Aug. 15, 2010
Vanderbilt at Ole Miss
Date: September 18, 2010 (11:20 a.m. CT)
Location: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (60,580) Oxford, Miss.
About Ole Miss
Coach: Houston Nutt (3rd year, 18-8)
Conference: Southeastern (West)
Colors: Cardinal red and Navy blue
2009 record: 9-4, 4-4 SEC
Postseason: Cotton Bowl (Defeated Oklahoma State, 21-7)
Highest ranking/Final ranking: 4/20
Returning starters: 11 (4 offense, 6 defense, 1 special teams)
Most impressive win of 2009: The Rebels did not quite live up to their gaudy preseason expectations, but they did knock off 10th-ranked LSU for the second consecutive season, 25-23, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Nov. 21. They were helped by some bizarre clock management by Les Miles’ squad at game’s end.
Worst loss: With a chance to finish second in the SEC West, Ole Miss was beaten by in-state rival Mississippi State at Davis-Wade Stadium, 41-27, on Nov. 28. It gave the Bulldogs a measure of revenge for a 45-0 thrashing in the “Egg Bowl” the year before. The Rebels would finish third behind second-place LSU and eventual SEC and national champion Alabama.
Last time Ole Miss played Vanderbilt: Ole Miss took an early lead and never looked back in a 23-7 victory at Vanderbilt Stadium last Oct. 3. It marked the first win for the Rebels in the series since 2006. Commodore receiver Udom Umoh caught his first career touchdown pass in the second half.
Vanderbilt-Ole Miss series: Ole Miss leads 47-35-2. Before last season, Vanderbilt had won three of the last four meetings between the teams, including a 23-17 victory when they last met in Oxford in 2008. The Commodores and the Rebels are permanent cross-division opponents and have a history of close meetings.
Notes: Other than Tennessee, no team has played Vanderbilt more than the Rebels … In their last four meetings, the Commodores have intercepted Ole Miss quarterbacks 10 times … Last year’s 16-point win by Ole Miss represented the most lopsided decision in the series since 1998 … Both teams are returning 11 starters this season, ranking among the fewest in the country … The Rebels have won back-to-back Cotton Bowls and have a .636 win percentage in bowl games (21-12), ranking them third all-time among programs that have played in at least 25 bowls.
