GAME NOTES: Nutt's Rebels Travel To Arkansas

GAME 8: Ole Miss (3-4, 1-3) vs. Arkansas (3-4, 1-3)

TIME: October 25, 2008, 6:07 p.m. CT

SITE (CAPACITY): Donald W. Reynolds Stadium (72,000)

TV: Pay-Per-View (Richard Cross, play-by-play; Harry Harrison, color analyst; Contact your local provider for availability; Available in select areas on ESPN Gameplan and ESPN360.com). The CSS replay of the game will be Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.

RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play; Pete Cordelli, color analyst; Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter). The in-stadium frequency in Fayetteville will be 89.7 FM. Satellite radio: Sirius 219, XM 201.

WEB: OleMissSports.com will provide live audio through RebelVision, live stats and an in-game blog. The official Rebel athletics website will also provide a full game recap and a photo gallery at the game's conclusion.

POLLS: Neither Ole Miss nor Arkansas appear in the latest top-25 polls. The Rebels received votes in both week 5 rankings, including 13 votes in the AP poll. Ole Miss last earned votes, three to be exact, in the 2006 preseason poll.

SERIES INFO: This game will mark the 55th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Arkansas dating back to 1908. Ole Miss records show the Rebels trailing the series 24-29-1, while Arkansas' records indicate a 30-23-1 advantage for the Razorbacks. Arkansas claims a forfeit victory in a 1914 game that Ole Miss won 13-7. The two teams met almost yearly from 1937-1969 before the series took a hiatus until 1981. The two schools have played yearly since then, and Ole Miss is 9-17-1 against Arkansas since the series resumed. Arkansas holds a 10-6 edge since it joined the SEC in 1992 and have taken four straight, including a 44-8 triumph last year in Oxford. The Razorbacks are 8-1 all-time in Fayetteville matchups and have prevailed in the last three at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: 11 Ole Miss staff members were on staff, played or did both at Arkansas, including head coach Houston Nutt ... Ole Miss is closing out a two-game SEC Western Division road swing ... Ole Miss has matched its best start since 2003 and looking to equal its most wins since that season ... The Rebel offense is fourth in the SEC with 378.9 yards per outing ... Jevan Snead's 10 TD passes and Shay Hodge's five TD catches are both tied for the SEC lead.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH HOUSTON NUTT: Houston Nutt (Oklahoma State, 1981) is in his first season at the Ole Miss helm, after being named the University's 36th head football coach on Nov. 28, 2007. During his 10 years as the head coach at Arkansas, Nutt guided the Razorbacks to eight bowl berths, three SEC Western Division titles, two SEC Championship game appearances and an average of more than seven wins per season. He also served head coaching stints at Boise State and Murray State, where he captured two OVC Championships. Nutt has never faced Arkansas as a head coach.

ARKANSAS HEAD COACH BOBBY PETRINO: Bobby Petrino (Carroll College, 1983) is in his first season at Arkansas and boasts a collegiate head coaching record of 44-13 (.772). In his four previous years as a college head coach at Louisville, Petrino led the Cardinals to four consecutive bowl games, including a victory in the BCS' 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl. In addition to Louisville, Petrino's college experience includes stops at Arizona State, Nevada, Utah State and Auburn. His NFL coaching tenures have come with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons, where he served as head coach in 2007. Petrino has never faced Ole Miss as a head coach.

ARKANSAS SCOUTING REPORT: The Razorbacks rank third in the SEC in passing offense at 225.7 yards per game. Senior QB Casey Dick has completed 126-of-226 passes with six TDs and nine interceptions. Sophomore WR D.J. Williams has collected 28 passes for 315 yards and a pair of scores. Junior RB Michael Smith has garnered 144 of the team's 234 rushing attempts this year and has responded with an SEC-leading 791 yards (131.8 per game). Freshman LB Jerry Franklin leads the Arkansas defense with 54 total tackles, while junior DT Malcolm Shepard has posted 30 tackles with six TFLs, three sacks and six QB hurries.

SCHEDULE UPDATE: The Ole Miss-Auburn game is set for an 11:30 a.m. CT kickoff at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and will be televised by Raycom Sports, as announced Monday by the SEC office.

RAZORBACKS ON STAFF: In addition to head coach Houston Nutt, eight members of the Ole Miss staff have previously worked at Arkansas at some point in their careers, including Kim Dameron (safeties), Mike Markuson (running game coordinator/offensive line), Tracy Rocker (defensive line), James Shibest (special teams/tight ends), Chris Vaughn (Recruiting Coordinator/cornerbacks), Mike Beaumont (Assistant Athletics Director for Football Operations), Clifton Ealy (Assistant Athletics Director for Community Relations), Danny Nutt (Assistant Athletics Director for Player Development) and Don Decker (Head Football Strength Coach). Of the nine staff members who have coached at Arkansas, Houston Nutt, Danny Nutt, Dameron and Shibest suited up for the Razorbacks during their collegiate football careers. Current wide receivers coach, Ron Dickerson Jr., also donned a Razorback uniform during his collegiate football career.

NUTT-OLE MISS SERIES: The Rebels and Razor-backs had some epic gridiron battles during Houston Nutt's tenure as Arkansas' head coach, with the Hogs taking seven out of 10 contests. The most memorable game was the encounter on Nov. 3, 2001. The contest kicked off in Oxford at 6:06 p.m. CT, and four hours and 14 minutes later, coaches, players, fans, media members and an ESPN2 national audience saw a game that will go down in the college football record books forever. The Rebels and Razorbacks stood toe-to-toe in an epic, seven overtime battle, that saw the Hogs come out on top 58-56. It is tied for the longest OT game in NCAA history, and it remains the highest scoring game (both teams combined) on the Ole Miss all-time charts.

ARKANSAS REBELS: The Ole Miss roster features six players from the nearby state of Arkansas: Maurice Miller (West Helena), Aaron Nichols (Stuttgart), Colby Landers (Bryant), Mike Johnson (Little Rock), Ferbia Allen (Pine Bluff), Jermey Parnell (Gosnell).

REBEL NOTEBOOK
The last time Ole Miss was 3-4 after seven games was 2004 ... In 2003, the Rebels started 8-2 and finished with a 10-3 record and an SEC Western Division title.
Ole Miss' victory over No. 4 Florida marked the 600th win for the Rebel football program ... Ole Miss became the 34th FBS school and eighth SEC member to reach 600 victories ... The Rebels boast an all-time record of 600-464-35 (.562 winning percentage).
With the 31-30 upset at No. 4 Florida on Sept. 27, Ole Miss earned its first victory over a top-five foe since a 20-13 triumph over No. 3 Notre Dame in 1977 in Jackson ... The Rebels' previous road win over a top-five team had been a 15-7 triumph over LSU on Nov. 3, 1962, when Ole Miss was ranked No. 6 and LSU was No. 4 ... The Rebels' win over the Gators snapped a 15-game skid to ranked teams.
This marks the 114th 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.

MIDSEASON HONORS: Senior OT Michael Oher was named Midseason All-America First Team by CBSSports.com, CollegeFootballNews.com and Phil Steele. The Memphis native leads a Rebel offensive line, which ranks fifth in the SEC in rushing and has allowed only eight sacks. He ranks third in the conference among active players with 41 consecutive starts over his career. Oher was also honored on the Phil Steele Midseason All-SEC First Team, while Shay Hodge (WR), John Jerry (OL), Mike Wallace (KR) and Peria Jerry (DT) received second team notoriety. The third team featured Jevan Snead (QB), Dexter McCluster (WR) and Jamarca Sanford (S).

OHER NAMED LOMBARDI SEMIFINALIST: Last week, senior tackle Michael Oher was listed as one of 12 semifinalists for the 39th Rotary Lombardi Award. Oher also joins Peria and John Jerry on the watch list for the Outland Trophy, while Peria and Greg Hardy are nominees for the Nagurski Trophy. Hardy is also in the field for the Hendricks Award.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: In their first season under Houston Nutt, the Rebels have cranked up the offense and the scoring. Ole Miss is posting 378.9 yards per outing, which ranks fourth in the SEC and is the most since 2003 when the team finished with a school-record 433.2 clip. The Rebels outgained Samford 424 yards to 198, Vanderbilt 385 to 202, Florida 360 to 348 and Alabama 359 to 326. Ole Miss' 27.9 scoring clip is also the highest since 2003. The 31 points against Florida equaled the most against an SEC foe since the 43-40 win over South Carolina in 2003.

SNEAD AMONG SEC LEADERS: Sophomore QB Jevan Snead is tied for the SEC lead in TD passes (10) and ranks third in passing average (209.1 ypg) and fourth in total offense (214.6 ypg). Last time out, Snead scrambled for a career-high 23 yards on five attempts. He finished 16-of-31 for 192 yards, one TD and one interception. Against South Carolina, Snead set a season-high in completions, completing 21-of-32 for 243 yards, one TD and one interception. At Wake Forest, Snead became the first Rebel with four TD passes since Eli Manning in the 2003 Memphis game. He finished 20-of-31 for 253 yards with one interception and was named the Scout.com SEC Offensive Player of the Week.

SHAY FOR SIX: Junior WR Shay Hodge is tied for the SEC lead in touchdown catches with five and ranks first in yards per catch (20.8) and fourth in receiving yards per game (62.3 ypg), just ahead of teammate Dexter McCluster in fifth (61.7). Last time out, Hodge led the team at Alabama with four passes for 64 yards, including a 17-yard TD in the fourth quarter. After five career games of 77 or more receiving yards, Hodge finally cracked the century mark at Florida with a career-high 133 yards on three catches. He also stamped his name in the Ole Miss record book, as his 86-yard, fourth-quarter catch was not only the go-ahead score in the upset of the No. 4 Gators, but was also the longest pass play in Rebel history. The previous record was 83 yards, set first in 1961 with Glynn Griffing to Charles Morris and again in 1994 from Josh Nelson to LeMay Thomas. Hodge's 11 career TD grabs rank third among active SEC players.

CATCH 22: Whether in the slot or behind center in the "Wild Rebel", junior Dexter McCluster has truly become an all-purpose threat. As a receiver, McCluster is fifth in the SEC in receiving yards per game (61.7 ypg) and sixth in receptions (4.0 per game). Against South Carolina, McCluster just missed his second 100-yard receiving effort in the last three games, finishing with six receptions for a game-high 99 yards. Also, for the second straight game, McCluster topped the team in rushing and ran for a score against the Gamecocks with 40 yards on eight carries and his third TD on the ground. He ran for 60 yards and a touchdown at Florida and 64 and a score against Memphis. A native of Largo, Fla., McCluster posted 176 all-purpose yards against Vanderbilt and 125 vs. Memphis. He recorded a career-high 132 receiving yards and equaled his career-best of seven receptions against the Commodores.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
Freshman RB Enrique Davis topped the team with a career-high 70 rushing yards against Alabama, including a 62-yard run in the first quarter ... Davis came into the game with 87 total rushing yards this year with a previous long of 14 yards.
Freshman RB Brandon Bolden leads the Rebel rushing attack with 322 yards on the ground ... He rushed for a season-low 25 yards last time out against Alabama.
Junior RB Cordera Eason has scored a touchdown in four of the last six games ... Eason rushed for a TD on an eight-yard run in the first quarter of the South Carolina game.
Senior FB Jason Cook equaled his career best of two receptions for 13 yards ... He also scored his first career TD on a nine-yard pass from Rob Park on a faked field goal.
Sophomore WR Lionel Breaux has five catches for 76 yards over the last two games ... He totaled a career-high 55 receiving yards on a pair of catches against the Crimson Tide.
Sophomore WR Markeith Summers posted his first career offensive yards in the Alabama game, rushing for six on a reverse and hauling in a nine-yard pass.
Junior TE Gerald Harris made his first career start in the Alabama game.
The Rebels have scored first in six of seven games this season ... Saturday's early 3-0 lead marked the first time Alabama had trailed this year.
Ole Miss' 359 yards and 158 rushing yards marked the most surrendered this season by the Alabama defense, which entered the game giving up 262.2 yards per contest and 50.8 on the ground ... The Rebels outrushed the Tide 158-107 and was the first time Alabama had been outrushed this year.
Ole Miss' 361 yards against South Carolina was the most allowed this year by the then top-ranked Gamecock defense, which entered the game giving up 221.4 yards per contest.

IN THE BACKFIELD: After just four TFLs and one sack in the opener, the Rebel defense has totaled 52 TFLs (8.7 per game) and 14 sacks (2.3 pg) over the six games since. Ole Miss posted 12 TFLs against Samford and 11 against Vanderbilt, and sacked Wake's Riley Skinner four times and Florida's Tim Tebow three. Sophomore NT Ted Laurent leads the team and is tied for fifth in the SEC with 7.0 TFLs and notched his first career sack on Tebow. Senior DT Peria Jerry has posted 4.5 TFLs, while five others boast 3.5 each.

HE'S BACK: Despite missing the majority of preseason and the first three games, junior DE Greg Hardy has picked up right where he left off last year. In just four games, the Millington, Tenn., has taken over the team lead in sacks with 3.5 and has 4.5 TFLs. He posted 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks against Florida and frequently put pressure on Tim Tebow. In 2007, Hardy was honored on the Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America second team after topping the SEC and tying for sixth nationally in sacks (10.0) and ranking second in the league and fourth in the nation in TFLs (18.5).

DEFENSIVE NOTES
Ole Miss boasts eight sacks in the last three games.
Senior DT Peria Jerry posted season highs of seven total tackles and three TFLs at Alabama ... He also notched a sack, forced fumble and QB hurry.
Senior LB Ashlee Palmer has totaled 17 stops in the last two games ... He topped the team with eight total tackles, including a TFL on Saturday.
Junior S Kendrick Lewis registered his second interception of the year and his career in the Alabama game ... He was also credited with six total stops.
Senior S Jamarca Sanford has recorded double-figure tackles in two of the last three games and 10 times in this career ... He led the team and equaled his career high of 13 tackles against South Carolina ... Sanford ranks fourth in the SEC in tackles per game (8.7) and is the league's active career leader (266 total stops).

TRULY SPECIAL TEAMS: The Rebels' special teams has provided some major highlights this season. Ole Miss registered TDs in the return game on back-to-back Saturdays with Marshay Green's 77-yard punt return against Samford and Mike Wallace's 98-yard kickoff return against Vanderbilt. At Florida, the kickblock unit took its turn, as Kentrell Lockett broke through to block the Gators' potential game-tying extra point with 3:28 left in the game. It was Lockett's first career kick block and the Rebels' first extra point block since John Jerry's block in the 2006 LSU game in Baton Rouge. Last time out against Alabama, Ole Miss scored off a faked field goal with Jason Cook catching a nine-yard TD pass from Rob Park in the third quarter.

MAGNIFICENT MIKE: Senior Mike Wallace is averaging 139.5 kickoff return yards per game over the last four games, and three of those performances ranked among the top-11 single-game totals in school history, including the best ever. Against Vanderbilt, the New Orleans native earned his first kickoff returns of the year and responded with 202 KR yards, easily shattering the Ole Miss record (Marshay Green's 159 against Florida in 2007) and notching the fourth-highest total in SEC history. Wallace also registered the second kickoff return TD of his career and the fifth-longest in school history with his 98-yard score. At Florida, Wallace followed up with the seventh-best total ever by a Rebel with five returns for 140 yards against the Gators, including a long of 40. His 129 kickoff return yards against the Gamecocks last time out ranks 11th on the Ole Miss all-time single game chart. Wallace is third in the SEC in kickoff returns (26.6 ypr).

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
In addition to tossing his first career TD pass to Jason Cook, senior P Rob Park notched his fourth punt of the year of 50 or more yards with his 51-yarder at Alabama ... Park also pinned two inside the 20 yardline and finished with five punts for a season-best average of 45.4 yards.
Junior K Joshua Shene was perfect on Saturday, converting both PATs and connecting on a 35-yard and 25-yard FG ... He is 9-for-10 on field goals this year, missing only a 47-yarder against Vanderbilt.
Shene is a perfect 24-for-24 on PATs this year to extend his streak to 46 consecutive extra points converted ... He has connected on 68-of-69 career PATs.

GRADUATING REBELS: Four student-athletes on the Ole Miss football team have already received their undergraduate degrees. DE Chris Bowers has earned his B.A. in real estate, while RB Jason Cook has his B.A. in English. OL Darryl Harris has completed his B.S. in exercise science, and TE David Traxler has his B.A. in accountancy. The Ole Miss football team was well represented at the University's graduation ceremonies in May, as 12 Rebels earned degrees in the past year.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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