GAME NOTES: Rebels Open SEC Play With Vanderbilt

TIME: September 20, 2008, 6 p.m. CT

SITE (CAPACITY): Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field (60,580); Oxford, Miss.

TV: There is no live TV for this game. 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). XM Satellite Radio channel 141.

WEB: OleMissSports.com will provide live audio through RebelVision, live stats and an in-game blog for the game. The official Rebel athletics website will also provide a full game recap, photo gallery and postgame video coverage.

POLLS: Ole Miss does not appear in the top-25 rankings, while Vanderbilt is receiving votes in both polls. The Commodores are first among the others receiving votes in the AP poll.

SERIES INFO: This game will be the 83rd meeting between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt dating back to 1894. The Rebels lead the series 46-34-2 and have won 12 of the last 15 meetings since 1992, despite last year's 31-17 setback in Nashville.The Rebels hold a 22-3 advantage in games played in Oxford and have won four straight, including the 17-10 victory in 2006. Ole Miss leads 46-16-2 in SEC games versus VU. The Commodores last win in Oxford came in 1999 when they won 37-34 in overtime. Vanderbilt won the first 19 games in the series, with Ole Miss having won 46 of the last 63 games played between the two teams.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Rebels are competing for their 600th win as a football program ... Ole Miss is shooting for its first 3-1 start since 2002 ... The Rebels are opening SEC play in Oxford for the first time since 2002 ... Ole Miss is kicking off league play with Vanderbilt for the fifth time in the last seven seasons ... The Rebel offense is averaging 34.4 points in its first three games under Houston Nutt ... The Ole Miss offensive line has allowed just one sack this season.

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 1-1 against Vanderbilt as a head coach, defeating the Commodores 21-19 in 2006 in Nashville and falling 28-24 in 2005 in Fayetteville.

VANDERBILT HEAD COACH BOBBY JOHNSON: Bobby Johnson (Clemson, 1972) is in his seventh year as the head coach of the Commodores. He is 23-50 at Vanderbilt and has a career mark of 83-86 in his 15th season as a collegiate head coach. Prior to coming to Vanderbilt, Johnson spent eight seasons at Division I-AA Furman, guiding the Paladins to a 60-36 record with four trips to the Division I-AA playoffs. Johnson is 2-4 against Ole Miss.

VANDERBILT SCOUTING REPORT: The Commodores are 3-0 for the first time since the 2005 season. It is only the second time the team has accomplished the feat since the 1984 season. Vanderbilt ranks second in the SEC rushing offense as senior QB Chris Nickson (89.3 ypg, five TDs) and junior RB Jared Hawkins (80.7 ypg, three TDs) both rank among the league leaders. The top rushing signal caller in the conference, Nickson has also completed 24-of-45 passes for 252 yards, two TDs and no interceptions. Defensively, the Dores tops the SEC in sacks with 10 and rank second in interceptions with six. Junior LB Patrick Benoist is the league's top tackler with 30 total stops.

FLORIDA GAME PICKED UP FOR TV: The Sept. 27 Ole Miss-Florida game is set for an 11:30 a.m. CT kickoff in Gainesville and will be televised by Raycom Sports. This will mark the Rebels' second TV game of the year and 162nd all-time.

600 IN SIGHT: The Rebel football program is just one win short of 600. Ole Miss boasts an all-time record of 599-461-35 (.563 winning percentage).

REBEL NOTEBOOK
The Rebels are off to a 2-1 start for the first time since 2003 ... The last time Ole Miss was 3-1 through four games was 2002, when the team opened 5-1.
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.

SEC OPENERS
Ole Miss is 30-41-3 in SEC openers ... The last league-opening win came in 2003 in Nashville, 24-21 over the Commodores ... The Rebels are just 2-13 in their last 15 conference openers.
Ole Miss is 16-15 when opening its SEC schedule at home (including home games played in Jackson and Memphis) ... The Rebels have a 6-7 record when opening their SEC schedule in Oxford ... Ole Miss has not opened league play at home since 2002 and only twice since 2000.
Ole Miss is beginning its SEC schedule with Vanderbilt for the fifth time in the last seven seasons ... The teams have split those four encounters.

OLE MISS VS. SEC EAST
Since the SEC started divisional play in 1992, Ole Miss is 25-22 versus the SEC Eastern Division.
Entering the game with Vanderbilt, the Rebels have won 10 of their last 18 games versus the SEC East, dating back to Ole Miss' 45-38 win over Vanderbilt to open the 2002 SEC portion of the schedule.
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 12-4 against Vanderbilt since the SEC began divisional play in 1992.
Ole Miss is 13-7 against the SEC East at home.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: In the first three games of the Houston Nutt era, the Rebels have cranked up the offense and the scoring. Ole Miss' 103 points is the most in a three-game stretch since 2003. The Rebel offense is averaging 34.3 points per game this year. Ole Miss is posting 407.3 yards per outing, which is also the most since 2003 when the team finished with a 433.2 clip. The Rebels outgained Samford 424 yards to 198. Ole Miss ranks fourth in the SEC in passing offense and fifth in total offense.

WALLACE BREAKS OUT: After no catches in the opener, senior WR Mike Wallace has caught fire in the last two games. The New Orleans native collected four receptions for 50 yards at Wake Forest, and on Saturday, he collected four grabs for 101 yards. It marked his third career 100-yard receiving game and first of the year. Last year, Wallace topped the SEC in yards per catch (18.8) and led the Rebels in receiving yards (716).

EASON FOR SIX: Junior RB Cordera Eason notched his first career touchdown at Wake Forest, and he followed up with another score on Saturday. His first TD in the Red and Blue came on on a five-yard catch against the Demon Deacons, and he picked up his first rushing score on a 12-yard run against Samford. Eason finished Saturday's game with career highs and game highs of 13 carries for 68 yards.

SNEAD AMONG SEC LEADERS: Despite no TDs against Samford, sophomore QB Jevan Snead remains the SEC leader in scoring tosses with six. At Wake Forest, he 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. Snead ranks second in the SEC in passing average (220.0 ypg), third in total offense (226.3 ypg) and fourth in pass efficiency (145.8).

STREAK SNAPPED: Junior WR Shay Hodge was kept out of the endzone against Samford, snapping a streak of five straight games with a TD catch. It was the longest Rebel streak with a TD grab since Roell Preston pulled down a score in five straight games from the 1993 season finale through the first four games of 1994. Hodge collected one catch for 31 yards on Saturday, and this season, he has eight receptions for team highs of 176 yards and three touchdowns.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
The Rebel offensive line has allowed only one sack in the first three games, which is tied for best in the SEC.
Freshman RB Brandon Bolden posted his second TD of the year on a six-yard rush off a direct snap in the Wild Rebel against Samford ... He finished with eight rushes for 42 yards and leads the team this year with 161 yards on 24 carries.
Sophomore WR Lionel Breaux earned his first career start on Saturday and recorded his first career reception with three grabs for 40 yards.
Freshman RB Enrique Davis rumbled in from four yards against Samford for his second rushing TD of the year, which ties the team lead.
Junior QB Billy Tapp connected on his first career pass attempt in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game, finishing 1-for-1 for six yards.

BEHIND THE LINE: The Rebel defense posted 12 tackles for loss against Samford and boasts 20 TFLs in the last two games. LB Jonathan Cornell and DT Ted Laurent lead the team with 3.5 TFLs each. The Rebels have posted five sacks over the last two weeks, including four at Wake Forest.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
Junior CB Cassius Vaughn got his first career sack on a corner blitz against Samford ... It was the only sack of the game for either team ... Vaughn led the team with seven total tackles, including five solos.
Senior DT Peria Jerry earned his first start of the year on Saturday and ranked second on the team with six stops, including two TFLs.
Junior S Kendrick Lewis is tied for third in the SEC in passes defended with four, after only two in 2007 ... He led the team and equaled his career high in tackles with nine against Wake Forest.
Senior S Jamarca Sanford is tied for fourth in the SEC with 8.3 tackles per game ... He led the team and equaled his career best of 13 total stops, including a career-high 11 solos, against Memphis ... It marked his eighth career game with double-figure tackles.

GREEN BREAKS FREE: Junior Marshay Green turned in a career-long 77-yard punt return for a TD in the fourth quarter of the Samford game. It marked his second in the last five games, having scored on a 44-yard return in last year's LSU game. Green also had a 47-yard punt return in the 2006 Mississippi State. His three career TD punt returns move him into a tie with Doug Cunningham (1964-66) for second on the Ole Miss all-time list and two behind the five scoring returns of Ray Hapes (1935-37).

SPECIALTY NOTES
After no touchbacks on kickoffs last year, the Rebels have registered six in the first three games, courtesy of junior Justin Sparks.
Junior K Joshua Shene connected on both his field goal attempts against Samford, connecting from 33 and 38 yards ... He is 4-for-4 in FGs this season and has made seven of his last eight going back to the Auburn game last year.
Shene is a perfect 13-for-13 on PATs this year to extend his streak to 35 consecutive extra points converted ... He has connected on 57-of-58 career PATs.

DEBUTS: A total of 20 players have made their Ole Miss debuts this season, including seven true freshmen in Brandon Bolden (RB), Enrique Davis (RB), Andrew Harris (WR), Derrick Herman (DB), Justin Smith (DL), Marcus Temple (CB) and Devin Thomas (RB). Other players seeing their first action include Brandon GreenGerald Harris (Jr., TE); Rishaw Johnson (RFr., OL); Jeremy McGee (So., CB); Jermey Parnell (Sr., DE); Jerrell Powe (So., DT); Garrett Ryan (Jr., DE); Jevan Snead (So., QB); Bradley Sowell (RFr., OL); Emmanuel Stephens (Jr., DE); Billy Tapp (Jr., QB); Patrick Trahan (Jr., LB) and Alex Washington (RFr., OL).

OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER
Ole Miss is 140-73-7 (.652 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September.
The Rebels are 43-37-1 (.537 winning pct.) in September SEC games, including an 11-7 (.611 winning percentage) record in games played in Oxford.
Ole Miss is 88-26-3 (.765 winning pct.) in September home games (including home contests played in Memphis and Jackson), including a 63-14-2 (.810 winning percentage) mark in September games played in Oxford.
The Rebels have an all-time mark of 52-47-4 (.524 winning pct.) in road games during September.
Ole Miss is 97-35-6 (.725 winning pct.) all-time versus non-conference opponents during the month.
The Rebels went 1-4 in September last season (at Memphis, W, 23-21; Missouri, L, 25-38; at Vanderbilt, L, 17-31; Florida, L, 24-30; at Georgia, L, 17-45). Prior to 2003, Ole Miss posted at least a .500 record in 14 consecutive Septembers.

OLE MISS ANNOUNCES FRESNO STATE SERIES: Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete Boone recently announced a three-game football series with Fresno State, which will mark the first gridiron meetings between the two schools. The first game is scheduled for Oxford on Sept. 25, 2010, while Ole Miss will then return the game to Fresno, Calif., on Oct. 1, 2011. The final game of the series will be in Oxford in 2015, with the date yet to be determined.

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.

(Jr., C);

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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