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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Postgame Notes
9/20/2008 | Football
SERIES INFORMATION
Today's meeting was the 83rd all-time between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt ... Despite the loss, the Rebels lead 46-35-2 and have won 12 of the last 16 meetings since 1992 ... Ole Miss leads 46-17-2 in SEC games versus the Commodores
The Rebels still hold a 22-4 advantage in VU games played in Oxford and had won four straight at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium prior to today.
REBEL CAPTAINS
Peria Jerry (Sr., DT); Jason Cook (Sr., FB); #74- Michael Oher (Sr., OL); #13- Jamarca Sanford (Sr., S)
GENERAL NOTES
The teams combined for seven turnovers (five by Ole Miss, two by Vanderbilt).
Ole Miss falls to 30-42-3 in SEC openers ... The last league-opening win came in 2003 in Nashville, 24-21 over the Commodores ... The Rebels are just 2-14 in their last 16 conference openers.
Ole Miss is 16-16 when opening its SEC schedule at home (including home games played in Jackson and Memphis) ... The Rebels have a 6-8 record when opening their SEC schedule in Oxford ... Today was the first league opener at home since 2002.
Ole Miss began its SEC schedule with Vanderbilt for the fifth time in the last seven seasons ... The Dores have won three of the five.
The Rebel football program remains one win short of 600 ... Ole Miss boasts an all-time record of 599-462-35.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
The Rebel offense outgained Vanderbilt 385 yards to 202.
Junior Dexter McCluster recorded a career-high 132 receiving yards and equaled his career-best of seven receptions ... He finished with 176 all-purpose yards, having also rushed for 44 yards on seven carries.
For the second straight game, junior RB Cordera Eason set a career-best in rushing, totaling a game-high 88 yards on 12 attempts ... He is averaging 78.0 rushing yards per game in the last two outings.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
After recovering only one fumble in the first three games, the Ole Miss defense forced and recovered two against Vanderbilt.
Senior DT Peria Jerry scored the first TD of his career on a fumble recovery and 13-yard return ...It was Ole Miss' first fumble return for a TD since Travis Johnson's 16-yard score in the 2005 Citadel game ... Jerry finished with six total tackles, including 2.5 TFLs.
Junior S Kendrick Lewis led the team and equaled his career high with nine total tackles.
Senior S Jamarca Sanford was credited with seven tackles, including five solos, and a forced fumble.
Seeing his first action of the season, junior DE Greg Hardy posted two solo stops, including a five-yard sack.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
Senior Mike Wallace registered the second kickoff return TD of his career and the fifth-longest in school history with his 98-yard return in the first quarter ... His other TD kickoff return was a 77-yarder in last year's Northwestern State game.
Wallace's 202 kickoff return yards easily shattered the Ole Miss single-season record (Marshay Green's 159 against Florida in 2007) and is the fourth-highest total in SEC history.
Junior K Joshua Shene had his first missed kick of the year when his 47-yard FG attempt was wide left in the fourth quarter ... He finished 1-for-2, connecting on a 20-yarder in the first quarter.
