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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Vanderbilt
Game Primer: Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
11/15/2018 | Football
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OLE MISS (5-5, 1-5 SEC) at VANDERBILT (4-6, 1-5 SEC) Saturday, Nov. 17 • 6:30 p.m. • Nashville, Tennessee Vanderbilt Stadium (40,550)  |
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| Watch • Listen • Live Stats Ole Miss Game Notes • Vanderbilt Game Notes • SEC Game Notes |
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• Saturday marks the 93rd meeting between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt dating back to 1894.
• It is the third-most played series of all-time between Ole Miss and its 2018 opponents (Mississippi State, LSU). The Rebels lead the series 51-39-2 overall. The Rebels have also won four of the last five with Vandy.
• The Rebels are second nationally in passing (354.8 ypg), fifth in total offense (535.9) and 19th in scoring (37.5 ppg).
• Ole Miss has thrown for 300 or more yards in eight of its 10 games this season, including two games of 400 or more yards.
• QB Jordan Ta'amu leads the SEC and is second in the NCAA in both passing yards (3,374) and passing yards per game (337.4) ... Ta'amu ranks fifth nationally with 14.93 yards per completion.
• Ta'amu ranks eighth in program history with 5,056 career passing yards.
• RB Scottie Phillips ranks first in the SEC and eighth nationally in rushing touchdowns (12) and seventh in the NCAA in total TDs (14) ... Phillips' 927 yards rushing is third in the conference.
• WR A.J. Brown ranks fifth nationally in the NCAA in receiving yards (1,047).
• Brown's 2,711 career receiving yards are the most in program history.
• LB Mohamed Sanogo ranks seventh in the SEC with 8.4 tackles per game.
• Over the last three contests, Sanogo has averaged 14.3 tackles per game.
• Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC and 10th nationally with three defensive touchdowns this season.
• The Rebels lead the SEC and are ninth in the NCAA with only nine turnovers lost the entire season.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH MATT LUKE
Matt Luke (Ole Miss, 2000) is in his 11th season at Ole Miss and second season at the helm, taking the reins of his alma mater as the 38th head coach in program history. He was born a Rebel as his family has ties to Ole Miss that span three generations. During his 24 years as a player and coach at the collegiate level, Luke has risen through the ranks while learning from a number of successful veteran coaches. He has worked alongside national champion Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe and former Ole Miss head coach Tommy Tuberville, among others. On the field, he has mentored 20 all-league selections as well as All-Americans and first-round draft picks Laremy Tunsil and Laken Tomlinson. Luke, a four-year center for the Rebels (1995-98), spent five seasons as the team's co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach before being promoted to interim head coach for the 2017 season. During his first stop in Oxford (2002-05), he served four seasons coaching the Ole Miss tight ends and offensive line under Cutcliffe.
VANDERBILT HEAD COACH DEREK MASON
Derek Mason (Northern Arizona, 1993) is in his fifth year as Vanderbilt's head coach and has an 22-37 record with the Commodores, including a 4-6 mark so far this season. In 2016, Mason led Vanderbilt to a 6-6 record during the regular season to earn a bowl berth for the first time since 2013. He served as associate head coach and Willie Shaw Director of Defense for the Stanford Cardinal from 2011-13 and helped Stanford win consecutive Pac-12 championships and make back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award (nation's top assistant) in 2012. Before going to Palo Alto, Mason coached in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings (2007-09). His pro career also included stops with the St. Louis Rams, New York Giants and Oakland Raiders. Other college stops include Ohio University, New Mexico State, Bucknell, Idaho State and Weber State.
VANDERBILT SCOUTING REPORT
Vanderbilt is 4-6 overall and 1-5 in conference play entering this week's game with Ole Miss, including dropping four of its last five contests. The Commodores are averaging over 392 yards of total offense per game, with 232 coming through the air and 160 yards per game on the ground. Senior signal-caller Kyle Shurmur ranks fifth in the SEC with 2,286 passing yards on the season. Mond is completing 61.0 percent of his passes on the season, with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. Mond's top target has been Kalija Lipscomb. The junior wide receiver ranks third in the SEC with 731 receiving yards and seven TDs. Tight end Jared Pinkney is also a dangerous target for Vandy, tallying 35 catches for 573 yards and six touchdowns this season. Junior Ke'Shawn Vaughn leads the Vandy rushing attack, averaging 94.3 yards rushing per game, the third-best average in the SEC. Defensively, the Commodores are allowing over 421 yards and 25.9 points per game. Vandy gives up over 200 yards rushing per game. Junior linebacker Jordan Griffin ranks second in the SEC with 9.8 tackles per game. JoeJuan Williams leads a ball-hawking secondary for Vanderbilt. The junior from Nashville, Tennessee, is fourth in the SEC with three interceptions. The Commodores ranks third in the conference with a turnover difference of plus-six.
OLE MISS-VANDERBILT SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss and Vanderbilt will be meeting for the 93rd time in a series that started in 1894. It is the third-most played series of all-time between Ole Miss and its 2018 opponents (Mississippi State, LSU). The Rebels lead the series 51-39-2 overall. The Rebels have also won four of the last five with Vandy.
TENNESSEE REBELS
The Ole Miss roster features 14 players who hail from Tennessee: TE Gabe Angel (Lebanon), OL Nic Cantu (Memphis), OL Alex Givens (Nashville), WR Harrison Homberg (Jackson), OL Sam Johnson (Nashville), TE Dawson Knox (Brentwood), LB Luke Knox (Brentwood), OL Bryce Mathews (Brentwood), TE Sam Murphey (Paris), DB Cam Ordway (Pulaski), LS Jack Propst (Brentwood), LS Mike Taylor (Jackson), DE Tariqious Tisdale (Lexington), K Isaac Way (Franklin).
REBEL-COMMODORE CONNECTIONS
• Nine Brentwood Academy alums will be on the field or sidelines when Ole Miss and Vanderbilt face off. Ole Miss TE Dawson Knox, LB Luke Knox, OL Bryce Mathews, LS Jack Propst, K Isaac Way were all teammates with the Commodores' WR Cam Johnson, FB Brett Starr, FB Josh Higgs and TE Gavin Schoenwald for the Eagles.
• The Rebels' WR Elijah Moore was teammates with Vanderbilts' Frank Coppet, Grant Miller and Tyler Steen at St. Thomas Aquinas HS in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
• Ole Miss junior WR DaMarkus Lodge and Vanderbilt redshirt freshman LB Dimitri Moore were teammates at Cedar Hill HS in Cedar Hill, Texas; the two helped lead the school to a 2014 state championship.
• Ole Miss sophomore OL Alex Givens and Vanderbilt redshirt freshman WR Keithian Starling were teammates at Nashville Christian School in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Ole Miss associate head coach/defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff was the defensive backs coach/recruiting coordinator at Vanderbilt during the 2011 season.
REBELS VERSUS SEC EAST
• Since the SEC started divisional play in 1992, Ole Miss is 36-37 (.494 winning percentage) vs. the Eastern Division.
• The Rebels and Commodores have met every season since divisional play started, and Ole Miss leads 17-9.
• Ole Miss is 16-22 (.421 win pct.) against SEC East schools on the road.
• The Rebels are 0-1 this season vs. East schools with a home loss to South Carolina earlier in the season.
PHILLIPS NEARING THE 1K MARK
With two games remaining for the Rebels, RB Scottie Phillips has the 1,000-yard rushing mark in sight. Phillips, the junior college transfer, in just his first year at Ole Miss, is 73 yards short of becoming just the sixth Ole Miss running back to go past 1,000 yards rushing. It would mark the eighth time in Ole Miss history for a back to reach that mark. BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Kayo Dottley both accomplished the 1,000-yard mark twice in their careers.
DANGEROUS TRIO
All season long, the Ole Miss offense has forced opposing defenses to pick their poison. The Rebels are fifth in the country in total offense and Jordan Ta'amu, A.J. Brown and Scottie Phillips have been a big reason why. Ta'amu recently be-came just the fourth Rebels quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season and is on pace to challenge Chad Kelly's single-season passing record set in 2015. After his 127 yards receiving vs. Texas A&M, Brown became the only receiver in Ole Miss history to go over 1,000 yards receiving in multiple seasons. If Phillips gains 73 more rushing yards, Ole Miss will be the only team in the country to have a 3,000-yard quarterback, a 1,000-yard running back and a 1,000-yard receiver.
CHASING THE 300-YARD MARK
Quarterback Jordan Ta'amu has thrown for 300 or more yards eight times this season, including surpassing the 300-yard mark in a program-best five straight contests. With two games remaining, he's currently tied with Chad Kelly (2015) for the program record of 300-yard games in a single season. His 11 career 300-yard games is tied for second in program history and are just one short of the school record held by Kelly.
A NEW #1
With his 127 yards vs. the Aggies, WR A.J. Brown became Ole Miss' all-time leading receiver with 2,711 yards, passing Shay Hodge's (2006-09) mark of 2,646. Brown ranks fifth in the country in receiving yards (1,047) and eighth nation-ally in receptions per game (7.2). The junior wideout from Starkville, Mississippi, has five 100-yard receiving games this season, including three straight. Brown is the only Ole Miss receiver in program history to record 60 or more receptions in back-to-back seasons. With 1,047 receiving yards this season, Brown is the only receiver in program history to go over 1,000 yards receiving in multiple seasons. With two games remaining in the season, Brown continues to etch his name in the Ole Miss record books.
SANOGO'S SWEET 16
Prior to this season, there had been only two Rebel defensive players in the last 20 years tally 16 or more tackles in a single game; LB Mohamed Sanogo has now accomplished that feat twice in the last three games. Sanogo currently ranks fourth in the Southeastern Conference with 9.2 tackles per game. He has led the Rebels in tackles five times this season. If Sanogo can finish the season as the Rebels top tackler, it'll be the fourth straight season that an LB has led Ole Miss in tackles.
OPPORTUNISTIC DEFENSE
The Rebels are tied for 10th nationally with three defensive touchdowns this season. Ole Miss' defensive scores include a 96-yard fumble return by DB Zedrick Woods against Texas A&M, an 88-yard interception return by DB Vernon Dasher and a 56-yard fumble return by DE Victor Evans vs. Southern Illinois. Woods' 96-yard scoop vs. the Aggies was the second-longest fumble return in program history. B.L. "Pinky" Roberts recorded a 99-yard fumble return against LSU back in 1914.
TOTALLY TA'AMU
Coming into this season, there had been 17 400-yard total offense performances in school history. QB Jordan Ta'amu has surpassed the 400-yard mark five times this season. His seven career 400-yard games of total offense are the most in program history by an Ole Miss quarterback. Ta'amu currently ranks eighth all-time in career passing yards at Ole Miss with 5,056 yards.
LITTLE EARNS MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES
OL Greg Little was recently named a Midseason All-American by four publications, as well as earning Midseason All-SEC second team honors by Pro Football Focus. Little was named second team All-American at the midway point by Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Associated Press and Athlon. Little has anchored the Ole Miss offensive line, appearing in every game at left tackle for the last three seasons. Heralded as one of the top NFL Draft prospects for 2019, Little earned six preseason All-America nods and is also on the Outland Trophy and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch lists. Little anchors an Ole Miss offensive line that ranks second in the nation in passing offense and fifth in total offense. The Allen, Texas, native has the third-highest pass blocking grade in the NCAA at 90.2.
BROWN RAISES OVER 50K FOR ALS
When he was in seventh grade, Ole Miss punter Mac Brown had a modest goal of raising $500 for a childhood friend's dad who had been diagnosed with ALS. Along with a group of neighborhood friends, Brown started a lemonade stand, Awesome Lemonade Stand, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to help his friend's family. Seven years later, that $500 goal has ballooned to over $50,000 raised by Brown and his friends for ALS research. The Awesome Lemonade Stand is held on a late day in June and this year's fundraiser raised more than $15,000 alone.
SCOTTIE TODDY
In his first year in an Ole Miss uniform, RB Scottie Phillips is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Rebels' backfield. The junior college transfer is top three in the SEC and top 20 nationally in several rushing categories. Phillips ranks first in the SEC in both total touchdowns (14) and in rushing touchdowns (12). His 927 rushing yards rank third in the conference and 26th nationally. Phillips has recorded at least one rushing TD in seven of the Rebels' 10 contests this season.
EXPECT TO SEE MOORE
When Ole Miss lost star wideout D.K. Metcalf for the remainder of the season due to injury, the message from head coach Matt Luke was, "next man up." That directive was heard loud and clear by wide receiver Elijah Moore. Moore, a true freshman who has appeared in all 10 games this season, has averaged eight catches and 84.5 yards per game in his two starts since Metcalf's injury. Moore hauled in 11 catches for a career-high 129 yards vs. South Carolina in his first career start two weeks ago. Both the 129 yards and 11 receptions were the most ever by a freshman receiver in school history.
COMING ON AS OF LATE
Octavious Cooley hadn't tallied a single catch through the first six games for the Rebels, but the junior tight end has hauled in seven catches for 174 yards and one touchdown over the last four contests. Cooley tallied a career-high three catches for 66 yards last weekend at Texas A&M.
SWITCHING THINGS UP
Headed into the season, a majority of Ole Miss' experience on the defensive side of the ball was in the secondary. Season-ending injuries to three Rebel defensive backs (Montrell Custis, Jaylon Jones, C.J. Moore) have forced Ole Miss to make several changes to its defense. Armani Linton and Tylan Knight, who have both seen time at running back in 2018, both switched to defense prior to the Rebels' game vs. ULM. Knight has tallied 13 total tackles since making the switch, while Linton, who played DB for his first two years at Ole Miss, got his first career start at strong safety vs. Arkansas.
FIRST-TIME STARTERS
Fourteen Rebels have made their first career starts this season: (Offense) Ben Brown (OL), Scottie Phillips (RB), Braylon Sanders (WR); (Defense) Josh Clarke (DB), Montrell Custis (DB), Jacquez Jones (LB), Armani Linton (DB), Elijah Moore (WR), Austrian Robinson (DE), Kevontae' Ruggs (LB), Mohamed Sanogo (LB), Keidron Smith (DB), Tariqious Tisdale (DE), Markel Winters (DE).
DEBUTS
A total of 42 players have made their Ole Miss debut this season: Zikerrion Baker (LB), Miles Battle (WR), Drake Beck (WR), Quentin Bivens (DT), Ben Brown (OL), Nic Cantu (OL), Jacob Carter (WR), Josh Clarke (LB), Spencer Cole (P), James Coley (DL), Matt Corral (QB), Peyton Cox (OL), Vernon Dasher (DB), Nikolas Dean (TE), Alex Faniel (TE), Tony Gray (OL), A.J. Harris (DB), Jakorey Hawkins (DB), Nick Haynes (TE), Jonathan Hess (LB), Amani Johnson (LB), Eli Johnson (OL), Sam Johnson (OL), Jacquez Jones (LB), Tylan Knight (ATH), Luke Knox (LB), Elijah Moore (WR), Patrick Nasiatka (K), Hal Northern (DL), Scottie Phillips (RB), Samuel Plash (OL), Grant Restmeyer (QB), Josh Ricketts (WR), Ty Rocconi (DB), Kevontae' Ruggs (LB), Keidron Smith (DB), Lawson Stockett (DE), KC Swaim (OL), Tariqious Tisdale (DL), Isaac Way (K), KeShun Wells (RB), Isaiah Woullard (RB).
124TH SEASON OF OLE MISS FOOTBALL
It's the 124th season of football at Ole Miss and the second under head coach Matt Luke. The Rebels boast an all-time record of 671-522-35 (.561 winning percentage). 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.
NEW MASCOT ROAMING THE SIDELINES
Ole Miss' new on-field mascot, Tony, was unveiled Aug. 11 at the annual Meet the Rebels event and will roam the sideline during the 2018 season. Ole Miss' Landshark mascot is named in honor of the first Rebel to throw "Fins Up," Tony Fein.
Fein, an Army veteran who served a one-year tour in the Iraq War before arriving in Oxford, was a two-year letterman after transferring from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College. He was the 2008 recipient of the Pat Tillman Award by the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Fein passed away in October 2009, but his legacy at Ole Miss continues through the Landshark.
At Ole Miss, Landshark is a term that was first adopted by the Rebel football team's defensive unit. As part of that identity, defensive players celebrate big plays by putting a hand to their forehead in the shape of a shark fin. A battle cry of "Fins Up" also contributes to the players' persona. With the popularity of both the players and the hand gesture, Ole Miss fans and student-athletes from other sports embraced the spirit of the Landshark, and in October 2017, the university announced the Landshark as the official mascot of the Ole Miss Rebels.
LUKE'S WEEKLY RADIO SHOW ON TUESDAYS
RebTalk, the official weekly radio show of Ole Miss Athletics, will be broadcast each Tuesday this fall at Bouré in downtown Oxford from 7-8 p.m. The show, which is hosted by the "Voice of the Rebels" David Kellum and includes special guests, will air live on the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network. Ole Miss Football head coach Matt Luke and select players will join the broadcast each Tuesday throughout the 2018 season.
