkins, freshman TE Andy Johnson, sophomore OL Michael Oher, sophomore P Rob Park, freshman DB Stephen Payne, freshman LS Preston Powers, freshman WR Kelvin Rolack, freshman K Justin Sparks, junior WR Carlos Suggs, freshman WR Markeith Summers, freshman DB Cassius Vaughn and freshman DB Allen Walker.

SEASON OPENERS

The Rebels are 82-24-5 (.761 winning percentage) in season openers and have taken nine of the last 10.

Ole Miss is 91-14-5 (.850 winning pct.) in home openers and had a streak of 16 straight home-opening wins snapped last year to Wyoming, 24-14 ... The previous loss was a 31-10 defeat 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 68-7-4 (.887 winning pct.).

When the Rebels’ season and home openers are one in the same, Ole Miss is 56-4-3 (.913 winning percentage) ... Ole Miss dropped their last such opener to Memphis 20-13 in 2004 ... The Rebels had won the 12 previous dating back to a 23-20 defeat to Texas A&M in a season/home  opener on Sept. 6, 1980 in Jackson.

EXPERIENCED NEWCOMERS: While the Rebel roster is stocked with newcomers, two key additions to the Ole Miss offense bring college experience at the major conference level. Juniors Brent Schaeffer and BenJarvus Green-Ellis have competed in the SEC and Big Ten, respectively, and are expected to be impact players in the Red and Blue this season. Before transferring to the College of the Sequoias last year, Schaeffer started three games at quarterback for Tennessee as a true freshman in 2004, including the season opener against UNLV and the Florida game. He played in seven contests that year for the Vols before a broken collarbone cut his season short. A running back from New Orleans, Green-Ellis led Indiana in rushing in each of his two seasons in Bloomington. As a freshman, he ranked third in the Big Ten at 98.0 yards per rush and ran for 203 yards at Penn State.

YOUNG RECEIVERS: The Ole Miss offense boasts experienced pass-catchers at the running back and tight end positions, but at wide receiver, the Rebels will be utilizing some young talent in 2006. The current group of wideouts boasts a grand total of one catch a reception for no yards by junior Carlos Suggs against Mississippi State last year. Suggs has three games of experience under his belt, while sophomore Mike Wallace played in 10 games in his debut season in the Red and Blue. He did not garner any catches as a freshman but did return four kickoffs. Others expected to leap into the mix this year are redshirt freshman Michael Hicks and true freshmen Marshay Green, Shay Hodge, Kendrick Lewis, Dexter McCluster and Markeith Summers.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

Ole Miss returns 15 letterwinners on offense, including five starters. Among the returnees are First Team Freshman All-America lineman Michael Oher and Honorable Mention Freshman All-America running back Mico McSwain.

The Ole Miss line has three of five starters back from last year in Michael Oher, Andrew Wicker and  Darryl Harris. Among the departed is tackle Tre’ Stallings, who finished his career with 48 consecutive starts to tie the school record held by OL Marcus Johnson (2001-04).

RB Mico McSwain surpassed Joe Gunn (547 in 1998) to establish an Ole Miss freshman rushing record with 612 yards last season. The Richton, Miss., native led Ole Miss in rushing in the first eight games of the year and registered three 100-yard performances, which is also a Rebel freshman record. McSwain finished eighth in the SEC in rushing yards per game at 68.0.

REBEL “D” ON THE RISE: Below charts how the Rebel defense rose among the nation’s best in 2005 (final NCAA rank):

            Pass Defense (14)       179.4

            Total Defense (27)      332.6

            Scoring Defense (31)  22.3

STELLAR LINEBACKING CORPS: Highlighted by consensus preseason First Team All-American Patrick Willis, the Ole Miss defense features one of the SEC’s top linebacking groups. In the middle is the senior Willis, who is a candidate for every college football defensive player award. Several media outlets have labeled him the nation’s top inside linebacker. Junior Garry Pack returns at “Sam” linebacker after starting all 11 games at that spot in 2005, when he finished third on the team in tackles and posted six TFLs and three sacks. At “Will” linebacker, sophomore Quentin Taylor saw action in eight games as a true freshman and is a starting candidate in his second season. Sophomore Robert Russell and newcomers Rory Johnson and Jonathan Cornell stand to challenge for playing time at linebacker.

SENIOR SECONDARY: With a pair of seniors, Ole Miss enjoys an abundance of experience in the secondary. Senior CB Trumaine McBride has made 22 consecutive starts at right cornerback and topped the team in pass break-ups with seven last year. Fellow fourth-year Rebel Charles Clark has also started every game the last two seasons, including all 11 at free safety a year ago. At strong safety, sophomore Jamarca Sanford started 10 games and earned Freshman All-America honors last year. Junior Nate Banks has made a pair of starts at corner and is competing for a starting job. Sophomores Dustin Mouzon and Terrell Jackson earned valuable experience last season, while senior Bryan Brown has played in 34 game with four starts during his career. Freshmen Jamal Harvey, Cassius Vaughn and Allen Walker also play into the mix in the secondary.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

The Rebels return 18 letterwinners and five starters on defense. Heading the list of returnees is First Team All-America linebacker Patrick Willis and Third Team Freshman All-America safety Jamarca Sanford.

LB Patrick Willis topped the nation in 2005 in solo tackles (9.00) and ranked sixth in total tackles (12.80), which led the SEC ... His 90 solo stops was the second-most by a Rebel since 1968, two shy of Kem Coleman’s 1976 mark.

S Jamarca Sanford topped all SEC freshmen in tackles and was 12th among all league DBs at 5.3 stops per game ... Sanford tied for sixth in the conference in fumble recoveries with two.

S Charles Clark tied for third in the SEC in fumble recoveries with three.

Ole Miss is replacing all four starters on the defensive line with the graduation of tackles McKinley Boykin and Michael Bozeman and ends Jayme Mitchell and Corvelli Haynes.

Last year, the Rebels held the SEC's top rushing offense in Arkansas to 89 yards, the Razorbacks’ second-lowest total of the season and 128 yards below their season average.

Ole Miss held Alabama to a then-season low in points (13) and a tie for its least rushing yards (121) at the time ... The Tide was averaging 29.6 points per game.

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.

SPECIALTY NOTES

K Will Moseley topped the SEC in kickoffs a year ago, recording touchbacks on 24 of his 38 kickoffs for a league-best 63.2 percentage ... Moseley and teammate Matt Hinkle tied for fifth in the conference in field goals over 40 yards for a .500 percentage, each knocking down 2-of-4 from that distance.

FIRST TWO GAMES SET FOR TV: Ole Miss’ first two games of the season have already been picked up for TV. For the second straight year, ESPN will carry the season opener against Memphis in a specially scheduled non-Saturday contest. The following weekend, Ole Miss travels to Missouri, and Fox Sports Net will be there to broadcast it on its various regional networks (i.e. FSN South, FSN Midwest, etc.). Dating back to 1952, the Mizzou matchup will be the 152nd national or regional appearance on TV for Ole Miss. 

SCHEDULE NOTES

Ole Miss will face six teams that went to bowl games last year: Memphis (Motor City), Missouri (Independence), Georgia (Sugar), Alabama (Cotton), Auburn (Capital One) and LSU (Peach).

The Rebels take on two first-time opponents in Wake Forest and Northwestern State. Ole Miss also matches up with Missouri for only the fifth time ever and first since 1979.

For the first time in two years, Ole Miss plays seven home games this season, hosting Memphis (Sept. 3), Wake Forest (Sept. 23), Georgia (Sept. 30), Vanderbilt (Oct. 7), Auburn (Oct. 28), Northwestern State (Nov. 4) and Mississippi State (Nov. 25).

REBELS VERSUS CONFERENCE USA: Ole Miss will enter this game versus Memphis with an all-time record of 126-53-2 (.702 winning pct.) versus schools that are currently members of Conference USA. Prior to the Memphis losses in 2003 and 2004, Ole Miss reeled off a nine-game win streak over C-USA opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on November 12, 1994. Former SEC rivals, Ole Miss and Tulane have matched up 69 times, fourth-most frequent of any Rebel opponent series. The following chart shows Ole Miss’ all-time record against teams currently in Conference USA

OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER

Ole Miss is 137-64-7 (.675 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September.

Ole Miss is 94-32-6 (.735 winning pct.) all-time versus non-conference opponents during the month.

Ole Miss is 86-22-3 (.788 winning pct.) in  September home games (including home contests played in Memphis and Jackson), including a 61-9-2 (.861 winning percentage) mark in September games played in Oxford.

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 1-2 in September last season (at Memphis, W, 10-6; at Vanderbilt, L, 31-23; Wyoming, L, 24-14) Prior to 2003, Ole Miss posted at least a .500 record in 14 consecutive Septembers.

OLE MISS ON TV

This game at Memphis, to be televised by ESPN, is one of two TV games on the schedule, to date ... The Sept. 9 road game at Missouri will be carried by FSN.

Over the last four seasons, 32 of the Rebels’ 48 games have been televised.

Last year, the Rebels appeared on TV six times.

All-time, this game will be the Rebels’ 151st TV appearance since Ole Miss made its TV debut in the 1953 Sugar Bowl versus Georgia Tech ... Ole Miss is 68-80-2 all-time in TV games.

The Rebels are 10-9 all-time on ESPN.

  This game marks the 27th time on either ESPN or ESPN2 for Ole Miss since 1999.

The Rebels have won 12 of their last 22 TV games dating back to the 24-12 win over Mississippi State in the 2002 “Egg Bowl.”

2005 NOTEBOOK

Ole Miss concluded its second straight losing season ... The last time the Rebels finished below .500 in consecutive campaigns was in 1987 and 1988, going 3-8 and 5-6, respectively ... Prior to its 4-7 finish in 2004, Ole Miss had recorded seven straight winning seasons, their longest such streak since notching seven straight from 1965-1971.

Nine true freshmen and 22 players overall saw their first action in the Red and Blue in 2005.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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