2006 Ole Miss Rebels Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Nov. 25
Ole Miss 20 ... Mississippi State 17
Marshay Green returned a punt 47 yards for a touchdown, Joshua
Shene kicked two field goals and Greg Hardy caught a 23-yard touchdown pass as
the Ole Miss offense generated all the points it would need, while the defense
held on as MSU got a eight-yard touchdown catch from Jason Husband with 2:20 to
play and survived a missed 51-yard field goal attempt from Adam Carlson as time
expired. The Bulldogs got a 41-yard Carlson field goal and a two-yard Anthony
Dixon touchdown run in the second quarter. Player of the game ... Ole Miss LB Patrick Willis made 13 tackles, one
sack, 1.5 tackles for loss Stat Leaders: Mississippi State- Passing: Omarr Conner,
16-31, 162 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 25-125, 1 TD Receiving: Eric Butler,
4-49 Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer, 9-19, 131 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: BenJarvis Green-Ellis, 17-37 Receiving: Mico McSwain, 3-29 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ole Miss
closed out its season strong pushing Auburn and LSU in close losses and won its
fourth Egg Bowl in five years. The offense sputtered throughout with no
consistent running game and not enough from Brent Schaeffer and the air attack,
but there weren't any turnovers and the defense was terrific with Patrick Willis
putting on yet another All-America show. Can the team carry the momentum into
the off-season and become the "hot" team going into 2007? That's a bit much, but
this was certainly a big win.
Nov. 18
LSU 23 ... Ole Miss 20 OT
LSU scored on a five-yard touchdown catch from Dwayne Bowe
with 14 seconds to play tie it at 20, but the the Colt David extra point attempt
was blocked forcing overtime. Brent Schaeffer was sacked and lost a fumble on
the Ole Miss overtime possession, and LSU took advantage as David nailed a
26-yard field goal for the win. Bowe started off the scoring with a 13-yard
catch, but Ole Miss reeled off 20 straight points on a 22-yard Bruce Hall catch,
a BenJarvus Green-Ellis one-yard run and two Joshua Shene field goals. The
fourth quarter was LSU's with JaMarcus Russell throwing a four-yard touchdown
pass to Early Doucet before going on a 58-yard, 11-play drive culminating in the
game-tying score. Patrick Willis made 12 tackles for the Rebels. Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell completed 20 of 36 passes
for 223 yards and three touchdowns Stat Leaders: LSU- Passing: JaMarcus Russell, 20-36, 223
yds, 3 TD Rushing: Jacob Hester, 12-42 Receiving: Dwayne Bowe, 7-64, 2
TD Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer, 6-14, 72 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: BenJarvis Green-Ellis, 28-96, 1 TD Receiving: Mike Wallace, 4-35 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... While Ole Miss
might not be winning much in SEC play, there are signs that this could be a
big-time sleeper team next season. It pushed Alabama, Auburn and LSU to the wall
over the last few weeks with improved play from the defense and just enough
offense to stay alive. Over the off-season, after the Egg Bowl against Miss
State, step one will be to find out how to get more offensive punch. There’s a
ceiling on how high the team, in its current form, can go.
Nov. 4
Ole Miss 27 ... Northwestern State 7
Ole Miss ran off 20 unanswered points after NWLA tied it at
seven in the first quarter on a four-yard Dudley Guice touchdown catch.
Bruce Hall ran for a 22-yard touchdown and
Mike Wallace caught a 35-yard touchdown pass for the Rebels. Joshua Shene hit
field goals from 52 and 23 yards out and BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for a
four-yard score. Player of the game ... Ole Miss RB BenJarvus
Green-Ellis ran 14 times for 116 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: NW State- Passing: Roch
Charpentier, 7-14, 64 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Byron Lawrence, 10-82. Receiving:
Dudley Guice, 3-13, 1 TD Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer,
13-23, 175 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 14-116, 1 TD Receiving:
Mike Wallace, 6-80, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
It might not have been a total blowout over D-IAA
Northwestern State, but Ole Miss needed something to break the three-game losing
streak before facing LSU. The running game took control of the game allowing
Brent Schaeffer to relax and not have to force anything. To have a shot against
the Tigers, there will have to be more balance and Schaeffer is going to have to
be a playmaker; he hasn't really been one over the last few weeks. It wasn't a
week off for Patrick Willis, who once again was fantastic with 11 tackles.
Oct. 28
Auburn 23 ... Ole Miss 17
John Vaughn hit three second half field goals, Brandon Cox
threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Rodgeriqus Smith and Brad Lester ran for a
six-yard score to hold off Ole Miss. Rebel quarterback Brent Schaeffer threw a
three-yard touchdown pass to Lawrence Lilly, but his two interceptions led to
ten Tiger third quarter points to take command of the game. The Rebels started
off the scoring with a 27-yard Mico McSwain touchdown run. Player of the game ... Auburn QB Brandon Cox completed
21 of 34 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Stat Leaders: Auburn- Passing: Brandon
Cox, 21-34, 253 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Kenny Irons, 23-106. Receiving:
Courtney Taylor, 8-108 Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer,
8-16, 161 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 13-44 Receiving:
Robert Lane, 2-78 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Ole Miss has to find more defense. The offense
struggled to get things consistently moving against Auburn, but the O came up
with enough big plays to keep the game alive. The D was saved by Auburn screwing
up and didn't make nearly enough key stops. Now on a three-game losing streak,
the Rebels have to limit mistakes and has to start winning the time off
possession battle after the Tigers held on to the ball for 37:52.
Oct. 21
Arkansas 38 ... Ole Miss 3
The Arkansas running game was held to just 141 yards, but the
defense kept Ole Miss to 245 yards and Felix Jones got all the points the Hogs
would need on the opening kickoff taking it 100 yards for a score. Mitch Mustain
had an efficient game getting some help from Darren McFadden on a 70-yard
touchdown pass. McFadden also added a four-yard touchdown run. Casey Dick came
in to finish off the Rebels with a 45-yard scoring pass to London Crawford. Ole
Miss got its points on a 27-yard Joshua Shene field goal. Player of the game ... Arkansas RB Felix Jones ran nine
times for 51 yards and returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score Stat Leaders: Ole Miss- Passing: Brent
Schaeffer, 11-30, 118 yds Rushing: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 20-79. Receiving:
Michael Hicks, 4-88 Arkansas - Passing: Mitch Mustain, 12-15,
157 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Darren McFadden, 17-65, 1 TD Receiving:
Peyton Hillis, 6-43 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Brent Schaeffer looked great against
Alabama, and then regressed against Arkansas. He's a dangerous player when on
the move, so why doesn't the coaching staff get him outside a little bit more to
let him take off? He's too good a weapon to only be running five times. As a
team, getting more than 3.3 yards per carry would be nice. The defense was
strong against the Arkansas running game and needs to be even better next week
against Auburn.
Oct. 14
Alabama 26 ... Ole Miss 23 OT
Le'Ron McClain caught a two-yard pass touchdown pass in
overtime to put away a game Ole Miss team. The Rebels scored first in OT on a
37-yard Joshua Shene field goal, but the D couldn't hold. The Rebels battled
with a two-yard BenJarvus Green-Ellis touchdown run and got a 55-yard Mike
Wallace touchdown catch midway through the fourth quarter. Bama, which outgained
Ole Miss 434 yards to 287, got a 39-yard D.J. Hall touchdown catch to start off
the scoring, and capped off an 80-yuard drive in the fourth with a two-yard Tim
Castille run. Player of the game ... Alabama RB Ken Darby ran 25
times for 162 yards and caught two passes for 17 yards Stat Leaders: Alabama- Passing: John
Parker Wilson, 16-28, 206 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Kenneth Darby, 25-162 Receiving:
D.J. Hall, 5-119, 1 TD Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer,
13-20, 163 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 21-56, 1 TD. Receiving:
Mike Wallace, 3-86, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ole Miss
might have lost to Alabama, but it was a big step forward for the team. Brent
Schaeffer had his best passing game of the year showing accuracy and efficiency,
while the defense didn't do a bad job of keeping the Tide offense from
exploding. Schaeffer ran well making up for the problems BenJarvus Green-Ellis
had, but to win games like this, everything has to be clicking. Converting two
of 11 third down chances isn't going to get it done.
Oct. 7
Ole Miss 17 ... Vanderbilt 10
Ole Miss came up with its second win of the year thanks to
five turnovers including a game-saving interception from Charles
Clark inside the team's ten as time ran out. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
ran for two short first quarter scores and Joshua Shene kicked a
32-yard field goal for all the points the Rebels would need. Vandy
QB Chris Nickson, who left the game with an ankle injury, threw an
18-yard touchdown pass to Sean Walker, but after a 37-yard field
goal in the final five minutes. With one last shot, backup QB
Mackenzi Adams threw a 44-yard pass to Earl Bennett and got down to
the Ole Miss 22 before throwing the final interception. Player of the game ... Ole Miss LB Rory Johnson made 16
tackles, forced three fumbles, recovered two, and broke up a pass. Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt- Passing:
Mackenzi Adams, 10-20, 176 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Mackenzi Adams, 11-51. Receiving:
Earl Bennett, 10-179 Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer, 3-8,
31 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 24-101, 2 TD Receiving:
Michael Hicks, 1-18 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
It took five turnovers, a game-sealing,
last-second interception, and a 101-yard day from BenJarvus
Green-Ellis to barely get by Vanderbilt. Brent Schaeffer, once
again, was awful, and the team only cranked out 179 yards of total
offense. A win is a win, and the Rebels desperately needed one with
at Alabama, at Arkansas, and Auburn ahead, but it masked a ton of
big problems. If the defense isn't forcing mistake after mistake,
Ole Miss can't win.
Sept. 30
Georgia 14 ... Ole Miss 9
It took two Brannan Southerland touchdowns in the second half
and a late Paul Oliver interception to put Ole Miss away. The Rebel offense
sputtered only getting a 23-yard field goal in the first half after a blocked
punt, but it made things interesting late with a 49-yard touchdown pass to
Dexter McCluster that had to be reviewed as he got the ball punched away right
as he crossed the goal line. Ole Miss only gained 163 yards before the touchdown
drive, but Georgia didn't do much better gaining 248 yards on the night with QBs
Matthew Stafford and Joe Cox each struggling. Player of the game ... Georgia RB Kregg Lumpkin ran 13
times for 101 yards Stat Leaders: Georgia- Passing: Matthew
Stafford, 7-18, 91 yds Rushing: Kregg Lumpkin, 13-101. Receiving:
Demiko Goodman, 4-71 Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer,
6-15, 87 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 24-135 Receiving:
Mike Wallace, 2-16 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Georgia's offense was inept, but the Ole Miss
defense also did a great job of making it look that way. Unfortunately, the
Rebel offense couldn't generate anything in the passing game, until it was too
late, to help out BenJarvus Green Ellis and the ground attack. Brent Schaeffer
continues to be indecisive with his passes and takes too many sacks considering
he's been running the system for a five games. He's also not making enough big
plays with his legs. If he's not putting up decent numbers against Vanderbilt,
the coaching staff might have no choice but to start to work in other options.
Sept. 23
Wake Forest 27 ... Ole Miss 3
Wake Forest was missing its star RB Micah Andrews, but
DeAngelo Bryant made up for it with 105 yards and a nine-yard first
quarter touchdown for all the points the team would need. Ole Miss never
got its running game going being held to 26 yards thanks to five sacks
of QB Brent Schaeffer. The Demon Deacons put it away in the third
quarter on two short touchdown runs by Kevin Harris and Mike Rinfrette
along with the second Sam Swank field goal of the day. Player of the game ... Kentucky QB Andre Woodson
completed 21of 34 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns Stat Leaders: Wake Forest - Passing:
Riley Skinner, 4-5, 43 yds Rushing: DeAngelo Bryant, 22-105, 1 TD. Receiving:
Richard Belton, 1-28 Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer,
13-28, 127 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: BenJarvis Green-Ellis, 12-54. Receiving:
Dexter McCluster, 6-60 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Things have gone from bad to
worse for the Ole Miss offense. If it can't run on a mediocre Wake
Forest defense, how's it going to do anything against Georgia next week?
Brent Schaeffer, who was yanked, is regressing in his passing and isn't
getting the offense moving nearly enough to help out the defense. The
offensive line isn't providing any help with no holes opening up for
BenJarvus Green Ellis and the ground game. There won't be any wins
coming with a 0.8 yard per carry average.
Sept. 16
Kentucky 31 ... Ole Miss 14
Kentucky took advantage of five Ole Miss turnovers to overcome
an early 7-0 lead and break open a 14-14 tie with 17 unanswered points
highlighted by a 22-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Pulley. Dicky Lyons score UK's
first two touchdowns of the day on a 26-yard pass from Andrew Woodson and a
six-yard play early in the third quarter. Ole Miss started off the scoring with
a 47-yard touchdown catch from Marshay Green and got a 27-yard scoring grab from
Robert Hough, but the turnovers proved to be too costly. Player of the game ... Kentucky QB Andre Woodson
completed 21of 34 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns Stat Leaders: Kentucky - Passing: Andre
Woodson, 21-34, 290 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Rafael Little, 12-57. Receiving:
Dicky Lyons, 4-83, 2 TD Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer,
13-26, 190 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: BenJarvis Green-Ellis, 19-85. Receiving:
Marshay Green, 3-53, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ole Miss
got a nice passing day out of Brent Schaeffer against Kentucky, but five
turnovers and 12 penalties proved to be way too much to overcome. This simply
isn't a good enough team to be this sloppy. The decent pass rush didn't turn out
to help a secondary that couldn't handle the UL passing game. The run defense
will have to be stingy against Wake Forest next week to stay alive for a bowl
bid. A 1-3 start, with Georgia, Auburn, and LSU still ahead would mean the
Rebels will be home for the holidays.
Sept. 9
Missouri 34 ... Ole Miss 7
Missouri had few problems thanks
to a big day from its defense and a big all-around game from QB Chase Daniel.
Daniel ran for 89 yards and threw for 243 with a three-yard touchdown run and a
20-yard scoring pass to Brad Ekwerekwu, but it was the defense that stole the
show holding Ole Miss to ten first downs and 162 yards of total offense. The
Rebels got their only points on a 30-yard catch-and-run from Marshay Green late
in the first half, but they weren't able to carry the momentum into the second
half. Player of the game ... Missouri DB Marcus Bacon made 11
tackles, forced a fumble and picked off a pass. Stat Leaders: Murray State- Passing:
Brent Schaeffer, 13-29, 90 yds,
1 TD, 3 INT Rushing: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 16-69. Receiving:
Marshay Green, 4-49, 1 TD Missouri - Passing:
Chase Daniel, 24-40, 243 yds, 1
TD
Rushing: Chase Daniel, 13-89, 1 TD. Receiving: Brad
Ekwerekwu, 8-95, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It's not
like the Ole Miss offense is going to go from zero to 60 right off the bat. It's
easy to forget that Brent Schaeffer is an inexperienced quarterback, and he
looked like it against Missouri having too many problems in the passing game and
not quite able to ever get loose to break off any big runs. The defense, which
was supposed to be a strength early on, has been a major problem over the first
two games having problems against the run. The front four has to tighten up in a
big hurry.
sept. 3
Ole Miss 28 ... Memphis 25
Ole Miss got two one-yard touchdown runs from BenJarvus
Green-Ellis and a scoring run from Brent Schaeffer to hold off Memphis in an
entertaining game. The Tigers struck first on an eight-yard touchdown catch from
Carlos Singleton and tied it at 14 late in the first half on a 49-yard scoring
play from Ryan Scott. After pulling within three late on a two-yard Antonio
McCoy touchdown catch and a successful two-point conversion, Ole Miss was able
to run out the clock helped by a twisting first down run from Schaeffer. Ole
Miss LB Patrick Willis made 12 tackles. Player of the game ... Ole Miss RB BenJarvus
Green-Ellis ran 26 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Memphis - Passing: Martin
Hankins, 21-27, 211 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Joseph Doss, 23-112. Receiving:
Earnest Williams, 4-25 Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer,
7-16, 97 yds
Rushing: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 26-17, 2 TD. Receiving:
Dexter McCluster, 6-86 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Was that
really a living, breathing offense with a (gasp!) running game? Ole Miss fans
have to be giddy after sitting through last year's inept attack. The mobility of
Brent Schaeffer and the workhorse talents of BenJarvus Green-Ellis make Ole Miss
a wild card in the SEC race. No, this isn't a title team, but it showed against
Memphis that things have changed and it'll be more competitive against the
bigger boys. Now the defense has to start playing a big better after allowing
374 yards of total Tiger offense.
Ole Miss has undergone a bit of a facelift after an unsuccessful
opening act in the Ed Orgeron era going 3-8 with only two wins over
D-I teams beating Memphis and Kentucky by a total of eight points.
Worse yet, the team got worse as the season finished up with one of
the nation's worst offenses.
Orgeron isn't exactly the type of coach who's going to wait around
for things to get better. A tireless recruiter, he was able to get a
major infusion of talent for the offense landing former Tennessee
quarterback Brent Schaeffer, former Indiana running back BenJarvus
Green-Ellis, and former Miami offensive coordinator
Dan Werner and offensive line coach
Art Kehoe. Ole Miss also has on the roster wide receiver Burnell
Wallace, who originally signed with Oregon State, and defensive
tackle Hayward Howard, who originally signed with Michigan State.
Will it all be enough to make Ole Miss good enough to come up with
its first winning season in three years? Probably not, but Orgeron
has done a great job of upgrading the overall talent level and has
several good pieces in place to put together a far more competitive
team.
With Schaeffer and Green-Ellis in the backfield along with last season's
leading rusher, Mico McSwain, the running game will get off the team
bus and average more than the 73 rushing yards a game it came up with
last season. The offensive line that was so miserable last season will
be stronger with more experience led by NFL caliber tackle Michael Oher.
Defensively, the return of linebacker Patrick Willis gives Ole Miss and
All-America star to work around. The pass defense finished 14th in the
nation last season and gets three starters back along with rising corner
Nate Banks. The line has to replace all four starters, but the new
faces up front have more talent.
Of course, you don't go 3-8 without having several problems to deal with
and holes to fill. Ole Miss still plays in the SEC and isn't within ten
miles of the top teams talent-wise. The skill players, while better than
last year's group, aren't anywhere near as good as the ones at places
like LSU, Georgia, Auburn and Florida. There's absolutely no returning
experience at receiver and the overall depth is a bit thin.
It's going to take a little while before the program is close to the
hunt for division titles, so patience must be a virtue for at least
another year. Coach O will build from the lines up and has the luxury of
being able to truly promise any new recruit a chance to start right
away. For this year, expect more fight.
The
Schedule: The non-conference schedule isn't all that bad outside of
a road trip to Missouri. The Rebels have to go 3-0 Memphis, Wake Forest
and Northwestern State if they have any dreams of going to a bowl, and
they must take advantage of the nice SEC break playing Kentucky and
Vanderbilt from the East. Forget about any dreams of being the sleeper
team in the West with road games at Alabama, Arkansas and LSU, but
there's still a solid chance at a winning season going into the Egg Bowl
finale against Mississippi State if everything breaks right.
Best
Offensive Player:
Sophomore OT Michael Oher. The 6-6, 330-pound left tackle has next-level
written all over him. He was one of the big recruits in Orgeron's first
season and wasn't awful starting from the second game on in his true
freshman season at right guard. Now he'll move over to left tackle where
he should be a possible early round NFL Draft pick with Art Kehoe
coaching him.
Best
Defensive Player:
Senior LB Patrick Willis. Orgeron, a former coach at USC, said before
last season that Willis could've been a star on any of the recent Trojan
teams. Willis is just now starting to get more recognition from everyone
other than CFN making most preseason All-America teams, and he should be
one of the favorites for all the big defensive awards if he leads the
nation in solo tackles like he did last year.
Key player
to a successful season: Junior QB Brent Schaeffer. He saw enough
time as a freshman at Tennessee to be prepared for life in the SEC, and
he got enough work last season at the
College of the Sequoias to be ready to hit the ground
running when he shows up this fall. Already anointed the starter, Ole
Miss can't go through another year of musical quarterbacks if it wanted
to average more than 13.45 points per game.
The season
will be a success if ... the Rebels win
seven games. It'll take at least one big upset and no
slip ups against the teams its own size, but Ole Miss should be just
good enough to be able to squeak out a few more wins with a schedule
that has Memphis, at Kentucky, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Northwestern
State, and Mississippi State.
Key game:
Sept, 16 at Kentucky. The Rebels beat the Wildcats 13-7 for their
final win of the year, and could use the shot in the arm of pulling off
a road win in the SEC opener. To get to a bowl game, this might be a
must-win considering it'll take a major upset to beat teams like
Georgia, Auburn and LSU.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Kickoff returns: Opponents 16.5 yards per return - Ole Miss 15.4 yards
per return
- Third down conversions: Opponents 74 of 168 (44%) - Ole Miss 53 of 166
(32%)
- Yards per carry: Opponents 3.7 - Ole Miss 2.4
The Last Time Ole
Miss…
…played in a bowl game…2003 (Cotton Bowl vs. Oklahoma State)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2003 (Mississippi State)
…was shutout…1998 (Arkansas)
…scored 50 points…2003 (Arkansas State)
…went undefeated…1962
…won a conference title…1963 (SEC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2003 (Eli Manning)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…1998 (Deuce McAllister)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…never
…had a first-round draft choice…2005 (C Chris Spencer)
