So, there are several big games taking place this weekend across the nation, but more importantly the SEC. None bigger than the #1 Gators taking a trip to Red stick to take on the #4 Tigers. It will be epic for sure. Not gonna go into any detail about the upcoming game, that is Mac's department. However, another storyline is the #20 Rebs hosting the #3 Tide. Bama has pretty much had the Rebels number for eternity. The last time Ole Miss beat Bama was in 2003 and I really hope we can pull the upset...although I am not that confident. The Rebs have looked mediocre at best this season, so as the title says, here's hoping the Rebs don't get killed.
SEC Home Opener: #16/20 Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1) vs. #3/3 ALABAMA (5-0, 2-0)
TIME: October 10, 2009, 2:30 p.m.
TIME: October 10, 2009, 2:30 p.m.
CTSITE (CAPACITY): Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field (60,580); Oxford, Miss.
TV: CBS (Craig Bolerjack, play-by-play; Steve Beuerlein, analyst).
SERIES INFO: This meeting will be the 57th all-time between Ole Miss and Alabama dating back to 1894. The Crimson Tide holds a 45-9-2 advantage in the series, including a 46-8-2 lead on-the-field. Ole Miss received a win by forfeit for Alabama’s 19-14 victory in 1993. Alabama has won 19 of the last 22 on-the-field meetings and five straight since Ole Miss’ 42-28 triumph in Oxford in 2003. The Tide has escaped each of the last three meetings by four points or less including last year’s 24-20 result in Tuscaloosa. The teams have split the last four encounters at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, although the Tide enjoys a 6-2 on-the-field edge in Oxford.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: After playing on the road in three of the season’s first four games, the Rebels open a three-game homestand ... Ole Miss is seeking to end a four-game skid in SEC home openers ... The Rebels face their first ranked opponent of the season ... The last four games in the Ole Miss-Alabama series have been decided in the final minute ... The Rebels are off to their best start since 2002 ... Ole Miss is averaging 39.0 points over its last eight games while holding the opposition to 11.3 points ... Jevan Snead has completed a TD pass in 13 straight games ... John Jerry is the reigning SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week.
ALABAMA SCOUTING REPORT: The balanced Crimson Tide attack ranks top-four in the SEC in total offense, rushing offense and passing offense. Sophomore RB Mark Ingram is averaging 97.4 yards per game with six TDs, while freshman RB Trent Richardson is adding 60.8 ypg with four scores. With three additional scoring catches, Ingram is the SEC leader in total TDs. Junior QB Greg McElroy is the sixth-most efficient passer in the NCAA, completing 65.6 percent of his passes and averaging 217.2 ypg with nine TDs and one interception. Alabama tops the conference in rushing defense and is second in total defense. Junior LB Rolando McClain boasts a team-high 35 tackles and is one of four players with at least four TFLs. Senior CB Javier Arenas boasts 26 stops and 3.0 sacks, in addition to leading the SEC in punt returns at 19.0 ypr.
OLE MISS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS• In No. 3 Alabama, Ole Miss encounters its first ranked opponent of the year. • Last year, Ole Miss faced five top-25 foes, all away from from Oxford ... The Rebels posted a 3-2 mark, defeating No. 4 Florida 31-30, No. 18 LSU 31-13 and No. 8 Texas Tech 47-34 (Cotton Bowl) and falling at No. 20 Wake Forest 30-28 and No. 2 Alabama 24-20.• Prior to last year’s Florida win, Ole Miss had dropped 15 straight games against ranked opposition ... The last victory over a top-25 foe had been a 31-28 road win at No. 25 South Carolina in 2004• With the 2008 win at No. 4 Florida, Ole Miss earned its first victory over a top-five foe since a 20-13 triumph over No. 3 Notre Dame in 1977 in Jackson ... The Rebels' previous road win over a top-five team had been a 15-7 triumph over LSU on Nov. 3, 1962, when Ole Miss was ranked No. 6 and LSU was No. 4. • Ole Miss is 56-128-2 all-time versus ranked teams.
REBEL NOTEBOOK• The last time the Rebels started the year 3-1 was 2002, when Ole Miss opened with a 5-1 mark.• The Rebels have split their first two SEC games for the second straight year ... A win against Alabama would give Ole Miss its best start to SEC play since opening the league schedule 6-0 in 2003.• Ole Miss is 40-33-1 (.563 winning pct.) in its SEC home openers (including games played in Memphis and Jackson) ... The Rebels’ last SEC home opening win was a 26-23 OT triumph over Vanderbilt in 2004.• For the first time this year, Ole Miss led in time of possession at Vanderbilt, 35:49 to 24:11.• 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.
REB ZONE: Ole Miss has been practically perfect in the red zone thus far this season. In their 14 trips inside the 20 yard line, the Rebels have totaled 12 touchdowns and two field goals. Of the 12 TDs, five were rushing and seven passing. Ole Miss is tied for the SEC lead in red zone production.
STINGY DEFENSE• Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC in scoring defense, allowing just 10.8 points per game this year.• Dating back to last season, the Rebels are holding opponents to just 11.3 points over the last eight games ... The Rebel defense has posted two shutouts in this span.• The Rebels are rated fourth in the SEC in total defense (274.0 ypg), fourth in rushing defense (114.2 ypg) and fifth in passing defense (159.8 ypg).• Ole Miss has held the opposition under 300 yards of total offense three times this year, including the both 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).
OFFENSIVE NOTES• Junior QB Jevan Snead has completed at least one TD pass in 13 consecutive games, which is three short of Eli Manning's school record ... Snead has passed for multiple TD passes in eight of the last nine games, including three against Vanderbilt Saturday ... Snead has topped 200 yards passing eight times in his two seasons as a Rebel, including at Vanderbilt with 237 ... Snead's 34 pass attempts at Vanderbilt marked a career high, while he rushed for a career-high 28 yards, including a career-long run of 24 yards.
• Senior WR Shay Hodge notched his second career 100-yard receiving game and first of the year at Vanderbilt with a career-high eight receptions for 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 ... Hodge is sixth in the SEC in both receptions (4.2 rpg) and receiving yards (67.2 ypg).
• Senior Dexter McCluster led the team in rushing against South Carolina for the first time this year with season highs of 15 carries for 85 yards ... He failed to collect a reception for the first time in five games ... 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).
• Sophomore RB Brandon Bolden has led the team in rushing in three of the four games this year, including at Vanderbilt with 89 yards on a career-high 16 carries ... He tied his career high for receptions with three, going for 22 yards and his second career receiving TD. ... Bolden ranks seventh in the SEC in rushing at 74.2 ypg ... He topped the 100-yard mark for the second time in his career with 105 yards on 13 carries against Southeastern Louisiana.
• Junior WR Markeith Summers topped the team in receiving at South Carolina with two grabs for 60 yards and a TD ... He is second on the team in TD receptions with a pair.
• Sophomore RB Enrique Davis leads the team in rushing TDs with two … Davis boasts five career touchdowns.
DEFENSIVE NOTES • Ole Miss is averaging 6.75 tackles for loss per game and notched a season-high 10.0 at Memphis ... The Rebels tied for the nation’s lead in TFLs in 2008 averaging 8.62 pg.
• The Ole Miss defense did not allow a pass completion to Vanderbilt in the first half ... The Commodores finished with just 69 passing yards.
• Five different Rebels have posted interceptions this year ... At Vanderbilt, sophomore CB Marcus Temple became the latest with his first career pick.
•Three of the Rebels’ top four tacklers at Vanderbilt were linebackers ... Senior LB Patrick Trahan led the team in stops with a career-high 11, including two TFLs, while junior LB Jonathan Cornell equaled his career-best of eight tackles. Junior LB Allen Walker added five stops.
• Junior DE Kentrell Lockett has been credited with at least one TFL in each game and leads the team with 4.5 ... Lockett also boasts team highs of 3.0 sacks and five QB pressures.• Senior CB Cassius Vaughn is the SEC leader in passes defended at 1.50 per game ... Vaughn has recorded five pass break-ups and his third career interception ... Vaughn has registered two picks in the last five games, dating back to last season.
• Junior S Johnny Brown tops the team and ranks 11th in the SEC in tackles at 7.2 per game ... He is also tied for fourth in the conference in passes defended at 1.25 per game (4 PB, 1 INT) ... In the season opener against Memphis, Brown made his first start since his freshman year and recorded his second career interception ... Brown also topped the team with a career-high 15 tackles.
•Junior DT Jerrell Powe registered a career-high six stops at Vanderbilt ... Powe, who moved into the starting lineup in the second game of the year, ranks second on the team with 4.0 TFLs ... He posted a career-high 2.0 in the season opener against Memphis.
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