OLE MISS @ ALABAMA GAME NOTES: #21/21 Ole Miss Rebels (3-0, 1-0 SEC) at #1/1 Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0, 1-0 SEC) Date: Sept. 28, 2013 Time: 5:30 p.m. CT Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala. Venue: Bryant-Denny Stadium Capacity: 101,821 Surface: Grass Series: Alabama leads 46-9-2 In Tuscaloosa: Alabama leads 24-1 Television: ESPN Brad Nessler, play-by-play Todd Blackledge, analyst Holly Rowe, sideline Satellite Radio: Sirius 112, XM 199 National Radio: Compass Media Network Gregg Daniels, play-by-play Dale Hellestrae, analyst Live Stats: RollTide Twitter Updates: @OleMissFB WHAT TO WATCH FOR… • The Rebels are 3-0 for the first time since the 1989 season and are looking to start 4-0 for the first time since 1970. • At No. 21 in the AP poll, Ole Miss has its highest ranking since ending the 2009 season at No. 20. • Ole Miss is in the midst of four road games out of the first five contests of the season. • The current five-game win streak is the team’s longest since winning eight straight between 2008 and 2009. • The Rebels have won their first two road games of the season for the first time since 1999. • This is the 61st meeting between Ole Miss and Alabama ... The Crimson Tide hold a 46-9-2 series lead ... The Rebels’ last win over the Tide was in 2003. • No. 1 Alabama is the first ranked opponent for the Rebels this season ... Ole Miss is 0-9 all-time versus the nation’s top-ranked team. • The last time Ole Miss and Alabama met as ranked teams was in 2009 and the last time they were both undefeated when they met was in 1982. • The Rebels are playing back-to-back years in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 1931 and 1932. • Ole Miss has played 11 true freshmen this season, which is tied for 10th-most among Division I FBS teams. • Thirteen current Rebels have already graduated, tied for the most of any Division I FBS team. OLE MISS HEAD COACH HUGH FREEZE Hugh Freeze (Southern Miss, 1992) is in his second season at the Ole Miss helm. After leading the Rebels to their first 3-0 start since 1989, he now boasts a 10-6 mark in Oxford and a career record of 40-13. His first year as head coach in Oxford saw him reverse the team’s fortunes with a 7-6 record and a bowl win over Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass Bowl. He followed that up with a signing class that rated top five in the nation. Expectations are soaring for Rebel Nation thanks to Freeze, who was named the University’s 37th head football coach on Dec. 5, 2011. He came to Oxford after serving one year as head coach at Arkansas State, leading the Red Wolves to a 10-2 season and the 2011 Sun Belt Conference title, while Freeze was tabbed Sun Belt Coach of the Year. It is his second stint at Ole Miss, as he was a member of the Rebel coaching staff from 2005-07, including the final two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with two of the top classes in UM history. ALABAMA HEAD COACH NICK SABAN Nick Saban (Kent State, 1973) has led Alabama to three national titles (2009, 2011, 2012) among his eight seasons at the helm. He has a 71-13 record as the head coach of the Tide, with just seven losses in the last seven years. He also won the national title with LSU (2003) and is the only coach with four BCS National Championships. His previous head coaching stops also include Toledo, Michigan State and the Miami Dolphins. ALABAMA SCOUTING REPORT Coming off its third national title in the last four years, Alabama has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in both polls since the preseason. The team has a 3-0 record with wins over Virginia Tech (35-10), then-No. 6 Texas A&M (49-42) and Colorado State (31-6). Crimson Tide QB A.J. McCarron is 50-of-78 for 702 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. T.J. Yeldon leads the ground attack with 91 yards per game, which is seventh in the SEC. He has two rushing TDs. Christion Jones has been spectacular with three different types of touchdowns (receiving, punt return, kick return) and ranks second in the SEC in all-purpose yards (172.7/game). ALABAMA REBELS The Ole Miss roster features 13 players from the neighboring state of Alabama: WR/DB Cody Core (Auburn), CB Carlos Davis (Birmingham), LB Luke Davis (Trussville), S Trae Elston (Oxford), OL Austin Golson (Prattville), OL Chase Hughes (Springville), OL Patrick Junen (Huntsville), WR Collins Moore (Madison), K Andy Pappanastos (Montgomery), DE/LB D.T. Shackelford (Decatur), LB John-Patrick Sherling (Fairhope), LB Ray Ray Smith (Florence), DE John Youngblood (Trussville). REBEL-TIDE CONNECTIONS • Ole Miss WR/DB Cody Core and Alabama LB Reuben Foster were teammates at Auburn HS in Auburn, Ala. • Ole Miss TE Evan Engram and Alabama RB Kenyan Drake were teammates at Hillgrove HS in Powder Springs, Ga. • Ole Miss DT Lavon Hooks and Alabama DB Deion Belue were teammates at Northeast Mississippi CC in 2011. • Ole Miss WR Collins Moore and Alabama LB Reggie Ragland were teammates at Bob Jones HS in Madison, Ala. • Alabama director of football operations Joe Pannunzio coached at Ole Miss under Tommy Tuberville from 1995-98 and coached alongside current Ole Miss co-offensive coordinator Dan Werner at Auburn in 1999 and then at Murray State in 2000 (Pannunzio as head coach, Werner as offensive coordinator). • Alabama associate director of player personnel Tyler Siskey served as Ole Miss’ director of recruiting development last year and was the wide receivers coach at Arkansas State under Hugh Freeze. REBELS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS • In No. 1 Alabama, Ole Miss encounters its first ranked opponent of the year. Vanderbilt and Texas were both receiving votes when Ole Miss defeated them. • Ole Miss is 59-141-2 all-time versus ranked teams. • Ole Miss defeated No. 24 Mississippi State in its last game against a ranked foe (11/24/12), snapping a 13-game losing skid against ranked teams. • The last time Ole Miss played a game in which both teams were ranked was Oct. 10, 2009 when the 16th-ranked Rebels lost to 3rd-ranked Alabama 22-3 in Oxford. NO. 1 IN THE NATION • Ole Miss has been involved in 15 games when one of the teams was ranked No. 1 at the time. • The Rebels are 5-1 when they have held the top spot: 9-24-60, #1 Ole Miss 21, Kentucky 6 (Memphis) 10-1-60, #1 Ole Miss 31, Memphis 20 (Memphis) 10-15-60, #1 Ole Miss 26, Tulane 13 (New Orleans) 10-14-61, #1 Ole Miss 47, Houston 7 (Memphis) 9-19-64, #1 Ole Miss 30, Memphis 0 (Oxford) 9-26-64, Kentucky 27, #1 Ole Miss 21 (Jackson) • Ole Miss is 0-9 when playing the top team in the nation: 11-17-56, #1 Tennessee 27, #19 Ole Miss 7 (Knoxville) 11-1-58, #1 LSU 14, #6 Ole Miss 0 (Baton Rouge) 10-31-59, #1 LSU 7, #3 Ole Miss 3 (Baton Rouge) 9-20-80, #1 Alabama 59, Ole Miss 35 (Jackson) 10-1-94, #1 Florida 38, Ole Miss 14 (Oxford) 11-17-07, #1 LSU 41, Ole Miss 24 (Oxford) 10-30-10, #1 Auburn 51, Ole Miss 31 (Oxford) 11-19-11, #1 LSU 42, Ole Miss 3 (Oxford) 9-29-12, #1 Alabama 33, Ole Miss 14 (Tuscaloosa) REBELS VERSUS DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS • Ole Miss has a 1-12 record all-time when playing the defending national champions (BCS or AP). • The Rebels’ one victory was a 31-13 win over LSU in 2008. • This is the fourth straight season that the Rebels will face the defending national champs and the sixth time in the last seven years. REBELS IN THE POLLS • Ole Miss is ranked for the third straight week, coming in at No. 21 in both the AP poll and USA Today Coaches’ poll after a bye week. • The No. 21 ranking is the highest since ending the 2009 season at No. 20 AP and No. 21 Coaches. COACH TO CURE MD The Ole Miss and Alabama coaching staffs will be wearing Coach to Cure MD patches this week to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. Fans are encouraged to donate online at CoachtoCureMD.org or donate $5 by texting CURE to 90999. OLE MISS SETS RECORD FOR SEASON TICKET SALES Ole Miss has achieved its goal of selling out of football season tickets with a school-record 50,386, which tops the previous highs of 50,009 in 2009 and 48,180 in 2004. A limited number of individual game tickets still remain for the Idaho, Arkansas, Troy and Missouri games. Fans are encouraged to act quickly by visiting the OleMissSports ticket site or calling 888-REB-TKTS. ROAD WARRIORS • Ole Miss has won its first two road games of the year for the first time since 1999, when the Rebels won at Memphis (3-0) and Auburn (24-17). • Hugh Freeze has directed Ole Miss to a win in each of the last three trips away from home, including last year’s BBVA Compass Bowl victory over Pitt (38-17) in Birmingham, Ala. • Four of the Rebels’ first five games this year are on the road, including SEC tilts at Vanderbilt, Alabama and Auburn. IMPACT FRESHMEN • Ole Miss has played 11 true freshmen this season, which is tied for 10th-most among Division I FBS teams. • Five true freshmen have started at least one game so far (DB Tony Conner, TE Evan Engram, DE Robert Nkemdiche, WR Laquon Treadwell, OT Laremy Tunsil). • In the SEC stats, Treadwell leads all freshmen with 5.3 catches/game (6th overall), Engram leads all frosh with 58.3 receiving yards/game (14th overall) and Nkemdiche leads all frosh with 1.33 TFLs/game (T-3rd overall). • WR Laquon Treadwell, who has started all three games, debuted with a nine-catch, 82-yard performance as a starter at Vanderbilt and was named SEC Freshman of the Week. He set an Ole Miss freshman record with those nine catches, which was the most in a game by any Rebel since Mike Espy against Auburn in 2005. • Top-rated 2013 recruit Robert Nkemdiche has started all three games at DE and has 10 tackles, including a team-high tying 4.0 TFLs, and two pass break-ups. • DB Tony Conner snagged an interception on his very first career defensive snap at Vanderbilt and then started the next two games at huskie. He is fourth on the team with 14 tackles. GREAT SCOTT Senior RB Jeff Scott is on fire after ripping the Texas Longhorns for a career-high 164 rushing yards and a career-high 243 all-purpose yards. He also returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown and was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week. • Scott currently ranks fifth in the SEC in rushing (110.0 ypg) and fourth in all-purpose yards (151.7 ypg). • If he had enough punt returns to qualify, he would lead the league with his 29.7-yard return average. • He has tied or broken a career high in rushing yardage twice this season (138 at Vanderbilt, 164 at Texas). • His sensational 75-yard touchdown sprint won the Vanderbilt game with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter. • His 73-yard punt return is the longest by an SEC player this year, his 75-yard run is tied for the longest and his 164 rush yards are the 3rd-most by an SEC player this season. • He now ranks fourth in school history in career all-purpose yards (3,421), eighth in rushing yards (2,134) and ninth in rushing touchdowns (17). THE INJURY BUG BITES Despite a big SEC win to begin the season, Ole Miss did not get out of Nashville without bad news. The team learned after the game that sophomore LB Denzel Nkemdiche is out for an estimated 4-6 weeks with a torn meniscus, and junior OL Aaron Morris will be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Nkemdiche was a Freshman All-America and All-SEC pick last year and had five tackles in the opener at Vandy. Morris made his 14th straight start at left guard in the opener. Previously injured Rebels who have now missed the first three games include senior WR Korvic Neat and junior WR Vince Sanders. Sophomore RB I’Tavius Mathers, senior DB Brishen Mathews, senior CB Charles Sawyer and junior DT Carlton Martin have missed at least one game due to injury. OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER • Ole Miss is 151-82-7 (.644 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September. • The Rebels are 44-43-1 (.506 winning pct.) in September SEC games. • Ole Miss is 107-38-6 (.729 winning pct.) all-time versus non-conference opponents during the month. • Ole Miss is 94-31-3 (.746 winning pct.) in September home games (including home contests played in Memphis and Jackson), including a 69-18-2 (.787 winning percentage) mark in September games played in Oxford. • The Rebels are 2-0 in September so far this season - Southeast Missouri (W, 31-13), Texas (W, 44-23). • The Rebels went 3-2 in September last season - Central Arkansas (W, 49-27), UTEP (W, 28-10), Texas (L, 31-66), Tulane (W, 39-0), Alabama (L, 14-33). SHACK IS BACK Senior DE/LB D.T. Shackelford, who missed all of the 2011 and 2012 seasons with knee injuries, made his return to the field in Nashville and has played in each game this season at both defensive end and linebacker. A vocal team leader, Shackelford is on watch lists for the Butkus Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy and has also been honored for his work in the community, including being the Ole Miss nominee for the 2013 AFCA Good Works Team. FIRST-TIME STARTERS • Six Rebels made their first career start at Vanderbilt: (Offense) Jordan Holder (WR), Laquon Treadwell (WR), Justin Bell (OG); (Defense) Woodrow Hamilton (NT), Robert Nkemdiche (DE), Quintavius Burdette (CB). • Two Rebels made their first career start vs. SEMO: (Offense) Quincy Adeboyejo (WR); (Defense) Tony Conner (DB). • One Rebel made his first career start at Texas: (Offense) Laremy Tunsil (LT). DEBUTS Twenty-one Rebels have made their debut this year: Quincy Adeboyejo (WR), Ontario Berry (DB), Matt Brown (TE), Tony Conner (DB), Robert Conyers (OL), Mark Dodson (RB), Evan Engram (TE), Austin Golson (OL), Bobby Hill (CB), Lavon Hooks (DT), David Kamara (DB), Kailo Moore (RB), Robert Nkemdiche (DE), Jimmy Potepa (RB), Robert Ratliff (QB), Temario Strong (LB), Walker Sturgeon (DE), Laquon Treadwell (WR), Laremy Tunsil (OL), John Youngblood (DE), Taz Zettergren (TE). ODDS AND ENDS • Ole Miss has its first 3-0 start since the 1989 season and is now looking for its first 4-0 start since 1970. • The last time Ole Miss and Alabama were both undefeated when they met was in 1982. • The Rebels will play back-to-back years in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 1931 and 1932. • Ole Miss’ 114 points scored are the most through three games since 2003 (117) and fifth-most in the last 77 years. • Dating back to last season, Ole Miss is riding a five-game win streak, its longest since stringing together eight straight between the 2008 and 2009 campaigns ... During this four-game streak, the Rebels have outscored their foes 193-112 and averaged 38.6 points per outing. • Ole Miss is 5-2 under head coach Hugh Freeze when leading at the half. • Four of the Rebels’ first five games are on the road, while six of the last seven are at home. • Ole Miss will not leave the state of Mississippi after the Oct. 5 game at Auburn. • Ole Miss has never faced Southeast Missouri, Idaho or Troy before this season. • The Rebels entered this season with 19 of 22 starters returning a combined 400 career starts (187 offense, 178 defense, 35 punter/kicker), which is third-most in Division I FBS behind Georgia Tech (426) and Texas (406). • Ole Miss had just one assistant coaching change in the offseason with cornerbacks coach Wesley McGriff leaving for the New Orleans Saints and being replaced by Jason Jones. OFFENSIVE NOTES • Ole Miss ranks 6th in the SEC in scoring (38.0 ppg), T-4th in total offense (490.0 ypg), 2nd in rushing (250.0 ypg), 3rd in first downs (27.0/game), T-1st in red zone offense (92.9 pct.) and 4th in 3rd-down conversions (51.2%). • Senior RB Jeff Scott ranks 5th in the SEC in rushing (110.0 ypg) and 4th in all-purpose yards (151.7 ypg). • Junior QB Bo Wallace ranks 8th in the league in passing (216.0 ypg), 6th in total offense (256.0 ypg) and 4th in points responsible for (14.7/game). • Senior QB Barry Brunetti rushed for a career-high 111 yards against SEMO and shares the team lead with three rushing TDs this year, which equals his total from all of last season. • Freshman WR Laquon Treadwell set an Ole Miss freshman record with nine catches for 82 yards in his debut at Vanderbilt ... He is 6th in the SEC with 5.3 catches per outing, which tops all freshmen. • Freshman TE Evan Engram ranks 14th in the SEC with 58.3 receiving ypg (most among freshmen), while junior WR Donte Moncrief ranks 15th with 57.7. DEFENSIVE NOTES • Ole Miss ranks 5th in the SEC in total defense (332.7 ypg) and 3rd in rushing defense (114.3 ypg). • Junior FS Cody Prewitt leads the SEC and ranks T-6th nationally in passes defended (2.0/game) and is T-1st in the SEC and T-13th in the nation in interceptions (0.67/game). • Junior LB Serderius Bryant leads the team with 26 tackles in just two games ... His career-high 15 tackles vs. SEMO are tied for the most in a game by an SEC player this year. • Freshman DE Robert Nkemdiche is T-3rd in the SEC with 1.33 TFLs/game, which is most among league freshmen ... Junior DE C.J. Johnson and sophomore DB Mike Hilton are also T-3rd with 1.33 TFLs/game. • Sophomore DT Issac Gross had a career-high 1.5 sacks in the opener at Vanderbilt and ranks T-14th in the SEC in sacks. SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES • Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks 2nd nationally in punt return average (29.7), while the Rebels are 3rd in the SEC and 15th nationally in net punting (41.4). • Senior RB Jeff Scott would lead the SEC in punt return average (29.7) if he had enough attempts to qualify. • Scott’s 73-yard punt return at Texas was the first Rebel punt return TD since Nick Brassell vs. Georgia in 2011. • Senior P Tyler Campbell ranks 2nd in the SEC in punting (49.8 ypp), but doesn’t have enough to qualify for NCAA. • Senior K Andrew Ritter has recorded 14 touchbacks on 20 kickoffs. • Ole Miss gained a first down off a fake punt when freshman DE Robert Nkemdiche took a direct snap for an 11-yard gain in the second quarter at Vandy ... It was the first Ole Miss fake punt for a first down since 2009 vs. Mississippi State, and it was Nkemdiche’s first career rush attempt. HONORING PARK STEVENS Ole Miss players are wearing PS stickers on their helmets this season in honor of former teammate Park Stevens, who died in a car accident on July 3. Redshirt-freshman OL Robert Conyers changed his uniform number from 78 to Stevens’ 75 to honor his friend and former roommate, and Stevens’ memory will also be honored in a “Fallen Rebels” display in the IPF soon. JEFF HERROD IS OLE MISS’ SEC LEGEND Jeff Herrod, the Rebels’ leading linebacker from 1984-87, has been selected as Ole Miss’ representative for the 2013 SEC Football Legends Class. During his four-year career at Ole Miss, Herrod became the school’s all-time leader in tackles with 528, while also leading the Rebels in tackles all three years as a full-time starter. Herrod was named Defensive MVP in the 1987 Senior Bowl. He went on to play 11 years in the NFL and tally more than 1,300 tackles, playing 10 years with the Indianapolis Colts and one year with the Philadelphia Eagles. GRADUATED REBELS Thirteen Ole Miss football student-athletes have already received their undergraduate degrees, which is tied for the most among Division I FBS schools. They are TE Justin Bigham (B.S. in Exercise Science), P Tyler Campbell (B.B.A. in Managerial Finance), P Chris Conley (B.B.A. in Management), WR Terrell Grant (B.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications), WR Ja-Mes Logan (B.S. in Criminal Justice), OL Emmanuel McCray (B.S. in Exercise Science), WR Korvic Neat (B.S. in General Studies), TE Jack Nuismer (B.A. in Economics), QB Robert Ratliff (B.B.A. in Managerial Finance), K Andrew Ritter (B.B.A. in Managerial Finance), DB Charles Sawyer (B.B.A. in Management), LB D.T. Shackelford (B.A. in History) and C Evan Swindall (B.B.A. in Management). CHUCKY MULLINS COURAGE AWARD In the spring, senior LB Mike Marry was selected as the 2013 recipient of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award, which goes to a defensive player each year. 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 on May 6, 1991. Marry will wear the No. 38 jersey in Mullins’ honor this season. PRACTICE FACILITY RE-NAMED THE “MANNING CENTER” Previously known as the Indoor Practice Facility, Ole Miss announced on Friday, Sept. 6, that the newly renovated home of Ole Miss Football will now be known as the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center. The announcement was made at the premiere of the ESPN Films documentary, The Book of Manning, at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts on the Ole Miss campus. The renovation and expansion of the Manning Center has been made possible by gifts to the Forward Together Campaign. In partnership with Ole Miss Athletics, the Manning family and the family of Billy Van Devender made significant contributions to the campaign in order to honor Olivia and Archie Manning in this special way.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 12:45:06 +0000
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