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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Austin Peay
Game Primer: Ole Miss vs. Austin Peay
9/9/2021 | Football
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#20 OLE MISS (1-0) vs. AUSTIN PEAY (1-0) Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021 • 6:30 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Military Appreciation Game   |
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| Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • Austin Peay Game Notes (PDF) • SEC Notes (PDF) | ||||||||
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin, who missed Ole Miss' opener vs. Louisville due to testing positive for COVID-19, is expected to be back on the sidelines for the Rebels' contest vs. Austin Peay.
• Kiffin begins his second season at Ole Miss and 10th overall as a head coach.
• Ole Miss is 102-18-5 (.836 winning pct.) in home openers ... When playing their home opener in Oxford, the Rebels are 79-11-4 (.862 winning pct.) ... Ole Miss has won eight of the last nine home openers.
• This will mark the first all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Austin Peay.
• Ole Miss will honor those who serve and have served in military service Saturday with its annual Military Appreciation game.
• Ole Miss is 155-92-7 (.624 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September after vacated wins.
• The Rebels have only lost one home non-conference game since 2012 (Sept. 23, 2019 vs. #23 Cal, 28-20).
• Matt Corral has thrown for 5,319 career yards, which stands No. 8 in Ole Miss' career record books and is just 75 yards shy of Jevan Snead for No. 7 all-time (5,394).
• After leading the NCAA in total offense last season, Corral currently ranks second in the same category after one game (436.0 ypg).
• WR Dontario Drummond's 177 yards receiving was the second-best single-game performance in the NCAA so far this season.
• Ashanti Cistrunk ranks No. 15 in the FBS in TFLs (2.5) after a career-best performance in season opener vs. Louisville.
• Dating back to 2019, the Ole Miss defense has forced at least one turnover in 15 of its last 17 games.
• Fifteen Rebels have earned their degrees and are eligible for the 2021 season.
HOW TO WATCH
Saturday's contest vs. Austin Peay will be televised on ESPN+ and SEC Network+. ESPN+ is a standalone streaming service that requires a subscription separate from your TV provider credentials. It is available to stream through the ESPN App on your favorite connected streaming device and on ESPN.com. SEC Network+ is complementary to SEC Network and accessible with your TV provider credentials. It can be accessed through the ESPN App on smartphones, tables, connected streaming devices or via espn.com/watch.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin (Fresno State, 1998) is in his second season at Ole Miss and helped lead the Rebels to four win in their final five games in 2020, including a 26-20 victory over No. 7 Indiana in the Outback Bowl. Kiffin quickly turned the Rebels into an offensive machine last season. Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories, including having the No. 3 team in the country in total offense, shattering the school record with 555.5 yards per game. Kiffin is in his 10th year at the NCAA level and has posted an all-time record of 67-39. 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. 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.
AUSTIN PEAY HEAD COACH SCOTTY WALDEN
Scotty Walden is in his second season at Austin Peay after leading the Governors to a 4-2 record in an Ohio Valley Conference season that was delayed until Spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At age 30, Walden is the youngest head coach at the Division I level. Prior to joining Austin Peay, Walden served as head coach at Southern Miss to start the 2020 season. He was named the Golden Eagles' head coach after the opening game of the 2020 campaign after three seasons on the USM staff, including one season as co-offensive coordinator. Considered one of the youngest and brightest offensive minds in collegiate football, the AFCA tabbed Walden as a top-35 coach under 35 years of age in 2019. Before his move to Southern Miss, Walden was the head coach at East Texas Baptist during the 2016 season. He led the Tigers to a 7-3 mark in his lone season at the ETBU helm, and they led all Division III teams in scoring offense (49.9 points per game) while finishing second in total offense (564.3 yards per game) and sixth in passing offense (365.3 yards per game). In his three years as offensive coordinator at ETBU, Walden's offense re-wrote the program's record book for individual, single-game and season records.
GOVERNORS SCOUTING REPORT
Austin Peay makes its way to Oxford after opening its season with a 30-20 victory over FCS ranked foe Chattanooga. The Governors held Chattanooga to just 228 yards total offense, while the offense clicked. Quarterback Draylen Ellis threw for 325 yards on 23-of-33 passing with four scores. The Preseason Quarterback of the Year in the OVC is looking to put together a big sophomore campaign after throwing for over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. His favorite target, Baniko Harley, who tallied 137 yards on six catches in the win over Chattanooga, is one of four returning wideouts. Eugene Minter, CJ Evans and Jay Parker all return after accounting for 677 yards and seven touchdowns last spring. Ahmaad Tanner leads the Governors' ground game. He's rushed for over 1,700 yards in his career and is coming off a 100-yard performance last weekend. Jack McDonald, Austin Peay's leading tackler over the last two seasons, anchors the defense. The redshirt senior has racked up 188 tackles in the last two years, the third-most among all FCS defenders in that time span. Defensive backs Johnathon Edwards and Kordell Jackson lead the secondary that will be tasked with slowing down the Rebels' air attack. Against Chattanooga, Edwards picked off two passes in the victory and was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week, while Jackson led the defense with eight tackles, a pass break-up and 2.5 tackles for loss.
HOME OPENERS
• Ole Miss is 102-18-5 (.836 winning pct.) in home openers (including home contests played in Memphis and Jackson).
• The Rebels did not play any home games during the 1900 season.
• When playing their home opener in Oxford, the Rebels are 79-11-4 (.862 winning pct.).
• Ole Miss has won eight of their last nine home openers.
OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER
• Ole Miss is 155-92-7 (.624 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September after vacated wins.
• Ole Miss is 98-35-3 (.732 winning pct.) in September home games (including home contests played in Memphis and Jackson), including a 73-22-2 (.763 winning percentage) mark in September games played in Oxford after vacated wins.
• Ole Miss is 108-41-6 (.716 winning pct.) all-time versus non-conference opponents during the month.
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.
TENNESSEE REBELS
The Ole Miss roster features 14 players who hail from Tennessee: WR Sellers Shy (Memphis), DL Tariqious Tisdale (Lexington), WR Calvin Wilson (Thompson's Station), WR Kyndrich Breedlove (Nashville), WR Joshua Pfeifer (Nashville), DB Jalen Denton (Memphis), TE Jack Greer (Germantown), TE Sam Murphey (Paris), LS Jared Lawrence (Lebanon), OL Luke Shouse (Nolensville), DL Clayton Ladd (Brentwood), TE Luke Knox (Brentwood), TE Hudson Wolfe (Savannah) and P Charlie Nichols (Memphis).
EXPLOSIVE YET AGAIN
The Rebels were one of the best teams in the country last season in explosive plays, and they picked right back up where they left off. Ole Miss tallied 24 plays of 10 or more yards Monday vs. Louisville. Only Texas A&M (25) had more such plays to open the season. Last year, the Rebels went for greater than 10 yards 202 times and were the only team in the FBS with 200-plus such plays in 10 or less games. Ole Miss also ranked No. 4 in the country in 2020 with 11 plays greater than 50 yards.
COSTA-MATIC
Kicker Caden Costa, a true freshman from Mandeville, Louisiana, made his Rebel debut a memoriable one Monday night vs. Louisville. Costa drilled three field goals, including a 47-yarder, helping Ole Miss open the season with a 43-24 win over the Cardinals, earning SEC Co-Freshman of the Week. The 47-yard field goal marked the longest by a Rebel kicker since 2017, and the three FGs are the most since 2018. Costa also added four PATs and a special teams tackle. He served as the Rebels' primary kickoff man, averaging 62.0 yards per kick on seven kickoffs.
MAKING THE SWITCH
After primarily playing quarterback for his first two years on campus, junior John Rhys Plumlee officially made the switch to wide receiver at the start of fall camp. In Ole Miss' season opener, he hauled in two catches for 16 yards. Plumlee earned freshman All-America honors in 2019 after starting eight games at QB and setting the Ole Miss freshman rushing record with 1,023 yards, as well as total touchdowns (16 TDs). The Hattiesburg, Mississippi, native did see playing time at wide receiver in Ole Miss' 26-20 win over No. 7 Indiana in the Outback Bowl. Plumlee hauled in five catches for 73 yards, including a key catch late in the game that helped set up the game-winning TD.
O CANADA
Ole Miss has an SEC-most three Canadian players on its roster (Jaden Dicks, Deane Leonard, and Tavius Robinson ). Robinson appeared in all 10 games last season for the Rebels with five starts, while Leonard saw action in eight contests, including two starts at cornerback. Dicks, a redshirt freshman, transfered from the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, and arrived on campus right before the start of fall camp.
KEIDRON SMITH TO WEAR CHUCKY MULLINS PATCH
Ole Miss senior defensive back Keidron Smith was recently named the winner of the 2021 Chucky Mullins Courage Award. The award, sponsored by Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, honors the late Chucky Mullins, who had his Ole Miss career come to an end during the 1989 Homecoming game against Vanderbilt when he was paralyzed after making a tackle. After returning to his studies at Ole Miss, Mullins passed away May 6, 1991. A native of West Palm Beach, Florida, Smith is the 31st recipient in the 32-year history of the award, which is presented annually to an Ole Miss upperclassman defensive player that embodies the spirit of Mullins - courage, leadership, perseverance and determination. A change from recent seasons, Smith will wear a 38 patch on his No. 20 jersey rather than switch numbers. A patch was also worn by the award winner from 2006 through 2010.
HARD TO CORRAL
QB Matt Corral had a breakout season in 2020 and the junior signal-caller showed no sign of slowing down in Monday's win vs. Louisville. Corral currently ranks No. 2 in the FBS in total offense, after tallying 436 yards (381 passing, 55 rushing) against the Cardinals. In 2020, Corral became just the fourth SEC player ever to finish as NCAA leader in total offense per game (384.9) last season.
BANG ON THE DRUMMOND ALL DAY
WR Dantario Drummond turned in a career night in leading Ole Miss past Louisville in the Rebels first game of the season. The senior from Laurel, Mississippi, tallied career highs in both receiving yards (177) and receptions (nine) to help Ole Miss to a 43-24 win over the Cardinals. The 177 receiving yards were the third-most ever by a Rebel in a season opener, as well as the most by any receiver so far this season. Drummond earned a receiving grade of 92.8 from Pro Football Focus, the highest Week 1 grade by a Power 5 wide receiver since 2014.
NEW MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Even when Lane Kiffin isn't fishing, he's still landing big fish. One of Kiffin's biggest catches came when the Rebels snagged Utah transfer Orlando Umana. Umana, joined the Rebels after spending four years at Utah where he appeared in 40 career games, including 26 starts. Twenty-two of those starts came at center for the Utes. Battling injury, Umana appeared in just one game for Utah during a shortened 2020 season. As a junior, he earned Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention honors in 2019 after starting 12 games at center. Umana played in all 14 games on the offensive line as a sophomore in 2018, starting four at left guard and the last nine at center for Utah. The Sacramento, California, native allowed just one sack in 472 pass blocks in 2018.
THE 5K CLUB
Matt Corral became just the eighth Rebel to surpass 5,000 career passing yards after his 381-yard performance vs. Louisville. He now sits at 5,319 career yards, which stands No. 8 all-time and just 75 yards shy of Jevan Snead for No. 7 all-time (5,394).
MAC BROWN RAISES OVER 125K 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 $125,000 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 nearly $25,000 alone.
DEPTH A KEY STRENGTH IN DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD
The Rebels return numerous key starters and loads of additional depth in the defensive secondary. Starters Keidron Smith, AJ Finley, Jakorey Hawkins and Jalen Jordan are back after all starting a majority of games last season. Smith led all returning DBs in 2020 with 64 tackles, while Finley led the Rebels with three interceptions and seven pass breakups. Otis Reese, a transfer from Georgia, became eligible for the final three games of the 2020 season and averaged eight tackles per game.
RED ZONE EFFICIENCY
Ever since Lane Kiffin took over the helm at the start of the 2020 season, the Ole Miss offense became known for putting up lots of points and yards. The real secret to the Rebels' success has come in red zone efficiency. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss is 54-of-70 (.771) in the red zone. Ole Miss has scored on 17 of its last 19 trips to the red zone dating back to last season.
KIFFIN'S WEEKLY RADIO SHOW ON THURSDAYS
RebTalk, the official weekly radio show of Ole Miss Athletics, will broadcast each Thursday this fall at Bouré in downtown Oxford from 6-7 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 Lane Kiffin and select players will join the broadcast each Thursday throughout the season.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Of the 26 signees that Ole Miss signed as part of the 2020-21 signing class, 15 were on the defensive side of the ball. Over half of that number were defensive backs. All eight DBs who inked their name as part of the top-20 class enrolled early and participated in spring drills for the Rebels.
DEBUTS
A total of 13 different Rebels made their Ole Miss debut Monday vs. Louisville: QB Luke Altmyer, DB Kyndrich Breedlove, DB Markevious Brown, K Caden Costa, DL Isaiah Iton, DB Tysheem Johnson, K Cale Nation, OL Jordan Rhodes, LB Mark Robinson, WR Jahcour Pearson, DB Jake Springer, OL Orlando Umana and TE Hudson Wolfe.
