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The University of Mississippi Athletics
GAME NOTES: Anticipated Season Begins Sunday At Memphis
8/31/2009 | Football
Season Opener: #8/10 Ole Miss vs. Memphis
TIME: September 6, 2009, 2:36 p.m. CT
SITE (CAPACITY): Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (62,380); Memphis, Tenn.
TV: ESPN (Joe Tessitore, play-by-play; Rod Gilmore, analyst).
RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play; Harry Harrison, analyst; Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter). Satellite Radio: XM 199, SIRIUS 220.
WEB: OleMissSports.com will provide live stats and live audio on RebelVision. The official Rebel athletics website will also provide a full game recap and photo gallery at the game's conclusion.
POLLS: Ole Miss is ranked preseason No. 8 by the Associated Press and No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches poll. Memphis does not appear in the top-25 rankings.
SERIES INFO: This meeting will be the 59th all-time between the Mid-South rivals. It is the Rebels' sixth-most played series and most frequent with any school not currently or formerly in the SEC. Ole Miss holds a 46-10-2 lead in the series and has won the last four encounters. The Rebels have won 13 of the last 17 meetings dating back to 1988. Ole Miss is 24-7-2 against the Tigers in Memphis and prevailed 23-21 in the last meeting with the Tigers in the Liberty Bowl in 2007. (see page 2 for all-time series results and last five meetings).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: This game will mark the kickoff of the 115th season of football at Ole Miss and the second under head coach Houston Nutt ... The Rebels begin the year with their highest ranking (preseason and regular season) since 1970 ... The Rebels enter the season ranked for the first time since 2000 ... Ole Miss has won 12 of its last 13 season openers, including four straight, all against Memphis ... Ole Miss has matched up with Memphis in its season opener more than any other foe, having kicked off the year with the Tigers 36 times, including the last five ... In season openers against Memphis, the Rebels are 31-3-2 ... Ole Miss enters the season on a six-game win streak.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH HOUSTON NUTT: Houston Nutt (Oklahoma State, 1981) enters his second season at the Ole Miss helm, after being named the University's 36th head football coach on Nov. 28, 2007. His first season in Oxford saw him lead the Rebels to a Cotton Bowl victory and earn SEC Coach of the Year billing for the third time in his career and Region top coaching honors for the fifth time. 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 2-0 against Memphis as a head coach.
MEMPHIS HEAD COACH TOMMY WEST: Tommy West (Tennessee, 1976) is in his ninth season as the Tigers' head coach. He has a 47-51 record at Memphis and has a career ledger of 82-86 in 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach. West has guided the Tigers to bowl appearances five of the last six years, including a magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl bid to cap a 6-7 campaign in 2008. West has also made head coaching stops at Chattanooga and Clemson. He went 4-7 with the Mocs before being named the head coach at Clemson prior to the 1993 Peach Bowl. He guided the Clemson program for five seasons, compiling a 31-28 ledger. West received his first coaching assignment at Ole Miss in 1979, working with the running backs on former Rebel coach Steve Sloan's staff. West is 2-5 against the Rebels.
MEMPHIS SCOUTING REPORT: The Tigers were a preseason pick to finish third in the Conference USA East Division and return 48 lettermen and 15 starters from last year's 6-7 squad. Among the four offensive starters back is running back Curtis Steele. Steele led the Tigers in rushing with 1,233 yards and seven scores on his way to earning C-USA Newcomer of the Year honors. Seven starters are back on defense, including defensive back Alton Starr, who led Memphis's defense a season ago with 90 tackles.
MEMPHIS REBELS: Ole Miss has 13 players on its roster from the Memphis area: freshman TE Justin Bigham, freshman DT Nick Eley, senior OL Brandon Green, redshirt freshman FB H.R. Greer, senior DE Greg Hardy, senior WR J.D. Lawhorn, junior DB Demareo Marr, senior LS Preston Powers, sophomore OL Bradley Sowell, senior K-P Justin Sparks, junior WR Markeith Summers, senior DB Cassius Vaughn, junior LB Allen Walker.
SEASON OPENERS
• The Rebels are 85-24-5 (.768 winning percentage) in season openers and have taken 12 of the last 13.
• The Rebels are 27-20-2 (.571 winning percentage) when opening a season on the road.
REBELS VERSUS CONFERENCE USA: Ole Miss will enter this game versus Memphis with an all-time record of 129-53-2 (.707 winning pct.) against schools that are currently members of Conference USA. Prior to the Memphis loss in 2003, Ole Miss reeled off a nine-game win streak over C-USA opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on November 12, 1994. Former SEC rivals, Ole Miss and Tulane have matched up 69 times, fourth-most frequent of any Rebel opponent series.
REBELS AMONG NATION'S TOP 10: Ole Miss earned its highest preseason football ranking in nearly 40 years, as the Rebels are No. 8 by the Associated Press and No. 10 in the USA Today Preseason Coaches' Top 25. The last time Ole Miss reached this high in the polls was the 1970 campaign, when the Rebels entered the year at No. 5 and rose as high as No. 4. Prior to the regular-season finale with Mississippi State on Nov. 26, Ole Miss stood at No. 10 and has not returned to that point until now. The Rebels were last ranked in the preseason in 2000, when they opened the year 18th. The program's highest preseason ranking came in 1964 with the squad starting the year as the nation's top-ranked team. As defending national champion in various polls, Ole Miss began the 1960 and 1963 seasons second in the polls, and the 1960 team went on to earn the second of Ole Miss' three shared national titles. The following chart shows where all of the preseason polls and various media outlets have tabbed the Rebels this summer:
The Sporting News 5th
Sports Illustrated 6th
Phil Steele 6th
Associated Press 8th
Lindy's 9th
USA Today/Coaches 10th
Athlon 10th
SOLD OUT: Eleven days before the season even started, Ole Miss officials announced that football season tickets were sold out. It is believed to be the first time the Rebels have sold out of season tickets. The approximately 50,600 season tickets sold easily smashed the previous high mark of 48,180 in 2004.
STREAKING REBELS: With six straight wins, Ole Miss enters the season on its longest win streak since taking six in a row in 2003. The latest time the Rebels won seven straight was during the 1990 campaign.
GRADUATING REBELS: Four student-athletes on the Ole Miss football team have already received their undergraduate degrees. DT LaMark Armour, WR J.D. Lawhorn and K-P Justin Sparks are currently working on a second degree, while QB Billy Tapp is enrolled in graduate school.
REBELS ON WATCH LISTS: Junior QB Jevan Snead headlines six Rebels that have been named as preseason candidates for some of college football's highest honors. Below charts the watch lists in which Rebels have been included:
Daverin Geralds Rimington Trophy (C)
Greg Hardy Bednarik Award (Defense)
Greg Hardy Hendricks Award (DE)
Greg Hardy Nagurski Trophy (Defense)
Shay Hodge Fred Biletnikoff Award (WR)
John Jerry Outland Trophy (IL)
Joshua Shene Groza Award (K)
Jevan Snead Walter Camp Award (Player)
Jevan Snead Maxwell Award (Player)
Jevan Snead Manning Award (QB)
Jevan Snead Davey O'Brien Award (QB)
TEAM CAPTAINS: On August 30, Houston Nutt announced the team captains for the 2009 season. This year's permanent captains, which are all seniors include: on offense, C Daverin Geralds, T John Jerry, WR Dexter McCluster; and on defense, CB Marshay Green, FS Kendrick Lewis, DE Marcus Tillman, LB Patrick Trahan.
OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER
• Ole Miss is 141-74-7 (.651 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September.
• Ole Miss is 97-35-6 (.725 winning pct.) all-time versus non-conference opponents during the month.
• The Rebels have an all-time mark of 53-47-4 (.529 winning pct.) in road games during September.
• Ole Miss is 88-27-3 (.759 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 are 44-38-1 (.536 winning pct.) in September SEC games, including a 11-8 (.579 winning percentage) record in games played in Oxford.
• The Rebels went 2-2 in September last season (at Wake Forest, L, 28-30; Samford, W, 34-10; Vanderbilt, L, 17-23; at Florida, W, 31-30). Prior to 2003, Ole Miss posted at least a .500 record in 14 consecutive Septembers.
NUTTIN' BUT WINNIN': In his first season in Oxford, Rebel head coach Houston Nutt immediately reversed the Rebels' fortunes and became just the fifth Ole Miss coach to guide the Rebels to a bowl in his first season. With a 9-4 record and a 5-3 mark in the SEC, Nutt led one of the greatest turnarounds in school history, reviving a Rebel squad that was coming off four straight losing seasons and a 3-8 campaign with no conference wins in 2007. It marked the team's best improvement from one season to the next since legendary Ole Miss Coach John Vaught's debut in 1947. Nutt's efforts earned him SEC Coach of the Year honors (SEC Coaches and The Touchdown Club of Atlanta) for the third time in his decorated career and AFCA Region Coach of the Year accolades for the fifth time. Including his decade of success at Arkansas, Nutt has guided his teams to nine bowl berths in the past 11 seasons, most of any SEC Western Division coach during this span. Nutt's squads recorded eight or more wins in seven of those 11 campaigns and nine or more victories in seven of those seasons in the SEC.
SNEAD: After a stellar debut season with the Rebels, junior QB Jevan Snead is listed among the nation's top returning signal-callers. The Stephenville, Texas native was selected as the nation's No. 5 quarterback by Lindy's, who also tabbed him fifth on the their Heisman watch list. He was ranked as the 20th-best player in college football by The Sporting News and named an Honorable Mention Preseason All-American by NationalChamps.net, who also placed him on their preseason list of Heisman candidates. Snead was chosen preseason All-SEC second team by most media outlets and rated as the SEC's Best Passer by the Birmingham News. Last year, Snead finished second in the SEC in TD passes (26) and third in passing average (212.5 ypg). He ranked third in the SEC (21st in the nation) in pass efficiency (145.5) and fourth in the league in total offense (217.1 ypg). He established Ole Miss season records for average yards per completion (15.0) and average yards per pass attempt (8.4) and ranks behind only Eli Manning on the Rebel single-season passing charts for efficiency (second), TDs (third) and yards (fourth).
MCCLUSTER: Capped by his Offensive MVP performance in the Cotton Bowl, senior Dexter McCluster proved to be one of college football's top all-purpose weapons in 2008. This summer, McCluster has earned preseason All-America third team accolades as an all-purpose player from Athlon and was listed as the nation's No. 5 all-purpose player and No. 14 wide receiver by Lindy's. He was tabbed preseason All-SEC second team as a receiver by most media outlets. Last year, McCluster joined Florida's Percy Harvin as the only players to rank top 10 in the SEC in rushing yards, receiving yards, receptions and all-purpose yards. McCluster finished seventh in the SEC in all-purpose yards (98.5 ypg), topped Ole Miss in rushing yards (655) and rushing TDs (6), tied for the team lead in receptions (44) and ranked third in receiving yards (625).
HODGE: Senior WR Shay Hodge has quietly emerged as one of the SEC's most consistent and successful pass-catchers. A preseason All-SEC second team pick by Phil Steele, Hodge stands as the SEC active career leader in receptions (103), receiving yards (1,511) and TD receptions (14). He currently ranks fifth all-time at Ole Miss in TD grabs. In 2008, Hodge tied for the SEC lead in TD catches (8) and finished sixth in yards per catch (16.5), eighth in receiving yards per game (55.8 ypg) and eighth in receptions per game (3.38).
RUNNING BACKS: The Rebels return their top five rushers from a balanced 2008 ground attack. Led by Dexter McCluster, the Ole Miss running game finished second in the SEC and 28th in the nation at 186.46 yards per game. Three players rushed for at least 500 yards with McCluster (655), Cordera Eason (647) and Brandon Bolden (542), and five players ran for at least three TDs with McCluster (6), Bolden (5), Eason (3), Enrique Davis (3) and Jevan Snead (3). McCluster, Bolden and Davis each led the team in rushing in at least one game. In addition, Devin Thomas was named the Most Improved Offensive Player of spring drills.
OFFENSIVE LINE: The Rebel O line returns three key seniors from a unit that helped the Rebels rank second in the SEC in rushing (186.5 ypg) and fourth in sacks allowed (1.54 pg). Tackle John Jerry is a preseason All-America honoree, while center Daverin Geralds and guard Reid Neely earned preseason All-SEC notoriety. Ole Miss must replace three experienced players in consensus first team All-America Michael Oher, Maurice Miller and Darryl Harris. That trio combined for 99 starts over their career.
OTHER OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Senior Gerald Harris is back after starting six games as a JUCO transfer in 2008, when he hauled in four TD passes including a school bowl-record two in the Cotton Bowl. He is expected to get help at tight end from a pair of athletic redshirt freshmen in Ferbia Allen and E.J. Epperson.
• At fullback, the Rebels lost a four-year starter in Jason Cook, but return an experienced senior in Andy Hartmann. He has seen action in 34 games over the past three season and garnered the starting nod twice at fullback last year, including the Cotton Bowl.
HARDY: Despite losing time in 2008 to injury and then spring and summer conditioning after foot surgery, senior DE Greg Hardy is among the nation's best defensive players and has made several preseason All-America teams, including the Playboy All-America squad. He was listed as the nation's No. 6 defensive end by Lindy's and was distinguished as preseason All-SEC first team by several media outlets. A native of Millington, Tenn., Hardy received All-America distinction the past two seasons and earned Freshman All-America accolades in 2006. He boasts 32.5 career TFLs and 21.5 sacks, including an SEC-best 10.0 in 2007. Last year, Hardy missed four full games and large portions of others but still posted a team-high 8.5 sacks, which ranked third in the SEC. His 0.94 sacks per game would have ranked seventh in the NCAA if he had played in 75 percent of the games.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Despite the loss of first team All-American tackle Peria Jerry, Ole Miss returns a wealth of experience along a defensive front, which last year helped Ole Miss rank No. 2 in the SEC and No. 4 in the nation in rush defense (85.5 ypg) and tie for first in the NCAA in TFLs (8.62 pg). At end, senior Marcus Tillman boasts 36 career starts on the line, junior Kentrell Lockett 15 starts, senior Greg Hardy 13 and Emmanuel Stephens two. At tackle, juniors Ted Laurent and Lawon Scott split time lined up beside Jerry in 2008, starting seven and six games, respectively. In addition, junior Jerrell Powe saw action in 12 games a year ago and was named the Most Improved Defensive Player of 2009 spring practice.
OTHER DEFENSIVE NOTES
• The Rebels started the linebacking trio of Jonathan Cornell, Allen Walker and Patrick Trahan in the Cotton Bowl and is confident in that group heading into preseason. Cornell started 11 games last year, Walker started nine, and Trahan as well as top backup Lamar Brumfield started two games each.
• Ole Miss returns three of four starters in the secondary in seniors Kendrick Lewis at free safety, and cornerbacks Marshay Green and Cassius Vaughn. Expected to secure the other starting spot is junior Johnny Brown, who has seen action in every game the past two seasons and started seven games at safety as a freshman.
SHENE: A Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2008, senior Joshua Shene is an All-America candidate that enters his fourth season as the starting kicker. He was named preseason All-America third team by NationalChamps.net and Consensus Draft Services and listed as the nation's No. 6 kicker by Lindy's. He was distinguished as preseason All-SEC first team by most media outlets. Shene is the SEC active career leader in field goals (42), and his current streak of 74 consecutive PATs is the second-longest in school history. Last year, Shene led the SEC in FG pct. (17-of-21, 81.0 pct.) and PATs (52-of-52, 1.000 pct.). He tied for 32nd in the nation and fourth in the SEC in total FGs (1.31 per game) and ranked second in the SEC in scoring by kick (7.9 ppg) and fifth among all league players.
2008 NOTEBOOK (9-4, 5-3 SEC)
• With a 9-4 record, Ole Miss notched its most wins since 2003, when the Rebels finished with a 10-3 mark and an SEC Western Division title.
• With six straight wins, Ole Miss ended the year on its longest win streak since taking six in a row in 2003.
• The Rebels' four losses were decided by a total of 19 points ... Ole Miss committed a total of 15 turnovers in those games.
• With wins at Florida and LSU, Ole Miss defeated the last two national champions.
• Ole Miss turned in a 3-2 against top-25 teams, with all five games played away from Oxford.
• Ole Miss' victory at No. 4 Florida marked the 600th win for the Rebel football program ... Ole Miss became the 34th FBS school and eighth SEC member to reach 600 victories ... The Rebels boast an all-time record of 606-464-35 (.563 winning percentage).
• At 4-0, Ole Miss finished its first perfect November since a 3-0 month in 1992 ... The last time the Rebels were 4-0 in November was 1969.
• With the 45-0 win over Mississippi State, Ole Miss turned in its largest margin of victory in an SEC game since the 48-0 blanking of MSU in 1971 ... The 45 points was the Rebels' most in an SEC game since a 49-7 win over Vanderbilt in 1993 ... The Rebels' 24-point first quarter was the most since leading Alabama 24-0 in 2003 en route to a 43-28 victory.
• The Rebels' 47-34 Cotton Bowl win over Texas Tech marked Ole Miss' 20th bowl victory, which ranks 12th all-time in college football ... The 32 bowl appearances is tied with Miami (Fla.) for 17th on the NCAA Division I-A's list.
