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Ole Miss Football Notes - The Idaho Game
WHAT TO WATCH FOR…
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This is the first meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Idaho ... The
only other team from the Gem State that the Rebels have faced was Idaho
State in 1996 (W, 38-14), but Boise State is on next year’s schedule.
•
This game will be the 86th Homecoming game at Ole Miss since 1924 ...
The Rebels are 68-15-2 (.812 winning pct.) all-time in Homecoming games
and have won 14 of their last 16, including last year’s 41-20 win over
Auburn.
• Ole Miss is 4-3 for the second straight year and looks to match last year’s 5-3 start.
•
This is the third of six straight contests at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
... Ole Miss has never before hosted six straight home games in its
previous 118 years of football.
• Ole Miss is receiving votes in the polls for the ninth straight week.
•
Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks 8th nationally in punt return average
(16.8), while the Rebels are 5th in the SEC and 29th nationally in net
punting (39.0).
• This game features the third and fifth-ranked punters in the nation in Idaho’s Rehkow and Ole Miss’ Campbell.
• Ole Miss has played 12 true freshmen this season, which is tied for eighth-most among Division I FBS teams.
• WR Laquon Treadwell has an Ole Miss freshman record with 39 catches this season.
• QB Bo Wallace ranks 4th in the SEC in total offense (278.9 ypg) and 5th in passing (255.7 ypg).
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 second straight 4-3 start, he
now owns an 11-9 mark in Oxford and a career record of 41-16. 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.
IDAHO HEAD COACH PAUL PETRINO
Paul
Petrino (Carroll College, 1989) is in his first year as a collegiate
head coach and has directed Idaho to a 1-6 record. A veteran offensive
guru, Petrino has coached some of the nation’s top offenses throughout
his career as an assistant coach. His stops have included Idaho
(1992-94), Utah State (1995-97), Louisville (1998-99), Southern Miss
(2000-02), Louisville again (2003-06), Atlanta Falcons (2007), Arkansas
(2008-09), Illinois (2010-11) and Arkansas again (2012). He served as
offensive coordinator at Louisville, Arkansas and Illinois. At several
of those stops he was on the staff with his brother, head coach Bobby
Petrino. Paul began his career at Carroll College, where he was an
assistant under his father, head coach Bob Petrino Sr. Paul was also a
successful four-year starter at QB for the NAIA school.
IDAHO SCOUTING REPORT
The
Idaho Vandals, who play as an independent FBS Division I team, are 1-6
this season. Their lone win was a 26-24 homecoming victory over Temple
on Sept. 28. Idaho did have a close 45-35 loss to current No. 22-ranked
Northern Illinois on Sept. 14. The Vandals boast a talented receiver in
Dezmon Epps, who has 46 catches for 493 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Running back James Baker has rushed for 348 yards and five scores.
Quarterback Chad Chalich has completed 113 of 184 passes for 1,224
yards with five TDs and three picks. Chalich adds 212 yards on the
ground. Punter Austin Rehkow ranks third nationally with 47.0 yards per
punt. As a team, Idaho has been outscored 302-115 this year.
IDAHO REBELS
The Ole Miss roster does not include any players from the state of Idaho.
REBEL-VANDAL CONNECTIONS
•
Ole Miss senior OL Pierce Burton and Idaho WR Dezmon Epps, LB Juan
Martinez and WR Roman Runner were teammates on City College of San
Francisco’s 2011 national junior college championship squad (12-0
record).
• Ole Miss running backs coach Derrick Nix and Idaho head
coach Paul Petrino worked together on the Atlanta Falcons coaching
staff in 2007 ... Petrino also coached at Southern Miss during Nix’s
playing career with the Golden Eagles.
• Ole Miss defensive
coordinator Dave Wommack and Idaho head coach Paul Petrino worked
together on the Southern Miss coaching staff in 2000.
SCHOOL-RECORD HOMESTAND
•
Saturday’s game is the third of six straight at Vaught-Hemingway
Stadium ... Ole Miss has never before hosted six straight home games in
its previous 118 years of football.
• Including
the regular-season finale in Starkville, Ole Miss will not leave the
state of Mississippi again this year.
• Ole Miss opened the season with four of its first five games on the road, going 2-2 in those contests.
STRONG OPPONENTS
Ole Miss has played against a challenging slate of opponents this season, especially in recent weeks.
• Ole Miss has played the No. 1 toughest schedule in the country according to Jeff Sagarin’s ratings.
• The win over No. 6 LSU capped a four-game stretch that featured three top-10 opponents.
•
The Rebels’ three losses this season have come to teams currently
ranked No. 1 (Alabama), No. 11 (Auburn) and No. 14 (Texas A&M).
•
Every team Ole Miss has played, except Southeast Missouri, has been
ranked top 25 or receiving votes in the national polls at some point
this season.
• The combined win-loss record for the Rebels’ first seven opponents is 33-16 (32-10 not counting SEMO).
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.com ticket site
or calling 888-REB-TKTS.
VAUGHT-HEMINGWAY ATTENDANCE SOARING
• Each of the first three Ole Miss home games this year were sold out.
• The 61,160 fans at the LSU game were the ninth-most ever to attend a game at Vaught-Hemingway.
•
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium has never had 60,800+ attendances in four
straight games (first three this year have surpassed that mark).
REBELS IN THE POLLS
• Ole Miss has received votes in one or both of the national polls every week this season.
•
The Rebels were ranked for four straight weeks before dropping out
after the Auburn loss ... That was the longest streak of being
nationally ranked since they were ranked six straight weeks to start
the 2009 season.
DROPPING LIKE FLIES
Like several other
teams around college football, Ole Miss has seen the injury bug hit
hard this year. Three Rebel starters have been deemed out for the year
- OL Aaron Morris (ACL), DE C.J. Johnson (ankle) and TE Evan Engram
(ankle). In addition, the Rebels have a laundry list of key players who
missed the LSU game and could miss more action. Among those are LB
Serderius Bryant (concussion), CB Mike Hilton (hamstring), DL Robert
Nkemdiche (hamstring), RB Jeff Scott (thigh bruise) and DE Carlos
Thompson (neck/shoulder strain). Several others are banged up but were
able to play against the Tigers.
IMPACT FRESHMEN
• Ole Miss has played 12 true freshmen this season, which is tied for eighth-most among Division I FBS teams.
•
Six true freshmen have started at least one game so far (DB Tony
Conner, TE Evan Engram, DE/DT Robert Nkemdiche, WR Laquon Treadwell, OT
Laremy Tunsil, DB Derrick Jones).
• Treadwell leads all SEC freshmen and ranks second among freshmen nationally with 5.6 catches/game.
• Treadwell’s 39 receptions have surpassed Donte Moncrief’s previous Ole Miss freshman record of 31 in 2011.
• Treadwell is first among SEC frosh with 52.9 receiving yards per game.
• Engram leads all SEC frosh with three touchdown catches.
• Conner is second among SEC frosh with 37 total tackles.
•
Treadwell, who has started all seven 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.
• Conner snagged an interception on
his very first career defensive snap at Vanderbilt and has started the
next six games at huskie. He is fourth on the team with 37 tackles.
TOP FRESHMAN RECEIVING MARKS IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Through
seven games, Laquon Treadwell and Evan Engram are both posting some of
the best receiving numbers by a freshman in Ole Miss history.
Unfortunately, Engram will not be able to add to his totals after
undergoing season-ending surgery on his ankle.
Name,
Year
Catches
Yards TDs
Laquon
Treadwell, 2013
39
370
2
Donte Moncrief, 2011
31
454
4
Mike Espy,
2002
30
465
3
Bill Flowers,
2001
28
315
4
Nick Brassell,
2011
24
336
2
Grant Heard,
1996
21
291
2
Evan Engram, 2013
20
265
3
*School freshman record in bold
REBELS AMONG BEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Several current Rebels are moving up the career statistical charts and rank among the best in school history:
•
Jeff Scott ranks 4th in school history in career all-purpose yards
(3,574), T-4th in 100-yard rushing games (9), 6th in rushing yards
(2,238), 9th in rushing touchdowns (17) and T-10th in total touchdowns
(20) ... He needs 85 rushing yards to pass Dou Innocent for 5th place
all-time and 108 all-purpose yards to pass Brandon Bolden for 3rd place.
•
Bo Wallace ranks 7th in school history in passing yards (4,784), T-4th
in career passing TDs (31) and 7th in total offense yards (5,336) ...
He needs 188 passing yards to pass Mark Young for 6th place and 241
total offense yards to pass both Jevan Snead and Archie Manning to move
into 5th place.
• Donte Moncrief ranks 7th in school history
in career receiving yards (1,898), 3rd in receiving TDs (18) and T-2nd
in 100-yard receiving games (6) ... He needs 13 yards to pass Mike
Wallace and jump into 6th place all-time.
OLE MISS PUNT UNITS EXCELLING
The Rebels have been strong in all facets of the punt game this year.
• Ole Miss ranks 5th in the SEC and 29th nationally in net punting (39.0).
• Senior P Tyler Campbell is 3rd in the SEC and 5th nationally with 45.6 yards per punt.
• The Rebels lead the SEC and rank 8th nationally with a 16.8-yard punt return average.
• Senior RB/PR Jeff Scott would lead the SEC in punt return average (19.6) if he had enough attempts.
• Ole Miss opponents have returned 10 punts for only a 5.8-yard average.
BIG-PLAY CODY
Junior free safety Cody Prewitt has been making big plays all season long for the Rebels.
• Leads SEC with four interceptions this year.
• Ranks 2nd in SEC and T-6th nationally with 0.57 interceptions per game.
• Ranks T-3rd in SEC and T-29th nationally with 1.29 passes defended per game.
• Ranks T-2nd in SEC with 0.29 fumbles forced per game.
• His interception late in the Vanderbilt game sealed an SEC road victory for the Rebels.
• Ranks 2nd on the team with 42 total tackles.
BRYANT AMONG NATION’S TOP TACKLERS
After
piling up huge tackle numbers game after game, junior LB Serderius
Bryant was added to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List by the Maxwell
Football Club on Oct. 9. Despite missing the LSU game after sustaining
a concussion against Texas A&M, Bryant leads Ole Miss with 55
tackles in only five games played. He tops all SEC players with 11.0
tackles per game, while he ranks fourth in the SEC with 1.2 tackles for
loss per outing. He would rank eighth in the nation in total tackles if
he met the games played requirement. The Sanford, Fla., native has led
the Rebels in tackles in four of his five games, including a 15-tackle
effort against Southeast Missouri that rates as tied for the
second-most in a game by an SEC player this year. He is one of nine
players that were added to the watch list for the 19th Chuck Bednarik
Award, which is awarded annually to the college defensive player of the
year.
GREAT SCOTT
Senior RB Jeff Scott made a huge
impact in the backfield and on special teams through the first six
games before missing the LSU contest with a thigh bruise.
• Scott currently ranks ninth in the SEC in rushing (72.3 ypg) and 15th in all-purpose yards (101.3 ypg).
• Among SEC players with at least 50 rushing attempts, his 8.2 yards-per-carry is the best.
• If he had enough punt returns to qualify, he would lead the league with his 19.6-yard return average.
•
Scott ripped 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.
• 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 2nd-longest and his 164 rush yards (at Texas)
are the 7th-most by an SEC player this season.
SHACKELFORD HONORED FOR GOOD WORKS
Senior
LB/DE D.T. Shackelford has been named to the 2013 SEC Football
Community Service Team. His service includes being a group leader for a
2013 spring break mission trip to Panama, spending his 2011 summer as a
pre-college program counselor for Ole Miss’ Division of Outreach and
Continuing Education, and volunteering with Relay for Life, Reading
with the Rebels, the Oxford Food Pantry and a dunking booth that raised
funds for cancer patients. A native of Decatur, Ala., he was a 2010 and
2013 nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy, which honors exemplary community
service with outstanding academic and athletic achievement, as well as
a 2013 nominee for the 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).
• One Rebel made his first career start at Alabama (Offense) Jaylen Walton (RB).
• One Rebel made his first career start vs. Texas A&M (Defense) Derrick Jones (CB).
DEBUTS
Twenty-three
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), Derrick Jones (DB), David Kamara (DB), Kailo
Moore (RB), Robert Nkemdiche (DE), Jimmy Potepa (RB), John Ratliff
(WR), 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 a 4-3 record for the second straight year and is looking to match last year’s 5-3 start.
•
The Idaho game will be the Rebels’ seventh night game (6 p.m. or later
kickoff) out of the first eight outings of the year ... The only day
game this year has been the Alabama game, which was a 5:30 p.m. kickoff.
• The Rebels are unbeaten (4-0) when they score first and winless (0-3) when the opponent scores first.
•
Ole Miss has not lost this year when it has a 100-yard rusher (4-0),
while losing every time they didn’t (0-3) ... Also, the Rebels are 4-0
when their opponent does not have a 100-yard rusher and 0-3 when they
do.
• Ole Miss is 6-2 under head coach Hugh Freeze when leading at the half, including a 2-0 mark this year.
• Ole Miss had never faced Southeast Missouri, Idaho or Troy before this season.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
•
Ole Miss ranks 9th in the SEC (46th in the nation) in total offense
(446.6 ypg) and 5th in the SEC (36th nationally) in passing offense
(271.0 ypg).
• Junior QB Bo Wallace ranks 5th in the league
(29th nationally) in passing (255.7 ypg) and 4th in the SEC (26th
nationally) in total offense (278.9 ypg).
• Wallace, who threw 17 interceptions last year, has only been picked off three times through seven games this season.
• Senior RB Jeff Scott ranks 9th in the SEC (72nd nationally) in rushing (72.3 ypg).
•
Scott’s 8.2 yards per carry is best among SEC players with 50+ attempts
... The school record is 7.4 by Charlie Flowers in 1957.
•
Freshman WR Laquon Treadwell ranks 4th in the SEC and T-46th
nationally with 5.6 catches per outing, which tops all SEC freshmen and
ranks second among freshmen nationally.
• Junior WR Donte Moncrief ranks 7th in the league in receiving (66.4 ypg) and T-6th in receiving TDs (4).
•
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 ... On the passing front,
Brunetti has thrown three touchdowns in his last six passing attempts
(vs. Texas A&M and LSU).
• Sophomore RB Jaylen Walton
filled in for the injured Jeff Scott against LSU and set career highs
with 105 rushing yards, two rushing TDs and 184 all-purpose yards ...
Walton is second on the team this year with 234 rushing yards and tied
for second with four total touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving).
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss ranks 8th in the SEC (49th nationally) in pass defense (221.1 ypg).
• The Rebels’ eight interceptions are T-5th most in the SEC and T-37th nationally.
•
Junior LB Serderius Bryant leads all SEC players with 11.0
tackles/game, which would rank 8th nationally (if he had played enough
games) ... He is 4th in the SEC with 1.2 TFLs/game ... His career-high
15 tackles vs. SEMO are tied for the 2nd-most in a game by an SEC
player this year.
• Junior FS Cody Prewitt leads all SEC
players with four interceptions ... He is 2nd in the SEC (T-6th
nationally) with 0.57 interceptions/game and T-3rd in the SEC (T-29th
nationally) with 1.29 passes defended/game.
• Prewitt, senior LB Mike Marry and sophomore DE Channing Ward are T-2nd in the SEC with 0.29 forced fumbles per game.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
•
Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks 8th nationally in punt return average
(16.8), while the Rebels are 5th in the SEC and 29th nationally in net
punting (39.0).
• Senior RB Jeff Scott would lead the SEC in punt return average (19.6) 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 3rd in the SEC and 5th nationally in punting (45.6 ypp).
•
Senior K Andrew Ritter has made field goals of 41, 42, 42, 44 and 52
yards among his nine made field goals this year ... He hit the
game-winning 41-yard FG with 2 seconds left to beat No. 6 LSU ... He
has also recorded 23 touchbacks on 41 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.
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