Ole Miss (5-3, 2-3 SEC) vs. Northern Arizona (5-3, 4-2 Big Sky)
TIME: November 7, 2009, 6:30 p.m. CT
SITE (CAPACITY): Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/ Hollingsworth Field (60,580); Oxford, Miss.
TV: CSS
(Todd Bell, play-by-play; Chris Doering, analyst). 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 201, Sirius 218.
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 are not ranked in this week’s 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. Northern Arizona had risen as high as 21st in the FCS polls prior to last week’s loss.
SERIES INFO: This will mark the first ever meeting between Ole Miss and Northern Arizona, who is facing its second FBS foe of the year after falling at Arizona 34-17 in the season opener.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ole Miss is aiming for an eighth straight non-conference home win ... The Rebels are 5-1 following a loss under Houston Nutt ... Ole Miss is off to its best start since 2003 ... Dexter McCluster is averaging 154.5 rushing yards over his last two games ... Jesse Grandy has two TD returns in his first four games on kickoff returns and averaging 30.1 ypr ... The Rebels are 6-2 in night games under Nutt ... The Nutt family is supporting the Oxford Boys & Girls Club by hosting 50 of the children and their parents as special guests for the game.
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 has never faced Northern Arizona as a head coach.
NAU HEAD COACH JEROME SOUERS: In his 12th year as head coach at Northern Arizona, Jerome Souers is the all-time winningest coach in school history and the dean of Big Sky Conference coaches. Under Souers, NAU made an NCAA I-AA Quarterfinal appearance in 2003, won the first Big Sky Conference title since 1978, recorded two playoff berths and posted seven winning seasons. The 1999 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year, Souers arrived in Flagstaff after spending 12 years at Montana and the last eight as defensive coordinator.
NORTHERN ARIZONA SCOUTING REPORT: The Lumber-jacks had their four-game win streak snapped after a 27-24 upset at Sacramento State. The NAU offense ranks eighth in the FCS (438.4 ypg) and led by the passing of junior QB and former Ole Miss Rebel Michael Herrick. He ranks third in the nation in passing at 309.6 ypg with 18 TDs and five interceptions. The WR duo of Ed Berry and Conrad Meadows are tied for the Big Sky Conference lead in receptions per game and boast 774 and 608 receiving yards, respectively. Senior RB Alex Henderson is adding 96.2 ypg on the ground, which is 15th-best in FCS. The NAU defense is surrendering 26.6 points and 389.2 ypg.
HERRICK RETURNS: This game will mark a return to Oxford for NAU quarterback Michael Herrick, who was a member of the Ole Miss football team during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Herrick did not see action as a Rebel but did receive the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award in spring 2007 and was named to the 2007 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. A PrepStar All-American at Valencia High School, Herrick concluded his prep career as the all-time leading passer in California history with over 11,000 yards and also holding state records for completions and attempts. In his second year with the Lumberjacks, Herrick is among the top-10 passers in the FCS, throwing for 309.6 yards per game.
REBEL NOTEBOOK
• Ole Miss is 45-11 versus non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994.
• The Rebels are 34-6 in their last 40 non-conference games in Oxford and have won seven straight.
• Ole Miss is off to its best start since 2003, when the team opened at 6-2 overall ... The Rebels were 4-4 at this point a year ago.
• Ole Miss has opened SEC play 2-3 for the second straight year.
• 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 three times this season, including two of the last three games with 501 vs. UAB and 553 vs. Arkansas ... The 553 yards against Arkansas marked the most by a Rebel offense since posting 567 against Wyoming in 2004.
• Ole Miss is averaging 34.4 points per outing over its last 12 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.
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 10th in the NCAA in that category this season, limiting the opposition to an 97.8 efficiency rating. The Rebels also rank 17th in the nation in pass defense, allowing only 174.2 yards per game. The Rebel defense has surrendered just five passing TDs, which is the third-least in the conference. 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 fourth in the SEC and 14th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 16.0 ppg this year.
• Dating back to last season, the Rebels are holding opponents to just 14.3 points over the last 12 games ... The Rebel defense has posted two shutouts in this span.
• Ole Miss has held the opposition under 300 yards of total offense four times this year, including three SEC games, and eight times under head coach Houston Nutt ... The Rebels limited Arkansas to 299 yards (45 rushing), Vanderbilt to 240 yards (69 passing) and South Carolina to 285 (65 rushing).
• Ole Miss is second in the SEC in third down defense, holding the opposition to just a 25.4-percent success rate ... Southeastern Louisiana was limited to 0-for-14 on third down, while Alabama was just 4-of-20.
• The Rebels have allowed only six points in the first quarter this year off field goals against Alabama and Auburn.
SACK MASTERS: Ole Miss has risen to the top of the SEC in sacks with 23 and a 2.9 per game average, which is tied for first in the league. The Rebels are averaging 3.2 per game over the last six games and posted four against Vanderbilt and three each vs. Arkansas and Auburn. Ole Miss notched a pair against Alabama and was also credited with seven QB pressures. Senior DE Greg Hardy leads the team with 5.0, and his 0.71 per game average is tied for third in the SEC.
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 fourth in red zone defense. In their 24 offensive trips inside the 20 yard line, the Rebels have scored 23 times, totaling 18 touchdowns and five field goals. Of the 18 TDs, 11 were passing and seven rushing. In 25 red zone opportunities for the opposition, the Rebels have surrendered just seven TDs, held the foe to a field goal 13 times and forced four turnovers.
CATCH 22: Senior Dexter McCluster has been nearly unstoppable the last two games and rewrote the Rebel record book against Arkansas. He is averaging 154.5 rushing yards and 231.5 all-purpose yards over the last two weeks. With a career-high 22 carries each outing, he recorded his first two 100-yard rushing games and totaled a career-high 186 at Auburn, which is the most by a Rebel since BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 226 yards against Missouri in 2007. McClusters' 79-yard TD run Saturday marked the longest rush of his career and the longest by an Ole Miss player since Deuce McAllister galloped 80 yards for a score against Oklahoma in the 1999 Independence Bowl. Against the Razorbacks, McCluster became the first Rebel in the modern era (records dating back to 1965) to top the 100-yard mark in both rushing and receiving. McCluster posted team highs of 123 rushing yards and a career-high 137 receiving yards off a career high-tying seven grabs. He finished with 260 all-purpose yards, which is the most by a Rebel since McCluster's own career-best 268-yard performance in his Ole Miss debut against Memphis in 2006. McCluster has jumped to first on the team in rushing (59.0 ypg) and second in receiving (27 rec, 352 yds) this season. Last year, McCluster joined Florida’s Percy Harvin as the only players to rank top 10 in the SEC in rushing yards, receiving yards, receptions and all-purpose yards.
GRAND GRANDY: It has taken freshman Jesse Grandy just a month to carve his name in the Ole Miss record book. In only his fourth game handling returns, Grandy notched his second kickoff return for a TD with an 82-yarder against Auburn. He is only the third Rebel to return two kickoffs for TDs in the same season and the first since John Avery in 1996. The other is Vernon Studdard in 1970. Grandy’s current 30.1-yard average ranks second in the SEC and 14th in the nation. The Ole Miss single-season record is 24.6 ypr established last year by Mike Wallace. Grandy returned the opening kickoff of the UAB game 88 yards for a touchdown. The team's previous opening kickoff return for a TD was by Deuce McAllister against Arkansas in Oxford in 1999.
SONIC YOUTH: The Rebels’ 2009 signing class is already making its mark on the Ole Miss program, particularly on special teams. In addition to Jesse Grandy’s exploits (see previous note), P Tyler Campbell is the No. 2 punter in the SEC and No. 14 in the NCAA with a 43.9-yard average. In addition, K Andrew Ritter is averaging 64.7 yards per kickoff with nine touchbacks. Offensively, WR Pat Patterson is tied for fourth on the team in receiving yards with 121 on nine catches, and he was among three true freshmen that scored touchdowns against Southeastern Louisiana, including 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.
DEBUTS: A total of 31 Rebels, including 11 true freshman 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).
RED HOT HODGE: Senior WR Shay Hodge is averaging 6.3 receptions and 93.7 receiving yards over the last three games. For the season, he ranks second in the SEC in receptions (4.8 rpg) and third in receiving yards (70.5 ypg). Hodge is coming off his second 100-yard receiving game of the year and third of his career with seven catches for 107 yards at Auburn. It marked his third game of the season with at least seven receptions. Hodge finished a yard short of the century mark against UAB, collecting seven catches for 99 yards and followed up with five grabs for 70 yards and a TD against Arkansas. He registered his first 100-yard receiving game 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 four scoring grabs this year lead the team and move him into second on the Ole Miss all-time TD receptions list with 18, six behind Chris Collins' Ole Miss record. He stands second in the SEC among active players in receptions, receiving yards and TD receptions.
SNEAD AMONG SEC TD LEADERS: With six TDs in his last three games, junior QB Jevan Snead ranks third in the SEC in scoring passes with 15. Against Arkansas, Snead notched the first 300-yard passing game of his career, completing 22-of-33 for 332 yards with two passing TDs, one rushing TD and two interceptions. He connected with eight different receivers in the game. The previous Saturday, Snead passed for 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 was a season-long. Snead has passed for multiple TD passes in 11 of the last 14 games and has topped 200 yards passing 11 times in his two seasons as a Rebel. Last year, Snead finished second in the SEC in TD passes (26) and third in passing average (212.5 ypg). He ranked third in the SEC (21st in the nation) in pass efficiency (145.5) and fourth in the league in total offense (217.1 ypg). He established Ole Miss season records for average yards per completion (15.0) and average yards per pass attempt (8.4) and ranks behind only Eli Manning on the Rebel single-season passing charts for efficiency (second), TDs (third) and yards (fourth).
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. Bolden totaled 80 all-purpose yards against Arkansas with 62 rushing yards on 14 attempts and two catches for 18 yards, and at Auburn, he matched his career best of four receptions for 46 yards, including a career-long 43-yarder. As a rusher, Bolden has led the team in rushing in three games this year and is second on the squad with an average of 54.8 ypg. He has topped 60 yards on the ground four times this year. He reached 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 15 catches and 184 yards. Bolden has also contributed in the return game with an average of 23.1 ypr in his seven kickoff returns.
MORE OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss' 94-yard drive to open the Auburn game was the team's longest of the year ... The previous long was an 87-yard TD drive against UAB.
• A total of 15 Rebels have scored TDs this season, led by the four each by Shay Hodge (all catches) and Dexter McCluster (two rushing, two receiving).
• Of his four receptions this season, senior FB Andy Hartmann has three TD catches, which is tied for second on the team ... He grabbed his third score of the year on a seven-yarder at Auburn.
• Junior WR Markeith Summers is first on the team in yards per catch with a 29.1 average and is tied for second in TD catches with three ... He hauled in a career-long 65-yard reception against UAB ... He collected two grabs for 60 yards at South Carolina.
• 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).
• 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.
LOCKETT & LOADED: Heralded as one of the best in the nation over the last two seasons, the Ole Miss defensive line has produced its fair share of award winners. Kentrell Lockett may have missed out on the accolades, but the junior DE has emerged this year as a leader on the defensive front. A native of Hahnville, La., Lockett boasts a team-high eight QB pressures and is tied for 10th in the SEC in sacks with 4.0. He has been credited with at least a half TFL in all but one game this year and has totaled 6.0.
MORE DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss is averaging 6.63 tackles for loss per game and notched a season-high 10 at Memphis ... The Rebels totaled eight TFLs against both Auburn and UAB and posted seven against Arkansas ... Ole Miss tied for the nation’s lead in TFLs in 2008 averaging 8.62 pg.
• Of senior DE Greg Hardy‘s 14 credited tackles this year, 6.5 are TFLs and 5.0 sacks — both team highs ... He posted a season-high two sacks at Auburn ... Hardy boasts 39.0 career TFLs and 26.5 sacks, including an SEC-best 10.0 in 2007 ... Last year, Hardy missed four full games and large portions of others but still posted a team-high 8.5 sacks, which ranked third in the SEC; His 0.94 sacks per game would have ranked seventh in the NCAA if he had played in 75 percent of the games.
• Junior S Johnny Brown tops the team and ranks 13th in the SEC in tackles at 7.0 per game ... Brown has posted three double-digit tackle performances, including 10 against both Auburn and 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.
• Senior LB Patrick Trahan has topped the team in tackles twice this season, most recently with seven total stops against Arkansas, including his fourth sack of the year ... Trahan was also the Rebels’ tackle leader against Alabama with a career-high 11, including a pair of sacks ... He is tied for 10th in the SEC in sacks.
• Senior S Kendrick Lewis leads the team in forced fumbles (2), is tied for the lead in pass break-ups (6) and ranks second in tackles (47) ... At Auburn, Lewis finished with seven total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one pass break-up.
• Junior LB Jonathan Cornell collected a career-high nine tackles along with a two QB pressures at Auburn.
MORE SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• Senior K Joshua Shene missed his first field goal of the year at Auburn from 44 yards, and is now 8-for-9 for the season ... He had been the only remaining SEC kicker that was perfect in field goals ... Shene had a PAT blocked against the Tiger for the second time this season ... The first extra point blocked occurred at Vanderbilt and snapped a streak of 88 straight PATs which stands as the second-longest in school history ... Last year, Shene led the SEC in FG pct. (17-of-21, 81.0 pct.) and PATs (52-of-52, 1.000 pct.).
• Freshman P Tyler Campbell is the No. 2 punter in the SEC and No. 14 in the NCAA with a 43.9-yard average ... Campbell has notched four punts of 50-plus yards, including a 71-yarder against Alabama, which is the longest by a Rebel since Cody Ridgeway's 75-yarder in the 2001 Georgia game.
• Freshman K Andrew Ritter is averaging 64.7 yards per kickoff with nine touchbacks in 44 attempts ... Ole Miss is fourth in the SEC in kickoff coverage with a net of 43.6-yard average per kick.
OLE MISS ON TV
• All eight of the Rebels’ games this season have been televised ... Two games each have been on ESPN and the SEC Network and one each on CBS, ESPNU, FSN and CSS.
• A total of 92 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’ 177th TV appearance since Ole Miss made its network TV debut in the 1953 Sugar Bowl versus Georgia Tech ... Ole Miss is 80-94-2 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.
