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| Ole Miss gets picked off in loss to Bulldogs
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| Staff CollegeFootballNews.com | Nov 28, 2009 | ||
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Ole Miss Rebels 2009 ... Head Coach: Houston Nutt
Ole Miss Rebels Nov. 28 at Mississippi State 41 … Ole Miss 27 Backup quarterback Chris Relf ran for 131 yards and a ten-yard touchdown, and threw two third quarter scoring passes as Mississippi State stunned the Rebels in the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss got three touchdown passes from Jevan Snead, with Dexter McCluster taking a pass 52 yards for a touchdown and Markeith Summers scoring from 48 yards out, but he also threw three interceptions with Corey Broomfield sealing the MSU win taking a pick 64 yards for a late fourth quarter touchdown. MSU outgained Ole Miss 317 rushing yards to 90. Player of the Game: Mississippi State QB Chris Relf completed 3-of-5 passes for 43 yards and two scores. Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 17-29, 275 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT Rushing: Dexter McCluster, 16-82, Receiving: Shay Hodge, 60-96, 1 TD Mississippi State: Passing: Tyson Lee, 5-9, 52 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 29-133, 1 TD, Receiving: Chad Bumphis, 3-52, 1 TD What It All Means: The team’s disappointing season was about to look a whole lot better. With an apparent layup against Mississippi State, Ole Miss would’ve been 9-3 with a chance at an impressive ten-win season, even if there wasn’t an SEC title attached to it. But now, all the same problems from the first part of the year are back. Jevan Snead struggled with his consistency and his interceptions, the running game sputtered, and the defense inconceivably had major lapses. This might not have cost the Rebels a New Year’s Day bowl, but it might be the Cotton instead of the Capital One. Nov. 21 At Ole Miss 25 … LSU 23 In a strange, exciting game that will always be remembered for its crazy finish. LSU converted a 4th and 26 to get down to the Ole Miss six with time stopped with one second to play, but Jordan Jefferson spiked the ball, the field goal team didn’t run on to the field, and time ran out. The Tigers had waited too long before calling a time out prior to the fourth down bomb, and that turned out to make the difference. Just to get to that point, LSU needed a minor miracle with a 25-yard touchdown catch from Rueben Randle, and a missed two-point conversion, making it a two-point game, and the Tigers recovered the onside kick leading to the wild finish. The end overshadowed a see-saw game with Patrick Peterson returning a blocked field goal 53 yards for a touchdown and an early LSU lead, and Ole Miss rallying back in the second half highlighted by a Dexter McCluster 27-yard touchdown pass to Shay Hodge. Joshua Shene hit four field goals for Ole Miss and Josh Jasper nailed a 50-yarder for the Tigers. Player of the Game: Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster ran 24 times for 148 yards, caught three passes for 18 yards, and threw a 27-yard touchdown pass. LSU: Passing: Jordan Jefferson, 19-37, 250 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Keiland Williams, 11-40, Receiving: Terrence Toliver, 5-107 Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 14-21, 206 yds Rushing: Dexter McCluster, 24-148, Receiving: Shay Hodge, 7-117, 1 TD What It All Means: After all the big disappointments early in the season, Ole Miss can now cement itself as the No. 3 team in the SEC with a win over Mississippi State. The Rebels didn’t come up with a perfect game against LSU, but they were strong against the mediocre Tiger running game and got another big day from Dexter McCluster. Even in a loss to MSU, Ole Miss will be certain now to go to a New Year’s Day Bowl now that the team has found its groove. Nov. 14 at Ole Miss 42 … Tennessee 17 Dexter McCluster set the Ole Miss record for rushing yards (282) and all-purpose yards (324) with touchdown runs from 15, 23, 32 and 71 yards as part of a 359 yards of Rebel rushing. However, Ole Miss was only up 21-17 late in the third. But then it was all Ole Miss with 21 unanswered points with Brandon Bolden scoring from one and four yards out to go along with McCluster’s 71-yard scoring dash. Tennessee got two touchdown passes from Jonathan Crompton, but the defense couldn’t come up with a late stop and the offense couldn’t keep the chains moving. Player of the Game: Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster ran 25 times for 282 yards and four touchdowns, and caught four passes for 42 yards. Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 20-37, 176 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 14-55, Receiving: Danarius Moore, 5-69, 1 TD Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 13-20, 133 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Dexter McCluster, 25-282, 4 TD, Receiving: Shay Hodge, 5-77 What It All Means: For all the problems and all the issues, now Ole Miss is 7-3 with big games against LSU and Mississippi State to close out … and two big chances to close out the year on a high note. The rest the stars got in the Northern Arizona game, especially Dexter McCluster, turned out to bring out a fresh team ready for the Volunteers. It took too long to put the Vols away, but it was a big win keep the team in the hunt for a good bowl game, and it showed how the team keeps on fighting in such a disappointing year. Nov. 7 at Ole Miss 38 … Northern Arizona 14 Shay Hodge caught touchdown passes from six and 65 yards out and Jevan Snead ran for two short scores as Ole Miss won in a bit of a fight. NAU tied it at 14 in the first half on two short Alex Henderson touchdown runs, but Ole Miss pulled away with 20 unanswered points. Ole Miss only outgained the Lumberjacks 425 yards to 354. Player of the Game: Ole Miss WR Shay Hodge caught seven passes for 169 yards and two scores. Northern Arizona: Passing: Michael Herrick, 20-31, 233 yds Rushing: Alex Henderson, 34-102, 2 TD, Receiving: Ed Berry, 9-101 Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 16-29, 235 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Brandon Bolden, 10-85, 1 TD, Receiving: Shay Hodge, 7-169, 2 TD What It All Means: Ole Miss didn’t exactly go through the motions to beat Northern Arizona, but it wasn’t exactly exerting itself. Dexter McCluster got to rest, but Shay Hodge helped make up for the lack of pop with his 65-yard scoring play to put the game away. This might not be the year the Rebels were hoping for, and the team might not be nearly as explosive as it needs to be, but if it can pull off a win against Tennessee and/or against LSU in the next two weeks, the season would do a quick turnaround. However, the offense has to finally start to play up to its capabilities on a regular basis. Oct. 31 at Auburn 33 … Ole Miss 20 Ole Miss scored first on a seven-yard Andy Hartmann touchdown catch, and then it was all Auburn. The Tigers went on a 31-point run with Chris Todd hitting Darvin Adams for a 28-yard touchdown pass and Kodi Burns connecting with Tommy Trott from 14 yards out, and then the defense got into the act with Walter McFadden taking an interception 29 yards for a score. Ben Tate capped off the run with a 53-yard scoring dash, but Ole Miss responded with an 82-yard kickoff return for a score from Jesse Grandy. The Rebels made it interesting with a 79-yard touchdown run from Dexter McCluster, but the Tiger defense held firm for the last 21 minutes. Player of the Game: Auburn CB Walter McFadden made five tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions taking one 29 yards for a touchdown Ole Miss : Passing: Jevan Snead, 16-35, 175 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Dexter McCluster, 22-186, 1 TD, Receiving: Shay Hodge, 7-105 Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 12-22, 212 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Ben Tate, 25-144, 1 TD, Receiving: Darvin Adams, 4-68, 1 TD What It All Means: Alright, so Ole Miss just doesn’t have it. The defense couldn’t stop the Auburn scoring run, and the offense didn’t do anything to help the cause. Jevan Snead was under pressure for most of the game, but he struggled with his accuracy yet again even though he got help from Dexter McCluster and the running game. With Northern Arizona up next, the Rebels will get a sixth win and will have a shot to tune up the attack, but it has to get the passing game far sharper with Tennessee and LSU to follow. Oct. 24 at Ole Miss 30 … Arkansas 17 Ole Miss got a huge day from Dexter McCluster, who lead the team in both rushing and receiving, can Jevan Snead ran for a score and threw two touchdown passes in the win. The Rebels took a 17-0 lead in the first half before Arkansas got on the board with a three-yard Knile Davis run followed up by a 44-yard Alex Tejada field goal, but McCluster took over taking a pass 64 yards for a score. The Hogs answered right back with a 58-yard Carlton Salters touchdown catch, but that would be it for the Arkansas offense. Joshua Shene nailed three field goals for the Rebels. Player of the Game: Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster ran 22 times for 123 yards and caught seven passes for 137 yards and a score. Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 22-33, 332 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Dexter McCluster, 22-123, Receiving: Dexter McCluster, 7-137, 1 TD Arkansas: Passing: Ryan Mallett, 12-34, 254, 1 TD Rushing: Michael Smith, 6-35, Receiving: Greg Childs, 3-83 What It All Means: The season was starting to turn around a little bit with a win over UAB, with Jevan Snead finally throwing well, but this might be the game that makes it all come together. Snead threw two picks, but he also made several nice decisions and came up some big plays to keep the chains moving. The defense harassed Ryan Mallett all game long and came up with four key sacks, and it held firm in the fourth quarter outside of a big pass play. The West title is out of the question without a miracle, but this win needs to kickstart a run with a trip to Auburn up next that would show that the team really is back to the level expected. Oct. 17 at Ole Miss 48 … UAB 13 Jesse Grandy returned the opening kickoff for an Ole Miss touchdown, but the Rebels got off to a sluggish start. And then everything clicked in the second quarter as Rodney Scott ran for scores from one and 25 yards out, and Jevan Snead connected with Lionel Breaux for a 20-yard score. The Rebels got out to a 41-0 lead, helped by two Snead third quarter touchdown passes including a 65-yarder to Markeith Summers, and then UAB finally got on the board with a three-yard Joe Webb run. Webb ran for 121 yards for the Blazers, but he and the offense couldn’t keep up with 501 yards of Ole Miss offense. Player of the Game: Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead completed 15-of-22 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns UAB: Passing: Joe Webb, 9-15, 89 yds Rushing: Joe Webb, 17-121, 1 TD, Receiving: Roddell Carter, 2-50 Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 15-22, 240 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Rodney Scott, 9-57, 2 TD, Receiving: Shay Hodge, 7-99 What It All Means: For one day, Jevan Snead was back on his game. It took a quarter to get the offense moving, but Snead settled in, avoided mistakes, and he threw more decisively than he had in the previous few games and was the star in the easy win. The defense was effective, but it had a nightmare of a time containing UAB QB Joe Webb, who averaged 7.1 yards per carry and was good late. Fortunately, the Rebels don’t face a dangerous running quarterback again. Offensively, Snead needs to keep the momentum going and has to keep the mistakes to a minimum with a near-certain shootout with Arkansas up next. Oct. 10 Alabama 22 … at Ole Miss 3 Alabama picked off Jevan Snead four times and got five Leigh Tiffin field goals in the easy win. Mark Ingram ran for 172 yards and a 36-yard touchdown, but it was the Tide defense that controlled the game allowing just 212 yards of Ole Miss offense and gave up just a 25-yard Joshua Shene field goal. Tiffin connected from 25, 21, 22, 21, and 31 yards away. Player of the Game: Alabama RB Mark Ingram ran 28 times for 172 yards and a score, and he caught three passes for 16 yards Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 11-34, 140 yds, 4 INT Rushing: Jevan Snead, 4-44, Receiving: Brandon Bolden, 4-76 Alabama: Passing: Greg McElroy, 15-34, 147 yds Rushing: Mark Ingram, 28-172, 1 TD, Receiving: Marquis Maze, 4-48 What It All Means: Alabama is really, really good, so it’s not time to quit on the season quite yet. SEC title hopes are long gone, but the season hasn’t passed the midway part yet. There’s still plenty of time to make this a great season, but Jevan Snead has to stop throwing interceptions. He has seven in the last two games, and while he’ll bear the brunt of the blame for the 0-2 SEC start, he’s not getting any help. he led the team in rushing against Bama, but the second-leading rusher was Dexter McCluster with 15 yards. UAB is up next to settle things down, but the offense had better be ready to roll before Arkansas comes to town. Oct. 3 Ole Miss 23 … at Vanderbilt 7 Jevan Snead threw three interceptions, but he also threw three touchdown passes with two short ones to Shay Hodge and a 12-yarder to Brandon Bolden as Ole Miss had a 23-0 lead. Vanderbilt got a seven-yard Udom Umoh scoring grab in the third quarter, but couldn’t overcome 12 penalties and a horrific day from the passing game. Ole Miss came up with four sacks and harassed Vandy QB Larry Smith all game long. Player of the Game: Ole Miss WR Shay Hodge caught eight passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns Vanderbilt: Passing: Larry Smith, 10-27, 69 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Warren Norman, 14-86, Receiving: Udom Umoh, 3-27, 1 TD Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 19-34, 237 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT Rushing: Brandon Bolden, 16-89, Receiving: Shay Hodge, 8-122, 2 TD What It All Means: Jevan Snead has to get a lot better in a big hurry. With Alabama up next, the offense has to become far more efficient and effective, and Snead has to stop throwing interceptions after struggling against South Carolina and Vanderbilt. The attack isn’t using Dexter McCluster enough. He’s not that big and he’s being saved for key situations, but he only got seven carries for 13 yards and caught two passes for 42 yards. The defense was able to overcome Snead’s problems, but it won’t have the same luck against Alabama unless the offense is far more careful and far more productive on the short to midrange passes for a full sixty minutes. Sept. 24 at South Carolina 16 ... Ole Miss 10 The South Carolina defense battered Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead and controlled the game for three quarters, and then hung on for dear life. Spencer Lanning hit three field goals and Patrick DiMarco took a pass two yards for a score on the way to a 16-3 Gamecock lead, but the offense couldn't move the ball in the fourth quarter and Ole Miss struck back with a 45-yard touchdown catch from Markeith Summers. The Rebels had one last chance, but a fourth down pass was broken up. Player of the Game: South Carolina LB/DE Eric Norwood made ten tackles, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, and tipped a punt Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 7-21, 107 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Dexter McCluster, 15-85, Receiving: Markeith Summers, 2-60, 1 TD South Carolina: Passing: Stephen Garcia, 16-34, 220 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Kenny Miles, 13-52, Receiving: Tori Gurley, 4-60 What It All Means: The Rebels can't be so shy about playing Dexter McCluster. The coaching staff doesn't want him to get banged up, but he's a weapon who can take the ball to the outside, run for seven-to-ten yards, and then run out of bounds if he needs to. He almost pulled the game out of the fire in the fourth quarter, and Jevan Snead finally started to warm up late. The team simply looks rusty. It couldn't keep Snead upright and the offense looked discombobulated until McCluster took over late. With Vanderbilt up next, the offense won't need many points to get the win, but it has to be hotter early. Sept. 19 at Ole Miss 52 … SE Louisiana 6 Ole Miss forced five turnovers with LB D.T. Shackelford taking an interception 58 yards for a score and recovering two fumbles on the way to the rout. Jevan Snead threw three touchdown passes including a 29-yarder to Pat Patterson late in the third to make it a blowout. SE Louisiana went 0-for-14 on third downs and only managed two Jeff Turner second half field goals. Player of the Game: Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead completed 16-of-28 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 16-28, 209 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Brandon Bolden, 13-105, Receiving: Shay Hodge, 5-59, 1 TD SE Louisiana: Passing: Brian Babin, 17-26, 188 yds Rushing: Jasper Duckworth, 11-36, Receiving: Simmie Yarbrough, 9-60 What It All Means: After the way the team played at Memphis for the first three quarters it needed some tuning up. While it took a little while to finally make the SE Louisiana game a laugher, Jevan Snead went well into the third quarter to get on the same page with his targets before next week’s showdown at South Carolina. The secondary hasn’t been tested yet, but it will be. The Ole Miss offense has to be ready for a shootout. Sept. 6 Ole Miss 45 ... at Memphis 14 Ole Miss was in a dogfight with Memphis pulling within ten with just over nine minutes to play, and then Jevan Snead and the offense work up. Snead had a rough start and wasn't sharp but he connected with Markeith Summers on an 18-yard touchdown pass, and following a Memphis fumble on the ensuing kickoff, he found Dexter McCluster on a 17-yard touchdown catch. Enrique Davis added a cosmetic score with a 29-yard touchdown run with six seconds to play. Memphis was outgained 349 to 284, but was alive up until the final six minutes. Curtis Steele ran for two short scores for the Tigers. Player of the Game: Ole Miss safety Johnny Brown made 15 tackles, picked off a pass, recovered a fumble, and made a tackle for loss. Memphis: Passing: Arkelon Hall, 15-30, 110 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Curtis Steele, 19-90, 2 TD, Receiving: Duke Calhoun, 5-53 Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 12-22, 175 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Brandon Bolden, 9-71, 1 TD, Receiving: Dexter McCluster, 6-65, 1 TD What It All Means: It's the sign of a good team when it plays like garbage and still wins 45-14. Jevan Snead struggled all game long with his accuracy and his consistency, and then he caught fire late to close it out and make it a laugher. The defense played well, even though Curtis Steele and the Memphis ground game weren't bad, but star DE Greg Hardy suffered an injury that he tried to play though. He was effective late, but he was limping badly and it could be a big problem if he's not able to get some rest. Fortunately, there's a week off before getting a layup against SE Louisiana. The team has 18 days to get ready for South Carolina, and it should be far better. Copyright © Scout.com and CollegeFootballNews.com | |||