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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAME NOTES: Rebels Eye Sixth Win Saturday Against ULM
11/10/2008 | Football
GAME 10: Ole Miss (5-4) vs. ULM (3-7)
TIME: November 15, 2008, 1 p.m. CT
SITE (CAPACITY): Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field (60,580); Oxford, Miss.
TV: No live TV. The CSS replay of the game will be Sunday at 1 p.m.
RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play; Pete Cordelli, color analyst; Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter). Satellite radio: Sirius 217; XM 200.
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, a photo gallery and live postgame video.
POLLS: Neither Ole Miss nor ULM 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 be just the third meeting between the ULM Warhawks and the Ole Miss Rebels. Ole Miss has won both encounters in Oxford, prevailing 31-3 in the 2002 season opener and 59-14 in the 2003 home opener.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Rebels are seeking to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2003 ... Ole Miss is facing its final non-conference foe of the regular season ... The Rebels are 41-11 in their last 52 non-conference games ... Ole Miss is off to its best start and has recorded its most wins since 2003 ... The Rebels are also shooting for their longest win streak since 2003 ... Ole Miss ranks fourth in the SEC in total offense at 377.1 yards per game ... Cordera Eason is averaging 92.5 rushing yards over the last two games ... Groza Award semifinalist Joshua Shene is the SEC's most accurate kicker (86.7 percent FGs, 1,000 PATs).
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 is 5-0 against ULM as a head coach and last faced the Warhawks in 2006.
ULM HEAD COACH CHARLIE WEATHERBIE: Charlie Weatherbie (Oklahoma State, 1977) is in his sixth season at the helm of the ULM football program and his 15th season as a head coach. His 2005 Warhawks squad won the Sun Belt championship, and the 2007 season marked the first year that ULM was bowl eligible since it made the jump to Division I-A in 1994. Weatherbie has also served head coaching stints at Utah State and Navy and led each of those two teams to bowl victories. Weatherbie is 0-1 against Ole Miss, having dropped the 2003 encounter in his first season in Monroe.
ULM SCOUTING REPORT: ULM has three losses by three points or less, including a 28-27 setback at Arkansas. The Warhawk offense is averaging 158.7 rushing yards per game and 200.0 yards through the air. Senior QB Kinsmon Lancaster has completed 167-of-279 passes for 1,854 yards, 16 TDs and five interceptions. He totaled 328 yards of offense against Middle Tennessee, rushing for 126 and throwing for 202 and two touchdowns. Following a 10-catch effort last time out, junior WR Darrell McNeal is the leading receiver with 49 receptions for 527 yards and four scores, while sophomore RB Frank Goodin is the top rusher with 649 yards on 147 carries with four TDs. The ULM defense is surrendering 207.8 yards on the ground and 237.5 passing yards. Junior LB Cardia Jackson leads all tacklers with 96 stops, along with seven TFLs. Junior DE Aaron Morgan boasts 11.5 TFLs, five sacks and seven QB hurries, while junior S Greg James has notched three interceptions and a pair of break-ups.
SCHEDULE UPDATE: The Nov. 22 game between Ole Miss and No. 19 LSU will be televised by CBS Sports, and kickoff has been set for 2:30 p.m. CT at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. This will mark Ole Miss' fifth TV appearance of the season and second on CBS.
CROSSING PATHS: Houston Nutt and Charlie Weatherbie are quite familiar with each other. Both spent their collegiate careers playing quarterback for Oklahoma State (Nutt 1979-80, Weatherbie 1974-76) and both began their coaching careers as OSU graduate assistants (Nutt 1981-82, Weatherbie 1977). Eventually, the two would end up on the same staff working on the same side of the ball from 1990-91 at Arkansas, with Nutt as the wide receivers coach and Weatherbie as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for a year (1991). Both would go on to earn their first Division 1-A head coaching positions in the Big West Conference, as Nutt took over at Boise State in 1997 and Weatherbie at Utah State in 1992. Head-to-head, Nutt is 3-0 against Weatherbie as head coaches.
WARHAWK TIES: Prior to arriving in Oxford this year, Ole Miss assistant coaches Kim Dameron and Ron Dickerson Jr., spent the previous three seasons at ULM, with Dameron serving as defensive coordinator and Dickerson as defensive backs and assistant head coach in 2007 after two previous seasons of working with the running backs. In their final season in Monroe, the duo helped the Warhawks become bowl eligible for the first time since they made the jump to Division I-A in 1994. The Warhawks ended the season winning five of their last six games, including a 21-14 victory at Alabama.
REBELS VERSUS THE SUN BELT: Ole Miss will enter this game versus ULM with an all-time record of 29-1-2 (.938 winning percentage) against teams that currently compete in the Sun Belt Conference. The Rebels last faced the Sun Belt in 2004 with a 28-21 victory over Arkansas State. The league supplied Ole Miss with two of its foes in 2003 with ASU and ULM, outscoring the two by a combined 114-14. The only loss Ole Miss has suffered against a current Sun Belt member came back in 1915, 10-0 to Arkansas State in Oxford.
REBEL NOTEBOOK
Ole Miss is 41-11 versus non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994 ... The Rebels are 31-6 in their last 37 non-conference games in Oxford.
The last time Ole Miss had five or more wins after nine games was 2003, when the Rebels started 8-2 and finished with a 10-3 mark and an SEC Western Division title.
Ole Miss is enjoying its first win streak since taking two straight in 2004, which was also the last time the team had consecutive SEC victories.
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 602-464-35 (.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.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: In their first season under Houston Nutt, the Rebels have cranked up the offense and the scoring. Ole Miss is posting 377.1 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' 26.1 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.
SHAY FOR SIX: Junior WR Shay Hodge is tied for the SEC lead in touchdown catches with seven and ranks first in yards per catch (17.6), seventh in receiving yards per game (60.6 ypg) and ninth in receptions per game (3.4). Hodge has hauled in at least four catches in each of the last four games and has a TD grab in three straight. 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 13 career TD grabs rank third among active SEC players and is tied for third all-time at Ole Miss.
SNEAD AMONG SEC LEADERS: Sophomore QB Jevan Snead ranks third in the SEC in both passing average (201.4 ypg) and TD passes (14) and is fourth in pass efficiency (126.6) and total offense (207.0 ypg). Snead has tossed multiple TD passes five times this year, including last time out against Auburn, and has thrown for 200 or more yards four times. 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.
CATCH 22: Whether in the slot or behind center in the "Wild Rebel", junior Dexter McCluster has truly become an all-purpose threat. A native of Largo, Fla., McCluster posted 176 all-purpose yards against Vanderbilt, 139 vs. South Carolina and 135 against Auburn. As a receiver, McCluster is eighth in the SEC in both receptions (3.8 per game) and receiving yards per game (55.3 ypg). Against the Gamecocks, McCluster just missed his second 100-yard receiving effort of the year, finishing with six receptions for a game-high 99 yards. He recorded a career-high 132 receiving yards and equaled his career best of seven receptions against the Commodores. As a rusher, he tops the team with three TD runs and ranks second in yards with 379. He has led the rushing attack in two games, totaling 60 yards at Florida and 40 against Carolina. McCluster turned in career highs in rushing yards with 84 and carries with 14 against Auburn and ran for 64 yards against Memphis en route to a 125-yard all-purpose day.
SEC OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: Maurice Miller was named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week following the win over Auburn. A senior guard from West Helena, Ark., Miller graded out at 92 percent in the 17-7 victory over the Tigers and had 16 finishing blocks and four knockdowns. The Ole Miss offensive attack had 233 rushing yards, the most by the Rebels since posting 240 in 2006, and Ole Miss kept the football for 16:50 time of possession in the second half. Miller picks up the Rebels' fifth weekly award from the conference this year and the first of his career.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
The Rebels are 5-0 when turning the ball over two times or fewer, including the last two outings ... Ole Miss had no turnovers for the second time this season against Auburn, having also accomplished the feat against Memphis .
The Rebels have scored first in eight of nine games this season ... Ole Miss is 5-3 in those games.
After no instances in the first seven games, the Rebels have led in time of possession the last two games.
Ole Miss' 233 yards rushing against Auburn is the most by the Rebels since running for 240 against Memphis in the 2006 season opener.
Ole Miss ranks fourth in the SEC in rushing offense (169.9 ypg) but has no individuals among the league's top 10 runners ... Four players have 40 or more attempts, each has led the team in rushing in at least one game, each has two or more TDs and three boast 361 or more yards, led by junior RB Cordera Easons 439 yards and 95 carries.
Junior RB Cordera Eason is averaging 92.5 rushing yards over the last two games ... Eason posted his first career 100-yard rushing game against Auburn, running for 104 on 14 attempts ... He had a career-high 19 carries, totaling a team-high 81 yards at Arkansas.
Sophomore RB Derrick Davis notched his first career reception and touchdown with his three-yard fourth-quarter scoring catch against Auburn.
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 70 TFLs (8.8 per game) and 17 sacks (2.1 pg) over the eight games since. Ole Miss posted 12 TFLs against Samford, 11 against both Vanderbilt and Auburn, and sacked Wake's Riley Skinner four times and Florida's Tim Tebow three. Senior DT Peria Jerry is third in the SEC with 10.5 TFLs and has 6.0 in his last three games.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
Ole Miss held the opposition under 82 rushing yards for the fourth time this season after limiting Auburn to 75 yards on the ground.
Against Auburn, the Rebel defense surrendered its fewest points since the 24-0 blanking of Louisiana Tech last season.
Ole Miss' three interceptions against Auburn marked the most since picking off Memphis four times in the 2007 season opener ... It marked the second game this season with multiple interceptions, having picked off two passes against Memphis ... Junior cornerbacks Cassius Vaughn and Marshay Green notched their first career interceptions on Saturday, while junior S Kendrick Lewis collected his team-high third interception of the year.
In addition to his first career interception, junior CB Cassius Vaughn led the team and posted a career-high nine total tackles against Auburn.
Sophomore DE Kentrell Lockett was credited with career highs of seven total tackles and 2.5 TFLs against the Tigers ... Lockett is tied for 12th in the SEC in TFLs with 7.5.
Senior S Jamarca Sanford has recorded double-figure tackles thrice this year and 10 times in his career ... He led the team and equaled his career high of 13 tackles against South Carolina ... Along with Kendrick Lewis, Sanford is tied for 11th in the SEC in tackles per game (7.3) and is the league's active career leader (271 total stops).
RECORD BREAKING MIKE: With his 31 yards against Auburn, senior Mike Wallace established an Ole Miss single-season record with 674 kickoff return yards on the year. The previous record was Deuce's McAllister's 1999 total of 652. Wallace became the Rebel all-time career leader at Arkansas and now boasts 1,205 career KR yards. After no kickoff returns in the first three games, Wallace has needed only five contests to pile up 643 yards, and nine more will match the single-season record, currently held by Deuce McAllister with 652 in 1999. Wallace ranks fourth in the SEC in average at 25.9 yards per return, and he has posted three of 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 ranks 11th on the Ole Miss all-time single game chart.
SHENE AMONG GROZA SEMIFINALISTS: Junior K Joshua Shene has been named as one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top kickers. The Oklahoma City native ranks first in the SEC in field goal percentage (13-of-15, 86.7) and tied for first in PATs (28-for-28, 1.000). Shene had his streak of consecutive field goals end at nine after his 45-yard attempt against Auburn sailed wide right. He matched his career bests at Arkansas, connecting on three field goals from 28, 34 and 39 yards, and scoring 11 points. Shene has extended his streak to 50 consecutive extra points converted, which is fourth-longest in school history. He has connected on 72-of-73 career PATs.
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. At 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. In the Arkansas win, Joshua Shene highlighted his outstanding season by connecting on all three field goal tries, including what would prove to be the game-clinching 28-yarder with 1:45 left.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
Senior P Rob Park has notched five punts of 50-plus yards including his 57-yarder against Auburn.
After the Rebels had no touchbacks on kickoffs last season, junior K-P Justin Sparks has recorded 10 this year.
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.
