GAME NOTES: Rebels Face No. 4 Florida On Road

TIME: September 27, 2008, 11:30 a.m. CT

SITE (CAPACITY): Ben Hill Griffin Stadium/ Florida Field (88,548); Gainesville, Fla.

TV: Raycom Sports/ESPN Gameplan (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Dave Archer, color analyst; Dave Baker, sideline reporter). 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 199. The Rebel Road Radio Frequency will be 96.3 FM in Gainesville.

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

POLLS: Ole Miss does not appear in the top-25 rankings, while Florida is ranked No. 4 in both polls.

SERIES INFO: This game will be the 23rd all-time between Ole Miss and Florida, with the Rebels holding an 11-10-1 advantage. The two teams have split the last six meetings. In the most recent encounter in 2007, Ole Miss fell to No. 3 Florida in Oxford, 24-30. The last time the two teams faced off in Gainesville was in 2003, when the Rebels upset the No. 24 Gators, 20-17. Ole Miss leads the all-time series in Gainesville, 5-3-1.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Rebels are competing for their 600th win as a football program ... Ole Miss is facing its second ranked opponent and first top-five foe of the year ... The Rebels are making their second TV appearance of the season ... The Ole Miss offense is posting 401.8 yards per outing this year ... The Rebel defense has held the opposition to 200.0 ypg over the last two weeks ... The Ole Miss offensive line has allowed just two sacks 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 0-3 against Florida as a head coach and last faced the Gators in the 2006 SEC Championship game, falling 38-28.

FLORIDA HEAD COACH URBAN MEYER: Urban Meyer (Cincinnati, 1986) is in his fourth year as the head coach of the Gators. He is 34-8 at Florida and has a career mark of 73-16 in his eighth season as a collegiate head coach. Last season, he led the Gators to a 9-4 mark and a Capitol One Bowl appearance. In 2006, Meyer directed the Gators to a 13-1 record, their seventh SEC title and second national championship. Prior to coming to Florida, Meyer spent two seasons at Utah preceded by two years at Bowling Green. Meyer faced Ole Miss as a coach for the first time last season, in Florida's 30-24 victory.

FLORIDA SCOUTING REPORT: The Gators opened league action against Tennessee last weekend in Knoxville with a 30-6 win. Florida leads the SEC in both scoring offense (112 points) and scoring defense (19 points). UF is also the only team in the nation that has not turned the ball over this year. The Gator offense is led by 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and junior QB Tim Tebow, who tops the team in rushing (118 yards) and passing (489 yards). He ranks second in the SEC in pass efficiency with a mark of 149.3. Junior Brandon James leads the team in all-purpose yards at 142.0 per game and boasts three TDs two by punt return and one rushing. Florida also leads the SEC in total defense (213 ypg). In its first three games this season, UF has shut out each of its opponents in a half. Florida has not allowed a rushing play of longer than 16 yards this year and the longest pass allowed has been 26 yards. The Gators have also returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

SCHEDULE UPDATE: The Ole Miss-South Carolina was not picked up for TV, the SEC office announced Monday. Kickoff of the Rebels' Homecoming game has been set at 1 p.m. CT.

600 IN SIGHT: The Rebel football program is just one win short of 600. Ole Miss boasts an all-time record of 599-462-35 (.563 winning percentage).

REBEL NOTEBOOK
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.

OLE MISS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
Ole Miss is 10-23 all-time vs. teams ranked in the top five ... The last victory over a top-five foe was a 20-13 triumph over No. 3 Notre Dame in 1977 in Jackson.
The last Ole Miss victory over a top-10 team was No. 6 Florida, 17-14 in 2002 in Oxford.
Ole Miss' last win over a top-25 foe was a 31-28 road win at No. 25 South Carolina in 2004 ... The Rebels are looking to snap a 15-game skid to ranked teams.
Ole Miss is 53-127-2 all-time versus ranked teams.

FLORIDA REBELS: The Ole Miss roster features 15 players from the Sunshine state: Richard Contartesi (Lake Worth), Case Cooper (Ft. Walton Beach), Enrique Davis (Lynn Haven), Andrew Harris (St. Petersburg), Andy Hartmann (Cooper City), George Helow (Jacksonville), Dan Hoffman (Miami), Mark Jean-Louis (West Palm Beach), Don Mosley (Tampa), Dexter McCluster (Jacksonville), Dustin Mouzon (Orlando), Lawon Scott (St. Petersburg), Antonio Turner (Orlando), Billy Tapp (St. Petersburg) and Rudy Wilson (Port Orange).

OLE MISS VS. SEC EAST
Since the SEC started divisional play in 1992, Ole Miss is 25-23 versus the SEC Eastern Division.
Ole Miss is 12-16 against the SEC East on the road ... The last road win over an Eastern Division opponent was the 2004 upset at No. 25 South Carolina 31-28.
Ole Miss is 2-3 against Florida since the SEC began divisional play in 1992.
In 2003, the Rebels recorded their first three-game sweep of their SEC East opponents with wins over Vanderbilt, Florida and South Carolina.

SEC DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: After scoring his first career touchdown on Saturday, Ole Miss senior Peria Jerry was selected as the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. The Batesville, Miss., native recovered a fumble against Vanderbilt and returned it 13 yards for the score, marking the first by a Rebel since 2005. Jerry finished with six total tackles, including 2.5 TFLs and helped limit the Commodores to 202 yards of total offense. A Preseason All-America honoree, Jerry is tied for the team-lead in TFLs with 4.5, despite missing the opener. He is the second Rebel to earn weekly accolades from the conference this season, as Brandon Bolden was the Freshman of the Week following the Memphis game.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: In the first four games of the Houston Nutt era, the Rebels have cranked up the offense and the scoring. Ole Miss is posting 401.8 yards per outing, which is the most since 2003 when the team finished with a 433.2 clip. The Rebels outgained Samford 424 yards to 198 and Vanderbilt 385 to 202. Ole Miss' 30.0 scoring clip is also the highest since 2003 and is fifth-best in the SEC.

WALLACE BREAKS OUT: After no production in the opener, senior WR Mike Wallace has caught fire in the last three games, averaging 136.3 all-purpose yards per game. Against Vanderbilt, the New Orleans native earned his first kickoff returns of the year and responded with one of the SEC's finest special teams performances ever. His 202 kickoff return yards easily shattered the Ole Miss single-game record (Marshay Green's 159 against Florida in 2007) and is the fourth-highest total in SEC history. Wallace registered the second kickoff return TD of his career and the fifth-longest in school history with his 98-yarder. In addition, he grabbed three passes, giving him 11 catches for 187 yards in the last three outings. He posted his third career 100-yard receiving game and first of the year against Samford.

EASON LEADS WAY: Junior RB Cordera Eason is averaging 78.0 rushing yards per game in the last two outings and is now tied with Brandon Bolden for the team-lead in rushing yards with 206 on 43 carries. He set a career-best in rushing against Vanderbilt, totaling a game-high 88 yards on 12 attempts. Eason has also notched a TD in two of the last three games, hauling in a five-yard scoring pass against Wake Forest and rushing for a 12-yard score against Samford.

CATCH 22: Junior Dexter McCluster ranks third in the SEC in receiving yards (73.8 per game) and fifth in all-purpose yards (102.5 per game), just ahead of teammate Mike Wallace (102.2 per game). The Largo, Fla., native recorded a career-high 132 receiving yards and equaled his career-best of seven receptions against Vanderbilt. McCluster finished with 176 all-purpose yards, having also rushed for 44 yards on seven carries. He also posted 125 all-purpose yards against Memphis. McCluster leads the team in receiving yards (295) and ranks third in rushing (115).

OFFENSIVE NOTES
The Rebel offensive line has allowed only two sacks this year, which is tied for best in the SEC ... Leading the charge is Preseason First Team All-American tackle Michael Oher, who ranks third among SEC active players in career starts with 38.
Among the SEC leaders, sophomore QB Jevan Snead is tied for first in TD tosses (6) and is third in total offense (215.5 ypg) and passing average (211.0 ypg) ... 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.
Junior WR Shay Hodge is tied for the SEC lead in TD catches with three ... His 28-yard scoring grab against Wake Forest produced a streak of five straight games with a TD catch, which was the longest by a Rebel since Roell Preston pulled down a score in five straight games from the 1993 season finale through the first four games of 1994 ... Hodge boasts 10 catches for 192 yards on the year.
Freshman RB Brandon Bolden rushed for 45 yards on eight carries against Wake Forest ... He is tied for the team lead with 206 yards on 32 rushes and two rushing TDs.

DEFENSE TIGHTENS: After allowing an average of 400.5 yards in the first two games, the Ole Miss defense has cut that number in half over the last two weeks, limiting the opposition of 200.0 yards per game. The Rebels held Samford to 198 yards and Vanderbilt to 202.

BEHIND THE LINE: The Rebel defense posted 11 tackles for loss against Vanderbilt and boasts 31 TFLs in the last three games. DTs Peria Jerry and Ted Laurent lead the team with 4.5 TFLs each. Sophomore LB Jonathan Cornell has posted 3.5 TFLs and a team-high 2.0 sacks. The Rebels posted four sacks at Wake Forest.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
After recovering only one fumble in the first three games, the Ole Miss defense forced and recovered two against Vanderbilt.
Junior S Kendrick Lewis led the team against Vanderbilt and equaled his career high with nine total tackles ... Lewis is tied for fifth in the SEC in passes defended with four, after only two in 2007.
Senior S Jamarca Sanford was credited with seven tackles, including five solos, and a forced fumble against Vanderbilt ... Sanford is fifth in the SEC with 8.0 tackles per game ... He is the SEC active leader in tackles with 237.
Seeing his first action of the season, junior DE Greg Hardy posted two solo stops, including a five-yard sack ... Hardy led the SEC in sacks in 2007 with 10.0.
Sophomore LB Allen Walker earned his first career start Saturday against Vanderbilt.

SPECIALTY NOTES
After no touchbacks on kickoffs last year, the Rebels have registered seven in the first four games, courtesy of junior Justin Sparks.
Junior K Joshua Shene had his first missed kick of the year on Saturday when his 47-yard FG attempt against Vanderbilt went wide left ... He finished 1-for-2, connecting on a 20-yarder.
Shene is a perfect 15-for-15 on PATs this year to extend his streak to 37 consecutive extra points converted ... He has connected on 59-of-60 career PATs.
Ole Miss has registered two TDs in the return game in the last two games with Mike Wallace's 98-yard kickoff return against Vanderbilt and Marshay Green's 77-yard punt return against Samford ... Green's three career TD punt returns moved 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).

OLE MISS ON TV
Ole Miss is making its second television appearance of the season and first on Raycom ... The Wake Forest game was televised by ABC/ESPN2.
Over the last five seasons, 23 of the Rebels' 50 games have been televised ... A total of 78 Ole Miss games have been on TV over the past 12 seasons.
Last year, the Rebels appeared on TV five times.
All-time, this game will be the Rebels' 163rd TV appearance since Ole Miss made its network TV debut in the 1953 Sugar Bowl versus Georgia Tech ... Ole Miss is 70-90-2 all-time in TV games.
The Rebels' only other future game already confirmed for TV this year is the Friday, Nov. 28 Ole Miss-Mississippi State "Egg Bowl" to be played at 11:30 a.m. CT. Raycom Sports will telecast the game from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as part of the SEC's syndicated package.

OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER
Ole Miss is 140-74-7 (.649 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September.
The Rebels are 43-38-1 (.530 winning pct.) in September SEC games.
The Rebels have an all-time mark of 52-47-4 (.524 winning pct.) in road games during September.
Ole Miss is 88-27-3 (.758 winning pct.) in September home games (including home contests played in Memphis and Jackson), including a 63-15-2 (.800 winning percentage) mark in September games played in Oxford.
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.

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 Green (Jr., C); Gerald 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).

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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