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OXFORD, Mississippi (Ticker) -- Deuce McAllister evoked memories of his Liberty Bowl performance and led 23rd-ranked Mississippi to an important 38-16 victory over No. 24 Arkansas in a Southeastern Conference West affair. A junior running back, McAllister returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and ran for two second-quarter scores, including a 40-yard TD scamper that broke open the game. He had 317 all-purpose yards, carrying 21 times for 125 yards, totaling 34 yards on two receptions and returning three kickoffs for 158 yards. "It starts up front," McAllister said. "I am just trying to give the crowd something to cheer about. That's my job." In the Liberty Bowl on December 31, McAllister accounted for three scores and returned an onside kick 43 yards for a touchdown to seal Mississippi's 35-28 victory over Texas Tech, the Rebels' third straight bowl victory. "Deuce is a playmaker," Mississippi coach David Cutcliffe said. "He's just a threat every time he touches the ball, and he's just getting healthy right now." The Rebels (7-2, 4-2 SEC West) led 31-3 at halftime and cruised to a victory that kept alive their slim SEC title hopes. Mississippi is 1 1/2 games behind Mississippi State in the West but does have a date left with the Bulldogs on Thanksgiving. "I'm extremely proud of our team and our staff," Cutcliffe said. "I thought that our team was well-prepared, and that's a tribute to our staff and the players. It's truly a team victory. We played as good of a defensive ballgame as you can get against a well-designed team as Arkansas is." Anthony Lucas caught six passes for 102 yards for Arkansas (5-3, 2-3), which had its three-game winning streak halted and its hopes of a West Division title dashed. "We were shellshocked right at first when they took the opening kickoff back," Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt said. "That was probably the start of things. Then we couldn't get going offensively." McAllister began his brilliant night be fielding Tony Dodson's kickoff at the goal line and darting up the middle of the field before breaking to the right sideline and racing for the touchdown. "We had talked about coming out and setting the tempo," McAllister said. "I have been returning kickoffs for some time, and it was time to break one. We were fortunate to do so." That was not Mississippi's only big play of the night. On the first play of the Rebels' second possession, Romaro Miller hit streaking sophomore Syniker Taylor, normally a free safety, for a 78-yard touchdown that made it 14-0 with 8:25 to play in the first quarter. "I have been practicing with the offense this week," Taylor said. "The coach told me I might have a chance to play. He put me out there and gave me a chance. I made the best of it." Miller completed 12-of-22 passes for 232 yards and did not throw an interception. "The offense came out and clicked as a whole unit," Miller said. "We prepared in practice, and it showed tonight. Deuce stepped up and ran the ball back; after that, the emotion took over. We continued to make big play after big play." Arkansas got its only points of the first half with 2:46 to play in the first quarter, when Dodson booted a 40-yard field goal. The second period, however, was all Rebels. First, McAllister capped a 13-play, 74-yard drive with a one-yard TD plunge. On Mississippi's next possession, the 6-1 speedster scampered 40 yards for a touchdown that put the Rebels on top, 28-3. "Deuce McAllister was the man out there tonight," said Nutt. "They did a good job of running the football. To me, he was the difference. Deuce is a much more physcial runner this year. He's an excellent runner. He ran extremely hard." Les Binkley's 30-yard field goal with four seconds to play in the quarter made it a 28-point game at halftime. The Razorbacks finally got their offense going in the fourth quarter, during which quarterback Clint Stoerner ran for a four-yard touchdown and Chrys Chukwuma scored on a one-yard run. Miller fit a one-yard touchdown run in between. Stoerner was 15-of-34 for 211 yards but was intercepted three times and was sacked five times. With Chukwuma bottled up, Cedric Cobbs carried eight times for 78 yards for the Razorbacks. "It's tough to play and win on the road, and it's even more difficult from behind," Stoerner said. "Ole Miss played well, and they did a lot of different things on defense that we hadn't seen before."
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