DATE: Saturday, October 13, 2007
TIME: 11:30 a.m. CT
SITE (CAPACITY): Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field (60,580); Oxford, Miss.
PROMOTIONS: “Beat Bama Blue” - Ole Miss is encouraging fans to wear blue to the game. The Rebel Shop has $10 blue t-shirts at locations on campus, and all Ole Miss blue merchandise is on sale.
TV: Lincoln Financial (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Dave Archer, color analyst; Dave Baker, sideline reporter). A CSS replay of the game will be Sunday at 1 p.m.
RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play; Pete Cordelli, color analyst; Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter). XM Satellite Radio channel 199. Listen Online
POLLS: Alabama, who has risen as high as 16th in the polls, is receiving votes this week in both the AP and USA Today Coaches’ top-25 rankings. Ole Miss does not appear in the polls.
SERIES INFO: This meeting will be the 55th all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama dating back to 1894. The Crimson Tide holds a 43-9-2 advantage in the series, including a 44-8-2 lead on-the-field. Ole Miss received a win by forfeit for Alabama’s 19-14 victory in 1993. Alabama has won 17 of the last 20 on-the-field meetings and three straight. The Tide has escaped each of the last two meetings by three points including last year’s 26-23 overtime game in Tuscaloosa. Ole Miss has won two of the last three Oxford encounters with Alabama, although the Tide enjoys a 5-2 on-the-field edge at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The last two meetings between Ole Miss and Alabama have been decided on the final play in three-point wins for the Crimson Tide ... Ole Miss will be facing its first SEC Western Division foe of the year ... The Rebels are making their third TV appearance of the year and split the first two ... Ole Miss senior QB Seth Adams has thrown for 200 or more yards four times this year.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH ED ORGERON: Ed Orgeron (Northwestern State, 1984) is in his third season as the Ole Miss head coach, having been hired on Dec. 16, 2004. He has a career coaching record of 9-19. Ole Miss is Orgeron’s first career head coaching position, although he possesses over 20 years of college coaching experience, most recently as an assistant head coach on USC’s 2003 and 2004 national champion teams. Orgeron is 0-2 against Alabama as a head coach and has never faced Nick Saban
ALABAMA HEAD COACH NICK SABAN: Nick Saban is in his first year as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. He is 95-44-1 (.682 winning pct.) overall in his 12th year as a collegiate head coach, and his 32-12 (.727) in SEC games ranks as the sixth-best winning percentage in league history. Saban has served head coaching stints at Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995-99) and LSU (2000-04) and spent the previous two years with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Saban has taken his teams to a total of eight bowl appearances and led the Tigers to a share of the 2003 national championship. Saban posted a 4-1 mark against Ole Miss during his time at LSU, and the average margin of victory was 5.8 points with an average of 2.3 points in the final three meetings.
ALABAMA SCOUTING REPORT: The Crimson Tide snapped a two-game losing streak by defeating Houston 30-24 in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. Alabama opened the season with wins over Western Carolina, Vanderbilt and No. 16 Arkansas. Freshman running back Terry Grant leads the Tide ground game with 88.5 yards per game and five TDs and is a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week honoree. Sophomore back Glen Coffee has also rushed for 372 yards and three scores. Junior quarterback John Parker Wilson has completed 115 of his 213 attempts, good for 1,248 yards, eight TDs and four interceptions. Wilson’s top target is senior WR D.J. Hall, who is the Tide’s all-time leading receiver. He has 26 receptions for 439 yards and three TDs this season, while sophomore Mike McCoy boasts 20 grabs for 150 yards and one score. The Crimson Tide defense is led by freshman LB Rolando McClain with 42 total tackles, including 4.5 TFLs, while junior FS Rashad Johnson has recorded 31 stops with three interceptions. Senior DE Wallace Gilberry has team-highs of nine TFLs and nine QB hurries to go with 37 tackles. Sophomore K Leigh Tiffin has connected on 9-of-14 field goals and all 20 PATs.
ARKANSAS GAME TIME SET: The Oct. 20 game between Ole Miss and Arkansas is set for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. No TV plans for the contest have been made at this time.
REBEL NOTEBOOK
• Ole Miss is looking to avoid its first 0-4 SEC start since opening 0-5 in 1984.
• The last time the Rebels were 2-4 after six games was 1994.
• Ole Miss’ 24-point winning margin against Louisiana Tech marked the team’s largest under head coach Ed Orgeron ... It was his third 20-point win.
• The Rebel football program is now four wins short of 600 ... Ole Miss boasts an all-time record of 596-455-35 (.565 winning percentage).
• This is the 113th football season at The University of Mississippi dating back to 1893 ... 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.
ALABAMA REBELS: The Ole Miss roster features only two players from the neighboring state of Alabama: Ben Meadows (Birmingham) and Justin Sanders (New Market).
RON RETURNS: Ole Miss will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline Saturday in Alabama assistant coach Ron Middleton, who coaches the Tide’s tight ends and special teams. A former Auburn standout and NFL tight end, Middleton joined the Rebels as tight ends coach in 1999 and worked in that capacity for three seasons before serving as Ole Miss’ running backs/special teams coordinator in 2002-03.
DEBUTS: True freshman LB Scottie Williams, redshirt freshman DB George Helow and junior WR Jacarious Lucas saw their first career action against Louisiana Tech. A total of 24 players have made their Ole Miss debuts this year, including 10 true freshmen in Colby Arceneaux (DB), Lionel Breaux (DB), Johnny Brown (DB), Lamar Brumfield (LB), Fon Ingram (DB), Ted Laurent (DL), Lawson Scott (DL), Chris Strong (LB), LaDerrick Vaughn (DE) and Williams. Other players seeing their first action this fall include Christian Albarracin (Sr., K); Derrick Davis (RFr., RB); David Densmore (RFr., DL); Tony Fein (Jr., LB); Reggie Hicks (RFr., RB); Kentrell Lockett (RFr., DL); Ashlee Palmer (Jr., LB); Jamie Phillips (So., LB); Justin Sparks (So., P); Markeith Summers (RFr., DB); Allen Walker (RFr., LB) and Josh Zettergren (Sr., WR).
STARTERS: The Rebel defense had three first-time starters on Saturday: Johnny Brown (Fr., FS), Kentrell Lockett (RFr., DE) and Brandon Thomas (Jr., MLB).
CAPTAINS: Serving as team captains for the Louisiana Tech game were Zack Brent (Fr., OL), Peria Jerry (Jr., DL) and Mike Wallace (Jr., WR).
FAST STARTS: Ole Miss has scored first in each of the last three games. On the year, the Rebels have outscored the opposition 27-7 in the first quarter, surrendering only a touchdown at Vanderbilt.
AIR IMPROVEMENT: Ole Miss has showed offensive improvement this year, particularly in the passing game. After ranking last in the SEC in passing offense (136.1 ypg) and efficiency (100.3) a year ago, Ole Miss has risen to fourth and fifth, respectively, in those categories this season at 236.5 ypg and a 132.0 efficiency rating. The Rebels are currently averaging 21.7 points per game, which is a 6.0 point increase from last year, while total offense has jumped from 261.4 ypg to 346.5.
RECORD PACE: The senior leaders of the Ole Miss offense are on track for two of the most prolific seasons in school history. At his current average of 95.0 rushing yards per game, RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis is set to finish with 1,140 yards, which would be the second-highest single-season total in school history. His offensive partner Seth Adams is enjoying the best season by an Ole Miss signal-caller since 2003. He is currently on pace to throw for 2,715 yards, which would be the fourth-highest tally ever by a Rebel and most by a player other than Eli Manning.
STREAK SNAPPED: Junior WR Mike Wallace had his streak of four straight games with a TD pass come to an end Saturday. It had been the longest streak with a TD reception since Roell Preston pulled down a score in five straight games from the 1993 season finale through the first four games of 1994. Wallace led the Rebels against Louisiana Tech with five receptions for 72 yards, including a 35-yard grab. He leads the SEC in yards per catch (22.2) and is second in yards per game (89.0).
ADAMS AMONG SEC LEADERS: After being named the starter eight days before the opener, senior QB Seth Adams has stood out for the Rebel offense. He ranks fourth in the SEC in total offense (225.0 ypg), passing average (226.6 ypg) and passing efficiency (137.9). He has four 200-yard outings and the Rebels’ first two 300-yard outings since 2004. A 6-foot-4, 225-pounder from Holly Springs, Miss., Adams walked on at Ole Miss in January of 2006 after transferring from Hinds (Miss.) Community College and appeared in six games last season as Brent Schaeffer's back-up, completing 17-of-31 passes for 177 yards.
OTHER OFFENSIVE NOTES
• In his second game back, sophomore WR Dexter McCluster posted three catches for 48 yards, including a 28-yard TD grab in the first quarter... It was his most receptions since the fourth game of last year against Wake Forest (six catches for 60 yards).
• Sophomore WR Shay Hodge hauled in his third TD of the year on a 17-yarder in his lone catch ... Hodge leads the team and is tied for eighth in the SEC in receptions at 4.33 per game.
• Senior RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis has registered a pair of 100-yard rushing games this year, giving him six in his career ...Green-Ellis is fifth in the SEC in rushing at 95.0 ypg.
• The Rebels' 534 total yards against Missouri was the most in the Ed Orgeron era, and the most since 567 total yards against Wyoming in 2004 ... It also marked the first time since the 2004 Wyoming game that Ole Miss has had a 100-yard rusher (BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 226) and 100-yard receiver (Mike Wallace, 136).
HARDY’S EVERYWHERE: Sophomore Greg Hardy continues to put his versatility on display. As a defensive end, Hardy tops the SEC in TFLs with 11.0 and notched a career-high four against Louisiana Tech. Hardy is also tied for fourth in sacks with four. As a receiver, he recorded touchdown catches in each of the first two games of the year. It gave him three straight games with a TD grab, dating back to the Mississippi State game in 2006. Last year, Hardy was a First Team Freshman All-American D lineman in the fall and later competed in 15 games with the Ole Miss basketball team, earning a start at LSU.
IMPRESSIVE DEBUT: Junior LB Ashlee Palmer is having an impressive first season in the Red and Blue. A JUCO transfer from Compton, Calif., Palmer is second in the SEC in tackles (9.8 per game) and is coming off a career-best 15-stop performance against Louisiana Tech. It marked the most tackles by a Rebel since Patrick Willis’ career-high 15 against Auburn a year ago. Palmer has posted 12 or more tackles in three games and is also tied for the team-lead in pass break-ups with four.
OTHER DEFENSIVE NOTES
• The Rebel defense recorded its first shutout under Ed Orgeron Saturday and first since the 2003 regular-season finale at Mississippi State (31-0).
• Making his first career start, junior LB Brandon Thomas registered a career-high six stops against Louisiana Tech.
• Junior DL Peria Jerry notched four solo tackles against Tech and has 10 in the last two games ... At Georgia, Jerry established career highs in total tackles with eight, solos with six and TFLs with three.
• In his first career start Saturday, freshman DB Johnny Brown posted a career-high six tackles.
• Freshman DB Fon Ingram saw his most action yet against Louisiana Tech and was credited with career highs of four tackles, including three solos.
• Redshirt freshman Kentrell Lockett also made his first career start Saturday and posted his first sack as a Rebel.
• In the win over Memphis, the Rebels intercepted four passes for the first time since the 2004 Wyoming game ... Ole Miss totaled three interceptions the entire 2006 season.
BLOCK PARTY: Ole Miss scored off a blocked kick Saturday for the second time this year. Under three minutes left against Louisiana Tech, senior DL Brandon Jenkins registered his first career block on a Bulldog 37-yard FG attempt, and junior DB Dustin Mouzon recovered and returned it 55 yards for the TD. The Rebels also scored on special teams in the opener at Memphis, blocking a punt for a TD for the first time since 1995. Junior DB Jamarca Sanford got his first career block, and sophomore DB Kendrick Lewis recovered it in the end zone for his first TD. Ole Miss blocked two kicks a year ago.
MORE MOUZON: Junior DB Dustin Mouzon has not taken an offensive snap this year but has two TDs. on Saturday, Mouzon scored on special teams when he recovered a blocked field goal and jetted 55 yards for the touchdown. In the opener against Memphis, he reached pay dirt on defense, returning an interception 99 yards for a TD. It tied the third-longest interception return in school history and was the longest by a Rebel since Louis Guy's 103-yard return in 1962. Mouzon finished the Memphis game with two picks, six solo stops and a fumble recovery in earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He became the first Rebel with two interceptions in the same game since Von Hutchins against Arkansas State in 2002, and Mouzon is first to earn weekly honors by the league since LB Rory Johnson following last year’s Vanderbilt game.
OLE MISS ON TV
• This Alabama game, to be televised by Lincoln Financial, is the Rebels’ third TV game of the year and second of at least three on LF ... The Sept. 22 Florida game was also carried by Lincoln Financial, as will be the Nov. 23 Mississippi State game.
• Over the last four seasons, 40 of the Rebels’ 67 games have been televised.
• Last year, the Rebels appeared on TV six times.
• All-time, this game will be the Rebels’ 159th TV appearance since Ole Miss made its TV debut in the 1953 Sugar Bowl versus Georgia Tech ... Ole Miss is 70-86-2 all-time in TV games.
SCHEDULE NOTES
• The Rebels have faced a pair of top-25 clubs in No. 3 Florida and No. 15 Georgia.
• Ole Miss is facing seven teams that went to bowl games last year, including BSC national Champion Florida. In addition, the Rebels encounter Missouri (Sun), Georgia (Peach), Alabama (Independence), Arkansas (Capitol One), Auburn (Cotton) and LSU (Sugar).
• For the second straight year, Ole Miss plays seven home games, hosting Missouri (Sept. 8), Florida (Sept. 22), Louisiana Tech (Oct. 6), Alabama (Oct. 13), Arkansas (Oct. 20), Northwestern State (Nov. 3) and LSU (Nov. 17).
COOK HONORED FOR COMMUNITY WORK: Ole Miss junior FB Jason Cook was recently selected to the 2007 American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team, and last week, he was distinguished as the SEC Community Service Team Player of the Week. An English major from Suwanee, Ga., Cook has been a vital part of the "Reading with the Rebels" program at local city, county and private schools. He has participated in the Oxford Pantry Food Drive, helped collect toys for "Toys for Tots," which was sponsored by the Marine ROTC at Ole Miss and other community service activities.
GRADUATING REBELS: Five student-athletes on the Ole Miss football team have already received their undergraduate degrees. K Christian Albarracin has earned his B.A. in accountancy, while OL Marcus Cohen has his B.A. in African American studies. Both OL Thomas Eckers and DL Jeremy Garrett have completed their B.B.A in management, and TE Robert Hough has his B.S in criminal justice.
