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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, November 9
Oxford, Miss.
3 PM
Ole Miss
vs
New Mexico State
Game Primer: Ole Miss vs. New Mexico State
11/4/2019 | Football
Rebels, Aggies to Meet for Second Time Saturday Afternoon on SEC Network
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OLE MISS (3-6, 2-4 SEC) vs. NEW MEXICO STATE (0-8) Saturday, Nov. 9 • 3 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (64,038)  |
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Watch • Live Stats • Listen • Buy Tickets • Gameday Info
Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • New Mexico State Game Notes (PDF) • SEC Game Notes (PDF) |
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This will be just the second all-time meeting between Ole Miss and New Mexico State.
• The Rebels defeated the Aggies 52-3 in 2015 in their lone meeting.
• Ole Miss is 2-2 all-time against current FBS independents schools.
• Ole Miss will honor those who serve and have served in military service Saturday with its annual Military Appreciation game.
• 86.0 percent of Ole Miss' offense (3,214 of 3,739 yards) have come from freshmen, the most by any team in the country.
• Seven different freshmen have started at least one game this season for the Rebels.
• Ole Miss has forced at least one turnover in eight of its nine games this season.
• The Rebels have started the same five offensive linemen in all nine games this season.
• Twelve different Rebels have started all eight games of the season.
• QB John Rhys Plumlee's 600 yards rushing on the season are a program record by an Ole Miss QB.
• DB A.J. Finley leads the SEC and is No. 12 nationally in fumble recoveries with two.
• RB Jerrion Ealy has three 50-yard rushes this season, the fourth-most in the country.
• Ealy is the first player since 2012 (Jaylen Walton) to record a rushing, receiving and return touchdown in the same season.
• WR Elijah Moore ranks eighth in the SEC and is No. 33 nationally in receiving yards (635).
• ILB Lakia Henry ranks seventh in the conference in tackles per game (7.6)
• P Mac Brown is fifth in the SEC and No. 23 in the NCAA in punting average (44.3).
OLE MISS HEAD COACH MATT LUKE
Matt Luke (Ole Miss, 2000) is in his 12th season at Ole Miss and third 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 25 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. 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. Following his playing career, he served as a student assistant coach at Ole Miss in 1999, helping the Rebels to an 8-4 mark with regular-season wins against Auburn, South Carolina, LSU and Arkansas as well as a 27-25 triumph over Oklahoma in the Independence Bowl. He graduated in May 2000 with a degree in business administration. His father, Tommy, was a defensive back at Ole Miss in the 1960s while his brother, Tom, quarterbacked the Rebels from 1989-91. Tom is also on the Ole Miss football staff as assistant athletics director for player development.
NEW MEXICO STATE HEAD COACH DOUG MARTIN
Doug Martin (Kentucky, 1985) is in his seventh year at New Mexico State, leading the Aggies to a 20-61 record in his timeat Las Cruces. He owns a career record of 49-114 as a head coach, having served in that position at Kent State from 2004-10. In 2017, Martin guided the Aggies to their first bowl game in 57 years and then captured the 2017 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl Championship. Martin has been an assistant coach at several schools over the years, including offensive coordinator at Boston College (2012), New Mexico State (2011), East Carolina (1996-02) and East Tennessee State (1989-91). He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Kentucky, in 1986. He was a four-year letterman and part-time starting quarterback at UK from 1981-84.
AGGIES SCOUTING REPORT
The New Mexico State Aggies are 0-8 overall this season and head to Oxford after a bye week to open the month of November. Ole Miss will be the third Power 5 team the Aggies have faced this season. New Mexico State opened the season with two straight road contests against top 25 teams. The Aggies dropped a 58-7 decision at No. 23 Washington State before falling 62-10 at No. 2 Alabama. Doug Martin's team averages 18.0 points per outing and allows 42.4. Senior tailback Jason Huntley paces a Aggie rushing attack that averages a little over 118 yards per game. Huntley has tallied 91 carries for 575 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Josh Adkins serves as New Mexico State's primary signal caller. Adkins completed 62 percent of his passes on the season for nine TDs and 14 interceptions. Tony Nicholson, a graduate transfer from Baylor, has hauled in 43 catches for 472 yards and three TDs to lead the Aggie receiving corp. Defensively, New Mexico State is allowing 478.5 yards of total offense, including 264 on the ground and 215 through the air. Senior linebacker Javahn Fergurson ranks sixth nationally with 11.1 tackles per game. DB Austin Perkins has the Aggies' only two interceptions on the season.
OLE MISS-NEW MEXICO STATE SERIES HISTORY
• This will be just the second all-time meeting between Ole Miss and New Mexico State.
• The Rebels defeated the Aggies 52-3 in 2015 in their lone meeting.
• Ole Miss holds a 1-0 edge in games played in Oxford.
OLE MISS HONORS VETERANS WITH MILITARY APPRECIATION GAME
The Ole Miss vs. New Mexico State game will honor the men and women who served and have served this great nation in military service Saturday with its annual Military Appreciation game. The Ole Miss athletics department has scheduled numerous military-themed events throughout the game in conjunction with the University's Veteran and Military Services, as the game will serve as the official kickoff to Warrior Week. Military personnel were provided with free tickets for the football game, as well as the men's basketball game vs. Arkansas State on Friday. Student Veterans and ROTC members will serve as honorary captains, participate in the coin toss and lead the Rebels as they run onto the field, waving various military service flags. Military branch and POW flags will also fly around Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. During halftime, The Pride of the South will perform a tribute to all the branches of the United States Military.
RECORD WATCH
QB John Rhys Plumlee has four single-season school rushing records and is nearing the freshman rushing record:
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RUN, RUN, RUN SOME MORE
Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC and 17th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 225.2 yards per game. In SEC play, the Rebels have run for a league-best 1,550 yards and 13 touchdowns. Ole Miss has averaged 47.7 carries per conference game, 12 more carries per game more than the league average (35.7). Ole Miss' 413 yards rushing vs. Vanderbilt during Week 6 were the most by Ole Miss against an SEC opponent since 1979 (Vandy, 443).
WE WERE MERELY FRESHMEN
• 86.0 percent of Ole Miss' offense (3,214 of 3,739 yards) have come from freshmen, the most by any team in the country.
• 23 of Ole Miss' 28 touchdowns on the season have come from freshmen.
• 14 of the last 16 touchdowns for Ole Miss have involved freshmen.
• The 51 total freshmen (36 true, 15 redshirt) on Ole Miss' roster account for over 43 percent of the roster, the third-most in the SEC.
• Seven different freshmen have started at least one game this season for the Rebels.
• 23 freshmen (15 true, eight redshirt) have seen action for Ole Miss at least once during the first eight games of the season. Those freshmen include: WR Miles Battle (RS), DE Quentin Bivens (RS), OL Nick Broeker (True), ILB Ashanti Cistrunk (True), RB Snoop Conner (True), QB Matt Corral (RS), DE LeDarrius Cox (True), OL Jalen Cunningham (RS), RB Jerrion Ealy (True), DB A.J. Finley (True), WR Demarcus Gregory (RS), DB Jakorey Hawkins (RS), DT KD Hill (RS), WR Dannis Jackson (True), WR Jadon Jackson (True), DB Jalen Jordan (True), OLB Luke Knox (RS), NT Patrick Lucas, Jr. (True), WR Jonathan Mingo (True), QB John Rhys Plumlee (True), DB Deantre Prince (True), DB Jay Stanley (True), QB Grant Tisdale (True).
CAN'T TOUCH THIS
41 of John Rhys Plumlee's 92 rushing yards vs. Auburn came after contact, which ranked 12th among all QBs with five or more carries in Week 10. Plumlee was also able to make some defenders miss, forcing three missed tackles over the course of the night. Forcing missed tackles has been a crucial part of Plumlee's game. He's forced 18 missed tackles on the season now, and that ranks tied for second among all SEC non-RBs. Plumlee has been most effective running the ball outside the tackles and on scrambles this season. He has 64 total attempts in those scenarios for 459 yards (7.2 YPC) and five TDs. He has also forced 16 of his 18 missed tackles on those plays.
NO FLY ZONE
DB Myles Hartsfield played a major role for the Rebels against Auburn. He played a total of 66 defensive snaps, nearly splitting his time between slot corner and wide corner. Auburn did not experience much success at all when throwing into Hartsfield's coverage. On five targets, Hartsfield allowed two catches for just four total yards and a season-best 47.9 passer rating. What Nix was able to complete was virtually impossible for Hartsfield to prevent in what was, arguably, his best game of the year. Among all SEC CBs that played at least 20 coverage snaps this week, Hartsfield ranked fourth with a fantastic 0.11 yards per coverage snap allowed.
A SPECIAL WEAPON
Through nine games, P Mac Brown has averaged 44.3 yards per punt. Ten of Brown's 49 punts this season have been more than 50 yards. Brown, a member of the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and Ray Guy Award Watch List, only had six punts that surpassed 50 yards last season.
RUN-JRP
In just five appearances and four career starts, QB John Rhys Plumlee has put up some record-breaking numbers on the ground. Plumlee has carried the ball 86 times for 508 yards and four touchdowns. His 508 yards on the season are the most ever by an Ole Miss freshman QB and just 36 yards shy of setting the school record, regardless of year. He needs 104 yards to set Ole Miss' freshman rushing record. Plumlee is the only Ole Miss quarterback in school history to rush for 100 yards in three straight games. He's also the first Power 5 QB to rush for 100 or more yards in each of his first three starts since Nebraska's Taylor Martinez and Michigan's Denard Robinson in 2010. In SEC contests, Plumlee leads the conference in rushing attempts (83) and rushing touchdowns (four) and is second in yards on the ground per game (113.8).
EALY-SIVE
RB Jerrion Ealy enjoyed a season-high 15 carries vs. Auburn. Unfortunately, it came against a top-ranked run defense. Despite a 2.8 average yards per carry, Ealy continued to do what he has excelled in all season, and that's break tackles. Ealy forced six missed tackles last week, which tied for second most among all SEC backs. He is now up to 24 broken tackles on the season. Among the 48 SEC players this year with at least 25 carries, Ealy's 0.38 missed tackles per carry ranks second. When opening that up to all qualifying Power 5 RBs, Ealy missed tackle rate is tied for seventh best. Ealy also continues to lead all qualifying SEC RBs in the PFF elusive rating category (159.0) through Week 10.
A FORCE IN THE MIDDLE
DT Benito Jones continued his disrupting ways in the interior, contributing a season-high five solo tackles against Auburn. All five of his tackles qualified as defensive stops (tackles resulting in a "loss" for the offense) as well, a figure that tied for the lead among all SEC defenders this week. Earning defensive stops has been an area that Jones has done well in all season long. Jones now has 20 stops on the year, and that total is good for fourth among all interior defensive linemen in the SEC. Also flashing at times this season as a pass rusher, Jones is one of six players in the SEC, regardless of position, that has at least 20 defensive stops and 20 total QB pressures.
JULIUS LIMITING OPPONENT AIR ATTACK
DB Jalen Julius was another member of the Ole Miss secondary that conceded very little to the Auburn. In total, Julius was targeted four times and all four throws were completed. However, they were very short throws that amounted to just 15 yards (29 YAC). Being able to finish these pass plays before they turned into sizeable gains helped allow Julius to finish fourth among SEC safeties this week with three defensive stops. Since Week 6, Julius has earned 12 defensive stops which is second only to Grant Delpit of LSU among SEC safeties in that span.
125 SEASONS OF OLE MISS FOOTBALL
This year is the 125th season of football at Ole Miss. The Rebels boast an all-time record of 641-530-35 (.546 winning percentage) after vacated wins. 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.
MAC BROWN RAISES NEARLY 75K 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. Eight years later, that $500 goal has ballooned to nearly $75,000 raised by Brown and his friends for ALS research. This year alone, the Awesome Lemonade Stand has raised more than $21,000 alone, including $4,500 during the Vanderbilt game when the stand was set up outside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
BROTHERLY COMPANY
Ole Miss is one of only nine FBS schools in the country to have brothers on the same coaching staff as running backs coach Derrick Nix is in his 12th year at Ole Miss and Tyrone Nix is in his fifth overall season (second stint) coaching outside linebackers. If you include support staff, Matt and Tom Luke (Assistant A.D. for Player Development), the Rebels are the only school in the country to have two sets of brothers on staff.
• Jeff, Brian & Greg Brohm (HC, OC, Ops) - Purdue
• Travis & Trent Greene (GAs) - Syracuse
• Thomas & Tyquan Hammock (HC & GA) - Northern Illinois
• Willy & Colton Korn (Co-OC & Def. GA) - South Alabama
• Matt & Tom Luke (HC & Player Dev.) - Ole Miss
• Joey & Kevin Lynch (AHC/OC & RB) - Ball State
• Derrick & Tyrone Nix (RB & OLB) - Ole Miss
• Jake & Zac Spavital (HC & DC) - Texas State
• Matt & Luke Wells (HC & TE/IR) - Texas Tech
• Kyle & Freddie Whittingham (HC & TE) - Utah
DEBUTS
Twenty-five players have made their Ole Miss debut so far this season: Nick Broeker (OL), Ashanti Cistrunk (DB), Spencer Cole (P), Snoop Conner (RB), LeDarrius Cox (DE), Jalen Cunningham (OL), Vernon Dash (OLB), Dontario Drummond (WR), Jerrion Ealy (RB), A.J. Finley (DB), Demarcus Gregory (WR), Casey Griffith (K), Jon Haynes (DB), Lakia Henry (OLB), Dannis Jackson (WR), Jadon Jackson (WR), Jalen Jordan (DB), Patrick Lucas, Jr. (NT), Jonathan Mingo (WR), D'Vaughn Pennamon (TE), John Rhys Plumlee (QB), Deantre Prince (DB), Jay Stanley (DB), Grant Tisdale (QB), Sam Williams (OLB).
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC and 17th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 225.2 yards per game.
• The Rebels' 276.6 yards rushing per game in SEC contests lead the conference ... In SEC play, the Rebels have run for a league-best 1,550 yards and 13 touchdowns.
• Ole Miss has averaged 47.7 carries per conference game, over 12 more carries per game more than the league average (35.7).
• 86.0 percent of Ole Miss' offense (3,214 of 3,739 yards) has come from freshmen, the most by any team in the country ... 23 of Ole Miss' 28 touchdowns on the season have come from freshmen.
• QB John Rhys Plumlee's 600 yards rushing on the season are a program record by an Ole Miss QB.
• Plumlee needs just 13 yards to set the freshman rushing record.
• Plumlee is the only Ole Miss quarterback in school history to rush for 100 yards in three straight contests and the first SEC quarterback to do so since 2010 when Tim Tebow tallied four such games.
• He's the first Power 5 QB to rush for 100+ yards in each of his first three starts since Nebraska's Taylor Martinez and Michigan's Denard Robinson in 2010.
• The Rebels have started the same five offensive linemen in all nine games this season.
• RB/KR Jerrion Ealy is the first player since 2012 (Jaylen Walton) to record a rushing, receiving and return touchdown
in the same season.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss has forced at least one turnover in eight of its nine games this season.
• The Rebels currently rank 35th in the NCAA in rushing defense, allowing 129.0 yards per game.
• Ole Miss has held four opponents to under 70 yards rushing this season, including limiting the Vanderbilt to just 62 yards on the ground in the Rebels' win during Week 6.
• In Weeks 2, 3 and 4, the Rebels held their opponents to 61, 66 and 60 yards, respectively. It was the first time since 1999 that Ole Miss had allowed 70 or less rushing yards in three straight games.
• Seven different Rebels have tallied at least one interception in 2019.
• ILB Lakia Henry ranks seventh in the SEC in tackles per game (7.6).
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• P Mac Brown is averaging 44.3 yards per punt, No. 23 in the NCAA.
• Ten of Brown's 49 punts this season have been more than 50 yards ... He had six punts that surpassed 50 yards last season.
• K Luke Logan leads the Rebels in scoring with 5.9 points per game.
• Logan has made at least one field goal in seven of the nine games this season.
• KR Jerrion Ealy ranks No. 1 in the SEC in kick return average (24.4).
• A.J. Finley leads the SEC and is No. 12 nationally in fumble recoveries with two ... Both fumble recoveries have come on muffed punts.
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OLB
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