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The University of Mississippi Athletics
BLOG FROM THE BOX: Ole Miss 30, Arkansas 17, FINAL
10/24/2009 | Football
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2:41 pm: Rebels prevail 30-17 over the Hogs. Snead's 332 passing yards (22-of-33, 2 TDs) and McCluster's 123 rushing yards (22 carries) and 137 yards receiving (7 catches, 1 TD) lead the way. Ole Miss improves to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC games.
2:27 pm: Ole Miss fans are chanting "Houston Nutt" throughout the stands. Nutt was the Arkansas head coach for 10 years prior to taking over the helm in Oxford.
2:24 pm: The player of the game, Dexter McCluster, has a career-high 120 yards rushing on 20 carries and a career-high 137 yards receiving on seven catches as the Rebels start their final drive. He is the first Rebel with 100 yards rushing and receiving in the modern era (since 1965).
2:17 pm: Shene converts a 19-yard field goal, his third of the game, to put Ole Miss up 30-17 with 4:13 left in the contest. Shene is a perfect 8-for-8 on FG attempts this year.
2:13 pm: Rebels driving it down the field after the Arkansas punt. Snead has gone over 300 yards passing for the first time in his career. McCluster is the first Rebel with 100 yards rushing and receiving since at least 1980. Ole Miss statisticians are poring through the record books for the last time that happened.
2:05 pm: Interesting field-goal mishaps in today's game. After Shene was successful on a second try after a penalty earlier, Hog kicker Tejada nails a 52-yarder off the top of the crossbar, but the Razorbacks are flagged for delay of game and elect to punt on the next play. Score remains 27-17 as the Rebels take over with 11:08 left in the game.
1:57 pm: Shene makes a key field goal from 39 yards to remain perfect (7-for-7) on the season and give the Rebels a 27-17 lead with 14:56 left in the final quarter. Shene actually missed a 35-yard attempt, but Ole Miss was called for a false start that gave the senior kicker a second chance.
1:51 pm: McCluster's 21-yard catch in which he broke several tackles and had a nifty spin move jumped his receiving total to 119 yards on the day. He also has 117 yards rushing. Rebels are driving down the field once again as the third quarter comes to an end. 24-17 Rebel lead.
1:42 pm: Another wacky play results in an Arkansas touchdown. Under intense pressure, Mallett threw a deep ball into coverage and the Rebel secondary batted it up and right into the hands of Carlton Salters for a 58-yard touchdown. The PAT makes it 24-17 Ole Miss with 5:33 left in the 3rd quarter.
1:35 pm: Ole Miss regains a two-touchdown lead when McCluster takes a little screen in the middle of the field and turns on the jets for a 64-yard run down the right sideline. Rebels lead 24-10 with 6:28 left in the third quarter. McCluster is having a huge game!
1:31 pm: Today's sell-out attendance is 60,622, just over capacity. I don't think anyone's leaving this one early, either.
1:24 pm: Both the Rebels and Razorbacks are trying to stay in the hunt for the SEC West crown. There are some big league matchups on tap later today. Tennessee visits Alabama for a 2:30 kickoff, while night games include Auburn at LSU, Florida at Mississippi State and Vanderbilt at South Carolina.
1:20 pm: Alex Tejada brings Arkansas within a touchdown with his 44-yard field goal. The Razorback offense got 12 yards on six plays following the interception return. It's Ole Miss 17, Arkansas 10 with 9:40 left in the 3rd quarter.
1:15 pm: Andru Stewart intercepts a Snead pass with a nice tipped ball to himself and returns it 30 yards for the Razorbacks. First big play of the second half.
12:52 pm: Rebels are up 17-7 at the half. McCluster already has a career-high 108 yards rushing on 13 carries and has added four catches for 34 yards. Snead is 11-for-17 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown. Seven different Rebels have caught a pass so far.
12:40 pm: Arkansas gets on the board after an impressive 7-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 3-yard TD run by Knile Davis. It's now Ole Miss 17, Arkansas 7 with 2:15 left in the half.
12:33 pm: Shene taps in a 22-yard field goal to give Ole Miss a 17-0 lead with 4:12 remaining in the first half. Shene remains perfect on the season in FGs, 6-for-6.
12:30 pm: Out of the "Wild Rebel" formation, Ole Miss gets a little tricky when Snead takes an end-around reverse from his wide-out position and tosses a 39-yard pass to Markeith Summers down to the five yard-line. Rebels look to punch it in with just under 6 minutes left in the half.
12:13 pm: Snead was driving the Rebels down into scoring position again, but Cordera Eason lost a fumble after a nice 16-yard scamper on a screen pass. Arkansas takes over with 11 minutes left in the second quarter.
12:10 pm: The Rebel D stuffs Arkansas' vaunted offensive attack yet again, stopping a 4th-down attempt from the 35-yard line. Kentrell Lockett and the D-line have been getting good pressure on Razorback QB Ryan Mallett.
11:56 am: Snead throws a beautiful 25-yard pass down the left sideline to Shay Hodge for the Rebels' second TD of the morning. Hodge, a former student worker in the athletics media relations office, is the SEC's second-leading active receiver in a number of career stat categories. Shene added the PAT to put Ole Miss up 14-0 with under a minute left in the first quarter.
11:52 am: As the Rebels drive it down the field, it has become obvious what the offense's gameplan is for today: Give it to McCluster. He has received almost all the carries as the single back and looked very impressive thus far.
11:37 am: The Rebel D is equally impressive on Arkansas' opening drive, holding the Razorbacks to 3-and-out, including a sack by Marcus Tillman on the opening play of the drive.
11:30 am: Dexter McCluster leads Ole Miss to an impressive 10-play, 73-yard opening drive, capped by Jevan Snead's one-yard bootleg touchdown. Joshua Shene adds the PAT to give the Rebs an early 7-0 lead. McCluster had two rushes for 24 yards and a six-yard catch on the drive, while Snead made a couple of big runs himself.
11:21 am: Today's "Hotty Toddy" pre-game was kicked off by singer Katy Perry on the JumboTron.
11:20 am: Rebel captains for today's game are Kendrick Lewis, Marshay Green, Dexter McCluster and John Jerry. Ole Miss won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff.
10:55 am: Ole Miss players are on the field warming up for the Razorbacks. The Rebels are in navy blue jerseys with gray pants for today's contest. There's a steady, cool breeze on the field, but we have sunny skies in Oxford for the first time in several days. Members of the 1989 Ole Miss team returned to campus for a reunion this weekend and will be honored during pre-game ceremonies today. The team, which included the late Chucky Mullins, posted an 8-4 record and defeated Air Force 42-29 in the Liberty Bowl.
