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Things You Should Know About Ole Miss 10/6/2006 Vanderbilt looks to run its overall winning streak to three and earn its first Southeastern Conference victory of the year when it travels to Oxford, Miss., to take on Ole Miss Saturday at 1 p.m. CST. The game will not be televised. Players to Watch: #7 Brent Schaeffer: Junior QB (6-2, 205). After beginning his collegiate career at the University of Tennessee, Schaeffer has found new life after transferring to Mississippi. He spent last year at College of the Sequoias in central California and threw for 2,970 yards and 40 touchdowns while rushing for 860 yards and 10 touchdowns. In four games this year for Ole Miss, he has passed for nearly 600 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions, and rushed for 104 yards and a score. #6 BenJarvus Green-Ellis: Junior RB (5-11, 215). Green-Ellis will be looking to follow-up an outstanding effort last week against normally stingy Georgia in which he ran 24 times for a career-high 135 yards, leading Ole Miss’ ground attack for a fifth consecutive game. For the year, he has gained 470 yards on 97 carries and two touchdowns. #22 Dexter McCluster: Freshman WR (5-9, 170). One of two freshman wide receivers for Ole Miss, McCluster leads the team with 15 catches for 232 yards and a touchdown. His 49-yard touchdown catch last week against Georgia was his first of the year and the longest reception of the year for the Rebels. He has also gained 68 yards on the ground this season and 256 yards on kickoff returns, His 111.2 all-purpose yards per game average ranks sixth in the SEC. #21 Marshay Green: Freshman WR (5-10, 170). The other half of Mississippi’s dynamic freshman tandem of wide receivers, Green is leading the team with two touchdown receptions, including a career long 47-yarder for a score against Kentucky Sept. 16. He has 10 catches on the year for 113 total yards. #49 Patrick Willis: Senior LB (6-2, 240). A first team All-SEC selection in 2005 and a preseason All-SEC and All-American pick, Willis has recorded 10 or more tackles in six of his past seven games and 11 of his last 13. He leads the nation with his 8.25 solo tackles per game average and his 11.5 total tackles per game average leads the SEC and is fourth in the country. Talking Points: Ole Miss Head Coach Ed Orgeron is in the second year of his first head coaching job after over 20 years of college coaching experience. Prior to coming to Mississippi in 2004, Orgeron was an assistant head coach for the 2003 and 2004 national champion USC Trojans. Saturday will mark the 81st meeting between Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, with the Rebels holding an overall 45-33-2 edge in the series. Vanderbilt won the first 19 times the two schools played beginning in 1894, but Mississippi has won 17 of the past 21 games between the two. Ole Miss has allowed its opponent to score a touchdown on its opening possession in three of its first four games. The Rebel defense forced the Georgia offense to punt on its first possession last week. Ole Miss welcomed what many have called the greatest recruiting class in school history this year, highlighted by JUCO All-American QB Brent Schaeffer and Parade High School All-American DL Marcus Tillman. The Rebels’ signing class has been ranked as high as ninth in the country. Ole Miss is averaging just 13 points per game, good for 11th in the SEC and 107th in the NCAA. While the team is averaging just 282.8 yards per game on offense — good for 10th in the SEC and 96th in the nation — the Ole Miss defense is allowing 377 yards per game, 11th in the SEC and 93rd in the nation. Ole Miss has played 17 true freshmen this season, tied with Illinois for the second most in the nation behind only Temple who has used 19 true freshmen this year. Ole Miss’ defensive line has been hit hard by injuries, with three players pegged to be starters this year already having missed significant time. In Ole Miss’ 27-3 loss to Wake Forest two weeks ago, the Rebels allowed 240 yards on the ground, as the Demon Deacons ran on 53 of its 58 plays. |
