Game Primer: Ole Miss vs. South Carolina

			OLE MISS (2-4) vs. SOUTH CAROLINA (2-4) Saturday, Nov. 14 • 6:30 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This will be the 17th meeting between Ole Miss and South Carolina dating back to 1947, and the eighth since the Gamecocks joined the SEC in 1992.
• The all-time series is tied 8-8, including 3-3 in games played in Oxford.
• Lane Kiffin is 1-0 all-time vs. South Carolina with a victory in 2009 when Kiffin was the head coach at Tennessee.
• Ole Miss will honor those who serve and have served in military service Saturday with its annual Military Appreciation game.
• The Rebels rank top three in the SEC in 11 separate categories: total offense (541.0), rushing offense (215.7), scoring offense (38.0), completion percentage (.716), first downs (169), passing efficiency (179.2), fumbles lost (2), fumbles recovered (5), third down conversion (.524), kickoff return defense (16.86), passing yards per completion (14.04).
• The Rebel defense has forced a turnover in five of its six games this season.
• WR Elijah Moore is No. 2 in the nation in receptions per game (10.2) and third in the NCAA in receiving yards (829).
• QB Matt Corral ranks seventh nationally in passing touchdowns (18) ... His 354.5 yards per game of total offense ranks No. 8 in the NCAA.
• Kenny Yeboah's 78.3 receiving yards per game are the fifth-most in the NCAA amongst tight ends.
• Yeboah is one of only seven players nationally, and the only tight end, who has three or more catches greater than 50 yards.
• RB Jerrion Ealy ranks fourth in the SEC in both rushing yards (524) and rushing TDs (6).
• Moore and Yeboah both need two more receiving TDs to jump into Ole Miss' top 10 single season list.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin (Fresno State, 1998) is in his first season at Ole Miss, taking the reins for the Rebels as the 39th head coach in program history. Kiffin, who won two Conference USA titles in three seasons at Florida Atlantic, has more than 10 years of head coaching experience, including eight years at the NCAA level where he has posted an all-time record of 63-38. In December 2016, Kiffin took over an FAU program that had won a total of nine combined games over the previous three seasons. Kiffin proceeded to take the Owls to new heights over the last three years, including two conference titles and two 10-win seasons. In his head coaching stops at USC, Tennessee and FAU, Kiffin has shown a propensity in helping turn programs around. In his first season at all three locations, Kiffin's team improved in win differential (+3.33), scoring (+10.2), passing (+34.5 ypg) and rushing (+51.3 ypg). Kiffin graduated from Fresno State in 1998 after playing quarterback for three seasons (1994-96) for the Bulldogs. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Fresno State under Pat Hill in 1997 and 1998. He moved on to Colorado State in 1999 as a graduate assistant. He spent the 2000 season as defensive quality control assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars under Tom Coughlin.

SOUTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH WILL MUSCHAMP
Will Muschamp (Georgia, 1994) is in his fifth season as the South Carolina head coach and is 2-4 in 2020. He owns a 28-29 record as the Gamecocks' head man and a 56-50 mark in nine seasons as a college head coach overall. He recorded more wins in his first three seasons (22) than any coach in school history, and trailed only Steve Spurrier (28) after four seasons at the helm. He is also the only coach to take the Gamecocks to bowl games in each of his first three seasons. In his first season in Columbia, Muschamp guided the Gamecocks to a 6-7 mark and a spot in the Birmingham Bowl. The Gamecocks doubled their win total from the previous season while increasing their SEC wins from one to three. His second season brought more success, as the team won nine games for just the seventh time in school history, was the only Power 5 school to have a multiple win total increase in 2016 and 2017, finished second in the SEC East and earned a second-straight bowl appearance. Muschamp's third squad posted a 7-6 campaign and a third-straight bowl appearance despite being decimated by injuries on the defensive side of the ball. In his fourth year, the Gamecocks slipped to 4-8, but the season was highlighted by an overtime win over third-ranked Georgia, the eventual SEC Eastern Division champion. Javon Kinlaw earned first-team All-America honors and Bryan Edwards became the school's all-time leading receiver.

GAMECOCK SCOUTING REPORT
South Carolina is 2-4 overall entering this week's game with Ole Miss. The Gamecocks are averaging 340.5 yards of total offense per game, with 196 coming through the air and 144 yards per game on the ground. Sophomore running back Kevin Harris has been South Carolina's biggest offensive weapon on the season. Harris ranks No. 3 in the SEC in rushing yards (574) and second with eight rushing TDs. Graduate transfer Collin Hill serves as the Gamecocks' primary signal-caller and is completing 58.8 percent of his passes for 1,142 yards on the season, with five TDs and five interceptions. Ryan Hilinksi and Luke Doty made their season debuts last Saturday vs. Texas A&M. Hill's primary target has been senior Shi Smith. Smith ranks top 10 in the SEC in receiving yards (470), receptions (43) and receiving touchdowns (3). Smith's 43 receptions are nearly three times more than the Gamecocks' No. 2 receiver. Defensively, the Gamecocks are allowing just under 424 yards per game. Linebacker Ernest Jones is fifth in the SEC with 10.0 tackles per game. Junior Kingsley Enagbare leads the Gamecocks with five TFLs and four sacks on the season.

OLE MISS-SOUTH CAROLINA SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 17th meeting between Ole Miss and South Carolina dating back to 1947.
• The all-time series is tied 8-8, including 3-3 in games played in Oxford.
• This is the eighth since the Rebels and Gamecocks have squared off since South Carolina joined the SEC in 1992.
• Ole Miss has won five of the last eight, but South Carolina has won the last three meetings.
• Lane Kiffin is 1-0 all-time vs. South Carolina with a victory in 2009 when Kiffin was the head coach at Tennessee.
• Three of the last four meetings have come in Oxford.

OLE MISS HONORS VETERANS WITH MILITARY APPRECIATION GAME
Ole Miss 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 university's mission to honor and support its student veterans does not go unnoticed by its military faculty and staff. Notable alumni and service members will be recognized during the game and halftime will feature a special tribute to our nation's military by The Pride of the South marching band. Throughout Warrior Week, student veterans and ROTC cadets will be featured in videos highlighting their service and achievements.

RUNNIN' WILD
Ole Miss currently leads the SEC and ranks No. 22 nationally with 215.7 rushing yards per game. The Rebels have run for more than 240 yards in three contests this season, including a season-high 283 yards vs. Auburn on Oct. 24. Jerrion Ealy ranks fourth in the SEC with six rushing TDs, while Snoop Conner is fifth with five TDs.

MOORE ETCHES NAME IN RECORD BOOKS
In the Rebels' last game, WR Elijah Moore hauled in 14 receptions for 238 yards and three touchdowns, all school records. The receptions tied a school record alongside A.J. Brown (Nov. 11, 2017 vs. Louisiana) and Laquon Treadwell (Oct. 17, 2015 vs. Memphis). The previous record for yards was 233 by A.J. Brown (Sept. 2, 2017 vs. South Alabama). It marked the 10th time a Rebel has had a game with three receiving TDs.

CORRAL WAS GOLDEN VS. VANDERBILT
QB Matt Corral earned Player of the Week honors from the SEC, Davey O'Brien Foundation and the Walter Camp Foundation after his record-setting performance at Vanderbilt. Corral completed 31-of-34 passes for 412 yards and six touchdowns in Ole Miss' 54-21 victory against the Commodores. Corral's six touchdown passes tied Eli Manning's single-game record (Nov. 3, 2001 vs. Arkansas) and were the most TDs in regulation as five of Manning's six touchdowns in 2001 came in OT. The 412 passing yards marked a career high. It was his first 400-yard game and fourth 300-yard game of the season, as well as his career. His 91.2 completion percentage was an SEC record with a minimum of 30 attempts, tying Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs in 2016. Corral completed 19 consecutive pass attempts to begin the game, breaking Eli Manning's school record of 18 set in 2001 vs. Murray State.

REBEL-GAMECOCK CONNECTIONS
• Wide receiver Demarcus Gregory and South Carolina's Jaylan Foster and Chuck Strickland all attended Byrnes HS in Duncan, South Carolina.
• DE Tariqious Tisdale and the Gamecocks' Slade Carroll were teammates at Lexington HS in Lexington, Tennessee.
• Ole Miss' Elijah Moore attended St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with the Gamecocks' Jahmar Brown and Vincent Murphy.
• DB Otis Reese and the South Carolina's Jammie Robinson were teammates at Lee County HS in Leesburg, Georgia.
• South Carolina's Director of Football Strength and Conditioning, Paul Jackson, spent eight seasons (2012-19) as head strength and conditioning coach at Ole Miss.
• Jordan Sims, Assistant Football Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Gamecocks, was a four-year letterwinner for the Rebels (2015-18) and appeared in 47 career games at Ole Miss on the offensive line.

MOORE OF THE SAME
After leading Ole Miss in every statistical receiving category in 2019, WR Elijah Moore is continuing his assault on opponents' secondaries. Moore has recorded 10 or more receptions in four of the five games this season. He became the first receiver in Ole MIss history to accomplish that feat in four straight contests. Moore ranks top 3 in the SEC in three different receiving categories: receptions per game (9.4, 1^st), receiving yards (591, 1^st) and receiving yards per game (118.2, 2^nd).

REBEL DEBUTS
Twenty different Rebels have made their Ole Miss debuts this season: Eli Acker (OL), Derek Bermudez (DB), Marc Britt (DB), Jakivuan Brown (LB), Kentrel Bullock (RB), Demon Clowney (OLB), Carter Colquitt (OL), Lakevias Daniel (DB), Jalen Denton (DB), Daylen Gill (LB), Cedric Johnson (OLB), Austin Keys (LB), Deane Leonard (DB), Brandon Mack (OLB), Henry Parrish Jr. (RB), Jamar Richardson (DB), Tavius Robinson (OLB), Chase Rogers (TE), Kenny Yeboah (TE), Jakwaize Walker (DB).

BIG PLAY POTENTIAL
Six games into the 2020 season, Ole Miss leads numerous explosive play categories. The Rebels are averaging over 20 plays a game greater than 10 yards. In total, the Rebels have 124 plays of 10 or more yards. Ole Miss also ranks No. 9 in the country with 22 plays greater than 30 yards.

STRONGER TOGETHER INITIATIVE
During the 2020-21 academic year, college and university athletics programs in Mississippi will incorporate a special logo on their uniforms, equipment, warm-up gear or bags. The logo will serve as a visual representation of the state's schools coming together and will feature school-specific branding with the words "Stronger Together" inside the outline of Mississippi. Alcorn State, Blue Mountain College, Delta State, Jackson State, Millsaps College, Mississippi College, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Millsaps College, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Valley State, Rust College, Tougaloo College and William Carey University are among the schools that are taking part in the "Stronger Together" initiative this season.

MAC BROWN RAISES OVER 100K FOR ALS RESEARCH
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 over $100,000 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 $30,000 alone.

COVID CAUSES ATTENDANCE CHANGES
As established by the State of Mississippi's latest executive orders, Ole Miss home football games are at 25 percent capacity in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to begin the 2020 season. Ole Miss' attendance plan is based on guidelines from the state and the Southeastern Conference in response to COVID-19. Key components include face covering requirements throughout the stadium, social distancing between households and no tailgating on campus.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
• The Rebels rank top three in the SEC in 11 separate categories: total offense (541.0), rushing offense (215.7), scoring offense (38.0), completion percentage (.716), first downs (169), passing efficiency (179.2), fumbles lost (2), fumbles recovered (5), third down conversion (.524), kickoff return defense (16.86), passing yards per completion (14.04).
• WR Elijah Moore is No. 2 in the nation in receptions per game (10.2) and third in the NCAA in receiving yards (829).
• QB Matt Corral ranks seventh nationally in passing touchdowns (18) ... His 354.5 yards per game of total offense ranks No. 8 in the NCAA.
• Kenny Yeboah's 78.3 receiving yards per game are the fifth-most in the NCAA amongst tight ends.
• Yeboah is one of only seven players nationally, and the only tight end, who has three or more catches greater than 50 yards.
• RB Jerrion Ealy ranks fourth in the SEC in both rushing yards (524) and rushing TDs (6).
• Moore and Yeboah both need two more receiving TDs to jump into Ole Miss' top 10 single season list.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
• The Rebel defense has forced a turnover in five of its six games this season.
• Six different Rebels have made their first career starts on defense this season: [A.J. Finley (FS), Daylen Gill (LB), Jakorey Hawkins (CB), KD Hill (NT), Hal Northern (DT), Tavius Robinson (Buck)]
• Fourteen defensive players have made their Ole Miss debut this season: [Derek Bermudez (DB), Marc Britt (DB), Jakivuan Brown (LB), Demon Clowney (OLB), Lakevias Daniel (DB), Jalen Denton (DB), Daylen Gill (LB), Cedric Johnson (OLB), Austin Keys (LB), Deane Leonard (DB), Brandon Mack (OLB), Jamar Richardson (DB), Tavius Robinson (OLB), Jakwaize Walker (DB)].
• Through the first three games of the season, Ole Miss tallied 10 tackles for loss ... The Rebels have tallied 20 through the last three games.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• P Mac Brown is averaging 46.5 yards per punt.
• Eight of Brown's 17 punts have gone for 50 or more yards.
• K Luke Logan currently sits fourth in the Ole Miss career record books in PATs (115) and fifth in points kicking (222).

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Players Mentioned

Eli Acker

Derek Bermudez

A.J. Brown

Jakivuan Brown

Mac Brown

Kentrel Bullock

Demon Clowney

Carter Colquitt

Snoop Conner

Matt Corral

Lakevias Daniel

Jalen Denton

Jerrion Ealy

AJ Finley

Daylen Gill

Demarcus Gregory

Jakorey Hawkins

KD Hill

Cedric Johnson

Austin Keys

Deane Leonard

Luke Logan

Brandon Mack

Elijah Moore

Hal Northern

Henry Parrish Jr.

Otis Reese

Jamar Richardson

Tavius Robinson

Chase Rogers

Jordan Sims

Tariqious Tisdale

Jakwaize Walker

Kenny Yeboah

The University of Mississippi Athletics