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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Host Ninth-Ranked Bulldogs Under the Lights
9/28/2006 | Football
DATE: Saturday, September 30, 2006
TIME: 8:12 p.m. CT
SITE (CAPACITY): Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field (60, 580)
TV: ESPN2 (Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, color analyst; Dr. Jerry Punch sideline reporter). A CSS replay of the Ole Miss-Georgia game will be on Sunday, Oct. 1 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 117 (Ole Miss broadcast).
POLLS: Georgia is ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll. Ole Miss is not receiving votes in either poll.
SERIES INFO: Tonight's meeting will be the 42nd all-time between Ole Miss and Georgia, dating back to 1940, with UGA owning a 28-12-1 lead ... The Bulldogs hold an 8-5 advantage in Oxford ... Tonight's game will mark the first meeting between the two teams since 2002 ... The Rebels and Bulldogs played annually from 1966-2002, and Georgia posted a 27-10-1 mark against Ole Miss during that span ... The Bulldogs have won six-straight in the series, with the Rebels' last win coming in 1996 in Athens, 31-27 ... Georgia defeated Ole Miss 35-15 the last time the teams met at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field in 2001.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The game versus Georgia will mark Ole Miss' SEC home opener ... Tonight's game will mark the first time Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron will face Georgia ... The game will be the third TV appearance for Ole Miss this season and the fourth for Georgia ... Ole Miss is 3-6 at home 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 4-11 under Orgeron as he posted a 3-8 mark in his first season in Oxford. 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 has yet to face Georgia in his tenure at Ole Miss.
GEORGIA HEAD COACH MARK RICHT: Mark Richt (Miami, 1982) is in his sixth season at Georgia and has a record of 53-13 with the Bulldogs. Richt's teams have posted the sixth most wins in Division 1 over the last five seasons. He has led the Bulldogs to three SEC East titles and two SEC Championships in addition to three bowl victories. UGA is 20-2 on the road under Richt. He arrived in Athens after spending 14 seasons as the quarterbacks coach at Florida State, where he mentored Heisman Trophy winners Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke.
GEORGIA SCOUTING REPORT: The Bulldogs are 4-0 after picking up a 14-13 win over Colorado in their last outing. The Bulldogs trailed CU for the majority of the contest, picking up the go ahead TD with just 46 seconds remaining in the game. The Bulldogs have played a trio of quarterbacks on the season. Joe Tereshinski was the starter for the season-opener versus Western Kentucky and at South Carolina in UGA's SEC opener, but went down with an injury in the win over the Gamecocks. True freshman Matthew Stafford took over for Tereshinski versus USC and started the next two games for the Bulldogs, however with Stafford struggling against Colorado, Joe Cox got the call, guiding UGA to two touchdowns for the win. Georgia has also used a committee of running backs to get the job done on the ground with Danny Ware, Kregg Lumpkin and Thomas Brown sharing the duties. Martrez Milner is the leading receiver on the season with seven catches for 111 yards, while A.J. Bryant has seven receptions for 78 yards.
OLE MISS ON TV
This game against Georgia, to be televised by ESPN2, is one of three TV games on the schedule, to date.
Over the last four-plus seasons, 35 of the Rebels' 53 games have been televised.
Last year, the Rebels appeared on TV six times.
All-time, this game will be the Rebels' 153rd TV appearance since Ole Miss made its TV debut in the 1953 Sugar Bowl versus Georgia Tech ... Ole Miss is 69-81-2 all-time in TV games.
The Rebels are 11-9 all-time on ESPN.
This game marks the 28th time on either ESPN or ESPN2 for Ole Miss since 1999.
The Rebels have won 13 of their last 23 TV games dating back to the 24-12 win over Mississippi State in the 2002 "Egg Bowl."
NEWCOMERS THROWN INTO ACTION: Through the first two games of the season, 21 members of the 2006 signing class have already seen game action, including 15 true freshmen. Ole Miss ranks third in the country with its 15 true freshmen seeing action. Temple has had 19 first-year players see action and Illinois has fielded 17. The following newcomers have hit the field in their first season in the Red and Blue: Corey Actis (Jr., OL), Cordera Eason (Fr., RB), Daverin Geralds (Fr., DL), 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).
SCHAEFFER FINDING HIS RECEIVERS
After only connecting with two receivers in the first game of the season against Memphis, junior QB Brent Schaeffer has started spread the ball around. In the second game versus Missouri, Schaeffer completed passes to six different pass catchers and in the Kentucky game a season-high eight Rebels caught passes from Schaeffer. In all, 12 different players have made a reception on the season, led by freshman WR Dexter McCluster with 14 catches for 183 yards.
GOING SOLO
Ole Miss senior Patrick Willis and junior Garry Pack accomplished quite a feat at Kentucky. The linebacking duo combined for 26 solo tackles with Pack picking up 14 and Willis 12, both career-highs. The last time a Rebel duo combined for 25 ore more solo tackles was in 2001 when Matt Grier and Von Hutchins joined forces to tally 25 versus Arkansas in a game that went into seven overtime periods.
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. 21, 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.
STARTING SOMETHING
Eight offensive players and six players on the defensive side of the ball have picked up their first career starts through the first four games of the season. Brent Schaeffer (QB), Mike Wallace (WR), Dexter McCluster (WR), Corey Actis (C), David Traxler (RT), John Jerry (RG), Marshay Green (WR) and BenJarvus Green-Ellis (RB) have each started for the first time for the Rebel offense, while Greg Hardy (DE), 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.
GREEN-ELLIS LEADS THE GROUND GAME
Ole Miss junior RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis is the leader in the Rebel ground game. Green-Ellis has led Ole Miss in rushing in each of the first four games with a career-high 127 in the season-opener versus Memphis. Green-Ellis currently ranks third in the SEC with 83.7 yards per game. With 335 yards through the first four games, Green-Ellis is currently on pace to become Ole Miss' first 1,000-yard rusher since Deuce McAllister recorded 1,082 yards on 212 rushes during the 1998 season.
HARDY AND TILLMAN STEPPING UP
With no returning starters from last season and injuries to several key returnees on the defensive line, Rebel freshmen Greg Hardy and Marcus Tillman have had the opportunity to pick up starts early in their career. Both defensive ends have responded with several big plays. Hardy has forced a fumble in each of the last two games, while also picking up nine (seven solo) tackles. Tillman has recorded 11 (nine solo) tackles, including 3.0 TFLs for minus eight yards. His 3.0 TFLs ranks second on the team, while Hardy's two forced fumbles ties him for first in the SEC.
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 after the Memphis game, is the SEC leader in all-purpose yards. He has gained 72 yards on the ground, 183 yards through the air and 256 on kick-off returns. His 127.2 all-purpose yards per game rank third in the SEC.
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 54 receptions on the season, 47 are to first-time pass-catchers. True freshmen Dexter McCluster and Marshay Green lead the way. McCluster has 14 catches for 183 yards and Green has 10 receptions for 113 yards and two TDs. Redshirt freshman Michael Hicks was the most recent young receiver to get in the mix as he caught the first pass of his career versus Wake Forest, finishing the game with three catches for 53 yards.
OFFENSIVE NOTES VS. WAKE FOREST
Redshirt freshman Michael Hicks picked up his first career reception with a 20-yard catch to end the third quarter. Hicks finished the game versus Wake Forest with three catches for 53 yards.
Junior QB Seth Adams saw his first career action versus Wake Forest. Adams was 8-for-11 passing for 84 yards.
DEFENSIVE NOTES VS. WAKE FOREST
Senior LB Patrick Willis collected 11 tackles, marking the sixth-straight double-digit tackling game for Willis. He has now recorded 10 or more tackles in 11 of his last 12 games.
Sophomore DB Jamarca Sanford tallied 10 tackles, a new career-high. He previously posted eight tackles on three occasions.
The Rebel defense gave up a TD on the opponents' first drive for the third time in four games this season.
Sophomore LB Quentin Taylor picked up 9 tackles, a new career-high. He previously posted eight tackles in the season opener versus Memphis.
Freshman DE Greg Hardy recorded his second-straight game with a forced fumble in the loss to Wake Forest. Hardy also forced a fumble last week versus Kentucky.
Junior DL Brandon Jenkins recovered his first career fumble following Hardy's strip in the first quarter. Jenkins also recorded a career-best six tackles.
SPECIALTY NOTES VS. WAKE FOREST
Freshman K Joshua Shene connected on his first career FG in the second quarter, a 26-yard attempt. Shene was 1-of-2 on the evening after missing his first career attempt of 25 yards in the first quarter.
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.
GAME #2: OLE MISS 7
MISSOURI 34
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.
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.
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.
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.
GAME #3: OLE MISS 14
KENTUCKY 31
Junior QB Brent Schaeffer completed 13-of-26 passes versus Kentucky for 190 yards, two TDs and one interception. The two TDs marked the first multiple TD performance of Schaeffer's career. The 190 yards were a new career best. Schaeffer also rushed 11 times for 65 yards, both career highs ... Schaeffer connected with eight different receivers on the evening, the most for Ole Miss this season.
Junior RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis finished the Kentucky game with 85 yards on 19 carries ... Green-Ellis now has 216 yards on 52 carries versus Kentucky in his college career.
Freshman WR Marshay Green hauled in his second career TD with a 47-yard pass reception from QB Brent Schaeffer with 1:03 remaining in the first quarter at Kentucky. The TD marked the first Ole Miss points scored in the first quarter of play this season ... Green's 47-yard reception was also the longest of his career.
Junior TE Robert Hough caught his first career TD pass with a 27-yard grab from Schaeffer with 4:08 remaining in the second quarter versus Kentucky. Hough's TD was the first for a Rebel TE since Lawrence Lilly hauled in a 4-yard TD pass versus Mississippi State in 2004 ... The reception by Hough was also the first for an Ole Miss TE this season.
The Ole Miss offense tallied 395 total yards on 65 plays versus Kentucky, season-highs for both. The 395 yards were the most by a Rebel offense since recording 400 yards versus Vanderbilt in 2005.
Junior LB Garry Pack posted a career-best 14 tackles against the Wildcats. His previous career high was 10 (10 solo) tackles versus Mississippi State in 2005. His 14 solo tackles are also a career high.
Senior LB Patrick Willis recorded 13 tackles (seven solo) and also picked up 1.5 TFLs for minus five yards and a pass break-up versus Kentucky. The 13 tackles marked the fifth-straight double-digit tackling game for Willis dating back to last season. He has recorded 10 or more tackles in 10 of his last 11 games.
The Rebel defense held Kentucky to a punt on the first possession of the game. It marked the first time this season Ole Miss did not allow a TD on the opponents opening drive.
In his first career start at Kentucky, freshman DE Greg Hardy recorded his first career forced fumble and fumble recovery. Hardy also posted a career-best two passes defensed.
The 21 points given up by the Rebel defense in the first half at Kentucky was the most points surrendered in a half this season.
Freshman WR Marshay Green returned the second kick-off of his career in the first quarter for 41 yards versus the the Wildcats. The 41-yard return marked a career-high for Green.
On the final play of the first half, senior CB Trumaine McBride blocked a 37-yard FG attempt by UK's Lones Seiber. It was the first blocked FG for the Rebels since Jayme Mitchell blocked a 51-yard attempt versus Tennessee in 2005. It was McBride's first career blocked FG.
