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Which Ole Miss team shows up now?
O
le Miss’ players are saying all the right things. The Rebels will take the field Saturday no longer in control of its own destiny in the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division. That distinction belongs to Alabama, which simply needs to beat Auburn next weekend to play in yet another SEC Championship Game, where it would likely bludgeon Florida and give itself yet another chance to play for a yet another national title. Sure, Ole Miss could still technically be the one playing the Gators in Atlanta the first weekend in December. The Rebels could represent the West in that game if they win out and Auburn happens to stun Alabama in what would be one of the biggest upsets in Iron Bowl history. But that’s like saying conser-
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The OxfOrd eagle - game day
vatives could vote for Hillary Clinton or that liberals could cast a ballot in Donald Trump’s favor in the presidential election this time next Davis year. Potter So let’s get real. Sports Editor A rollercoaster of a season on the defensive side of the ball dipped to its lowest point in that wild overtime loss to Arkansas, all but ensuring this season ends without any kind of championship for the Rebels. Now Ole Miss gets two rivalry games to end the season starting with LSU on Saturday where it seems like all that will be on the line is bragging rights. Is that enough? Some players want you to
believe it is. “We had a couple of conversations about it, but we know we can’t control what happens outside the locker room,” senior defensive back Mike Hilton said when asked if there’s still banter among players about an outside shot at the West crown. “We’ve got to make sure we focus on what we can do on Saturday and hopefully the chips fall for the team and hopefully we’ll be able to get into the championship.” Senior offensive lineman Justin Bell offered a little bit of a different take. “I’ll be lying if I said we didn’t (talk about it) sometimes, but to be honest with you, our focus is on playing this week, playing LSU and getting ready to play,” Bell said.
LSU at Ole Miss Rank: 17 AP, 15 playoff Record: 7-2 (4-2 SEC)
Rank: 25 AP, 22 playoff Record: 7-3 (4-2 SEC)
All-time series: LSU leads the series 59-40-4. The Tigers have won four of the last five in the series, including last season’s 10-7 victory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. TV: CBS Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network (93.7 FM) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 4 — Ole Miss takes it turns with Fournette, Tigers Page 5 — Rosters Page 6 — LOOKBACK: 2013 LSU Page 7 — Leaner Sims works his way into starting role along OL Page 8 — Seniors to cap ‘roller coaster’ career with last home game Page 9 — Hilton once again ‘ready for whatever’ in secondary Page 10 — KNOW YOUR OPPONENT: LSU Page 12 — THE RECRUITING FILE: DE Simmons still open
See TEAM on Page 13
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Ole Miss takes it turn with Fournette, Tigers Gang-tackling only way to slow down LSU’s star back By Davis Potter Sports Editor
Ole Miss took a week to recover from a loss that occurred in large part because the Rebels couldn’t stop anything through the air against Arkansas. Now the Rebels are preparing to begin their final two-game stretch against a team that likes to move the ball an entirely different way with one of the nation’s best players. Ole Miss’ defense is switching gears from Arkansas’ third-ranked passing offense in the Southeastern Conference to the league’s topranked rushing offense in LSU.
The Rebels (7-3, 4-2 SEC) were the last team in the conference to have a bye week, giving them a little longer to prepare for their turn against Heisman contender Leonard Fournette, the nation’s leading rusher, when they host LSU (7-2, 4-2) on Saturday at VaughtHemingway Stadium. “You’re playing one of the best backs probably in the history of the SEC, so it’s a tremendous challenge,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. “You have to gang-tackle. You have to run to the football. He’s just one of the best players that will ever go down as coming through this conference, and that says a lot.” The Tigers’ rock of a running back (6-foot-1, 230 pounds) has reached the 150-yard mark in all but two games this season and has found the end zone 17 times, usually leaving the imprint of some part
of his body on defenders on his way downfield. The sophomore has run for 1,474 yards and is averaging nearly 7 yards a pop. “Everybody knows what he can do with the ball in his hands,” defensive back Mike Hilton said. “He’s a downhill guy, but he also has the speed to pull away from you. We’ve just got to gang-tackle him, get a lot of bodies around him and just focus on getting him down to the ground.” On paper, it’s a better matchup for a Rebel defense that’s struggled much more to keep teams from moving the ball through the air than on the ground. Ole Miss ranks next to last in the league in pass defense after Brandon Allen shredded the Rebels for 442 yards two weeks ago. See TIGERS on Page 11
BRUCE NEWMAN
LSU’s Leonard Fournette (7) leads the nation in rushing with 1,474 yards and is the only player in SEC history to rush for more than 200 yards in three straight games.
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Name Tony Bridges Laquon Treadwell DeVante Kincade Tee Shepard C.J. Hampton Damore’ea Stringfellow Denzel Nkemdiche DaMarkus Lodge Robert Nkemdiche Fadol Brown Jaylen Walton Trae Elston Jason Pellerin Quincy Adeboyejo Chief Brown Ryan Buchanan Breeland Speaks C.J. Johnson Chad Kelly Will Easter Markell Pack Channing Ward Tony Conner Van Jefferson Eugene Brazley Kailo Moore Victor Evans Jeremy Liggins Kendarius Webster Drew Davis Jalen Julius Collins Moore Evan Engram Derrick Jones Christian Russell Terry Caldwell Akeem Judd Ray Ray Smith Jordan Wilkins Carlos Davis Tayler Polk Johnathan Rattliffe Eric Swinney Montrell Custis Quintavius Burdette C.J. Moore Marquis Haynes Cale Luke Cameron Ordway Brandon Bell Armani Linton A.J. Moore Justin Anderson DeMarquis Gates Temario Strong Nathan Vanderburg John-Patrick Sherling Shawn Curtis D.K. Buford Josh Johnson Zedrick Woods Luke Davis Mike Hilton Martin Johnson Antwain Smith Garrald McDowell Ty Quick John Youngblood Jack Raborn Sean Rawlings Michael Howard Austrian Robinson Will Few Sam Johnson Tyler Putnam Woodrow Hamilton Chadwick Lamar Michael Taylor Jacob Freely Ben Still Alex Givens Justin Bell Jordan Sims Christian Morris Aaron Morris Rod Taylor Fahn Cooper Robert Conyers Daronte Bouldin Talbot Buys Laremy Tunsil Javon Patterson Willie Hibbler Elliot Markuson Trey Bledsoe Dylan Dyer Dillon Barrett Hunter Thurley Dawson Knox Alex Weber Jordan Gallegos Matt Brown Cody Core Taz Zettergren Ross Donelly Nathan Noble Andy Pappanastos Tyler Jackson D.J. Jones Will Gleeson Issac Gross Gary Wunderlich Grant Warren Herbert Moore
Ole Miss Rebels Pos. Height/Weight DB 6-0/183 WR 6-2/210 QB 6-0/184 DB 6-1/195 DB 6-0/179 WR 6-3/220 LB 5-11/208 WR 6-2/190 DT 6-4/296 DE 6-4/280 RB 5-8/172 DB 5-11/195 QB 6-4/229 WR 6-3/195 DB 6-1/200 QB 6-3/218 DL 6-3/313 LB 6-2/225 QB 6-2/215 WR 6-0/180 WR 6-2/193 DE 6-4/279 DB 6-0/215 WR 6-2/181 RB 5-9/189 DB 5-10/195 DE 6-3/238 TE/OL 6-3/302 DB 5-11/180 QB 6-1/208 DB 6-0/180 WR 6-1/201 TE 6-3/227 WR 6-2/189 LB 6-0/232 LB 6-1/216 RB 5-11/222 LB 6-2/213 RB 6-1/214 DB 5-8/171 LB 5-11/212 DB 5-9/177 RB 5-9/197 DB 6-0/174 WR 5-11/186 DB 5-11/190 DE 6-3/220 WR 6-1/200 DB 5-11/174 WR 6-0/214 DB 6-2/206 DB 6-0/199 DB 5-9/184 LB 6-2/217 LB 6-0/233 RB 5-7/167 LB 5-11/224 LB 6-9/247 DB 5-11/221 WR 5-10/172 DB 5-11/197 LB 6-2/216 DB 5-9/184 RB 6-0/192 DB 5-9/175 DL 6-2/240 TE 6-3/257 DE 6-3/255 LB 6-1/217 OL 6-5/280 OL 6-5/232 DL 6-4/292 LS 6-3/232 OL 6-2/240 OL 6-4/300 DT 6-3/319 LS 6-1/212 LS 6-3/185 C 6-2/273 C 6-3/280 OL 6-6/293 OL 6-2/347 OL 6-4/334 OL 6-6/313 OL 6-5/313 OL 6-3/320 OL 6-5/306 OL 6-5/290 OL 6-5/327 OL 6-8/310 OL 6-5/305 OL 6-3/307 TE 6-3/238 LB 6-0/235 WR 6-1/213 TE 6-4/227 TE 6-4/235 DE 6-4/232 TE 6-4/222 WR 6-1/185 WR 5-9/172 TE 6-3/257 WR 6-3/205 TE 6-3/218 DT 6-1/309 K 6-3/224 K 5-11/194 K 5-11/185 DT 6-0/324 P 6-3/197 DT 6-1/240 K/P 6-0/188 P 6-1/201 DT 6-1/322
Yr. JR JR SO R-JR SO R-SO SR FR JR JR SR SR FR JR SR R-SO FR SR JR JR SO SR JR FR SO JR FR JR SO JR FR SR JR JR SR JR JR SO SO JR SO R-FR FR FR SR SO SO SO FR R-JR FR SO SO SO JR SO SO FR R-FR SO FR SO SR JR SO R-FR SO JR R-FR R-FR FR FR JR FR R-FR SR FR FR JR SR FR SR R-FR SO SR SO SR JR SO JR JR FR FR SO SO SR SR-TR JR FR R-FR JR JR SR JR FR JR SO JR JR SO FR SO SO SO
The OxfOrd eagle - game day Hometown (Last School) Hattiesburg (Miss. Gulf Coast CC) Crete, Ill. Dallas Fresno, Calif. (Holmes CC) Meridian Perris, Calif. (Washington) Loganville, Ga. Cedar Hill, Texas Loganville, Ga. Charleston, S.C. (FIU) Memphis Oxford, Ala. New Iberia, La. Cedar Hill, Texas Winona Jackson Jackson Philadelphia, Miss. Buffalo, N.Y. (East Mississippi CC) Rosemary Beach, Fla. (Louisburg) Purvis Aberdeen Batesville Brentwood, Tenn. New Orleans Rosedale Dallas Oxford (Northeast Mississippi CC) Stockbridge, Ga. Bonita Springs, Fla. (Coffeeville CC) Winter Garden, Fla. Madison, Ala. Powder Springs, Ga. Eupora Fayetteville, N.C. (East Miss. CC) Wilmington, N.C. (Northwest Miss. CC) Durham, N.C. (Georgia Military) Florence, Ala. Cordova, Tenn. Birmingham, Ala. Magee Birmingham, Ala. Riverdale, Ga. Jonesboro, Ga. Senatobia Bassfield Jacksonville, Fla. (Fork Union Military) Clinton Pulaski, Tenn. Columbus (East Miss. CC) Walnut Bassfield Houston, Texas Hampton, Ga. Batesville Olive Branch Fairhope, Ala. Doral, Fla. Oxford Belden Lake City, Fla. Trussville, Ala. Fayetteville, Ga. Preston (East Central CC) Southaven Covington, La. Terry Trussville, Ala. Advance, NC Madison Green Cove Springs, Fla. New York Augusta, Ga. Nashville Olive Branch Raleigh Oxford Jackson, Tenn. Picayune (East Miss. CC) Memphis Nashville Jackson Homewood, Ala. Memphis (UCLA) Jackson Jackson Crystal Lake, Ill. (College of DuPage) Miami, Fla. Canton Vicksburg (Holmes CC) Lake City, Fla. Petal Sardis Oxford Grenada Flora (Holmes CC) Dry Prong, La. (Lamar) Nashville (Wofford) Nashville Lake City, Fla. New Albany, Ohio Cordova, Tenn. Auburn, Ala. Senatobia Houston, Texas Greenville Montgomery, Ala. Oxford (Itawamba CC) Greenville, SC (East Miss. CC) Melbourne, Aus. Batesville Memphis Pascagoula Memphis
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Name Danny Etling Donte Jackson Trey LaForge Kevin Toliver, II Tyron Johnson Nick Brossette Derrius Guice Brandon Harris Leonard Fournette Trey Quinn John Diarse Anthony Jennings Brandon Bergeron Lamar Louis Micah Dickens Justin McMillan Jake Clise Dwayne Thomas Trent Dominque Caleb Lewis Lionel Williams Malachi Dupre Brad Kragthorpe Xavier Lewis Tiger Scheyd Tre’Davious White Derrick Dillon Deven Hammond Ronnie Feist Miguel James Corey Thompson Ed Paris Reshaud Henry T.J. Lemoine John Battle Lanard Fournette Brandon Surtain Jalen Mills Rickey Jefferson Michael Ostrom Josh Growden Bennett Schiro Leyton Lavigne Tony Upchurch Jamal Adams Trey Gallman Darrel Williams Jack Gonsoulin Devin Voorhies Cameron Gamble Jamie Keehn Lenny Breda Duke Riley David Ducre Abraham Wallace Colby Delahoussaye Tommy LeBeau John David Moore Deion Jones Tashawn Bower Bry’Kiethon Mouton Donnie Alexander Ronnie Lamarque Arden Key Reid Ferguson Christian PIttman Jonathan Rucker Kendell Beckwith Blake Ferguson Grant Leger Eman Haynes Rory Luke Roshon Cody Cole Miller Davon Godchaux Cody Townsend Jibrail Abdul-Aziz Sione Teuhema John Ballis Jordan Harper Marcus Roberts Alex Cheramie Hunter Burns Justin Mikush K.J. Malone William Clapp Jerald Hawkins Toby Weathersby Jevonte Domond Chidi Okeke Turner Simmers George Brown Jr. Andy Dodd Adrian Magee Vadal Alexander Maea Teuhema Josh Boutte Ethan Pocic Garrett Brumfield Colin Jeter D.J. Chark Travin Dural Foster Moreau Dillon Gordon Jazz Ferguson Kevin Spears Jacory Washington DeSean Smith Rob Snyder Christian LaCouture Lewis Neal M.J. Patterson Isaiah Washington Quentin Thomas
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LSU Tigers Pos. Height/Weight QB 6-3/226 DB 5-11/167 QB 6-3/194 CB 6-2/196 WR 6-1/189 RB 6-0/218 RB 5-11/222 QB 6-3/206 RB 6-1/230 WR 6-0/197 WR 6-1/209 QB 6-2/216 QB 6-2/200 LB 5-11/232 CB 5-9/186 QB 6-2/193 QB 6-2/209 DB 6-0/186 PK/P 6-2/170 QB 6-4/211 S 6-0/201 WR 6-3/190 QB 6-0/202 CB 6-0/193 QB 6-0/179 CB 5-11/191 WR 5-11/178 DB 5-9/181 FB 6-1/234 WR 5-9/165 S 6-2/221 CB 6-1/210 RB 5-8/191 DB 5-10/180 S 6-1/194 RB 5-10/187 DB 5-8/181 S 6-0/196 S 6-0/206 WR 6-0/180 P 6-2/197 FB 5-11/214 DB 5-10/177 FB 6-1/241 S 6-1/211 FB 6-1/256 RB 6-0/232 PK 5-9/165 LB 6-1/216 PK 5-10/197 P 6-5/231 WR 5-9/181 LB 6-0/227 FB 6-0/238 DB 6-0/196 PK 5-9/182 S 6-0/191 FB 6-4/235 LB 6-1/227 DE 6-5/240 FB 6-1/255 LB 6-1/215 FB 6-1/212 DE 6-6/231 SNP 6-2/244 LB 5-11/206 LB 6-0/236 LB 6-2/252 SNP 6-3/221 LB 6-2/225 DE 6-2/216 OL 6-4/284 OL 5-10/249 LB 6-2/220 DT 6-4/293 OL 6-1/288 OL 6-1/281 DE 6-4/251 SNP 6-1/215 DE 6-3/231 DL 5-11/282 OL 6-0/280 LB 6-0/222 OL 6-4/348 OG 6-4/298 OG/C 6-5/303 OT 6-6/305 OT 6-5/292 OT 6-5/298 OL 6-6/311 OL 6-4/274 OT 6-7/283 C 6-4/319 OG 6-4/324 OT 6-6/329 OG 6-5/327 OG 6-5/342 C/OG 6-7/309 OG 6-3/294 TE 6-7/244 WR 6-3/186 WR 6-2/203 TE 6-5/261 TE 6-5/308 WR 6-5/215 WR 6-2/207 TE 6-6/228 TE 6-5/243 TE 5-11/211 DT 6-5/307 DE 6-2/264 DE 6-3/223 DE 6-4/241 DT 6-4/313
Yr. T-JR FR FR FR FR FR FR SO SO SO SO JR JR SR SO FR SO JR JR FR SO SO SR FR R-FR JR FR FR JR SO JR SO SO FR SO FR JR SR JR FR FR SO R-FR R-FR SO R-FR So FR SO SO SR SO JR FR R-FR JR SR SO SR JR FR SO FR FR SR SR SO JR FR SR R-SO FR R-FR R-SO SO JR SO SO T-JR JR R-JR SO SO R-FR SO R-FR JR FR JR FR R-FR FR SO FR SR FR JR JR R-FR JR SO JR FR SR FR SO R-FR JR R-SR JR JR SO FR SR
Hometown (Last School) Terre Haute, Ind. (Purdue) Metairie, La. New Orleans Jacksonville, Fla. New Orleans Baton Rouge, La. Baton Rouge, La. Bossier City, La. New Orleans Lake Charles, La. Monroe, La. Marietta, Ga. Lafayette, La. (Highland CC) Breaux Bridge, La. Dry Prong, La. Cedar Hill, Texas Baltimore New Orleans Mandeville, La. Lakeland, Fla. Chesterfield, Va. New Orleans Tulsa, Okla. LaPlace, La. Miramar Beach, Fla. Shreveport, La. Franklinton, La. Port Allen, La. Edgard, La. Kentwood, La. Missouri City, Texas Arlington, Texas Ponchatoula, La. Monroe, La. Hallandale, Fla. New Orleans Baton Rouge, La. DeSoto, Texas St. Rose, La. Baton Rouge, La. Sydney, Australia New Orleans Ponchatoula, La. Pearland, Texas Carrollton, Texas Prairieville, La. Marrero, La. Baton Rouge, La. Woodville, Miss. Flower Mound, Texas Gracemere, Queensland, Australia Lake Charles, La. Buras, La. Slidell, La. Baton Rouge, La. New Iberia, La. Monroe, La. Ruston, La. New Orleans Somerville, N.J. Lafayette, La. New Orleans New Orleans Atlanta Buford, Ga. New Orleans Ponchatoula, La. Clinton, La. Buford, Ga. Metairie, La. Covington, La. New Orleans Baton Rouge, La. Shreveport, La. Plaquemine, La. Marrero, La. Baton Rouge, La. Keller, Texas Houston (Kentucky) New Orleans Baton Rouge, La Cypress, Texas Wilmer, Ala. (Baton Rouge CC) Tomball, Texas Ruston, La. New Orleans Baldwin, La. Houston Glendale, Ariz. (Glendale CC) Anambra, Nigeria Prairieville, La. Cincinnati, Ohio Lindale, Ga. Franklinton, La. Buford, Ga. Keller, Texas New Iberia, La. Lemont, Ill. Baton Rouge, La. Longview, Texas Alexandria, La. Breaux Bridge, La. New Orelans Edgard, La. St. Francisville, La. New Orleans Westlake, La. Lake Charles, La. Cleveland Lincoln, Neb. Wilson, N.C. Winnfield, La. New Orleans Breaux Bridge, La.
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The OxfOrd eagle - game day
Ritter’s kick sends Rebels past No. 6 LSU in upset By Jake Thompson Assistant Sports Editor
It will be Senior Day for No. 25 Ole Miss when it welcomes LSU to town on Saturday. This group of seniors is looking to upset the ninth-ranked Tigers and send their last game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium out in style. It would not be the first time they knocked off a top-10 LSU team at home. Two years ago, a banged-up Rebel team shocked the college football world, defeating the then No. 6-ranked Tigers 27-24 with a last-second field goal by senior Josh Ritter. Missing five starters on defense and without starting running back Jeff Scott, Ole Miss managed enough intestinal fortitude to snatch a victory out of the jaws of defeat after suffering a last-second, heartbreaking loss of its own a week prior.
LOOKBACK: 2013 LSU With the clock showing two seconds remaining, Ritter connected on a 41-yard attempt, giving the Rebels their second Southeastern Conference win of the season at that point. “I’m thankful that the Lord gave me this opportunity,” Ritter said after the game. “When I came here, I never would have thought that five years down the road I would be kicking field goals. I finally got my opportunity, and it worked out. It felt really good. You know when you hit a good ball and when you hit a bad ball, and I knew I hit that one.” It was a game where Ole Miss led into the third quarter. LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry with a little more than three minutes left in the game, tying
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things up at 24-all. Ole Miss responded, driving 61 yards on 14 plays to give Ritter a chance to win the game. The drive was kept alive twice by the arm of quarterback Bo Wallace, who converted two third-down passes during the drive. Running backs Jaylen Walton and I’Tavius Mathers, who were subbing
for the injured Scott, made big plays in the run game. Wallace went 30-for-39 for 346 yards in the contest while Mathers and Walton combined for 157 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns from Walton. See UPSET on Page 15
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The OxfOrd eagle - game day
Leaner Sims works his way into starting role along OL By Davis Potter
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Jordan Sims (70) has gone from a project to the Rebels’ starting right guard in the last year.
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When the season began, Jordan Sims just wanted to be a part of the Rebels’ rotation along the offensive line. Turns out he’s done a lot more than that. The Rebels’ redshirt freshman guard has become a major contributor on the interior and has even worked his way into the starting lineup the last two games, helping the Rebels’ offense continue its big-play production while aiding a once-stagnant running game average more than 200 yards on the ground in the last three games.
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PHOTOS BY BRUCE NEWMAN
Guard Justin Bell (left) and linebacker C.J. Johnson are two of 19 seniors who will experience their last game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.
Rebel seniors to cap ‘roller coaster’ career with last home game By Jake Thompson Assistant Sports Editor
On Saturday afternoon, 19 players will don an Ole Miss jersey at home for the final time. It will be Senior Day for the Rebels, who take on LSU, and mark the final game inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium of what has been a roller coaster career for several Ole Miss players. “It’s kind of crazy,” linebacker C.J. Johnson said. “We’ve been talking about it, and now it’s finally here. I’m just going to embrace the week. I’m ready to go out and play in the stadium one more time.” Johnson leads a large group of seniors on the defensive side of the ball, includ-
ing Mike Hilton, Trae Elston, Woodrow Hamilton, Channing Ward, Chief Brown and Denzel Nkemdiche. Issac Gross is a senior, but will apply for medical redshirt after missing most of the season due to a neck injury. Hilton is one of the more accomplished players to suit up for Ole Miss. During his four years, Hilton has started at every position in the defensive backfield and was part of the Landshark defense that helped make a program that once finished 2-10 in 2011 become a relevant name in the Southeastern Conference and national landscape of college football, recording three straight winning seasons. “It’s been fun,” Hilton said. “It’s been kind of like a roller coaster almost. We’ve had some ups and downs. I kind of wanted
to come here and change the way people looked at Ole Miss, and so far we’ve done that. I didn’t think it would be this fast. I thought this would be the year that everything would come full circle and we’d start winning a bunch of games and all that. To do it last year and to win big games this year, it’s great.” The offensive line has been a fluid unit for the past couple of years for the Rebels and next year will look a whole lot different than it has in recent seasons. Of the 19 seniors, four of them are starters on the offensive line in Justin Bell, Fahn Cooper, Ben Still and Aaron Morris. For a group that has had to fill holes due to injuries and suspensions this season, it will require an entire makeover that Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze has said will need
“five or six guys” in the upcoming recruiting class to ease the loss. “Yeah, it does,” Bell said when asked if the final game came faster than he thought it would. “But going through it, you don’t think about how fast it is, but we have some memories when we think about stuff we did. We’ll talk about our time in the dorm room, and we realize it was four or five years ago. It went by a lot faster. As we were going through it, we didn’t think about it like that. But it flew by.” Saturday will also mark the final home games for wide receivers Cody Core, Collins Moore and running back Jaylen Walton, who have stepped up their final seasons to become key parts of a revitalized Ole Miss offense. —jake.thompson@oxfordeagle.com
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Hilton once again ‘ready for whatever’ in secondary By Davis Potter Sports Editor
Mike Hilton will play his last home game in Ole Miss’ secondary on Saturday much like he has his entire career — on the move. After the Rebels once again came up futile in their attempt to stop the forward pass last time out against Arkansas, their utility defensive back will split time at two positions when LSU visits Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Hilton will go back and forth between corner, where starters Kendarius Webster and Tony Bridges have struggled to keep up in man coverage, and the Huskie, or nickel corner, position, where Tony Conner is back but will be limited to certain packages in the final two games with a knee that won’t be fully healthy until another procedure is done after the season. Not knowing exactly where they’ll line up on any given play may be difficult to manage for some players, but that doesn’t apply to Hilton. “It’s pretty simple because I’ve been doing it so long,” Hilton said. “Just getting my technique back down and working with the receivers.” Hilton has played all four positions on the back end since arriving on campus in 2012 — most of them in the same season. The 5-foot-9, 184-pounder started at Huskie and corner as a freshman and spent most of his sophomore season at corner with Conner’s arrival in 2013. He started 11 games at corner opposite Senquez Golson last season before moving to rover in place of Trae Elston, who slid over to free safety to take over for the departed Cody Prewitt. Coaches tried A.J. Moore at Huskie once Conner tore his meniscus against Alabama on Sept. 19, but with teams pick-
ing on Moore and the Rebels’ linebackers with the underneath passing game, that experimented lasted two weeks before Hilton was moved back to Huskie. Now Hilton is back where it all started after the Rebels were shredded by Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen, who threw for a career-high 442 yards in the Hogs’ overtime win, accounting for more than two-thirds of their whopping 605 total yards. Hilton was in at cornerback in certain packages before the night was over. “I went back and forth at Huskie and corner (last week in practice),” Hilton said. “Certain packages, I’m at corner. Certain packages, I’m at Huskie. They’re just making sure I’m tip-top on both of them and ready for whatever.” Hilton has produced wherever he’s been. He’s got 169 tackles since his sophomore season, leading the Rebels with 71 stops last season and having the fourthmost this season with 46. Only Marquis Haynes has more than Hilton’s eight tackles for loss this year. “I think he always takes the burden on him to learn all the positions,” Elston said. “The coaches are like, ‘We’ll just let you learn Huskie and don’t play nothing else,’ and he’s like, ‘No, I want to play corner. I want to play rover.’ He wants that on his back.” Hilton wants to keep that production coming and do his part to help restore some confidence in a defense that’s been shaken more times than not. “We’ve just got to make sure we don’t lose any confidence in how we play and what we can do,” Hilton said. “We know what the guys on the defense can do and rally around and get their confidence back rolling and get better.” —davis.potter@oxfordeagle.com
BRUCE NEWMAN
Ole Miss defensive back Mike Hilton (38), whose played every position in the Rebels’ secondary during his career, will be back at cornerback in certain packages while also alternating with Tony Conner at Huskie on Saturday.
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KNOW YOUR OPPONENT: LSU Head coach: Les Miles (11th season at LSU, 110-31; 137-52 overall)
Last meeting: Ole Miss went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, last October with playoff aspirations and left with its first loss. The Rebels mustered just 313 yards yet led the entire way until Anthony Jennings’ 3-yard TD pass to Logan Stokes with 5:07 left put the Tigers ahead. Ole Miss had one last shot with 1 minute left and the ball, but Bo Wallace was picked by Ronald Martin at the goal line to seal it.
pable this season, leading the nation with 1,474 yards and 17 rushing TDs. The 6-foot-1, 230pound bruiser’s Heisman campaign has been filled with highlight-reel runs and a touch of history as the sophomore is the only Davis Southeastern Conference Potter player ever to rush for Sports Editor 200-plus yards in three straight games. But if you can at least contain the beast, QB Brandon Harris hasn’t shown the ability to beat you. LSU’s last two games have both been losses to Alabama and Arkansas with Fournette combining to run for just 122 yards in those games. The Tigers lost them by a combined 31 points.
Zeroing in on Fournette: The trick to beating LSU is simple: Stop Leonard Fournette. The hard part is actually doing it. Fournette has been virtually unstop-
Advantageous matchup?: Florida is about the only game you can point to where you could blame a loss just as much on the offense as the defense. Outside of that October night in the Swamp, the
Results: beat Mississippi State 21-19, beat Auburn 45-21, beat Syracuse 34-24, beat Eastern Michigan 44-22, beat South Carolina 45-24, beat Florida 35-28, beat Western Kentucky 48-20, lost to Alabama 30-16, lost to Arkansas 31-14
B’s
Rebels’ passing attack has been on point. It was about as good as it’s been all season in that shootout with Arkansas a couple weeks back, and Chad Kelly and company get to go up against the SEC’s eighthranked pass defense Saturday in LSU, which is allowing more than 208 yards a game through the air. Ole Miss’ offensive front will have to keep an always-talented front seven for the Tigers off Kelly, but if the quarterback has time, the league’s topranked passing offense should be able to do what’s it done all season. Worth noting: LSU will lose some games under Les Miles, but dropping two in a row has been rare in his 11 years at the helm. The Tigers are 27-3 following a loss in Miles’ tenure with those losses to Alabama and Arkansas in back-to-back weeks being the most recent time it’s happened. But the Tigers have never lost three straight under Miles, something Ole Miss will try to change Saturday. —davis.potter@oxfordeagle.com
BRUCE NEWMAN
LSU has never lost three straight games under Les Miles (above). Could Ole Miss change that Saturday?
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Tigers: Now 7-2
Sims: Weight loss helps RS frosh get back to his old self
Continued from Page 4
Continued from Page 7
Freeze praised LSU quarterback Brandon Harris’ ability to strike with the deep ball if the Rebels put too much focus on stopping Fournette, but Harris (166 pass yards per game) hasn’t been able to make defenses pay consistently for selling out on the run. Ole Miss contained Fournette in the teams’ meeting last season in Baton Rouge, limiting him to 113 yards on 23 carries. It’s a performance the Rebels will need to duplicate by stopping Fournette before he gets started. LSU enters Saturday’s game coming off back-to-back losses to Alabama and Arkansas, ending its hopes of a playoff berth. Fournette didn’t reach 100 yards in either game. “If you can get him to make that one cut in the backfield, give the defense time to pursue, you will have a chance,” linebacker C.J. Johnson said. “That will play a big part if we can get penetration and get in the backfield and disrupt him a little bit.” —davis.potter@oxfordeagle.com
Sims knew he could contribute, but even he didn’t quite expect all of this. “It was a little surprising,” Sims said. “Since I’ve been here, all I’ve wanted to do is work hard. (Offensive line) coach (Matt) Luke, he knows what he’s doing, and he’s teaching us the right things. I knew he’d put the people in that are best suited for the job.” All of this wouldn’t have been possible if Sims didn’t do his part first. The 6-foot-4 Sims signed with Ole Miss last February and got to campus last summer at 380 pounds after he decided to give up basketball his senior year at Homewood (Alabama) High. That’s when Sims said the pounds really started to pile up. “I was still working out and stuff, but I was done until I got here at Ole Miss after my senior season, so it just kind of crept up on me,” he said. It made a redshirt year a necessity so he could work on his body. Workouts and conditioning helped, but Sims had to disci-
pline himself to eat smaller, more balanced meals. “Nothing really got cut out,” Sims said of his eating habits. “It’s just making sure you have just a little carbs, protein, more vegetables and fruits. (Sports nutritionist) Frank (Newell) really helped with that.” Once his redshirt year was over, he had dropped 60 pounds. It didn’t take Sims long to notice the difference his lighter frame made going against one of the Southeastern Conference’s best defensive lines every day in practice. “I feel like my biggest thing was just quickness on my feet,” Sims said. “After I lost weight, I got a lot better.” Sims quickly worked his way into the guard rotation with senior Justin Bell, freshman Javon Patterson and sophomore Rod Taylor, who’s been playing with a surgically repaired labrum in his shoulder all season. Sims moved into the starting lineup ahead of Taylor at right guard against Auburn on Oct. 31 and is set to make his third straight start Saturday against LSU. Keeping that weight off, Sims admitted,
has been difficult during the season with workouts being less frequent and less strenuous for players this time of year. Sims is playing at 330 pounds, but he’s a lot closer to fulfilling the potential he had as one of Alabama’s top offensive line prospects early in his prep career than at any point in the last two years. “Watching my old high school tape from my sophomore and junior years, I just realized how good of a player I could really be if I worked at it,” Sims said. Other starters up front are glad to see Sims by their side. “He has worked extremely hard to get to where he is now,” Bell said. “I always tell him I’m proud of him. He has matured a lot since he’s got here. I’m just proud of the work he put in to get where he is now.” Now that he’s gotten to this point, Sims has plenty of motivation to stay. “I didn’t really realize how big I was until I got here and lost the weight,” Sims said. “Now I just want to keep going, and I don’t want to see myself back at that point.” —davis.potter@oxfordeagle.com
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THE RECRUITING FILE
Noxubee County DE Simmons still ‘open to everybody’ By Jake Thompson Assistant Sports Editor
JOEY BRENT
Noxubee County standout Jeffery Simmons is one of the most sought-after defensive ends in the nation.
If you go to Macon and watch a Noxubee County football game on Friday night in the fall, it will not take you long to find out who the Tigers’ best player is. He will be the one towering over his teammates and his opponent’s offensive line. Jeffery Simmons and his 6-foot-4, 272pound frame are hard to miss on the Tigers’ defensive line, and it has caught the eye of nearly every school in the Southeastern Conference. The senior defensive end is considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com and is ranked as one of if not the top player at his position in the state. Rivals has him listed at the third-best defensive end while 247Sports has him at
No. 1. Eight of the 14 SEC schools have offered Simmons, including Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama and LSU. National powerhouses outside of the SEC have also noticed Simmons with Florida State giving
him an offer as well as Memphis. With Noxubee County playing for an MHSAA Class 4A North Half championship after knocking off Lafayette last week, See SIMMONS on Page 14
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Team: Will rivalry angle be enough motivation down the stretch? Continued from Page 3 Maybe playing your two most bitter rivals at the end is enough and should be enough to get the competitive juices flowing feverishly again, but there’s a human element to all of this.
Bubble burst
This was a team, with its handful of future first-round draft picks and new and improved depth, that talked with conviction in the preseason about how it was the one that could end all the years of misery and finish what it started a year ago by being the first squad in school history to break through. Atlanta was the expectation, and now it’s a pipe dream. It’s hard to envision a group of seniors that has invested so much to helping turn around a
program in shambles when they hopped on board what looked like a sinking ship when Freeze took over four years ago not going all out Saturday, but what about everybody else? Now that the ultimate prize is all but gone, will the fire be there? Do Robert Nkemdiche, Laremy Tunsil and Laquon Treadwell (this is assuming Tony Conner returns for his senior season after his knee injury, which appears likely at this point) continue to go as hard as they have been with the championship hopes gone and NFL millions waiting on them in just a few months? The quotes this week have been what you’d want to hear if you’re an Ole Miss fan, but we’re about 24 hours away from finding out if there’s any substance to them. —davis.potter@oxfordeagle.com
BRUCE NEWMAN
Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze (center) has the task of trying to motivate his team with the Rebels’ chances of winning the SEC West and playing in the league title game a longshot at best.
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he is in no rush to make a decision with close to three months left in the recruiting process. “I’m still open to everybody,” Simmons said. “I’m just enjoying the process while I’m trying to focus on my team.” Simmons did take an official visit to Ole Miss on Oct. 24 when the Rebels hosted Texas A&M. He has not officially visited Mississippi State but did go watch the Bulldogs when they played LSU and Louisiana Tech earlier this season. His contact with Ole Miss has been defensive line coach Chris Kiffin, who would love to earn the services of Simmons with the likes of Robert Nkemdiche likely bolting for the NFL next spring. “It was pretty nice. I had a great time,” Simmons said of his visit to Ole Miss. “Everywhere I go, any school, first it’s about the people I’m going to be around. Then it’s the game environment and just see how everything is when I go to school. … Coach Kiffin and I have a great relationship
right now. They told me if I did choose to go to Ole Miss that they’d use me as a (Nkemdiche) type of guy.” Simmons is a monster in the trenches. He helped Noxubee County hold Lafayette’s Tyrell Price, one of the top running backs in the state this year, to less than 100 yards for the first time all season in the Tigers’ 20-13 win. Simmons disrupted the Commodores’ offense as well as their special teams, blocking a field goal midway through the game. Simmons also accounted for a 1-yard touchdown run when he lined up as tailback in the Tigers’ power offense. “He was a lot of a factor,” Lafayette coach Eric Robertson said. “Coming off the edge, catching us off the backside. He’s a good player.” While Simmons proved he can score a touchdown in short-yardage situations much like Nkemdiche has for the Rebels, he wants to stay on the side where he is chasing after the football, not carrying it. “I’m a defensive guy. I like to hit people,” Simmons said. —jake.thompson@oxfordeagle.com
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• COMPETITIVE PRICES • • OUTSTANDING SERVICE • • EXCELLENT SELECTION • We told you about our joy of shopping, And how we work to make our spot so sweet. A couple of things my mom and dad taught me, With a few quotes from our ancient greeks. Some wisdom from our Uncle Albert, And encouraging words for some troubling times. Here’s a toast for great things to come. Let me finish up this saga with remembering rhymes. Best Wishes for the coming holiday season! If there’s any way we can help with a special event let us know! Thanks, as always! To find us: From Highway 6, just 2 exits east of Chucky Mullins Drive, go south on Lamar Avenue. We’re on the right after the light across from the hospital.
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• Crown Royal • Maker’s Mark • Old Charter • Wild Turkey • Evan Williams • Absolut • Pinnacle • Smirnoff
Simmons: Ole Miss in the mix for DL Continued from Page 12
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Upset: Ole Miss gets top-10 victory with six starters out with injury Continued from Page 6 The lone touchdown through the air came from Barry Brunetti, who found Nicholas Parker for a 3-yard pass in the second quarter, putting Ole Miss up 10-0 at the time.
Perfect ending — almost
“I envisioned it just the way it happened other than (LSU coach) Les (Miles) called a timeout with six seconds, and I wanted it with three because I didn’t want to go through that trauma, that kickoff,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. “I thought I called it with three (seconds), and then all of a sudden (the officials) came over and said he called it with six seconds. That’s the only thing … it played out exactly like I thought except for that.”
BRUCE NEWMAN
The defense was without Serderius Bryant, Robert Nkemdiche, C.J. Johnson and Carlos Thompson. The Rebels were also without Mike Hilton as well as Senquez Golson, who was suspended two nights before by Freeze. Even without key pieces, the Ole Miss defense held a potent LSU offense to 388 total yards (114 rushing, 274 passing). “I couldn’t be more proud of that staff in there and those kids to go through what they went through this week with the injuries, with the outside world giving their opinion of things,” Freeze said. “In the back of your mind as coaches, you always worry about can you get a team ready to do something like this when you’re short-handed? … We found a way to get it done.” —jake.thompson@oxfordeagle.com
Ole Miss kicker Andrew Ritter (96) celebrates his game-winning field goal with holder Chris Conley (94) as LSU’s Jalen Mills (28) watches the ball go through the uprights at VaughtHemingway Stadium on Oct. 19, 2013. The Rebels won 27-24.
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