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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Game Notes
9/8/2006 | Football
DATE: Saturday, September 9, 2006
TIME: 11:40 a.m. CT
SITE (CAPACITY): Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field (68,349); Columbia, Mo.
TV: FOX Sports Net (Joel Meyers, play-by-play; Dave Lapham, color analyst; Jim Knox, sideline reporter). Southeast coverege of the game will be broadcast on Turner South. There will not be a CSS replay of the Ole Miss-Missouri game this week.
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 143 (Ole Miss broadcast). The Rebel Road Radio broadcast frequency will be 97.5 FM in Columbia for the Ole Miss in-house broadcast.
POLLS: Missouri received three votes in the Associated Press Top 25 and is not ranked in the USA Today Coaches poll. The Rebels do not appear in either rankings, just one week after receiving three votes in the AP poll.
SERIES INFO: This meeting will be the fifth all-time between the Tigers and the Rebels, but the first in the series since 1979. Missouri holds a 3-1 lead in the series, including a 2-0 mark in Columbia. The Tigers have won two straight over the Rebels, with the last meeting being a 33-7 win for Missouri in 1979. Ole Miss is 1-1 against the Tigers in Jackson, Miss., having won the first meeting in the state capital, 10-0, in 1974. (see All-Time Series Results and Previous Meetings on page 2).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: This game will mark the road opener of the 112th season of football at Ole Miss and the second under head coach Ed Orgeron ... Ole Miss has won six of its last 10 road openers, including last year's 10-6 victory at Memphis ... Orgeron is 1-0 in road openers and 1-4 on the road overall ... The Rebels are 45-60-5 all-time in road openers.
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 were 3-8 in his debut campaign, while he picked up a 28-25 win over Memphis in the season opener. 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 Missouri or any team from the Big 12 Conference.
MISSOURI HEAD COACH GARY PINKEL: Gary Pinkel (Kent State, 1975) is in his sixth season as the Tigers' head coach. After picking up a 47-7 win over Murray State on Saturday, Pinkel has a 30-30 record at Mizzou and has a career ledger of 103-67-3 in 15 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Last year, Pinkel led Missouri to a 7-5 record as the Tigers earned a bowl bid for the second time in the last three years, coming from behind to knock off South Carolina 38-31 in the Independence Bowl. Pinkel was also the head coach at Toledo. He went 73-37-3 in 10 seasons with the Rockets before being named the head coach at Missouri. Missouri is 1-1 versus Southeastern Conference opponents under Pinkel. The Tigers fell to Arkansas in the 2003 Independence Bowl, before defeating South Carolina in the 2005 Independence Bowl.
MISSOURI SCOUTING REPORT: The Tigers opened the 2006 season with a 47-7 win over Murray State. New starting QB Chase Daniel was impressive in his 2006 debut replacing former MU star Brad Smith. Daniel, who was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, completed 23-of-32 passes for 320 yards and 5 TDs against Murray State. Daniel connected with nine different Tiger receivers on the evening with Chase Coffman pulling in 7 catches for 64 yards and a TD. William Franklin caught 4 passes for 138 yards and 2 TDs. Tony Temple led the Tigers on the ground with 119 yards on 15 carries versus the Racers. Marcus Bacon led the MU defense with 12 tackles, including 5 solo hits. The Tigers collected 10 TFLs in the game for minus 30 yards. Mizzou posted a record of 7-5 in 2005 which was just the fourth winning season for the program since 1983. The 2006 Tigers return 17 starters from last year, but that number jumps to 19 when you factor in those who started in the Independence Bowl (including the positions of placekicker and punter).
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, who led the Rebels to a season-opening 28-25 win over Memphis, 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.
McCLUSTER NABS HONORS: Freshman WR Dexter McCluster opened his collegiate career with a bang, picking up Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week honors, to go along with SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his performance in the Memphis game. McCluster quickly etched his name in the Rebel record books by collecting 268 all-purpose yards in the win over the Tigers. McCluster's 268 yards put him in fourth place on the Ole Miss single game chart for all-purpose yards. Deuce McAllister tops the single game chart with 317 yards versus Arkansas in 1999. The 268 yards is also believed to be an Ole Miss freshman record for all-purpose yards in a single game. McCluster picked up his first career TD with a 31-yard rush to open the second quarter versus Memphis. He went on to pick up 60 yards on five carries, 86 yards on six catches and 122 yards on five kick-off returns.
NEWCOMERS THROWN INTO ACTION: In the season-opening win over Memphis 17 members of the 2006 signing class saw their first action. Corey Actis (Jr.,OL), 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), 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) each saw action in their first season with the Rebels. In addition to the 16 players from the 2006 signing class making their Rebel debuts versus Memphis, the following players saw action in an Ole Miss uniform for the first time: Michael Hicks (RFr., WR), Maurice Miller (So., OL) and Reid Neely (RFr., OL).
STARTING SOMETHING
Six offensive players and three players on the defensive side of the ball picked up their first career starts in Sunday's win over Memphis. Brent Schaeffer (QB), Mike Wallace (WR), Dexter McCluster (WR), Corey Actis (C), John Jerry (RG) and BenJarvus Green-Ellis (RB) each started the game for the first time for the Rebel offense, while Peria Jerry (DE), Hayward Howard (DT), and Quentin Taylor (WLB) hit the field the first play for the Rebel defense.
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. 7, 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.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Despite having six new starters on the offensive side of the ball and a new offensive scheme, the Rebels did not commit a turnover or penalty in the season-opening 28-25 win over Memphis. The last time Ole Miss went a complete game without turning the ball over was against Kentucky on Oct. 22, 2005.
OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER
Ole Miss is 138-64-7 (.675 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September.
Ole Miss is 95-32-6 (.735 winning pct.) all-time versus non-conference opponents during the month.
The Rebels have an all-time mark of 51-42-4 (.546 winning pct.) in road games during September.
FIRST TWO GAMES SET FOR TV: Ole Miss' first two games of the season were picked up for TV. For the second straight year, ESPN carried the season opener against Memphis in a specially scheduled non-Saturday contest. The Rebels defeated the Tigers, 28-25, in front of an ESPN audience Sunday afternoon. This 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. Ole Miss is 69-80-2 all-time in TV games. OLE MISS-MIZZOU TIES: While Ole Miss does not field any "Show Me" state natives on its roster, the Tigers have one Magnolia state native in senior DeMarcus Scott, dotting their roster. Scott, who hails from Greenville (Weston HS), transferred to Mizzou from Mississippi Delta CC. The defensive lineman recorded 2 assisted tackles in the Tigers' season opening win over Murray State.
ROAD OPENERS
Ole Miss is 45-60-5 (.850 winning pct.) in road openers, including last season's 10-6 win at Memphis, in its first road outing of the season.
The Rebels have won six of their last 10 road openers.
The last time Ole Miss opened the season on the road at a Big 12 opponent was in 2002, when they fell to Texas Tech 42-28.
REBELS ALL-TIME VERSUS BIG XII: Ole Miss is 7-15 (.318 winning percentage) all-time versus schools currently in the Big XII Conference heading into Saturday's game against Missouri. The Rebels were 1-1 against Big XII teams in 2003, losing 49-45 to Texas Tech on Sept. 27 before downing Oklahoma State 31-28 in the 2004 SBC Cotton Bowl. Today's game will mark the third visit to Memorial Stadium by an Ole Miss team. The following chart shows Ole Miss' record versus schools currently in the Big 12:
School W-L-T Pct. Game
Baylor 0-1-0 .000 1975
Missouri 1-3-0 .250 1979
Nebraska 1-0-0 1.000 2002
Oklahoma 1-0-0 1.000 1999
Oklahoma State 1-0-0 1.000 2004
Texas 1-5-0 .167 1966
Texas A&M 0-4-0 .000 1980
Texas Tech 2-2-0 .500 2003
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. The current group of wideouts boasts a grand total of seven catches a reception for no yards by junior Carlos Suggs against Mississippi State last year and six catches by true freshman Dexter McCluster in the season opener versus Memphis. Suggs has three games of experience under his belt, while sophomore Mike Wallace played in 10 games in his debut season. 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 and Kendrick Lewis.
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 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.
The Ole Miss line has three of five starters back from last year in Michael Oher, Andrew Wicker and Darryl Harris. However, Oher and Harris are not starting at their previous position. Oher has moved from right guard to left tackle, while Harris has moved from center to right tackle. The trio are joined by true freshman John Jerry at right guard and junior college transfer Corey Actis at center.
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.
McSWAIN ENTERS RECORD BOOK
Ole Miss has a stable of running backs in the 2006 backfield. While junior BenJarvus Green-Ellis was the leader in the season opener versus Memphis, 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.
TOP REBEL FRESHMAN RUNNING BACKS
Gms Att Yds TD
Mico McSwain (2005) 9 124 612 3
Joe Gunn (1998) 11 123 547 6
Deuce McAllister (1997) 10 94 402 4
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.
Willis recorded 12 tackles (8 solo) to lead the Rebel defense against Memphis. The 12 tackles marked the third-straight double-digit tackling game for Willis dating back to last season. He has recorded 10 or more tackles in 8 of his last 9 games.
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 Kern Coleman's 1976 mark.
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 and SEC-leading 3 passes defensed versus Memphis.
A pair of true freshmen DLs Greg Hardy and Marcus Tillman each collected their first career sack versus Memphis. Hardy finished the game with 1.0 sack for minus 2 yards, while Tillman tallied 4 tackles (3 solo) to go along with his 1.0 sack for minus 6 yards.
Junior DE Viciente DeLoach forced a fumble in the third quarter versus Memphis. It was the first forced fumble of his career.
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 and collected 12 tackles (8 solo) in the season-opening win over Memphis. 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 23 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 is slated to start at the other CB spot. 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.
SPECIALTY NOTES
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.
Freshman WR Marshay Green was creative with his first career punt return. Green made several turns in a short area before finally breaking down the right sideline for a 37-yard return.
Freshman WR Dexter McCluster gained 122 yards on 5 kick-off returns for the Rebels. He ranks third in the SEC with 24.4 yards per return.
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.
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 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
