Ole Miss Rebels

The Lowdown
Coach: David Cutcliffe
(6th season, 40–22)
2003 record: 10-3
(Beat Oklahoma State in Cotton Bowl)
SEC finish: 7-1 (2nd West)
'03 I-A Offensive Rankings:
Rush: 64th (147.2 ypg)
Pass: 15th (286.0 ypg)
'03 I-A Defensive Rankings:
Rush: 14th (102.5 ypg)
Pass: 109th (276.1 ypg)
2004 Schedule
Date Opponent
Sept. 4 Memphis
Sept. 11 at Alabama
Sept. 18 Vanderbilt
Sept. 25 at Wyoming
Oct. 2 Arkansas State
Oct. 9 at South Carolina
Oct. 16 Tennessee
Oct. 30 Auburn
Nov. 13 at Arkansas
Nov. 20 at LSU
Nov. 25 Mississippi State
Depth Chart: Offense
6 returning starters in bold
Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr.
SE 84 Bill Flowers Sr. 87 Mario Hill Jr.
FL 11 Mike Espy Jr. 7 Taye Biddle Jr.
%WR 2 Kerry Johnson Sr. 23 Matt Pierce So.
LT 75 Bobby Harris Jr. 66 Antonio Sanders So.
LG 62 Doug Buckles Sr. 52 James McCoy So.
C 73 Chris Spencer Jr. 65 Tony Bonds Jr.
RG 76 Marcus Johnson Sr. 63 Ryan Jones Jr.
RT 70 Tre' Stallings Jr. 77 Marcus Cohen Fr.
TE 80 Eric Rice Sr. 88 Lawrence Lilly So.
QB 16 Micheal Spurlock Jr. 15 Robert Lane Fr.
RB 24 Vashon Pearson Jr. 21 Jamal Pittman So.
FB 42 Rick Razzano Sr. 33 Lorenzo Townsend Sr.
Depth Chart: Defense
4 returning starters in bold
Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr.
DE 77 Jayme Mitchell Jr. 92 Dedrick Clark So.
DT 68 McKinley Boykin Jr. 91 Andrew Wicker So.
NT 61 Daniel Booth Sr. 72 Michael Bozeman Jr.
DE 96 Cory Robinson Sr. 56 Viciente DeLoach Fr.
MLB 45 Ken Bournes Sr. 57 Brian Lester Sr.
SLB 81 Rob Robertson Sr. 49 Patrick Willis So.
CB 9 Travis Johnson Jr. 28 Nate Banks Fr.
CB 3 Trumaine McBride So. 4 Bryan Brown So.
SS 39 Kelvin Robinson Jr. 31 Iroko Ayodele Sr.
FS 26 Eric Oliver Sr. 33 Thad Rhodes Jr.
WS 20 Charles Clark So. 44 Danny Bell So.
Specialists
Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr.
K 86 Jonathan Nichols Sr. P 97 Cody Ridgeway Sr.
KR 4 Bryan Brown So. PR 11 Mike Espy Jr.

Eli Manning was a Sunday morning storyline in Mississippi for the past three years, sports-page copy that often thrilled and energized Rebel fans.

Now their hero is gone, but their hopes remain high. Manning leaves behind a program in better shape than the one he found. Coming off a 10–3 season that included a share of the SEC Western Division championship, a Cotton Bowl victory and a No. 13 final ranking, Ole Miss faces an obvious transition at quarterback. But new starter Micheal Spurlock will be surrounded by a veteran offensive line and most of Manning's targets from 2003.

Defensively, seven starters are gone from an improved yet often overlooked unit that finished fourth in the SEC and 14th in the nation against the run. An exciting batch of young players, more equipped with speed to make plays in the 4-2-5 alignment, gives the Rebels reason for optimism.

Offense
The departure of the immensely popular -- not to mention productive -- Manning leaves a significant void. It's Spurlock's job to make sure the Rebels don't feel the loss too much. Spurlock, a fourth-year junior, has been waiting in the wings for quite some time. His game appearances have been limited to mop-up duty in non-conference action, but he knows the system. Although much shorter than Manning, Spurlock (5-foot-11) has much more mobility and similar arm strength.

Coach David Cutcliffe said he will cater the offense to his quarterback's strengths. "I would expect to see us run the football and would expect to see some option," he said.

Helping Spurlock will be a veteran offensive line with All-SEC potential among several members, particularly guards Marcus Johnson and Doug Buckles.

There are question marks but potential among the running backs. Junior Vashon Pearson had his moments last season and exited spring as the starter. August eyes will turn to Jamal Pittman, who showed promise before tearing an ACL in the middle of last season.

When Spurlock rolls out, he'll have many of Manning's same targets. Bill Flowers has the best hands on the team. Mike Espy and Taye Biddle can get behind secondaries, but Biddle must become more dependable when he gets there.

Defense
Seven starters are gone, but third-year defensive coordinator Chuck Driesbach has begun to accumulate speed. New starters at both ends, Jayme Mitchell and Cory Robinson, will be called on to provide the same pass rush that Ole Miss got off the edge last season.

The secondary got better as the season progressed. The defensive backs could only improve after getting torched for an average of 400-plus yards in the Rebels' first four games. Ole Miss eventually finished 10th in the SEC in pass-efficiency defense.

Travis Johnson returns at one cornerback; he's an athletic cover guy but one who brings feast or famine. "Travis has great ability, but he has to learn to focus better," said Driesbach.

Senior free safety Eric Oliver has led the team in tackles the past two seasons.

Ken Bournes and Rob Robertson are new starters at linebacker. The Rebels are experienced, though not spectacular at the down spots.

Specialists
Lou Groza Award-winning kicker Jonathan Nichols returns, as does punter Cody Ridgeway, who was third in the SEC last year at 44.2 yards per attempt. Both are seniors.

Special teams coordinator Ron Middleton moved on to the NFL, so his job has been divvied up among the assistants.

Final Analysis
For the Rebels to compete for the West title, as they did last season, Spurlock can get by with being pretty good and not great. If the offensive line plays to its potential, the running game should thrive. That benefits any quarterback, old or new.

Solid recent recruiting will make the defense better than one might expect for a unit that lost seven starters.

The schedule is tough early with neighborhood rival Memphis at home, then Alabama away. But if Spurlock develops as anticipated and the defense holds its own, November could again be a meaningful month for Ole Miss.

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