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Ole Miss Football Notes - The Auburn Game
WHAT TO WATCH FOR…
• The Rebels are 3-1 for the second straight year and are looking to start 4-1 for the first time since 2002.
• Ole Miss is nationally ranked for the fourth straight week, its longest stint since six straight weeks in 2009.
•
This is the 38th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Auburn dating
back to 1928 ... The Tigers lead the all-time series 27-10 overall and
13-2 in Auburn, but the Rebels won last year’s meeting 41-20 in Oxford
... Ole Miss’ last win on the Plains was in 2003.
• This will be Ole Miss’ third straight road game and fourth out of the first five contests of the season.
• Ole Miss is 2-1 so far away from Oxford and won its first two road games of the year for the first time since 1999.
• Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn served as Arkansas State’s head coach in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
• Before this year, the last time Ole Miss played back-to-back games in the state of Alabama was 1932.
• The Rebel defense has racked up 16 tackles for loss in the last two games.
•
Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks 5th nationally in punt return average
(23.2), while the Rebels also are 2nd in the SEC and 10th nationally in
net punting (42.2).
• Ole Miss has played 12 true freshmen this season, which is tied for eighth-most among Division I FBS teams.
• Thirteen current Rebels have already graduated, tied for the most of any Division I FBS team.
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 3-1 start, he
now boasts a 10-7 mark in Oxford and a career record of 40-14. 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.
AUBURN HEAD COACH GUS MALZAHN
Gus
Malzahn (Henderson State, 1990) is in his first season as the Auburn
head coach, leading the Tigers to a 3-1 start after Auburn had a 3-9
record last season. Malzahn was the head coach at Arkansas State last
year in his first Division I head coaching stop and directed the Red
Wolves to a 9-3 mark and a Sun Belt Conference title. Malzahn was the
Broyles Award winner (nation’s top assistant coach) when he was
offensive coordinator for Auburn’s national championship team in 2010.
He has also served as offensive coordinator at Tulsa and Arkansas since
joining the college ranks after a decorated high school coaching career
in Arkansas.
AUBURN SCOUTING REPORT
After winning just
three games all of last season, Auburn is off to a 3-1 start this year.
The Tigers’ only loss was in their last game at top-10 ranked LSU. Led
by first-year head coach Gus Malzahn, Auburn is vastly improved on
offense, including a rushing attack that ranks third in the SEC with
232.2 yard per outing. RB Tre Mason leads the ground game with 84.5 ypg
(10th in SEC) and four touchdowns. Corey Grant adds 59.8 rushing ypg
(15th in SEC). First-year QB Nick Marshall, a former cornerback at
Georgia, is 60-of-103 for 809 yards, with four TDs and four
interceptions. He also has rushed for 148 yards.
ALABAMA REBELS
The
Ole Miss roster features 13 players from the neighboring state of
Alabama: WR/DB Cody Core (Auburn), CB Carlos Davis (Birmingham), LB
Luke Davis (Trussville), S Trae Elston (Oxford), OL Austin Golson
(Prattville), OL Chase Hughes (Springville), OL Patrick Junen
(Huntsville), WR Collins Moore (Madison), K Andy Pappanastos
(Montgomery), DE/LB D.T. Shackelford (Decatur), LB John-Patrick
Sherling (Fairhope), LB Ray Ray Smith (Florence), DE John Youngblood
(Trussville).
REBEL-TIGER CONNECTIONS
• Ole Miss DB/WR Cody Core returns to his hometown this week where he played at Auburn HS.
•
Ole Miss DE John Youngblood and LB Luke Davis were teammates with
Alabama FB Patrick Young at Hewitt-Trussville HS in Trussville, Ala.
•
Auburn OL Deon Mix was high school teammates with Ole Miss’ Tony
Conner, Issac Gross, Nicholasx Parker and Temario Strong at South
Panola HS in Batesville, Miss.
• Ole Miss TE Jack Nuismer and Auburn TE Wirth Campbell were teammates at Ensworth HS in Nashville, Tenn.
•
Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze and Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn were
successive Sun Belt Champion head coaches at Arkansas State in 2011 and
2012, respectively.
• Ole Miss co-offensive coordinator/QBs coach
Dan Werner was an offensive consultant for then-Auburn head coach Tommy
Tuberville in 1999.
REBELS IN THE POLLS
•
Ole Miss is ranked for the fourth straight week, coming in at No. 24 in
the AP poll ... The Rebels are receiving the 26th-most votes in the USA
Today Coaches’ poll.
• This is the most
consecutive weeks of being nationally ranked since the Rebels were
ranked six straight weeks to start the 2009 season.
ROAD WARRIORS
•
Saturday is the Rebels’ fourth road game out of the first five contests
of the season ... The Rebels are 2-1 through the first three road
outings.
• Ole Miss won its first two road games
of the year (Vanderbilt, Texas) for the first time since 1999, when the
Rebels won at Memphis (3-0) and Auburn (24-17).
•
Before this year, the last time Ole Miss played back-to-back games in
the state of Alabama was 1932 (vs. Alabama in Tuscaloosa, vs. Auburn in
Montgomery).
GREAT SCOTT
Senior RB Jeff Scott has made a huge impact in the backfield and on special teams through the first four games.
• Scott currently ranks ninth in the SEC in rushing (89.5 ypg) and sixth in all-purpose yards (124.8 ypg).
• Among the league’s top 15 rushers, his 8.3 yards-per-carry ranks third.
• If he had enough punt returns to qualify, he would lead the league with his 23.2-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 the longest and his 164 rush yards are the
6th-most by an SEC player this season.
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.
IMPACT FRESHMEN
• Ole Miss has played 12 true freshmen this season, which is tied for eighth-most among Division I FBS teams.
•
Five 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).
• In the SEC stats, Treadwell leads all freshmen with 5.0 catches/game (T-7th overall).
• Treadwell is second and Engram third among SEC frosh with 51.3 and 47.3 receiving ypg, respectively.
• Conner is second among SEC frosh with 21 total tackles.
• Nkemdiche is T-2nd among SEC frosh with 4.0 TFLs.
•
Treadwell, who has started all four 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 then started the
next three games at huskie. He is third on the team with 21 tackles.
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
(3,465), T-4th in 100-yard rushing games (9), 6th in rushing yards
(2,162), 9th in rushing touchdowns (17) and T-10th in total touchdowns
(20) ... At Alabama, he passed BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Leon Perry on
the career rushing chart.
• Bo Wallace ranks 8th in school
history in passing yards (3,801) and T-7th in career passing TDs (26)
... At Alabama, he passed Russ Shows and Josh Nelson in passing yardage
and is now immediately below Archie Manning (4,753) on the all-time
Rebel list.
• Donte Moncrief ranks 12th in school history in
career receiving yards (1,666), T-3rd in receiving TDs (16) and T-4th
in 100-yard receiving games (4).
SHACK IS BACK
Senior
DE/LB D.T. Shackelford, who missed all of the 2011 and 2012 seasons
with knee injuries, made his return to the field in Nashville and has
played in each game this season at both defensive end and linebacker. A
vocal team leader, Shackelford is on watch lists for the Butkus Award
and Lott IMPACT Trophy and has also been honored for his work in the
community, including being the Ole Miss nominee for the 2013 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).
DEBUTS
Twenty-two
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), 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 3-1 record for the second straight year and is looking to start 4-1 for the first time since 2002.
•
Ole Miss’ loss at Alabama snapped a five-game win streak, which was the
team’s longest since stringing together eight straight between the 2008
and 2009 campaigns.
• The Rebels’ 20 penalties are
third-fewest among SEC teams, and the Rebels rank fifth in the league
with just 41.8 penalty yards per outing.
• Ole Miss is 5-2 under head coach Hugh Freeze when leading at the half.
• Four of the Rebels’ first five games are on the road, while six of the last seven are at home.
• Ole Miss will not leave the state of Mississippi again after the Auburn game.
• Ole Miss has never faced Southeast Missouri, Idaho or Troy before this season.
•
The Rebels entered this season with 19 of 22 starters returning a
combined 400 career starts (187 offense, 178 defense, 35
punter/kicker), which is third-most in Division I FBS behind Georgia
Tech (426) and Texas (406).
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole
Miss ranks 8th in the SEC (57th in the nation) in total offense (418.8
ypg) and 10th in the SEC (48th nationally) in rushing offense (199.0
ypg).
• The Rebels rank 6th in the SEC (47th in the country) in third-down conversion percentage (45.5).
•
Senior RB Jeff Scott ranks 9th in the SEC (40th nationally) in rushing
(89.5 ypg) and 6th in the league in all-purpose yards (124.8 ypg).
•
Junior QB Bo Wallace ranks 8th in the league in passing (201.8 ypg),
7th in total offense (233.0 ypg) and 8th in points responsible for
(11.0/game).
• Wallace, who threw 17 interceptions last year, has not been picked off through four games this season.
•
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.
• Freshman WR Laquon
Treadwell set an Ole Miss freshman record with nine catches for 82
yards in his debut at Vanderbilt ... He is T-7th in the SEC with 5.0
catches per outing, which tops all freshmen.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
•
Ole Miss ranks 6th in the SEC (42nd nationally) in total defense (358.0
ypg) and 5th in the SEC (45th nationally) in pass defense (208.8 ypg).
• The Rebels have racked up 16 TFLs in the last two games (9 at Texas, 7 at Alabama).
•
Junior LB Serderius Bryant leads all SEC players with 11.7
tackles/game, which ranks seventh nationally ... He is 4th in the SEC
with 1.33 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 is tied for the SEC lead with 0.75
interceptions/game and 1.75 passes defended/game ... He ranks fifth
nationally in interceptions and seventh in passes defended.
• Sophomore DB Mike Hilton is T-5th in the SEC with 1.25 TFLs/game.
•
Sophomore DE Channing Ward has forced two fumbles this year, which is
tied for the most by an SEC player and T-10th nationally.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
•
Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks 5th nationally in punt return average
(23.2), while the Rebels are 2nd in the SEC and 10th nationally in net
punting (42.2).
• Senior RB Jeff Scott would lead the SEC in punt return average (23.2) 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 3rd nationally in punting (47.5 ypp).
• Senior K Andrew Ritter has recorded 15 touchbacks on 22 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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