2006 Ole Miss Rebels

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.

2006 Schedule CFN Prediction: 6-6 2006 Record: 4-8 Preview 2006 predicted wins
9/2	Memphis W 28-25
9/9	at Missouri L 34-7
9/16	at Kentucky L 31-14
9/23	Wake Forest L 27-3
9/30	Georgia L 14-9
10/7	Vanderbilt W 17-10
10/14	at Alabama L 26-23 OT
10/21	at Arkansas L 38-3
10/28	Auburn L 23-17
11/4	NW State W 27-7
11/18	at LSU L 23-20 OT
11/25	Miss State W 20-17

2005 Schedule CFN Prediction: 6-5 2005 Record: 3-8 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/5	at Memphis W 10-6
9/17	at Vanderbilt L 31-23
9/24	Wyoming L 24-14
10/1	at Tennessee L 27-10
10/8	The Citadel W 27-7
10/15	Alabama L 13-10
10/22	Kentucky W 13-7
10/29	at Auburn L 27-3
11/12	Arkansas L 28-17
11/19	LSU L 40-7
11/26	at Miss State L 35-14

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.

2006 Ole Miss Preview

- Ole Miss Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis

Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. And hope they can play.

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)