Again this season, former Ole Miss players have owned the NFL playoffs. For the second straight year, a Rebel starred on all four teams in the championship round, meaning an Ole Miss alum is guaranteed another Super Bowl ring. Last year, Eli Manning was the Rebel hero of the postseason, and this year, it may be Patrick Willis, as he piled up 12 tackles Sunday in leading the 49ers past the Falcons. Come Super Sunday, he will be lined up across from our own Michael Oher, whose Ravens eliminated the Patriots. Here are a few notes about our Super Bowl Rebels.
- Ole Miss is one of only four schools in the nation with position starters on both teams (also Maryland, Miami [Fla.] and Rutgers). If you include special teams (add Arizona State and Texas to list), Ole Miss is one of six schools with starters on both teams. - Ole Miss is one of 15 schools with players on both active rosters. If you include injured reserve and practice squad, Ole Miss is one of 22 schools with players on both teams. - Of the 15 schools with players on both active rosters, Ole Miss is one of only seven that is guaranteed a second straight Super Bowl ring (nine if you include the Giants' injured reserve and practice squad last year). - This will mark the third straight Super Bowl and 19th overall to feature at least one Rebel (Ole Miss Super Bowl history). - Willis and Oher will be the 21st and 22nd different Rebels to play in the Super Bowl. - This will mark the 26th and 27th all-time appearances by Rebels in the Super Bowl. - A Rebel will be a Super Bowl Champion for the 15th time in history.
As the statistician for Ole Miss Football in 2012, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this season.
Part of my job is to pore through the Ole Miss record books, SEC and NCAA stats and make a note of trends and categories in which the current Rebels rank highly. I then develop nuggets of information to disseminate to TV, print, radio and internet media outlets.
Let's just say Hugh Freeze and company kept me busy this year.
Starting with a creative playbook generated by the offensive minds of Freeze and his coaching staff, and put into action via the superb athletic abilities of Bo Wallace, Donte Moncrief and others, the 2012 Rebels made a significant dent in those record books.
Wallace, for example, finished fifth in the SEC in total offense (260.3 ypg) and fourth in points responsible for (14.31 ppg). His season totals landed him into rarified air among the all-time Ole Miss greats. He joined Eli Manning as the only Rebels to ever reach 3,000 total yards of offense (Wallace's total of 3,384 is second behind Manning's 2003 total of 3,572). He's behind only Eli in passing yards, attempts and completions in a season. And Wallace's eight rushing touchdowns? The most by a Rebel QB since another Manning, named Archie.
That's just scratching the surface of what this year's Rebels accomplished. For a team coming off two straight losing seasons and being led by a first-year head coach and first-year QB, the significance of the stats is even more impressive.
So for those of you that enjoy this sort of thing, here are some of Ole Miss' achievements this year, by the numbers.
While the excitement of a bowl victory is still fresh on the minds of Rebel Nation, a lot of attention is already turning to what could be an even better 2013. The Rebels should lose only three total starters on offense and defense, as charted below (Note that we determine starters by who started the most games at that position). Recruiting is also a huge factor in the anticipation, as Ole Miss is currently rated around 20th in the major rankings (247Sports 18th, Rivals 20th, Scout 21st, ESPN 21st) with potential to soar much, much higher. At least one of the way too early 2013 rankings has the Rebels at No. 25. Not bad for a team that won two games in 2011.
OFFENSE WR: Donte Moncrief LT: Emmanuel McCray LG: Aaron Morris C: Evan Swindall RG: A.J. Hawkins RT: Pierce Burton TE: Ferbia Allen WR: Vince Sanders QB: Bo Wallace RB: Jeff Scott RB: Randall Mackey
DEFENSE DE: C.J. Johnson NT: Issac Gross DT: Bryon Bennett DE: Cameron Whigham MLB: Mike Marry OLB: Denzel Nkemdiche Nickel: Dehendret Collins CB: Charles Sawyer Rover: Trae Elston FS: Cody Prewitt CB: Senquez Golson
Of the 23 Ole Miss players in the NFL, 10 are members of playoff bound teams. Last year, a Rebel was on each of the four teams in the championship round, and the Super Bowl featured Eli Manning against BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Here is the slate for our NFL Rebs this year. Wild Card Round Saturday, January 5 AFC - Bengals (BenJarvus Green-Ellis) at Texans, 3:30 pm, NBC NFC - Vikings (Jamarca Sanford) at Packers, 7 pm, NBC Sunday, January 6 AFC - Colts (Marshay Green, Bradley Sowell, Cassius Vaughn) at Ravens (Michael Oher), noon, CBS NFC - Seahawks (Rishaw Johnson) at Redskins, 3:30 pm, FOX Divisional Round Saturday, January 12 AFC - Lowest Seeded Wild-Card Winner at Broncos, 3:30 pm, CBS NFC - Highest Seeded Wild-Card Winner at 49ers (Patrick Willis), 7 pm, FOX Sunday, January 13 NFC - Lowest Seeded Wild-Card Winner at Falcons (Peria Jerry), noon, FOX AFC - Highest Seeded Wild-Card Winner at Patriots (Brandon Bolden), 3:30 pm, CBS
Championship Round Sunday, January 20 NFC - 2 pm, FOX AFC - 5:30 pm, CBS
Super Bowl Sunday, February 3 5:30 pm, CBS (New Orleans) AFC - 5:30 pm, CBS
Rich Wingo, who was a part of one of the most famous plays in college football history as a linebacker at the University of Alabama, will be the keynote speaker at the fourth annual BBVA Compass Bowl Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Breakfast presented by Northwestern Mutual of Alabama.
The FCA Breakfast will be held at the Sheraton Birmingham Ballroom on Wednesday, Jan. 2, from 7:30-9 a.m. CT. Individual tickets are available for $25, while tables seating 10 are available for $250. Tickets can be reserved by phone at 205-298-9400 or by email at adebellis@fca.org.
Check out Bowl Central for more events of bowl week in Birmingham.
Our former players continue to excel in the NFL, and this week provided another reminder. 49ers stud Patrick Willis was named to the Pro Bowl once again,
becoming the first player in that franchise's rich history to go Pro
Bowling in each of his first six seasons. Willis' selection makes a
Rebel to be chosen for 15 of the last 17 Pro Bowls, including three
representatives for the 1999 and 2012 all-star games.
While
leading a defensive unit that led the NFL for much of the season, Willis
also picked up conference player of the week honors in week 4 of the
campaign. He is one of three Rebels garner the weekly accolade this year,
joining Cassius Vaughn in week 13 (defense) and Micheal Spurlock in week
16 (special teams). Here are highlights of their award-winning
performances.
The December signing period started today, and the Rebels already received paperwork from three talented football players - JUCO transfer Quadarias Mireles and graduating high school seniors Mark Dodson and Christian Morgan. Here are some clips of the newest Rebels that are floating around youtube.
Quadarias Mireles, ATH, Delray Beach, Fla. (Atlantic/Hinds CC) - Q is #3 in the highlights
Mark Dodson, RB, Memphis, Tenn. (Whitehaven)
Christian Morgan, TE, Plano, Texas (Prestonwood Christian Academy)
Ballots for the 2013 NFL Pro Bowl are available for voting at NFL.com, and there are lots of former Ole Miss players up for the prestigious honor this year.
The following former Rebel greats are up for the Pro Bowl, so make sure to cast your vote today!
QB - Eli Manning (New York Giants)
RB - BenJarvus Green-Ellis (Cincinnati Bengals)
WR - Dexter McCluster (Kansas City Chiefs) & Mike Wallace (Pittsburgh Steelers)
OT - Michael Oher (Baltimore Ravens) & Bobby Massie (Arizona Cardinals)
OG - John Jerry (Miami Dolphins)
DE - Greg Hardy (Carolina Panthers)
DT - Peria Jerry (Atlanta Falcons)
ILB - Patrick Willis (San Francisco 49ers)
CB - Cassius Vaughn (Indianapolis Colts)
FS - Kendrick Lewis (Kansas City Chiefs)
Since the bowl destination was determined on Sunday, athletics department staff have been working hard on preparations for the Rebels' trip to the seventh annual BBVA Compass Bowl on Jan. 5. We're just five days out from the announcement, and ticket sales are already around 16K. Visit the athletics ticket site if you have not ordered yours. I'm not sure if Birmingham has ever seen the party that Rebel Nation will be bringing to town.
Because I've been asked, here are a few items of interest on bowl week: - The team will report to Birmingham on January 1. - The official team hotel is the Sheraton Birmingham. Unfortunately there are no rooms left for bowl week. - The team will practice at Birmingham Southern. - The BBVA Compass Street Fest will be Friday, January 4 from 2 to 8 p.m. at Five Points South with a team pep rally from 5 to 6 p.m. Visit Bowl Central for a complete list of events for bowl week. - Ole Miss will be the home team for the game. - The official fan color for the game is red. Dress appropriately.
If you are among the unfortunate few that cannot make the trip, olemisssports.com will have daily reports, including video and photos, from the Magic City on all of the happenings of bowl week. Visit Bowl Central to make your plans, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Gray pants with red and blue stripes on the legs have served Ole Miss football my entire life time. The blue on blue, red on red and white on white are hideous and UGLY! Leave the pants alone.
Tiger fan here (LSU) b we now have 3 in the SEC. You guys looked great last year. You looked coached, and the players were up for every game. Good to see you back in the hunt.
GREAT JOB THIS YEAR GUYS - WISHING THE REBELS THE VERY BEST IN THE COMPASS BOWL - LETS PICK A FIGHT WITH PITT AND SHOW THEM WHAT OUR REBELS ARE ALL ABOUT. HOTTY-TODDY - GO REBELS. BE BLESSED AND GOOD LUCK!
Very awesome to hear Dori!! I am a very fortunate to be able to caddie in Portland's Safeway Classic every year and this year had caddied for a good friend of yours (Lacey) and met you. I see great things in your future Dori. Keep up the good work
