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The Avengers Mississippi (’98: 7-5, 3-5 SEC)
Posted: Wednesday August 11, 1999 05:33 PM
The Plot
September 25. There aren't many Ole Miss fans who don't have that date circled on their calendars -- and it's not just Mississippi at Auburn anymore. The Rebels will only have to wait four weeks before meeting up with former coach Tommy Tuberville. Rebels players probably won't admit it, but chances are pretty good that they would enjoy giving a whipping to the coach who abandoned them before things started to really get good in Oxford.
The DirectorDavid Cutcliffe -- first season; 1-0 overall
StarringRB Deuce McAllister -- Rushed for an average of 139.5 yards in the final six games of the regular season to become only the second Rebel in history to top 1,000 yards.
Co-StarringQB Romaro Miller -- When he completed more than 55 percent of his passes in '98, the Rebels were 6-1.LG Terrance Metcalf -- Returns from a broken ankle to strengthen a ground game that ranked second in the SEC last season. LBs Armegis Spearman and Eddie Strong -- The linebacking duo is the most underrated in the conference.
And introducingWR Maurice Flournoy -- He's more than just special teams, where he averaged 20.1 yards a game on kickoff returns last season. Flournoy will give Miller and the Rebels a bona fide deep threat.
Why it will workCutcliffe, Tennessee's former offensive coordinator, helps improve a passing game that ranked 46th in the nation last year, which in turn opens even more holes for McAllister.
Why it won'tA three-game stretch -- a road game at LSU sandwiched between home games against Alabama and Arkansas -- ends the Rebels' Western Division title hopes.
Our critics' review***
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