#25 Ole Miss (4-2, 1-2 SEC) vs. Arkansas (3-3, 1-3 SEC)
TIME: October 24, 2009, 11:21 a.m. CT
SITE (CAPACITY): Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field (60,580); Oxford, Miss.
TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Andre Ware analyst; Cara Capuano, sideline reporter). The game will also be available on ESPN GamePlan.
RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play; Harry Harrison, analyst; Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter); Satellite Radio: XM 200, Sirius 213.
WEB: OleMissSports.com will provide live stats and live audio on RebelVision. The official Rebel athletics website will also provide a full game recap and photo gallery at the game’s conclusion. The game will also be streamed online at ESPN360.com.
POLLS: The Rebels returned to the top 25 this week after only receiving votes last week. Ole Miss is No. 25 in the latest USA Today Coaches ranking and is receiving votes in Associated Press and Harris Interactive polls. Ole Miss rose to No. 4 in the rankings on Sept. 20 for the first time since sitting fourth in the rankings on October 12, 1970. The last time the Rebels were ranked higher than fourth was September 1964, when the team was the nation's No. 1. The Rebels’ No. 4 ranking marked the highest ever by a Houston Nutt coached team. Arkansas is receiving votes in both major polls.
SERIES INFO: This game will mark the 56th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Arkansas dating back to 1908. Ole Miss records show the Rebels trailing the series 25-29-1, while Arkansas’ records indicate a 30-24-1 advantage for the Razorbacks. Arkansas claims a forfeit victory in a 1914 game that Ole Miss won 13-7. The two teams met almost yearly from 1937-1969 before the series took a hiatus until 1981. The two schools have played yearly since then, and Ole Miss is 10-17-1 against Arkansas since the series resumed. Arkansas holds a 10-7 edge since it joined the SEC in 1992 and had taken four straight prior to last year’s 23-21 Rebel win in Fayetteville. Ole Miss holds a 5-3 all-time edge in Oxford matchups, but have dropped the last two in the series at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: 11 Ole Miss staff members were on staff, played or did both at Arkansas, including head coach Houston Nutt ... Ole Miss is off to its best start since 2002 ... The Rebels are wrapping up a three-game home stand, after playing on the road in three of the season’s first four games ... The Rebel defense ranks fourth in the nation in pass defense efficiency and eighth in both pass defense and scoring defense ... Daverin Geralds is the reigning SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week ... Members of the 1989 Ole Miss team will be returning to campus for a reunion this weekend. The team, which included the late Chucky Mullins, posted an 8-4 record and defeated Air Force 42-29 in the Liberty Bowl.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH HOUSTON NUTT: Houston Nutt (Oklahoma State, 1981) is in his second season at the Ole Miss helm, after being named the University’s 36th head football coach on Nov. 28, 2007. His first season in Oxford saw him lead the Rebels to a Cotton Bowl victory and earn SEC Coach of the Year billing for the third time in his career and Region top coaching honors for the fifth time. During his 10 years as the head coach at Arkansas, Nutt guided the Razorbacks to eight bowl berths, three SEC Western Division titles, two SEC Championship game appearances and an average of more than seven wins per season. He also served head coaching stints at Boise State and Murray State, where he captured two OVC Championships. Nutt is 1-0 against Arkansas as a head coach.
ARKANSAS HEAD COACH BOBBY PETRINO: Bobby Petrino (Carroll College, 1983) is in his second season at Arkansas and boasts a collegiate head coaching record of 49-19 (.721). In his four years as a college head coach at Louisville, Petrino led the Cardinals to four consecutive bowl games, including a victory in the BCS’ 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl. In addition to Louisville, Petrino’s college experience includes stops at Arizona State, Nevada, Utah State and Auburn. His NFL coaching tenures have come with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons, where he served as head coach in 2007. Petrino is 0-1 against Ole Miss as a head coach.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS: The Razorbacks pushed the nation’s No. 1 team to the limit on the road, but saw their two-game win streak end at Florida 23-20. Arkansas has emerged this year as the SEC’s top passing attack, led by first-year quarterback Ryan Mallett. He has completed 103-of-187 passes for league highs of 1,646 yards and 14 TDs. Fellow sophomore Greg Childs has been the top target with 25 catches for 480 yards and five scores. The Hog defense leads the SEC in TFLs and ranks second in sacks, led by senior DT Malcolm Sheppard. The two-time team captain boasts 8.0 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. The Razorbacks are atop the league in turnover margin at +7.
RAZORBACKS ON STAFF: Including head coach Houston Nutt, eight members of the Ole Miss staff have previously worked at Arkansas at some point in their careers, including Kim Dameron (safeties), Mike Markuson (running game coordinator/offensive line), James Shibest (special teams/tight ends), Chris Vaughn (Recruiting Coordinator/cornerbacks), Mike Beaumont (Assistant Athletics Director for Football Operations), Clifton Ealy (Assistant Athletics Director for Community Relations), Danny Nutt (Assistant Athletics Director for Player Development) and Don Decker (Head Football Strength Coach). Of the eight staff members who have coached at Arkansas, Houston Nutt, Danny Nutt, Dameron and Shibest suited up for the Razorbacks during their collegiate football careers. Current wide receivers coach, Ron Dickerson Jr., and offensive graduate assistant coach, Clark Irwin, also donned a Razorback uniform during their collegiate football careers.
NUTT-OLE MISS SERIES: The Rebels and Razorbacks had some epic gridiron battles during Houston Nutt’s tenure as Arkansas’ head coach, with the Hogs taking seven out of 10 contests. The most memorable game was the encounter on Nov. 3, 2001. The contest kicked off in Oxford at 6:06 p.m. CT, and four hours and 14 minutes later, coaches, players, fans, media members and an ESPN2 national audience saw a game that will go down in the college football record books forever. The Rebels and Razorbacks stood toe-to-toe in an epic, seven overtime battle, that saw the Hogs come out on top 58-56. It is tied for the longest OT game in NCAA history, and it remains the highest scoring game (both teams combined) on the Ole Miss all-time charts.
ARKANSAS REBELS: The Ole Miss roster features six players from the nearby state of Arkansas: Ferbia Allen (Pine Bluff), Tyler Campbell (Little Rock), Jesse Grandy (Pine Bluff), Colby Landers (Bryant), Brent Phillips (Farmington), Will Rollins (Little Rock).
REBEL NOTEBOOK
• Ole Miss is off to its best start since 2003, when the team opened at 4-2 overall and eventually 8-2 ... The Rebels were 3-3 at this point a year ago.
• Ole Miss has opened SEC play 1-2 for the second straight year ... The Rebels’ last 2-2 league start came in 2004.
• The UAB game marked the 200th for Houston Nutt as a head coach ... In his 16th season as a head coach, Nutt boasts a 124-76 record and ranks 17th in coaching victories among active NCAA FBS coaches.
• The South Carolina loss snapped an eight-game win streak, which was the Rebels' longest streak since reeling off 10 consecutive triumphs during the 1971-72 seasons ... It was the second-longest win streak in the nation ... Ole Miss' previous loss was the 24-20 setback at No. 2 Alabama last year.
OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION
• The Rebel offense has reached 500 yards of total offense twice this season, including 501 against UAB last Saturday.
• Ole Miss is averaging 36.3 points per outing, while holding the opposition to just 12.2 points over its last 10 games ... Included in this span of games is a 59-0 blanking of Louisiana-Monroe, which was Ole Miss’ largest margin of victory since 1969.
• The South Carolina game snapped a school-record streak of four straight games with 45 or more points.
GERALDS HONORED: Daverin Geralds was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week on Monday. A senior center from Baton Rouge, La., Geralds anchored an offensive line which helped produce 501 yards of total offense. The Rebel offense averaged 7.8 yards on 64 total offensive plays, and the line did not allow a sack in the game. Geralds was credited with four knockdowns and four finishes, while grading 91 percent in the run game and 95 percent in the passing game. The Rebel offensive line has allowed only one sack and had just 15 lost rushing yards in 43 attempts. This marks the second SEC weekly award of Geralds' career, as he earned the same accolade following last year's LSU game. This is the second Player of the Week honor for a Rebel this season, as John Jerry was also named the top offensive lineman for the week of the Vanderbilt game. Ole Miss garnered eight SEC Players of the Week in 2008, including three for offensive lineman.
PASS DEFENSE IMPROVEMENT: After ranking 10th in in the SEC in pass defense efficiency a year ago, Ole Miss stands third in the league and fourth in the NCAA in that category after six games, limiting the opposition to an 87.8 efficiency rating. The Rebels also rank fourth in the SEC and eighth in the nation in pass defense, allowing only 152.3 yards per game. The Rebel defense has surrendered just two passing TDs, while recording six interceptions. Ole Miss held Vanderbilt without a pass completion in the first half and limited the Commodores to just 69 passing yards. Alabama QB Greg McElroy entered the game against the Rebels as the nation’s sixth-most efficient passer with a 165.48 rating and was held to 15-of-34 passing and an 80.44 efficiency rating.
STINGY DEFENSE
• Ole Miss ranks third in the SEC and eighth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 13.0 points per game this year.
• Dating back to last season, the Rebels are holding opponents to just 12.2 points over the last 10 games ... The Rebel defense has posted two shutouts in this span.
• Ole Miss has held the opposition under 300 yards of total offense three times this year, including two SEC games, and eight times under head coach Houston Nutt ... The Rebels limited Vanderbilt to 240 yards (69 passing) and South Carolina to 285 (65 rushing) ... Ole Miss ranks fifth in the conference in total defense by holding the competition to 300.2 ypg.
• Ole Miss is the SEC leader in third down conversion defense, holding the opposition to just a 23.4-percent success rate.
• The Rebels have allowed only three points in the first quarter this year and those came in game five against Alabama.
SACK MASTERS: After a slow start, the Rebels have been terrorizing quarterbacks of late. Ole Miss is second in the SEC in sacks with 17 and a 2.83 per game average. The Rebels are averaging 3.25 per game over the last four games and posted four at Vanderbilt. Ole Miss notched a pair against Alabama and was also credited with seven QB pressures. Junior DE Kentrell Lockett is tied for second in the SEC with 4.0 sacks, while LB Patrick Trahan and DE Greg Hardy each boast 3.0.
REB ZONE: Ole Miss has been near perfect in the red zone thus far this season, ranking second in the SEC in red zone offense and third in red zone defense. In their 20 offensive trips inside the 20 yard line, the Rebels have totaled 16 touchdowns and three field goals. Of the 16 TDs, 10 were passing and six rushing. In 20 red zone opportunities for the opposition, the Rebels have surrendered just five TDs, held the foe to a field goal 12 times and forced four turnovers.
SONIC YOUTH: The Rebels’ 2009 signing class is already making its mark on the Ole Miss program. Offensively, WR Pat Patterson is tied for fourth on the team in receiving yards with 104 on seven catches, and he was among three true freshmen that scored touchdowns against Southeastern Louisiana, including WR Jesse Grandy on a 46-yard run and LB D.T. Shackelford on a 58-yard interception return. A pair of freshmen provided the offensive spark against UAB as Grandy returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a TD, while RB Rodney Scott rushed for a team-high 57 yards and two TDs, the most rushing scores by a Rebel since 2007. On special teams, Grandy has emerged as the leading kickoff returner with an average of 32.7 ypr over the last two games, while P Tyler Campbell has taken over punting duties with a 45.2-yard average over the past four games. In addition, K Andrew Ritter is averaging 65.5 yards per kickoff with eight touchbacks in 33 attempts.
DEBUTS: A total of 31 Rebels have made their debut in the Red and Blue this season: Ferbia Allen (RFr., TE), Tyler Campbell (Fr., P), Craig Drummond (Fr., DL), E.J. Epperson (RFr., TE), Jesse Grandy (Fr., WR), H.R. Greer (RFr., FB), Melvin Harris (RFr., WR), A.J. Hawkins (Fr., OL), Lekenwic Haynes (RFr., LB), Dan Hoffman (So., FB), Jason Jones (RFr., LB), Layton Jones (Jr., TE), Joel Kight (Fr., LB), Josh Lancaster (RFr., LB), Colby Landers (Sr., FB), J.D. Lawson (Sr., WR), Bobby Massie (Fr., OL), Jared Mitchell (RFr., S), Pat Patterson (Fr., WR), Andrew Ritter (Fr., K), Gerald Rivers (RFr., DE), Bryson Rose (RFr., K), Brandon Sanders (RFr., LB), Rodney Scott (Fr., RB), D.T. Shackelford (Fr., LB), Tim Simon (Fr., RB), Nathan Stanley (RFr., QB), Rodney Steen (Jr., DE), Trey Tripp (So., LB), Julian Whitehead (RFr., CB), Rudy Wilson (RFr., DB).
STARTERS: Eight Rebels have made their first career start this season. Alabama: Pat Patterson (Fr., WR); Vanderbilt: Mark Jean-Louis (Sr., FB); South Carolina: Derrick Davis (Jr., FB); Southeastern Louisiana: Rishaw Johnson (So., RG), Jerrell Powe (Jr., NT), Jeremy McGee (Jr., RCB); Memphis: Brandon Bolden (So., RB), Bradley Sowell (So., LT), Ferbia Allen (RFr., TE). In addition, senior Dexter McCluster made his first career start at running back at Vanderbilt.
SNEAD HEATS UP: Junior QB Jevan Snead passed for a season-high 240 yards against UAB on 15-for-22 passing with three TDs, which equaled his season high. His 65-yard TD toss to Markeith Summers is a season-long. Saturday marked Snead’s third three-TD performance of the year and 10th multiple-TD outing in the last 12 games. Snead has topped 200 yards passing nine times in his two seasons as a Rebel.
HODGE AMONG SEC LEADERS: Senior WR Shay Hodge is third in the SEC in receiving yards (64.8 ypg) and fourth in receptions (4.3 rpg). Hodge finished a yard short of the century mark against UAB, collecting seven catches for 99 yards. He notched his second career 100-yard receiving game and first of the year at Vanderbilt with a career-high eight receptions for a season-high 122 yards and two TDs, which tied his career high. Hodge's team-high three scoring grabs this year move him alone into second on the Ole Miss all-time TD receptions list with 17.
BALANCED BOLDEN: Sophomore RB Brandon Bolden continues to find different ways to contribute for the Rebels. The Baton Rouge native posted 127 all-purpose yards against Alabama, notching career bests of four receptions and 76 receiving yards. As a rusher, Bolden has led the team in rushing in three of the six games this year and tops the squad with an average of 60.7 ypg. He topped the 100-yard mark for the second time in his career with 105 yards on 13 carries against Southeastern Louisiana. At Vanderbilt, he ran for 89 yards on a career-high 16 carries. As a receiver, Bolden is third on the team with nine catches and 120 yards. Bolden has also contributed in the return game with an average of 23.1 ypr in his seven kickoff returns.
MORE OFFENSIVE NOTES
• A total of 14 Rebels have scored TDs this season, led by Shay Hodge and Markeith Summers with three scoring catches apiece.
• Three different Rebels scored their first career TD against UAB (Rodney Scott twice by rush, Lionel Breaux by catch, Andrew Harris by catch) ... Three TDs were accounted for by true freshmen (Scott twice by rush, Jesse Grandy by kick return).
• Senior Dexter McCluster ranks second on the team in both rushing (27.3 ypg) and receiving (16 rec, 198 yds) ... McCluster led the team in rushing against South Carolina for the first time this year with season highs of 15 carries for 85 yards ... In the season opener at Memphis, McCluster posted 115 all-purpose yards (nine rushes for 50, six passes for 65) and two TDs (one rushing, one receiving, both in the fourth quarter).
• Freshman RB Rodney Scott's two rushing TDs against UAB were the most by a Rebel since BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for three scores in the 2007 Northwestern State game ... Scott topped the team in rushing for the first time in his career, finishing with 57 yards on nine carries.
• Junior WR Markeith Summers hauled in a career-long 65-yard reception against UAB for his third TD catch of the year, which is tied for the team lead.
• Sophomore WR Lionel Breaux collected his first career TD on a 20-yard toss against UAB ... Breaux amassed a pair of grabs for 25 yards.
• Redshirt freshman QB Nathan Stanley tossed his first career TD against UAB on a 22-yarder to Andrew Harris ... Stanley connected on 6-of-9 passes for a career-high 98 yards.
• Sophomore WR Andrew Harris hauled in his first career TD on a 22-yard strike from Stanley on Saturday ... Harris finished with three catches for a career-high 50 yards.
• Senior FB Andy Hartmann collected his second TD reception of the year against UAB ... He totaled two catches for 12 yards.
MORE DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss is averaging 6.33 tackles for loss per game and notched a season-high 10 at Memphis ... The Rebels totaled eight TFLs against UAB ... Ole Miss tied for the nation’s lead in TFLs in 2008 averaging 8.62 pg.
• Six different Rebels have posted interceptions this year ... The latest came against UAB, as junior CB Jeremy McGee registered his first career interception and returned it 18 yards.
• Junior S Johnny Brown tops the team and ranks 12th in the SEC in tackles at 6.8 per game ... He is also tied for 13th in the conference in passes defended at 0.83 per game (4 PB, 1 INT) ... Brown has posted a pair of double-digit tackle performances, including 10 against Alabama ... In the season opener against Memphis, Brown made his first start since his freshman year, topped the team with a career-high 15 tackles and recorded his second career interception.
• Junior DE Kentrell Lockett has been credited with at least a half TFL in each game and leads the team with 5.5 ... Lockett also boasts team highs of 4.0 sacks, which is tied for second in the SEC, and six QB pressures.
• Senior DE Greg Hardy has notched at least 0.5 TFL in each of the four games in which he has played ... Of his 11 credited tackles, 4.5 are TFLs and 3.0 sacks.
• Senior CB Cassius Vaughn is seventh in the SEC in passes defended at 1.0 per game ... Vaughn has recorded five pass break-ups and his third career interception.
• Junior S Fon Ingram topped the team in tackles against UAB with a career-high eight.
• Freshman LB D.T. Shackelford registered a career-high seven total stops, which was second on the team.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• Freshman Jesse Grandy returned the opening kickoff of the UAB game 88 yards for a touchdown ... The team's last opening kickoff return for a TD was by Deuce McAllister against Arkansas in Oxford in 1999 ... It marked Ole Miss' first kickoff return for a TD and the longest kick return since Mike Wallace's 98-yarder for a score against Vanderbilt last year ... In two games as a kick returner, Grandy is averaging 32.7 yards in seven returns.
• Freshman P Tyler Campbell notched his third punt of 50-plus yards in his fourth game of action with a 53-yarder against UAB ... Campbell posted a 71-yard punt against Alabama, which is the longest by a Rebel since Cody Ridgeway's 75-yarder in the 2001 Georgia game ... Since taking over punting duties the last four games, Campbell is averaging 45.2 yards in 16 attempts with five inside the 20 yard line.
• Senior K Joshua Shene is the lone SEC kicker that remains perfect in field goals, converting all five of his attempts this year including a pair from 40 or more yards ... His streak of 88 straight PATs which stands as the second-longest in school history, came to an end at Vanderbilt as his third extra point attempt of the game was blocked ... It marks Shene's only missed kick of the year.
• Ole Miss is tied for third in the SEC in kickoff coverage with a net of 44.1-yard average per kick ... Freshman K Andrew Ritter is averaging 65.5 yards per kickoff with eight touchbacks in 33 attempts.
• Senior Marshay Green ranks second in the SEC in punt return average at 9.9 ypr ... Green had a season-long 36-yard punt return at South Carolina.
OLE MISS ON TV
• All six of the Rebels’ games this season have been televised ... Two games have been on ESPN and one each on CBS, ESPNU, FSN and CSS.
• A total of 90 Ole Miss games have been on TV over the past 13 seasons ... Last year, the Rebels appeared on TV seven times, posting a 5-2 mark.
• All-time, this game will be the Rebels’ 175th TV appearance since Ole Miss made its network TV debut in the 1953 Sugar Bowl versus Georgia Tech ... Ole Miss is 79-93-2 all-time in TV games.
SOLD OUT: Eleven days before the season even started, Ole Miss officials announced that football season tickets were sold out. It is believed to be the first time the Rebels have sold out of season tickets. The approximately 51,019 season tickets sold easily smashed the previous high mark of 48,180 in 2004.
GRADUATING REBELS: Four student-athletes on the Ole Miss football team have already received their undergraduate degrees. DT LaMark Armour, WR J.D. Lawhorn and K-P Justin Sparks are currently working on a second degree, while QB Billy Tapp is enrolled in graduate school.
PICK SIX: Dating back to last year, Ole Miss has notched multiple interceptions in seven of the last 11 games and posted an interception return for a TD in three of the last seven. Against Southeastern Louisiana, Cassius Vaughn and D.T. Shackelford collected picks, and Shackelford returned his first career INT 58 yards for his first career TD. In the opener at Memphis, Fon Ingram and Johnny Brown each intercepted passes, and Ingram returned his 38 yards for the score. In the 2009 Cotton Bowl, Marshay Green notched a 65-yard interception return for a TD en route to earning Defensive MVP honors. Ole Miss totaled 16 picks in 2008, led by Kendrick Lewis’ four and Vaughn’s three.
