SEC OPENER: Rebels Head to Kentucky

DATE: Saturday, September 16, 2006

TIME: 6:00 p.m. ET

SITE (CAPACITY): Commonwealth Stadium (67,606); Lexington, Ky.

TV: A pay-per-view telecast is offered throughout Mississippi and in the Memphis, Tenn., market and also on DIRECTV. The game is not available in the ESPN Gameplan package in these areas, but will appear on Gameplan in outside markets. Fans wishing to purchase the telecast should contact their local cable outlet or DIRECTV. DIRECTV channel 797. Dish TV channel 465. Call local provider for cable channel. Richard Cross will provide play-by-play of the telecast, while former Ole Miss player Walker Jones will serve as analyst. The CSS replay of the Ole Miss-Kentucky game will be on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m.

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 130 (Ole Miss broadcast). The Rebel Road Radio broadcast frequency will be 88.7 FM in Lexington for the Ole Miss in-house broadcast.

POLLS: Neither Ole Miss nor Kentucky is receiving votes in either the Associated Press Top 25 poll or the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll.

SERIES INFO: This will be the 40th meeting all-time between the Rebels and Wildcats and the first in Lexington since the 2001 season. Ole Miss holds a 26-12-1 edge in the series and has won six of the last seven encounters. After three years without a game, the teams matched up in 2005 with the Rebels prevailing in a 13-7 count in Oxford in the last meeting. The series is tied 9-9-1 in games played in Lexington with the Rebels having won two of the last three games played at Commonwealth Stadium. Ole Miss is 15-7 versus the Wildcats in games played at night.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The game at Kentucky will mark the Rebels' 2006 Southeastern Conference opener ... Ole Miss has won nine of its last 13 games against SEC Eastern Division opponents ... Ole Miss is 1-5 on the road under head coach Ed Orgeron.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH ED ORGERON: Ed Orgeron (Northwestern State, 1984) is in his second season as the Ole Miss head coach, having been hired on Dec. 16, 2004. The Rebels are 4-9 under Orgeron after opening the 2006 season with a win over Memphis and loss at Missouri. Ole Miss is Orgeron's first career head coaching position, although he possesses over 20 years of college coaching experience, most recently as an assistant head coach on USC's 2003 and 2004 national champion teams. Orgeron is 1-0 versus Kentucky with last season's 13-7 win over the Wildcats under his belt.

KENTUCKY HEAD COACH RICH BROOKS: Rich Brooks (Oregon State, 1963) is in his fourth season at Kentucky and has a record of 10-26 with the Wildcats. In his 20 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Brooks has a 101-135-4 mark. He was previously the head coach at Oregon, owning four bowl appearances 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: The Wildcats opened the 2006 season with a 59-28 loss to their in-state rival Louisville, before defeating Texas State, 41-7, in their home opener. Junior QB Andre' Woodson led the Wildcats into the win column on Saturday as he threw three touchdown passes and Kentucky rebounded from a blowout at Louisville with its most lopsided victory in four years. Woodson has six TD tosses on the season, four to Dicky Lyons. Lyons has five receptions on the season, four for TDs. Junior running back Rafael Little leads UK's ground attack with 112 yards and a TD on 19 carries. Little is also a threat on special teams as he leads the SEC in punt returns with 24.7 yards per return. Keenan Burton turned in a 100-yard kick-off return in the Wildcats' season-opener versus Louisville. Burton is UK's leading receiver with nine catches for 207 yards and a TD through the first two games. On defense, the Wildcats are led by LB Wesley Woodyard with 20 (14 solo) tackles. Woodyard has recorded 2.0 TFLs for minus two yards. Roger Williams and Marcus McClinton are next with 11 tackles a piece, while McClinton has collected UK's lone interception on the season.

REBELS OPEN SEC PLAY AT KENTUCKY
Ole Miss is 30-39-3 (.444 winning percentage) in SEC openers.
Ole Miss is 14-24-3 (.388 winning percentage) in SEC openers on the road.
The University of Mississippi is in its 112th 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.

NEWCOMERS THROWN INTO ACTION: Through the first two games of the season, 20 members of the 2006 signing class have already seen game action, including 14 true freshmen. Ole Miss ranks third in the country with its 14 true freshmen seeing action. Temple has had 16 first-year players see action and Illinois has fielded 15. The following newcomers have hit the field in their first season in the Red and Blue: Corey Actis (Jr., OL), Cordera Eason (Fr., RB), Marshay Green (Fr., WR), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (Jr., RB), Bruce Hall (Jr., RB), Andy Hartmann (Fr., FB), Greg Hardy (Fr., DL), Jamal Harvey (Fr., DB), Shay Hodge (Fr., WR), Hayward Howard (So., DL), John Jerry (Fr., OL), Rory Johnson (Jr., LB), Kendrick Lewis (Fr., WR), Kentrell Lockett (Fr., DL), Dexter McCluster (Fr., WR), Preston Powers (Fr., LS), Brent Schaeffer (Jr., QB) Joshua Shene (Fr., K), Marcus Tillman (Fr., DE) and Cassius Vaughn (Fr., DB).

OLE MISS VS. SEC EAST
Since the SEC started divisional play in 1992, Ole Miss is 24-18 versus the SEC Eastern Division.
Entering the game with Kentucky, the Rebels have won nine of their last 13 games versus the SEC East, dating back to Ole Miss' 45-38 win over Vanderbilt to open the 2002 SEC portion of the schedule.
Last year, Ole Miss was 1-2 against SEC East opponents, defeating Kentucky 13-7 and falling at Vanderbilt 31-23 and Tennessee 27-10 ... In 2003, the Rebels recorded their first three-game sweep of their SEC East opponents with wins over Vanderbilt, Florida and South Carolina.
Ole Miss is 4-1 against Kentucky since the SEC began divisional play in 1992.
Ole Miss is 12-6 against SEC East opponents at home and 12-12 against SEC East teams on the road.

OLE MISS-KENTUCKY TIES: Ole Miss does not field any Bluegrass state natives on its roster and likewise, the Wildcats do not have any Magnolia state natives dotting their roster. UK assistant coach for the defensive line, Rick Petri, was previously on the Ole Miss coaching staff on two separate occasions. Petri first worked with the Rebel defensive line from 1989-91 and was most recently at Ole Miss in the same capacity from 1998-2004.

GREEN-ELLIS VERSUS THE WILDCATS: Despite just beginning his Rebel career, junior running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis is familiar with the Ole Miss week three opponent Kentucky. Green-Ellis is the only player on the Ole Miss roster to have played against the Wildcats on more than one occasion. He previously took on the UK defense during his first two seasons at Indiana, collecting a total of 131 yards rushing on 33 carries and 91 yards receiving on three catches. Green-Ellis had a big game versus Kentucky in his sophomore season (2004) as he turned in a 115-yard performance on 28 carries.

STARTING SOMETHING: Seven offensive players and five players on the defensive side of the ball have picked up their first career starts versus either Memphis or Missouri. Brent Schaeffer (QB), Mike Wallace (WR), Dexter McCluster (WR), Corey Actis (C), John Jerry (RG), Marshay Green (WR) and BenJarvus Green-Ellis (RB) have each started for the first time for the Rebel offense, while Peria Jerry (DE), Hayward Howard (DT), Viciente DeLoach (DE), Marcus Tillman (DE) and Quentin Taylor (WLB) have hit the field the first play for the Rebel defense.

RUN DMC: Ole Miss freshman WR Dexter McCluster is racking up yards in all phases of the game. McCluster, who was named Freshman of the Week by both the Southeastern Conference and Rivals.com last week, is the SEC leader in all-purpose yards. He has gained 59 yards on the ground, 123 yards through the air and 214 on kick-off returns. His 198.0 all-purpose yards per game rank first in the SEC and fourth in the NCAA.

TILLMAN UP TO THE TASK: Although the Rebel defense has seen seven newcomers making plays, true freshman defensive lineman Marcus Tillman has stood out through the first two games. Tillman, who earned his first career start versus Missouri, has collected 10 (8 solo) tackles. He leads the team in TFLs with 3.0 for minus eight yards, including 1.0 sack for minus six yards.

REB TALK RETURNS TO THURSDAY LINE-UP: Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron's weekly call-in radio show, Reb Talk, will air Thursday, Sept. 14, from 7 to 8 p.m. CT from the Oxford University Club on the Oxford Square. A full listing of radio affiliates is available on page 6.

YOUNG RECEIVERS: Ole Miss boasts experienced pass-catchers at the running back and tight end positions, but at wide receiver, the Rebel talent is young. Of the 20 receptions on the season, 17 are to first-time pass-catchers. True freshmen Dexter McCluster and Marshay Green lead the way. McCluster has eight catches for 123 yards and Green has four receptions for 49 yards and one TD. Sophomore Mike Wallace and freshman Kendrick Lewis each picked up their first career grab versus Missouri. Others expected to leap into the mix this year are redshirt freshman Michael Hicks and true freshman Shay Hodge.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
Junior QB Brent Schaeffer completed his first TD pass in a Rebel uniform versus Missouri with a 30-yard strike to freshman WR Marshay Green in the second quarter. Schaeffer previously recorded 2 TD passes as a freshman at Tennessee.
With a Brent Schaeffer interception in the second quarter, the Rebels committed their first turnover of the 2006 season. On the day, Ole Miss turned the ball over three times, all on interceptions.
The Rebels had the ball for just 57 plays versus Missouri compared to 83 vs. the Tigers. Despite the difference in the number of plays, Ole Miss led in possession time 30:49 to 29:11.
Freshman WR Marshay Green caught his first career pass with a 5-yard reception in the second quarter at Missouri. Green followed that up with his first career TD reception on the following play, a 30-yard score.
Ole Miss' 162 yards of total offense versus Missouri was the Rebels' lowest offensive output since posting only 136 yards versus Auburn in 1998.
Four Rebels recorded their first career reception in the loss to Missouri. Along with Marshay Green, junior RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, sophomore WR Mike Wallace and freshman WR Kendrick Lewis each grabbed their first pass-catch.
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.

McSWAIN ENTERS RECORD BOOK
Ole Miss has a stable of running backs in the 2006 backfield. While junior BenJarvus Green-Ellis has been the leader on the ground so far this season, sophomore Mico McSwain provides oustanding depth at the position. In 2005 McSwain surpassed Joe Gunn (547 in 1998) to establish an Ole Miss freshman rushing record with 612 yards. 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.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
Senior LB Patrick Willis recorded 10 tackles (6 solo) and also picked up a career-best two pass break-ups versus Missouri. The 10 tackles marked the fourth-straight double-digit tackling game for Willis dating back to last season. He has recorded 10 or more tackles in nine of his last 10 games.
Sophomore DL Peria Jerry was credited with his first career sack at Missouri. Jerry sacked Tiger QB Chase Daniel in the first quarter for a 2-yard loss. Jerry also recorded a career-high six tackles in the game.
Junior LB Rory Johnson posted a career-best six (one solo) tackles.
In his first career start, true freshman DL Marcus Tillman posted a career-high six (five solo) tackles, including 2.0 TFLs for minus two yards.
Sophomore CB Dustin Mouzon posted a career-best five (four solo) tackles. Mouzon also recorded his first career forced fumble in the second quarter versus Missouri.
Senior FS Charles Clark recovered the fumble forced by Mouzon late in the second quarter of play versus Missouri. The fumble recovery was the fifth of Clark's career and led to the Rebels' lone touchdown in the game.
The Ole Miss defense recorded six pass break-ups on the afternoon, including five in the first half.
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.

SPECIALTY NOTES.
Freshman WR Dexter McCluster returned four kick-offs for 92 yards versus Missouri. McCluster now has nine kick-off returns on the season for 214 yards and a 23.8 average per return.
Rob Park had a career-high 10 punts for a career-high 405 yards at Missouri, including a long of 48 yards. Park's previous career-best marks came against LSU in 2005 when he punted nine times for 325 yards.

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.
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 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

2006 SEASON GAME-BY-GAME NOTES
GAME #1: OLE MISS 28, MEMPHIS 25
The Rebels' 28 points scored versus Memphis was the most by an Ole Miss team since they tallied 31 points at South Carolina on Oct. 9, 2004.
The newcomers on the Rebel offense had a warm welcome to their new home, accounting for 321 of Ole Miss' 337 yards in the win over Memphis. Transfers BenJarvus Green-Ellis (RB) and Brent Schaeffer (QB) tallied 127 and 48 yards, respectively, on the ground to go along with Dexter McCluster's (WR) 60 yards of rushing. McCluster also added 86 receiving yards.
Junior RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis plowed his way to 127 yards and 2 TDs on 26 carries in his Rebel debut versus Memphis. Green-Ellis, who registered career highs of 203 yards and 3 TDs on 42 carries while spending his first two collegiate seasons at Indiana, tallied the most yards by an Ole Miss running back since Vashon Pearson turned in 139 yards on 21 carries versus Wyoming in 2004.
Behind Green-Ellis' performance, the Rebels picked up 240 yards on the ground, the most by an Ole Miss squad since the season-ending win over Mississippi State in the 2004 Egg Bowl. Ole Miss notched 283 yards versus the Bulldogs. The Rebels did not eclipse the 200-yard mark in rushing for all of the 2005 season, with the highest mark of 163 coming against Kentucky.
Sophomore LB Quentin Taylor posted a career-high 8 tackles (4 solo) versus Memphis. Taylor, who picked up his first start, had previously tallied a career high of 5 tackles versus Tennessee last season.
Junior CB Nate Banks posted a career-best 3 passes defensed versus Memphis.
Junior DE Viciente DeLoach forced a fumble in the third quarter versus Memphis. It was the first forced fumble of his career.
Freshman WR Dexter McCluster gained 122 yards on 5 kick-off returns for the Rebels.
Sophomore P Rob Park punted three times versus Memphis for an average of 47.3 yards, a single game career-best average. He averaged 38.2 yards per punt in 2005.

OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER
Ole Miss is 138-65-7 (.675 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September.
The Rebels have an all-time mark of 51-43-4 (.546 winning pct.) in road games during September.
The Rebels are 43-32-1 (.572 winning pct.) in September SEC games.
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.

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.

REBELS PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH IN SEC WEST: Ole Miss was picked to finish fifth in the SEC Western Division in a vote by media members attending the 2006 SEC Media Days. The following chart shows the predicted order of finish in both the SEC West and East.

Western Division Pts
1. Auburn (87) 129
2. LSU (12) 217
3. Alabama (5) 348
4. Arkansas 364
5. Ole Miss 550
6. Mississippi State 576

Eastern Division Pts
1. Florida (49) 179
2. Georgia (42) 200
3. Tennessee (9) 303
4. South Carolina (4) 362
5. Kentucky 545
6. Vanderbilt 595

SEC Champion: Auburn (73), Florida (11), Georgia (7), LSU (6), Alabama (5), Tennessee (2).

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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