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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAMEDAY BLOG: Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech
1/2/2009 | Football
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OleMissSports.com is also offering a live blog from the Cotton Bowl during the game. Please refresh page for updates. 4:57 p.m.: After a couple penalties, Texas Tech attempts the onsides kick from its own eight yardline. The Rebels are preparing for a victory formation. Full recap coming soon. 4:39 p.m.: McCluster provides an exclamation point, rushing around the left end for a four-yard TD run. He has posted a career-high 97 yards on the ground along with six catches for 83 yards. More photos have been added to the album. 4:29 p.m.: Enrique Davis has consecutive rushes for 11 yards and eight, but fumbles on the two-yardline. On the next play, Patrick Trahan sacked Harrell out of the back of the endzone for the safety. It marks Ole Miss' first safety in a bowl game. On the Rebels' drive, Brandon Bolden ripped off a career-long 44-yard run on the next drive he topped the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career. 4:19 p.m.: The Red Raiders narrow the gap to 10 points as Harrell connects again with Britton, who sheds a diving Cassius Vaughn for the 12-yard TD. 4:09 p.m.: The Rebels take a 17-point lead into the fourth stanza, and have held the powerful Texas Tech offense to just 14 points. Ole Miss is 8-0 this year when leading after the third. 3:55 p.m.: Texas Tech's decision to go for it on fourth down from their own 40 yardine comes back to bite them. Three players later, Brandon Bolden charges up the middle for 17 yards and flies over a defender for his fifth rushing TD of the year. 3:45 p.m.: Green strikes again. Moments after his 65-yard interception return for a TD, Green returns a punt 63 yards for a score. However, upon further review, the play is overturned as Green stepped out of bounds just inside the 10 yardline. The Rebels failed to cash in on the scoreboard, as Shene missed wide right from 27 yards, marking his first miss from inside 40 yards all year. Green's 54-yard punt return is fourth-longest in Cotton Bowl history. New photos have been added to the album link above. 3:30 p.m.: The Red Raiders got their pick-six in the first half and the Rebels returned the favor to start the second half. Marshay Green recorded Ole Miss' second interception of the game and returned it 65 yards for the team's first pick-six since the 2007 Memphis game. It was Green's second career interception and seventh TD of his career. 3:00 p.m.: Graham Harrell gave the Rebel fans a scare as he tucked and ran 44 yards down to the three yardline before being tripped up by Kendrick Lewis as the time expired. The Rebels lead at halftime for the 10th time this year, posting a 7-2 record. Ole Miss scored its most first-half points in a bowl since leading Air Force 28-9 at the break in the 1989 Independence Bowl. Snead has already tied the Rebel bowl record for scoring passes with three, and Harris has carved his name in the Ole Miss record book, becoming the first Rebel with multiple TD catches in a bowl. 2:54 p.m.: Cassius Vaughn collects his third interception of the year and the Rebels convert it into three points and take the lead for the first time today. Dexter McCluster weaved up the middle for 34 yards to key the drive and set up Joshua Shene's 27-yard FG. The SEC's most accurate kicker remains perfect from 40 yards in at 15-of-15 and overall is 17-of-20 for the year. 2:40 p.m.: After Harrell and Crabtree continue their record-breaking career with the go-ahead TD, Ole Miss answers as Snead connects with Harris again, this time on a 21-yard strike down the middle with four minutes left in the first half. It marks the first career two-TD game for Harris and Snead's fourth game with three or more scoring tosses. Check out the photo album link above for the first couple images from today's game. 2:15 p.m.: Mike Wallace's last game as a Rebel has already provided a memorable moment, as he hauled in a 41-yard game-tying TD. With two defenders on his hips, Wallace pinned the ball on his hip and held on as he fell in the endzone. The official review upheld the ruling on the field of the touchdown. It marked Wallace's fourth catch of the year of 40 or more yards. His 15 career TD receptions rank third all-time at Ole Miss, just one ahead of teammate Shay Hodge. Snead has thrown multiple TDs in nine of the 13 games this year. 1:57 p.m.: Rebels answer with an eight-yard pass from Snead to Gerald Harris. It is the tight end's third TD catch of the year. The drive was highlighted by a a double reverse out of the Wild Rebel that resulted in a 29-yard dart from Snead to Markeith Summers, who fought off a defender for the ball. 1:50 p.m.: Ole Miss is a perfect 8-0 when turning the ball over two or fewer times. Unfortunately, it's only the first quarter and the Rebels already have two turnovers, the second of which was a pick-six for Darcel McBath. Snead's pass was tipped at the line and McBath snatched it and scooted 45 yards down the sideline. The Rebels have trailed by 14 or more points in only one other game this year, against Alabama. 1:35 p.m.: The Rebels improved to 4-for-4 on fakes after Andy Hartmann took a direct snap and rumbled ahead for 10 yards down to the Tech 35 yardline. Unfortunately, Cordera Eason fumbled on the next play and four plays later, Graham Harrell hooked up with Edward Britton on a 35-yard TD catch. It marks only the second time this year that the Rebels failed to score first. 1:15 p.m.: Mere seconds until kickoff of the 73rd AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic and final at the Cotton Bowl. Ole Miss, who is the road team and wearing its traditional white jerseys and gray pants, won the toss and will receive to start the game. Weather is perfect: sunny and 69 degrees without a cloud in the sky.
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